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Review: Owen by V.H. Nicolson
Owen
V.H. Nicolson
The Boys of Castleview Cove Series, Book 3
378 pages, Kindle Edition
Published May 29, 2025
A runaway groom strangers to lovers unforgettable steamy romance from VH Nicolson. Perfect for fans of Ana Huang, Catharina Maura and Meghan Quinn Don’t play the game, change it…
I was born into privilege. I had it all; the house, the car, more money than I knew what to do with. But it came at a price. Duty. An arranged marriage for the sake of the family empire to a woman who couldn’t bear to look at me. As I stood at the altar, the weight of that burden became too much. So, I did the only thing I could. I ran.
To another country and unintentionally straight into the arms of another woman. Jade is strong, independent, and a single mom. And brick by broken brick she dismantles the wall I’ve built up around my heart. But where once I had everything, now I have nothing. No home, no job and no idea what the future holds. All I do know is, Jade makes me feel more alive than I’ve ever felt before.
But there is always the risk my past could catch up with me. Because the weight of my family’s expectation is likely to cause me to crash land and send my world up in flames. Can I save myself and Jade before that happens?
3.5 Stars
Only twice in my almost 2 decades of reading romance have I gone into reading a book with a lot of preconceived notions and ideas about the main male character with no likelihood of him being able to redeem himself. Owen can now be added to this list.
Owen has made some mistakes with his life. Most as sort of a rebellion against the controlling strings of his parents. Now they have him set to marry a woman that is nothing more than arrangement to benefit both of the families. Owen can’t stand the thought of being stuck with this woman for the rest of his life so he does the one and only thing he can do. He runs. He runs to the one person that he can trust a cousin in Cyprus. Owen ran from the expectations and dictations of his controlling family. Little did he know the place he was running to he find a different kind of family.
Author VH Nicholson save the best for last in my opinion. Owen was a much better story than I expected it to be. As I said, I went in with a bunch of preconceived ideas for reading the earlier books. Owen redeemed himself in ways that I didn’t think possible meeting Jade changed his life and the time and patience that he took with her daughter truly showed his redeeming factors. He is one of those people that you truly couldn’t judge the book by the cover. He had much more layers of depth and complexity than I expected. For someone that I didn’t think had the capacity to love she approved me. I was wrong in the best possible way.
Review: Jacob by V.H. Nicolson
Jacob
V.H. Nicolson
The Boys of Castleview Cove Series Book 2
April 23, 2025 by Boldwood Books
296 pages, Paperback
First published November 17, 2022
Once upon a time… You know the story… prince meets princess. Evil thwarts their love, and the prince must fight for her heart. Good always wins and there is a stunning wedding at the castle on the hill. I used to dream of having a fairy tale love story of my own, but I don’t think the author of mine got the memo because right now, I’m shackled to a bed, scared for my life.
My story started with an ambivalent prince whose parents reminded me constantly that I simply wasn’t good enough for him.
When I broke free, a new hero stepped forward.
My boss, and my ex’s best friend. Jacob.
Broad, toned, and dripping in ink that he tried to hide from me.
Turns out, I’ve been looking for my happy ever after in all the wrong places and he’s been here, waiting for me since I was sixteen.
Except, he made a teenage pact. An unbreakable bro-code with my ex. Never touch each other’s past girlfriends. Ever.
So we resist.
Although it’s amazing how much naughtiness you can get up to without touching.
But this is more than just lust, this is love and real love always gets a happy ending, right? If we explain, my ex has to understand… especially since he’s already engaged to someone else.
But, even I have to admit, this doesn’t look good. I can’t see how I will get out of this mess.
I wanted my fairy tale, but right now I’d settle for a chance to at least kiss my prince.
*****
Jacob, the second book in The Boys of Castleview Cove Series, is a steamy contemporary romance, dual point of view, best friend’s ex, friends to lovers, with a happy ever after. This book contains dark suspense content that some readers may be sensitive to or triggered by. 18+ only. Reader discretion is advised. For all content warnings, check the Author’s website. All content warnings are also listed on the inside of the book.
4 Stars
Author VH Nicolson hooked me in from those very first pages. I was invested from the beginning, and let me tell you this story surprised me at how much I enjoyed it.
Jacob has been head over heal for Skye ever since he was a teenager. He had a missed opportunity when one of his best friends scooped in and asked her out first. He has stood beside and supported his friends and the girl he secretly loved for many many years. When Skye’s relationship ends, you would think he might consider acting on some of the feelings he’s been having but the pack of a bro code keeps him from trying to get the woman that he truly loves.
Skye has been in a relationship for many years. However, that relationship is not giving her what she needs and she finally breaks it off. Finally feeling like she’s breaking out of the shell and becoming the person who she was meant to be. She is a smart and successful woman yet she felt like she was not good enough for her boyfriend‘s family. She is almost like a new woman now. One late Saturday night while working on some code at the office, she witnesses something involving her boss who just happens to be her friend as well, that she should have walked away from. That single event opened a door to a world of feelings. Feelings that were extremely intense and just seem to intensify as time went on.
Jacob was my first read from Author VH Nicolson. It will surely not be my last. As I have said, the book hooked me from the beginning, and I was instantly invested in Jacob and Skye. Talk about chemistry. These two ignite the pages. There are some ants, some back-and-forth and a lot of sexual tension. From that first chapter, I thought the book was gonna go one way, but it ended up being something completely different, which was such a surprise. I truly enjoyed reading. Jacob and I look forward to going back to reading the first book in this series.
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