Review: Finding Hayes by Laura Pavlov (Magnolia Falls #5)

October 24, 2024

Note: An advance reader copy (ARC) was provided by the author.

Time really does fly when you're having fun, and I've had a blast getting to know the band of brothers composed of Romeo Knight, River and Kingston Pierce, Nash Heart (including Nash's young son, Cutler, aka Beefcake), and Hayes Woodson in Laura Pavlov's Magnolia Falls series. Romeo is now happily married to Demi Crawford (Loving Romeo), River is with Ruby Rose (Wild River), King has finally give in to his feelings for Saylor Woodson (Forbidden King), and Nash and Cutler have more than welcomed Emerson Chadwick into their family (Beating Heart). Hayes, however, has made no secret of not wanting to tie the knot with anyone, especially not after he caught his then-fiancée cheating on him with a fellow firefighter of his. He's got his sister, the guys he considers his brothers and their significant others, and his godson. He doesn't need a wife or children of his own. Savannah Abbott, however, needs a husband in order to have full access to an inheritance left to her by a man she considered family. It's been a little over a decade since Hayes and Savvy were sixteen and she upped and left town with her father without a word and cutting all ties to Hayes ever since. Now, she's back in Magnolia Falls, and who would've thought the man willing to help Savannah would be the one guy she left behind years ago--her ex-best friend, Hayes. He wants his best friend back, but now, he could get more than he bargained for: a wife he's falling for...

Finding Hayes was an ex-friends-to-lovers, marriage of convenience, small-town romance that had the sweet and the steam with a heavy dose of sass and sentimentality. I've been curious to see what kind of woman would be able to get Hayes Woodson, the hot firefighter of Magnolia Hills to realize that he was husband material. Well, it was none other than the only girl other than his sister, Saylor, who meant a great deal to him--his former bestie, Savannah Abbott. The same best friend who left when they were sixteen and went on to ghost him. A lot can change in ten years, and these two definitely had to sit down and get their issues worked out, but that love and affection remained, even if it did need to be brought out of the shadows after feelings of (misplaced) hurt and betrayal. I appreciated how the author dealt with that, especially with the decision to not prolong it and stir up into unnecessary drama. Seeing Hayes and Savannah tighten those loose ties of their friendship and having it develop into what I feel it was always meant to be was heartwarming. Naturally, there was no way Romeo, River, King, and Nash--plus their partners AND Cutler--wouldn't get involved and nudge Hayes and Savvy towards their much delayed happily-ever-after. This book was such a wonderful way to end the Magnolia Falls series and provide a launching pad for the upcoming Rosewood River spin-off. Five much-deserved stars go to Finding Hayes.

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Read my reviews for the Magnolia Falls series: