Before the Sunset

Cottonwood Cove Series, Book 4

By: Laura Pavlov

Narrated by: Maxine Mitchell, Jacob Morgan

He’s an actor in need of an image makeover. She’s determined to show her ex-fiancé that she’s moved on. A fake relationship between two best friends is the perfect solution. Or is it?

Reese Murphy has been my best friend since before we took our first steps. She’s the yin to my yang. The peanut butter to my jelly. It’s all platonic, of course, as we made a pact years ago that we’d never cross the line.

But then she took a job abroad and moved away for a year. To say I’ve been lost without her would be a massive understatement. She’s finally coming home, and I couldn’t be happier about it.

And then she presents me with a proposition—pretend to be her boyfriend. I am an actor, after all, so it should be a piece of cake. It’s all part of her grand plan to show her ex-fiancé that she’s moved on. My agent wants me to clean up my image, so it would be a win-win for both of us.

But then she moves into my house and prances around in those tiny pajama shorts. There's also the night she catches me alone in the bathroom in a compromising position. And she isn’t in any hurry to leave. We get lost in the moment, and now I can’t think of anything else.

We are way past a gray area at this point. We’ve entered a smoking-hot-I-think-I-might-be-in-love-with-my-best-friend area. The problem is, she still thinks we’re fake dating. And I stopped faking it a long time ago.

This is book four in the Cottonwood Cove series. Each one can be listened to as a complete stand-alone. An HEA is guaranteed!

Cottonwood Cove series:

• Into the Tide
• Under the Stars
• On the Shore
• Before the Sunset
• After the Storm

©2023 Laura Pavlov (P)2023 Laura Pavlov

I am in love with this entire series!

Each book has me falling more and more in love with every character! I loved Moine and Chewy !!! Their banter and friends to lovers is absolutely perfect!! The narrators brought it to life beautifully

Friends to Lovers is my Favorite!

I knew I'd love this story because of the tropes. Jacob Morgan and Maxine Mitchell are some of my favorite narrators. I binged this story in a day. Finn was a favorite sibling of mine from the previous books. His antics/anecdotes always put a smile on my face, so I was excited to read his HEA. There was one element/reveal at the end that slightly bothered me, but it's a little spoiler-y. I also know other readers wouldn't mind it and it didn't take away from my enjoyment of the story overall.

Sweet Friends to Lovers

Before the Sunset, by Laura Pavlov, is the fourth installment in the Cottonwood Cove Series. The story dives into the journey from friends to lovers and the complexities of a fake romance between Reese Murphy and Finn Reynolds.

Reese, returning from London, is confronted with the heart-wrenching revelation that her former fiancé is on the brink of engagement with her arch-nemesis. Simultaneously, Finn, freshly returned from a film set, finds himself in dire need of an image overhaul due to a smear campaign orchestrated by a former co-star. As Reese grapples with heartbreak and Finn seeks redemption, Reese agrees to masquerade as Finn's fake girlfriend, aiming to demonstrate to her ex that she, too, has moved on while mending Finn's tarnished reputation. Though Reese is mentally committed to their new dynamic, Finn becomes emotionally involved, leading to a series of both heartwarming and exasperating moments.

The narration by Jacob Morgan and Maxine Mitchell is a fantastic blend of talent. Jacob adeptly brings Finn's tender vulnerabilities to life, particularly when confronting the potential repetition of history with Reese. Maxine excels in portraying Reese's internal conflict with finesse, enriching the emotional fabric of the story. Together, they elevate the story, making it a truly engaging read.

Only thing that would make it better is duet performance

Loved the plot and love the performance. A couple fade to black (sort of) scenes that I wished weren’t.

Steamy, emotional and swoony!

Oh my, I am so swooning so hard after finishing this book. “Before the Sunset” is a steamy, emotional and swoony best friends to lovers that I devoured in one sitting because I could not stop listening.

Reese and Finn have been best friends literally their whole lives. Inspeatable all through school until Reese had her first serious boyfriend in senior year of high school. Fast forward years later, Reese is back in Cottonwood Cove after spending the year in London. Reese and her boyfriend broke up before she moved and she’s determined to show him she’s moved on. Finn, a successful actor, is also back and agrees to be her fake boyfriend even though he hates the ex. As the two spend time together as a couple, the boundaries they set start to blur as real feelings start to surface.

Boy, was the swoon factor turned up for this one. Not only romantically but in all the best possible ways as Reese and Finn figure out that they were meant to be together. They were truly best friends their whole lives and it shows in how much they know about each other and how close they are. They are each other’s true half and I just fell in love with them. Reese is so genuine, caring and such a good person. Finn was so swoony and I loved how he always put Reese first. He was there for her without hesitation through some of her hardest times and continued to be the light she needed. I loved the steamy scenes as they explored the benefits of their “fake” relationship. The ending was so sweet and so perfect for Reese and Finn.

Maxine Mitchell and Jacob Morgan were fabulous and the perfect choices for this audiobook. Maxine is always so perfect at narrating all the emotions her character is going through and I just love her male voice. Jacob brought the swoon alive, per the norm. And also brought the fun parts alive so well.

OMG!! What an incredible story!!

