Caught in the Axe

Maine Lumberjacks, Book 1

De: Daphne Elliot

Narrado por: Aiden Snow, Mollie Stark

My ex’s brother is officially off-limits. Right? He’s ten years older. He’s only in town for a few weeks. And did I mention he’s my ex-boyfriend’s brother? But when I agree to be the grumpy lumberjack’s temporary assistant, it gets harder and harder to resist him. He’s all beard, broad shoulders, and growls, but I savor every one of his rare smiles.

I’m so close to the fresh start I’ve been working toward for so long, but while I’m ready to leave behind the moose, the lumberjacks, and the crazy small-town gossip, I can’t stay away from Owen. We’re tasked with cleaning up a disaster in order for his family to move on from their painful past, and we can only succeed if we trust one another. Our late nights, road trips, and inside jokes bring us too close and make it difficult to stay away. And while on a business trip, we don’t just cross the line, we demolish it. We’ve both been burned by the small-town rumor mill, so we agree to keep things quiet. But secrets don’t keep in Lovewell for long, and it’s only a matter of time before we get caught in the act. We’re headed in different directions and living different lives. And no matter how badly I want him, he can never truly be mine.

Author’s Note: Caught in the Axe is a standalone small-town romance featuring a nerdy, grumpy lumberjack with a heart of gold hidden under his flannel shirt and a sunshine ex-beauty queen who loves to challenge him. If you enjoy flirty banter, wood chopping, moose shenanigans, and possessive mountain men, then take a trip to Lovewell and meet the Maine Lumberjacks.

Series Blurb: Welcome to Lovewell, Maine, where the moose outnumber the people and you can’t swing an axe without hitting a hot, grumpy lumberjack. The Maine Lumberjacks Series are ALL standalones but are most fun when read in order!

©2024 Melody Publishing, LLC (P)2025 Melody Publishing, LLC

Owen & Lila

As soon as I saw this was going to be a brother's ex story, I knew I needed to read it! And just 1 book in and I am obsessed with these lumberjacks. I do always set my hopes real high when starting a brother's ex story and this did not let me down! I loved their connection, how well they worked together and began to rely on each other. Now I got to experience this all over again but in audio!

Owen has returned home to help deal with the mess that their father left. And Lila is looking for a job so she can go to grad school and ends up working for Owen. Owen & Lila’s connection had me hooked from the jump. The chemistry, the banter, the slow-build friendship that turns into so much more was so beautifully done. I loved the way they were able to bond over some of their quirky interests. And how they worked so well together handling the family business.

Aiden Snow and Mollie Stark nailed this narration! Their chemistry crackled through every scene. Aiden brought the growly alpha, while Mollie gave us all the sweet but sassy energy. This was very well cast. I was hooked from the first chapter!

LOVEDDDD THIS!

Wow - Love the start of this series! “City boy” Owen and “Good girl” Lila were such a fun read! Oh, did I mention that Lila is Owen’s brother’s ex-girlfriend? YEAH! Throw in the tropes of: boss/employee, grumpy-ish/sunshine, small town, and lots of tension, it made me want to go to Maine and get my own lumberjack! Can’t wait to continue this series! The narrators did a phenomenal job, and I loved the two of them together telling this story!

This series is starting off HOT! 🔥

Story - ❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️
Spice - 🌶🌶🌶
Narration - ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

Caught in the Axe is book #1 in the Maine Lumberjacks series. Owen is the CFO for De Luca Construction (Enzo from Mother Hater, Momcom series) and let me tell you as soon as I saw the connection, I was SUPER EXCITED! Grumpy, workaholic Owen has distanced himself from his family, but now he's back in Lovewell, Maine to sell of the family logging business. His brothers hire him an assistant, Lila, that he is immediately attracted to. Unfortunately, Lila is his half-brother's ex-girlfriend. He lives in Boston, she wants to go to NYU. These two look like oil and water on paper, but behind closed doors they are gasoline and matches!! Stoic gentleman Owen becomes dirty-talking, cuddly Owen with some absolutely toe-curling steamy scenes. Ms. Elliot paints a beautiful picture of New England all while spinning a tale of dysfunctional family dynamics, a found family, forbidden attraction, and forgiveness. All this is wrapped up in hilarious banter between the brothers and friends. I can't wait for the rest of the stories for the hilarious Hebert brothers!

The duet narration was absolute perfection. Aiden Snow and Mollie Stark definitely brought their A-game to the plate. His deep, husky "good girl" and her total witty sarcasm and snark made this a 5-star story for me. These two were pure gold!

sooo enjoyable!

I really enjoyed this one. Owen is a great guy! I mean he started off a little rough and really grew into himself as time went on. I love the dynamic between Lila and Owen. This is quite a family. I liked getting a glimpse of each of them and I look forward to their stories.

I listened to this on audio. Aiden Snow is always a pleasure to listen to and Mollie Stark is a new to me narrator and she did a wonderful job.

