Review: 40 and (No Longer) Fighting It by Ella Sheridan (Silver Foxes of Black Wolf's Bluff #2)

Note: An advance reader copy (ARC) was provided by the author via Give Me Books Promotions.

We're back in Black Wolf's Bluff with the second novel in Ella Sheridan's Silver Foxes of Black Wolf's Bluff series. 40 and (No Longer) Fighting It is a second-chance, enemies-to-lovers romance featuring two chefs who share history in the big city and cross paths once again in a small town years later. Forty-year-old Claire Taylor dreams may have changed over the years, but she's enjoying the life she has now. She owns and runs her bakery, Gimme Sugar, in her Tennessee hometown of Black Wolf's Bluff, and she's got an opportunity to expand thanks to the opening of the new resort. She isn't thrilled, however, with the knowledge of who she has to work with--for--in the process. After all, it was nearly a decade ago when award-winning chef Lincoln Young blackballed her while she was under his tutelage in pastry school after they shared a memorable kiss. Now, the nearly fifty-year-old restaurateur is heading up the kitchen at Black Wolf Resort. He's always wondered what happened to the woman who stopped his world all those years ago. Lincoln may have not been ready to deal with his feelings for her back then, but now that he's  back in Claire's orbit, he's no longer fighting the connection. However, can they deal with the aftermath?

Ah, it was nice being back in Black Wolf's Bluff, Tennessee. I enjoyed Claire and Lincoln's second-chance romance. Talk about having one heck of a complicated history between them. Theirs was a reminder that, more often than not, what we do or say (or don't do or say) can have life-changing consequences. The whole lack of communication really hurt these two back when they were both in New York, and it was clear that Lincoln had to make amends, even though there was nothing intentionally nefarious on his end. There was a lot of back and forth going on, and that had to do, in large part, to Claire being wary of Lincoln, but then when the chemistry is as strong as it was between these main characters, resistance is futile. Lily and JD, aka the original series starter couple, were definitely around, but in a non-scene-stealer kind of way. They truly did step up as supporting characters to Claire and Lincoln. All in all, This second Silver Foxes of Black Wolf's Bluff was an enjoyable read, albeit 40 and (Tired of) Faking It still edges it out as my favorite. I'm curious to see how many return visits Ella Sheridan has planned because I wouldn't mind coming back to this small Tennessee town. 40 and (No Longer) Fighting It gets four stars.

Date Read: 24 January 2023

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