Maggie Moves On by Lucy Score
Contemporary Romance
June 21, 2022, by Forever

Review by Iby

Lucy Score is known for her small-town romances, featuring smoldering sex scenes and charming banter. It’s her formula – but it definitely works for her, so I’m not complaining.

Maggie Moves On is about Maggie, a YouTube influencer who flips houses, and just landed in Kinship, Idaho to work on her biggest project yet- a dilapidated mansion, the Old Campbell Place. She arrives with a lean crew of just her business partner and only friend, Dean, and her crazy workaholic drive. She ends up hiring Silas as her landscaper, a local with strong ties to the community, who happens to be hot and perfect on film. For Silas, he knows right away that Maggie is the one, and spends the entire book trying to woo her while helping her fix up her house.

This wouldn’t be a small-town romance without a charming cast of secondary characters, and the theme of found family is strong with this one. Silas has a messy but loving family (two moms, two dads, 3 siblings), and Dean and Maggie have a long history of caring for each other. In Kinship, they meet a quirky cast of characters, including a grumpy old man who acts as a town historian and a troubled high school senior.

Throughout the story, we get to see some house-flipping details and a historical mystery of missing gold. I wish there had been a little more house details and a little less mystery – the emotional conflict between Maggie and Silas was enough without adding this mystery to the mix. I also felt like some of the plotlines really required a suspension of disbelief, and the issue with Maggie’s family was resolved too quickly as almost an afterthought. I also thought so many plot points led to a book that could have been tighter in execution, with fewer pages. It felt meandering, but charming enough to still keep me engaged throughout the story.

But Lucy Score’s magic formula includes impeccable banter. I found myself laughing over the hijinks of Kevin the dog, and the conversations with Silas’ siblings. The golden retriever hero who falls so hard and fast for the prickly heroine is a fun plot, and their love story is executed well here.

Overall, if you like small-town romances and heroes who fall hard and fast, this is a great one to try.

Grade: B

Amazon * Apple * Goodreads