I was looking for a Christmas read and Lovelight Farms by B.K. Borison was all over my Bookstagram and BookTok so, true to character, I went ahead and hit download in Kindle Unlimited. Also true to character, I read the other two books that have been published so far because of my compulsive need to finish what I start. All in all I would say the series is perfectly fine and might just be what you are looking for in a (seasonal) romance read. Each book could be read as a stand alone; however, if you are going to read all three I would stick with the publication order.
Lovelight Farms (#1)
Stella Bloom is the owner of Lovelight Farms, a Christmas tree farm, on the coast of Maryland. The farm has had a string of bad luck and financial difficulties causing Stella to worry if they will even make it through this winter season. In and effort to save her childhood dream, Stella enters a contest hosted by a content creator, Evelyn St. James, that promises publicity and a $100,000 cash prize. To make the farm sound like the most romantic winter destination, Stella lies on the application, claiming to own Lovelight Farms with her boyfriend. A boyfriend that doesn’t exist. When Lovelight Farms is selected as a finalist Stella convinces her long time best friend Luka Peters to act as her boyfriend. The fake relationship is just what these two friends needed to tip the scale to romantic love.
It is no wonder this book was all over BookTok with its formulaic fake dating, friends to lovers troupes and steamy scenes. I did appreciate the way B.K. Borison wrote a more realistic third act conflict and a healthier resolution than what is often written in romance novels. Her cast of supporting characters were developed just enough that I wanted to see what would happen in each of their stories. I thought it was a cute with just enough Taylor Swift “Christmas Tree Farm” and small town vibes.
In the Weeds (#2)
Spring is almost here and Evelyn St. James is struggling and feeling discounted from her work. Searching for her happiness and hoping to find real connections she returns to Inglewild and Lovelight Farms. The only problem is one of the owners, Beckett Porter, happens to be her only one night stand and the man she can’t stop thinking about. In the Weeds is a grumpyxsunshine second chance romance that focuses on finding joy in the day to day.
Mixed Signals( #3)
Layla Dupree, the third owner of Lovelight Farms and resident baker, is beyond disappointed in her dating life. It is now summer and Layla is growing frustrated working at one of the most romantic small town destinations and seeing her best friends happy in love. After yet another terrible first date, Layla is rescued by Caleb Alvaraz who has a proposition for her. Caleb offers one-month of dating in which he will do his best to treat her they way she deserves and restore her faith in men.
Caleb played the “Mastermind” in order to shoot his shoot and win over his long time crush. I appreciated Borison’s development of the supporting cast of characters and felt like I actually visited Inglewild and Lovelight Farms. Funny enough, I am now craving strawberry shortcake and a picnic at the beach. This probably indicates that Mixed Signals was my favorite of the three. Given that spice seems to be a requirement for a romance novel to gain popularity on BookTok I thought Borison portrayed slightly healthier relationships with a focus on communication and continuity in characters personality, thoughts, and actions.
I would give each of these a solid three stars, meaning I’m not interested in owning a physical copy and am still unsure if I would go out of my way to recommend them to someone else. However, I am invested enough in Inglewild that I will be reading the fourth installment if its released to Kindle Unlimited. The fourth book in the series will be released on October 3, 2023 and will be Charlie (Stella’s half brother) and Nova (Beckett’s sister) story according to a note published by the author on Goodreads.