Before the Sunset, an Audiobook by Laura Pavlov is the heartaching story of Finn (Chewy) and Reese (Mione). They’ve been best friends forever. He’s a famous movie star. She’s a bit undecided. Her life has been difficult, to say the least and he’s been there through it all. Now, there’s so much more happening…and neither of them have a clue what’s next. And what happens before sunset????

Immensely enjoyable listen!! These characters are perfectly imperfect and have tremendous strength and fortitude. They also have undying devotion and love! Absolutely wonderful story!!

This Audiobook was beautifully narrated by Maxine Mitchell and Jacob Morgan. Their performances were seamless and spot on!!! They captured the essence of the character flawlessly!! I almost felt as if I were right there!! Excellent!!

Finn oh Finn

Oh my stars! I love Maxine Mitchell and I love Jacob Morgan and having them narrating a Laura Pavlov book is a trifecta for me! I was ecstatic to listen to it early.
Jacob voices Finn Reynolds, up and coming actor who's about to break into the big screen but whose TV show co-star is hellbent on tarnishing his reputation. All lies, but his career is at stake here he needs to fix it. The solution comes from Reese Murphy, his best friend, his "person", who proposes they fake date to help his image. She will benefit from it too because she wants to make her ex-fiancé jealous.
Maxine voices Reese and I'm so glad she did. For the first time reading a Laura Pavlov book I went "Oh, no, girl! Don't!" with every single decision made by the heroine. As a cancer survivor myself, I totally hoped I'd see a woman with true grit and strength and not a girl with so little self respect. And to be honest, she's not as good a friend to Finn as he proved time and time again that he is to her. Maxine does a great job in making her endearing to us. Well, to me anyway. I really wanted to love Reese and I just didn't. It happens.
I have to mention that this is dual narration and both narrators rock in all roles! They are perfection!
As in all Cottonwood Cove stories, I LOVE the Reynolds and their adorable meddling ways! There is a closet scene with, well, all of them that is pure gold! Or citrine...
Reese and Finn were meant for each other and I'm glad they finally saw that. The epilogue is so so swoony I had tears in my eyes. I can't get enough of this family! Give me more! 

such a great friends to lovers romance

this book made me happy. smiles all around, it was such a feel-good read. i loved it.

reese and finn have been best friends since kindergarten. they’re always there for one another no matter what, inseparable. they share a connection that’s absolute. they’ve never crossed the line in becoming something more, but when something happens where they begin to fake date, feelings start to blur. it’s evident that reese and finn have spectacular chemistry and were just so good together. i loved the ease to their relationship and just how they made an incredible team. i loved them.

before the sunset was an amazing friends to lovers romance that left me giddy. i just love this series so much.

great audio!

My favorite of the series so far!

5⭐️ 2.5🌶️ 4.5🎧

Producer: Lyric Audiobooks
Narrators: Maxine Mitchell + Jacob Morgan
Narration type: Dual
Standard length: 8:18
Listening speed: 1.6x
Listened via: Audible

Tropes: small town, childhood best friends to lovers, fake dating, forced proximity, it’s always been you

📖 I am surprised and delighted to say that this is my favorite of the series so far! I absolutely fell in love with Finn and Reese and their story. Their absolute devotion to each other and their long history filled with so many memories together was beautiful.
And of course, the Reynolds fam made many appearances, as did the Reynolds singling group chat lol! I am going to be so sad to see this series end, but I also can’t wait for Cage’s HEA!

🎧 Maxine and Jacob were great in this! Jacob Morgan slays anything he does, and he was perfection in this as Finn. Finn’s whole vibe is laid back, not a care in the world, other than Reese — and Jacob Morgan can pull that off so well. He can talk dirty to you as Finn one minute and be speaking as a 5 year old girl the next and be equally as believable! Maxine was also really good as Reese! She expresses emotion well and has a nice range! She clearly indicates her narrator voice versus her speaking voice.

Finn Loves Reese!

Before The Sunset
By: Laura Pavlov
Narrators: Maxine Mitchell & Jacob Morgan
Tropes:
Small Town
Fake Dating
Best Friends to Lovers
Forced Proximity

This is the 4th book in the Cottonwood Cove series but can be read as a stand alone.

First things first: That cover! So sweet, so swoony, so romantic! Couple covers are my absolute favorite because it gives me the perfect picture of those characters and the tone of the book. 
I really enjoyed Finn and Reese's love story. Laura did a wonderful job establishing how deep their friendship ran and how long they had been close. Seeing how much they cared for each other in little ways was so sweet. This is definitely a "he falls first" story and it was so fun to watch. They decide to fake date and wow! Once Finn sets his mind on something there is no stopping him. 
Of course, no Cottonwood Cove book would be complete without  Reynolds sibling group chat (and also closet chat ), which just makes all those characters more sweet and hilarious. Also, seeing past couples together (looking at you Brinks & Linc!) just made my heart so happy!
Listening to the audio really brings these characters to life. Maxine Mitchell and Jacob Morgan are so good at their craft. They have unique voices for each character and show all the right emotional tones for each scene. Overall, I enjoyed listening to this book and am waiting on the edge of my seat for the single dad story! 
Thank you to Laura Pavlov and Valentine PR for the ALC. I'm leaving this review voluntarily and all thoughts are my own.