Carpentry and Cocktails is the fifth book in the contemporary romance, Green Valley Library series by author Nora Everly. It is also the 23rd book in the Green Valley Universe from Smarty Pants romance. If you are new to Smartypants romance, it is a publishing line with books by several different authors, writing stories set in one of Penny Reid's universes. Many of the  stories feature characters in and around the town of Green Valley. (The Winston Brothers series) I am such a big fan of this series, and if it seems intimidating, don't worry! The books can all be read as standalones, and you don't have to read any of Penny's original books to understand the world. (though you should read all of he books because she is one of my very favorite romance authors) It is perfect for new fans and old fans because we get all new story lines and characters, but we get to see plenty of character crossover.

I have missed the previous books in the Green Valley Library series, but I decided to put my reading where my mouth is. I always spout that because the books are all standalones that you can jump in and read the books in any order, but I am typically a very "read the books in order" reader. But this summary really caught my attention so I wanted to give it a go. And I am so glad that I did because Carpentry and Cocktails may be my favorite book that I have read in all of the Green Valley world books! I loved it so much! It was the perfect romance read. And it has made me really want to pick up the previous four books in the Green Valley Library series.

In Carpentry and Cocktails we meet Everett and Willa. The book is told in dual narrative between the two of them, and after a bit of snooping I have found that there story is tied into this series through Everett's brother Wyatt (and good friend of Willa) and Sabrina, who is Willa's best friend. Everett has had a crush on Willa ever since she moved in to his basement apartment.  Not only did I love Everett because he is sweet and a huge nerd, but I also appreciated that he liked Willa right away and he knew it. He was patient but at the same time made his affection for her known and once he saw that she liked him back he was unwavering in his support with her. I love how protective and steady he is. Everett is total book boyfriend material. Willa has family drama and ex husband drama, which are both very real issues in her life, but overall this book felt very romance centric, and because of that it was a total feel good read for me. There wasn't much slow burn here (most of the slow burn attraction happened before the story started, so it wasn't insta love but it all happened very fast from the readers perspective. However; it worked very well for story progression. I loved Willa and Everett's story.  If you are the in mood for a really smoldering, sweet and heartwarming romance, featuring a protective and hot nerd, you need to check out Carpentry and Cocktails. This is a book I fell in love with hardcore. I loved this story and I think you will too.

4.5/5 Stars