Small Town Lumberjacks

I love small-town romance stories, and the addition of Lumberjacks made this one fun. I enjoyed Lila and Owen's grumpy-sunshine, age-gap, slow-burning romance. The forbidden nature of Lila being Owen's little brother's ex created delicious tension between them. Owen returns home, intending to help his family's lumber business and then return to his life in the big city. He didn't expect Lila, his new assistant, to turn his world upside down. He falls fast and hard for her, but with their lives moving in different directions, they are forced to make some tough decisions.

Lila and Owen were cute together. Their banter and chemistry made this a fun relationship to watch develop. It's always fun witnessing the grump who has no plans of being in a relationship, end up falling in love. Owen is so sweet, and I loved how incredibly thoughtful he was when it came to Lila. Caught in the Axe is an engaging story, however, I did find it to be a bit too long with a good number of plot holes. The pacing was a bit uneven, and some moments seemed to drag. Overall, this is a good start to the series, and I am excited to see what comes next.

Narration:
The audiobook is performed in duet by Mollie Stark and Aiden Snow. Both did a wonderful job with this story and definitely made this a more enjoyable reading experience for me. Mollie and Aiden were very expressive and really brought the characters to life. Their voices worked well together.

Loved this age gap, ex’s brother, workplace romance!

Daphne did a great job highlighting the stark differences between a twenty-something’s mentality and a nearly forty year old’s thought processes. Owen is so much more willing to just live in the moment and assured they’ll figure things out, while Lila is still set on her rigid plan and worried about others’ perceptions. But Owen is such a green flag guy! Zero pressure, super supportive, and interested in learning not just Lila’s interests, but things to accommodate her needs and to care for her. The off-limits aspect made the tension fun and exciting!

I also really enjoyed the large family dynamic that Owen returns home too. The family love is one many desire, event with some tension between a couple members.

Mollie was the perfect Lila, full of sunshine and confident, projecting an independent, intelligent twenty-something woman very well. And Aiden was fabulous as Owen. Grumpy, mature, and growly! And the duet narration was performed perfect!

I really enjoyed this one!

I really enjoyed this one! I started this series on book three and am now going back to read the ones I missed! I will say starting with book one I did understand the dynamics of the family a bit better! I was hooked from the very beginning! I listened to the entirety of this one and I am so glad that I did! The narrators were so good! This one was a duet narration and I loved it! They really brought the authors words justice! I was engaged the entire time! I find sometimes if the narration isn’t hitting just right my mind will wander and that didn’t happen at all with this book! I loved Owen and Lila! This was one of those books that you won’t want to end but the epilogue gets you to want to go straight into the next book! If you’re in the mood for a small town, age gap, work place, secret romance add this one to your tbr!!!

lumberjacks are HOT

I continue to devour Daphne's writing and her characters. She does lumberjack the best. Owen & Lila's friendship, connection, chemistry and banter was just perfectly done. This is a small town, age gap, brother's ex-girlfriend romance. I always enjoy girl friendships. The bond and how close Lila is with her best friends, Willa and Magnolia was amazing. Owen has escaped the small-town life, and now lives in Boston, but when the family business needs to help, he returns to Lovewell. Lila is just trying to save up enough money for grad school and when the Hebert's need help in the office to unravel the mess their father left behind, she jumps at the chance. So happy to be back in Lovewell, Maine and beyond ready for more!

Aiden Snow and Mollie Stark were amazing in this book. Mollie is a newer narrator to me, but I've already listened to two other books with her voice and she does such an incredible job. Aiden as always, does a tremendous job of bringing yet another character to life!

Entertaining

Set in small town Lovewell, Maine this is Owen and Lila’s story and one that had me quickly invested.

Owen is Lila’s ex’s older brother and should be off limits. However the heart wants who the heart wants and once they cross the line, all bets are off.

The narration by Aiden Snow and Mollie Stark was spot on in my opinion with voices that are want to listen to. They brought all the drama, passion, humour and romance to life with their performances.

I really enjoyed the push and pull dynamic as their relationship progressed.

Fun and Flirty with an Emotional Punch!

This book was exactly what I needed—fun, flirty, lighthearted, and yet still packed an emotional punch. We’ve got Owen, a buttoned-up businessman who’s forced to return to his lumberjack roots to help his family, and Lila, his little brother’s ex-girlfriend, who’s suddenly working side by side with him. From the start, their chemistry is undeniable. There’s an instant connection that simmers beneath all the chaos happening around them, and I was hooked watching it all unfold.

The audiobook made this story even more enjoyable. Mollie Stark was absolutely adorable—bubbly, feisty, and full of life. She brought Lila to life in the best way. And Aiden Snow? He nailed Owen’s stoic, stern vibe while still making him sound sexy and commanding. Their voices complemented each other so well, adding depth and charm to an already great story.

Definitely recommend if you’re in the mood for a romance that’s sweet, emotional, and a little bit rugged. This was a 4 1/2 star read for me.