Review:  Covington Acres (Briar County Book 5) by Riley Hart

Rating: 4🌈

Covington Acre is another low-angst, sweet contemporary romance in Riley Hart’s Briar County series.  Located in Hart’s beautifully realized town of Harmony in Briar County , North Carolina.  In this series, the author has written about the Covington family, their children and partners, their own children, as well as the extended family and towns members of Harmony to the point everyone within these stories had become familiar and real.

Covington Acres charts the romantic journey of two different men, each of whom the readers have met through previous books.

One is Vincent O’Brien, mid 40’s, former boyfriend of Holden, now best friend, who has moved to Harmony. Vince works on the Covington farms and lives with Colby Covington, a man who secretly believes himself broken.

Colby thinks that because all his romantic relationships have been unsuccessful he’s unable to find and fall in love. He’s frustrated with his life and can’t figure out why. 

For both men, it’s their deep friendship and feelings about each other that’s one of the most powerful and satisfying things about their lives. 

Covington Acres is a warm-hearted, sweet, friends to lovers romance. These two make perfect sense, have great chemistry, and it’s a slow realization that brings together past histories, a new awareness of demisexuality, and acceptance that allows them to grow together.

It culminates in the wedding of the original couple, Monroe “Roe” Covington and Holden Barnett. We see all the other couples, the teenagers, and family members who have been part of this series and multiple stories.  This has all the feel of a series finale.  If so, it’s a genuinely terrific one.  In the same lovely, gentle tone as the town and its people .

If you love contemporary romance, check out this series and book. It’s a sweet, satisfying read.

Briar County :

Firefly Lane #1

Sundae’s Best #2

The Creek #3

Covington Acres #4

Buy link

        Covington Acres (Briar County Book 4)

    

Blurb:

Colby Covington has no clue if there’s anything in the world for him beyond Briar County. His family assumes he’ll do as they do: work Covington Acres, get married, have kids. Colby doesn’t want children, and seeing as he’s never felt even an inkling of romantic love for another person, he sure as hell isn’t interested in marriage.

In his mid-forties, Vincent O’Brien is starting over in the small town of Harmony. After being cheated on, again, he’s sworn off ever falling in love. As fate would have it, Vince needs a place to stay, and Colby has a spare room.

With an immediate connection that shakes up Colby’s sheltered world, neither man expects their friendship to blossom so fast…or for a semi-public hookup to make Colby realize he’s bi. Friends with benefits is perfect. It’s easy, it’s fun, they trust each other, and neither Vince nor Colby wants anything serious.

But the more their lives intertwine, the more Colby starts to feel something he’d thought himself incapable of. Something like love, with Vince…the man who will never feel—or want—the same.

Covington Acres is a small-town, bisexual/demiromantic awakening, friends-with-benefits romance with mature characters, home-brewed beer, and secret kisses.

• Publisher: Riley Hart (August 1, 2024)
• Publication date: August 1, 2024
• Language: English
• Print length: 238 pages