Side Squeeze

Jasper Falls, Book 6

By: Lydia Michaels

Narrated by: Amber Battaglia

Award winning and best-selling author, Lydia Michaels, brings all the drama of rural, small-town romance to life in a second chance story of redemption that will pull at readers’ heartstrings.

Harrison Montgomery left Jasper Falls to escape his abusive father when he was only 17. Saving himself meant leaving those he loved behind.

Harrison was Mariella Mosconi’s first love, and when he ran away without even a goodbye, he stole her heart. Ten years later, when his father’s funeral brings him home, many unresolved emotions return.

Rekindled chemistry ignites into a passionate fling when two reunited lovers collide. Despite the entwined past these childhood sweethearts share, their present lives are worlds apart. Mariella’s just a small-town girl, and Harrison has become a big time, New York tycoon.

Could they have a future when he is still so haunted by a tragic past, or will he run again?

©2022 Lydia Michaels (P)2023 Lydia Michaels

Lemony fresh!

This adorable second chance romance was absolutely fantastic! I already loved Mariella from the first time I read about her and felt for all she had gone through with her ex. Harrison was great to finally get to know and see what was holding him back from his life and what he deserved. There was definitely chemistry between these characters and I loved watching them discover the more to that chemistry. Very sweet story and glad I’ve gotten to Continue with these characters throughout this series.

OK

Audiobook review:

This was an OK read for me. It took me a bit to get into, but I did enjoy it once I did. It was heartfelt, cute and fun to read. The narration wasn't my favourite but it was bearable.

3 stars

Second chance trope.

I listened to the audio version of this book narrated by Amber Battaglia. The narration was awesome.

I had a harder time with this story than with the others in the series at first. The story just didn't seem as engaging at the beginning. The storyline did pick up as it went along.

This is a second chance at love trope. The first time around, Harrison left town and Mariella. Once they run into each other again, physically they pick up right where they left off and that may be what bothered me so much. There really wasn't any emotional reconnect before they went at it. It made Mariella seem cheap and not thinking much of herself. Harrison definitely had some stuff to work through. He could have used a good counselor.

There was also quite a bit of family dynamics in this story which helped it along. Not bad, but not my favorite of the series.

Thanks for Valentine PR for the gifted copy. All thoughts are my own.

Performance 5 ☆, Story 4 ☆, Overall 4.5 ☆

I just recently found Lydia Michaels. This is the second book of hers that I've read/listened to and I really like her writing. It's well done with great storylines and characters. This was the first book I've listened to in this series. It was a deeper, more serious small town, second chance for high school sweethearts. My heart broke for both Harrison and Mariella. They had so much to overcome. I looked forward to their HEA and wasn't disappointed. There were a couple places that I thought that his actions didn't match the big time, New York tycoon person he was to be. This made a good standalone, but I definitely wish I knew more about Giovanni and Erin. Will look into the other books in this series.

Amber Battaglia is an excellent narrator. She had many characters to voice and it was well done! This book rolled like a movie in my head. So good!

Great Addition to the Series

I love this series. Lydia's stories have a way of drawing me in and pulling on my heartstrings.

Harrison and Mariella have a shot at a second chance, but Harrison is battling some sad demons from his childhood. However, Mariella has a heart big enough for both of them. I felt their highs and their lows and was happy for them to reach their HEA.

Amber Battaglia is excellent and did a great job portraying all the characters in the story. Each character had a distinct voice, and her male voice has improved.

exactly what your summer needs!

a fun, steamy and quick read- side squeeze is the perfect second chance for summer.

every time I pick up a Lydia Michaels book I'm reminded of how remarkable she is with prose. Harrison and Mariella were absolutely swoon-worthy.

Loved it!

MC: Mariella and Harrison

4/5⭐️
3/5🌶

Third-person POV, high school love, reconnection, parental abuse (historical), HEA


Harrison and Mariella were high school sweethearts until one day he leaves town without telling her why and breaks her heart. Years later, she literally crashes back into his life when he’s in town for his dad’s funeral. Physically, they’re perfect together but emotionally, Mariella isn’t ready to let Harrison back in if he’s only going to leave again.
Anytime I want a small town, feel good romance, I know a Lydia Michael book is going to be the perfect choice. There’s plenty of back and forth between the main characters but the whole time, you can feel how they genuinely care for each other. I throughly enjoyed this audiobook.

A Decent Entry

Side Squeeze is a well-crafted small-town romance that is good in its own right, but pales in comparison to book 1.

So many emotions

Mariella and Harrison will put you through so many emotions as you read through this book. So many ups and downs, so much pain, but also the beauty of things repairing and coming together. This one is definitely worth the read and I suggest diving into it!

Amber Battaglia has a wonderful voice for narrating and I look forward to more audiobooks from her! Her different character voice are great and she's easy to listen to.

Emotional

Lydia Michaels has a gift for creating characters who drive me crazy, make me want to strangle them, then win me over completely. Sometimes it will be one or the other in the couple, and sometimes it will be both - either way, Michaels always makes the journey worthwhile. Then, along comes Harrison, and I was getting a little worried for a bit there. I mean, Harrison has the same reasons for being closed off as his sister, Erin, does, but he nearly gave me whiplash with his back and forth. And let's face it; Mariella really needed some stability after the things she'd been through. Speaking of, that all happened in a previous book, but like the rest of the series, we're given what we need as far as information goes. That's not to say you shouldn't read the whole series because you definitely should. Jasper Falls and its inhabitants get under your skin, and it doesn't take long before you're completely invested. But I digress, so back to Harrison. Just as he waffled about commitment, I waffled about him. He'd do something that would make me want to wrap him in a big hug or ooh and aah about something sweet, then he'd make me want to kick him in the shin and point out the obvious of what's right in front of him. I suppose that's all a part of it and the sign of a good book. It may have taken me a while to decide which way I for sure wanted this one to go, but I was invested in the characters and figuring it out. I realize that I haven't really said much about Mariella, and as glad as I was to see her get her own love story, this one was all about Harrison and his emotional journey, at least for me. As mad as he made me at times, I was right there with him for the whole trip.
Amber Battaglia gives voice to the characters, and true to form, she does an excellent job with each and every one. She captures all the emotion - whether it's making me chuckle or tugging at my heartstrings, Battaglia gives a terrific performance.