Best Laid Plans: A Small Town Friends to Lovers Romance (Lucky in Love Book 1) Kindle Edition

I’m an unrepentant, loud-and-proud Lauren Blakely fan. Immersed in any of her books is a happy place for me. She’s a slam dunk for me because she consistently gives me what I’m hoping for when I reach for a romantic comedy or a contemporary romance. Just when I think she can’t top her last book, she comes out with the next one, and it steals my heart in a whole different way. Lauren Blakely always gives me what I want to read, and she does it with a writing style that is an addictive and creative blend of warmth, wit and romance. The kinds of stories that make me smile and swoon and that leave me happy when I’m done.The friends-to-lovers trope is a top favorite of mine, near and dear to my heart, and Blakely put a fun spin on it here with a good-girl who wants to be naughty and her fireman best friend who she enlists to help her learn how. Arden and Gabe had a solid foundation of friendship to build on, and it was the comfort of this relationship that gave Arden the guts to approach Gabe with her plan. She had no idea that Gabe was harboring more than just friendly feelings for her, and in approaching him with her request, she gave him the opening he’d been hoping for. These two knew each other well, and their comfortable and easy-going relationship made for some witty, finish-each-other’s-sentences, back-and-forth bantering. Gabe’s Greek God good looks and charming personality didn’t escape Arden’s notice, but she had him pegged all wrong with some of the assumptions she’d made about him, and I enjoyed the heck out of him dispelling them.Blakely has a fantastic sense of humor that she uses liberally in her storytelling, and it was plentiful in this book. I pretty much perma-grinned my way through most of this story largely because of Arden’s utterly pragmatic approach to her proposal. The things she want to try and learn, and the specific ways she proposed that they tackle them, really showed the reader exactly why she needed these lusty lessons in first place. Sweet and oh-so-sexually-naïve Arden just never factored romance—or even attraction—into this scenario because she was totally oblivious to the possibility that sexy, ladies-man Gabe could be interested in her.One of the things I love most about Blakely’s novels is how richly she develops her heroes and the special insight into her male leads she gives her readers. Gabe’s inner dialogue was five-alarm-fire hot during his titillating torture sessions with Arden, and it was there that readers got a glimpse at his vulnerable side, too, when his thoughts moved to the what he really wanted with her. He also had an endearing side, something he showed repeatedly not only with Arden, but also in his relationships with his family and in his natural calling to help others. While Blakely doesn’t hesitate to put obstacles in her characters’ paths to happily-ever-after, she doesn’t draw it out with painful or angst-fueled plot devices to do it. Her stories have the right amount of conflict—just enough to keep things interesting—before she brings her characters to the other side of it together. Honestly, one of the reasons I read is to escape real-life, real-world drama, so I find Lauren’s approach in that aspect of her plots a much needed and very refreshing change of pace.Flirty, fiery and a whole lot of fun, Best Laid Plans was a feel-good story about what happens when friendship is set on fire. Arden and Gabe’s love story was full of heart, humor and heat, and I simply didn’t want to put it down. Five smooches from me for Lauren Blakely’s Best Laid Plans!

Lauren Blakely is my go to when I need a happy, sexy, funny read that will just make me smile and feel warm inside. Best Laid Plans served all of that in spades! I loved the homage to the narrators we love (Arden East, huh? Such cleverness!), and the friends-to-lovers slow burn that is Arden and Gabe's HEA is so satisfying. He is such a confident (without being cocky), easy going, sexy, man's man. Gabe is the perfect counterpart to Arden's slightly repressed, curious, book and wine loving self. I loved watching the progression of their relationship and the delicious angst that comes when the reader knows they each want the other as more than friends but are clueless to the reciprocity that's going on. There are so many sweet, funny, and memorable scenes: the picnic that didn't, rescuing Hedgwig, the sex toy shop, and meeting Gabe's grandpa - just to name a few. I also really loved that Arden not only owns a bookstore (dream job, hello!) but is so very knowledgeable across genres and subjects, as well as a master book to wine pairer. And I really got a kick of the ladies in the book club she hosted in her shop. I can't wait to get the stories of Arden's besties and it was great seeing a cameo from Kyler and Finley. 4 out of 5 wine glasses.

Lord, I want a Gabe in my life too!!!!I love Lauren Blakely so much that I just order her books as soon as I find out about them!! I've never been disappointed! Best Laid Plans is no exception, this book was such a joy to read!!!This story introduces us to Arden and Gabe. Arden owns her own book store and has a unique talent of matching the perfect wine with each book she sells. It's actually amazing to read how she does it. Gabe is a firefighter who was once a professional baseball player. An injury ended that career, so he decided to go after his second choice, fireman.Now, the story starts with Arden setting up the perfect picnic for her boyfriend, Dave, in the park. Unfortunately, the picnic turns into him dumping her because she's too "vanilla" for him. She's the nice girl who's so sweet, and vanilla, in his words. After Dave leaves, Arden has a melt down and throws picnic foods all over the park. A piece of cheese ends up slapping Gabe square in the middle of his chest while he's jogging on the park trail. This starts their wonderful friendship.Now, for the entire time that Gabe has lived in town, he has been attracted to Arden. But she was in a relationship so he left her alone. Now, this friendship seems like the perfect vehicle for him to get to know her and make his move into dating her. Things are going great and they're getting closer, so he decides he's going to ask her out on a date during one of their bowling outings. That plan gets crushed when Arden comes up with her plan to ask Gabe to help her learn how to be naughty. She wants to "act" out naughty fantasies with Gabe, but with their clothes on!! Kind of like actors do in movies. Well, this doesn't actually fall into Gabe's plans but he figures he can use these lessons to get closer to her and let her know how he feels. This is where the fun begins!!!!I LOVED this book!! I absolutely LOVED Gabe and how he treated Arden, his parents, his pops, and his friends!! He is just a great guy! Trustworthy, kind, loving, and someone you want in your life. Arden is the perfect heroin! She's a good person, kind, loves life, knows what she wants, and speaks her mind. They are PERFECT together!!! It just takes them a little longer to see it then all their friends around them!!Speaking of which, the secondary characters are awesome!!! Loved Arden's friends Perri and Vanessa!! They were the perfect friends to balance each other. We also get to revisit Finley from Unzipped! Love revisiting dear characters from other books! Gabe's friends are great too. He works with Shaw and later, Derek. LOVED his pops and their visits were amazing to read. His parents were wonderful as well. The Bawdy Women's book club was such a refreshing group of 60 something women!! I'd love to be in their book club!!This book was amazing and fun to read! Everything you'd want from a rom-com! I highly recommend it to everyone!!Can't wait for Perri and Derek's story!!!!

Friends to lovers..... Lauren Blakely does it again !!! Another winner.... This is truly a feel good book without being saccharine.Great characters impossible not to love. Wonderful ending!!!

I usually love Lauren’s books, but this one really desaponted me! The reeding was the worst, the characters boring and took almost the whole book so they hook up and be together.

I freaking loved this story and can't wait to Perri "Badass" one...What to say... Nice background, just what needed of romance to not go through "bubble gum" love story and what I loved the most is how Arden turns Gabe so f*** crazy !! Lol WTH How come a guy can go through such a mess and deal with this foxy lady !! Big up and high 5 for Gabe ^^PG 18 for adverted public because of explicit sex scenes.Highly recommended

I love all Lauren Blakely’s books as they are always fun and entertaining and ‘Best Laid Plans’ is no different.Gabe and Arden have been friends for a year but neither of them really wants to risk their friendship so they continue to flirt but not really do anything about their feelings.Gabe is a hot fireman, ‘known as the Lucky Falls Panty-Melter. Star of the fireman calendar. Resident charmer. All-around ladies’ man. Dark-blond hair, soulful blue eyes, and a body that could advertise all the workouts in the world’ He isn’t into relationships or anything too serious... that changes once he’s and he’s met Arden. Arden runs a book store and is smart, super cute and very relatable - as she explains ‘I’m so squarely in the good-girl camp I’m practically the poster child of oh-so-sweet’. She was dumped by her boyfriend because he thought she was too “vanilla”. She becomes friends with Gabe and decides to ask him to teach her how to get a bit wild between the sheets...I adored for Gabe instantly. The way he cared for Arden when she was down and his overall good guy vibe made him to be an amazing hero.This book was so deliciously sexy without being over the top, with wonderful characters, great chemistry, witty dialogue, and a delightfully fun and flirty storyline - highly recommended.

It was not as saucy as other Blakely books. I get that it was supposed to be a more innocent kind of story and as a love story it was simple and cute.