Reviewed by Valerie

TITLE: Cherry Picked

SERIES: Sunday Brothers #3

AUTHOR: May Archer

PUBLISHER: Self Published

LENGTH: 308 pages

RELEASE DATE: May 2, 2023

BLURB:

Never ask your brother’s best friend to… pick your cherry.

When I asked Jack Wyatt to help me lose my pesky v-card, I didn’t expect him to keel over in shocked disapproval and nearly tumble us down a mountain.

You might think a guy who’s been reading romance novels his whole life would’ve figured out a smoother way to broach the subject, but in my defense, I’ve been pining for Jack for seven long years, just waiting for him to notice me.

Jack sees me as sweet, shy Hawk Sunday: his Pride and Prejudice-obsessed hiking buddy; his dependable employee; the honorary little brother he’s determined to protect, not…deflower.

But to me, Jack is everything a romantic hero should be: tall, gorgeous, kind, and brilliant.

Or at least I thought he was brilliant… until he started getting so many things so boneheadedly wrong.

Like refusing to do the deflowering himself, but also, erm… blocking any other potential plant-lovers from getting all up in my garden.

And like continuing to see me as someone who needs protecting, rather than a man who needs possessing…

A man who’s determined.

REVIEW:

The fantastic Cherry Picked holds true to the Sunday Brothers series as a sweet, small-town rom-com. We all saw this love story coming. That is, everyone saw it but Jack. Hawk Sunday has been pining after Jack Wyatt since the day they met seven years ago. Jack is the owner of Little Pippin Hollow’s diner and Webb’s best friend. Hawk works for Jack and over the years, they have become besties, too. This is a situation where Hawk’s feelings were apparent to most everyone except Jack.

Hawk propositions Jack to take his virginity but it’s an emphatic no from Jack. They can’t have sex because Hawk is his best friend’s baby brother. And he’s so much older than Hawk. And he’s Hawk’s boss. And they’re like brothers. And, he’s unwilling to risk their closer-than-friends friendship. So many reasons. But now he’s become obsessed with Hawk and can’t stop thinking about him. Oh my, jealousy gets the best of him.

May Archer’s characterization of her leading men is top notch. From Hawk’s addiction to romance novels – particularly Pride and Prejudice and its many variations – and his quest to save the town’s mountain from being clear cut for a new resort, to his love of family and desire for Jack, we learn so much about this young man. A look into Jack’s childhood provides insight into Jack’s views and actions in the current day. I love his jealousy and the tender way he cares for Hawk. His obliviousness to his own love for Hawk is wonderful!

One of the best parts of the Sunday Brothers series is the Sunday brothers themselves. Webb and Luke, and Knox and Gage are hilarious, as are Uncle Drew and Marco. I wish there had been more time spent with the eccentric townsfolk of Little Pippin Hollow like we have in the other books.

Cherry Picked is an all-around sweet book that will fill you with warm fuzzies and treat you to a number of great tropes: friends to lovers, brother’s best friend, age gap, first time, and boss/employee. While you could read this as a standalone, I highly recommend you start at the beginning of the series to learn the most about the Sunday family and their cute little town. Highly recommended.

RATING:

BUY LINK:

Amazon