The Start of Something Good (Stay Book 1)

I had read and enjoyed some of Jennifer’s other books, so I requested this one without even reading the synopsis.

I really liked Mia and Ethan. They’re both stubborn and struggling with something and much more alike than they think. The banter and button pushing was fantastic. And their messed up meet cute turned absolute irritation made for a delicious foundation of hate to love. Ethan’s sisters were sweet and I’m guessing they’ll be getting their own books.

Plot wise it was good. There was a lot of open communication and the main conflict was a summer romance with the distance of where they each lived at the end of it. Thankfully, it was all quickly resolved. I would have liked a bit more at the epilogue. I thought Mia and Ethan deserved more than the set up for the next book, but hopefully we’ll get to see them then.

Overall, it was a strong start to a new series. I’m eager to read what’s next.

**Huge thanks to Montlake Romance for providing the arc free of charge**

This is a great opposites attract/enemy to lovers romance. Ethan is ex special forces who is coming home to work and recover on his family’s bed and breakfast and farm in upstate New York. Mia runs a PR firm in Manhattan. Mia has a client Jonathan Lake who is running for Mayor of New York. He is a unicorn of a politician, one who really cares about the people and doesn’t lie (I have heard of these mythical politicians, but have yet to see one in real life). Jonathan’s 19 year old daughter is in trouble at school and must serve her community service at the farm. Jonathan insists that Mia stays with his daughter while she is at the farm. Of course Mia and Ethan initially clash, but eventually give into their attraction. This is a great read. All of the characters are well developed, the relationship takes time to progress, and all of the secondary characters are interesting. This is my first book by this author and I cannot wait for Ethan’s sisters’ stories. I was given an ARC of this book for my honest review.

When the book started I found the main character Mia completely unrelateable. Her desire to lose 10 lbs was driving me crazy. I know most women struggle with their weight but from the first time she barely eats I wanted to jump into the book and feed her. Without posting a spoiler I am not the only one that feels that way (a character voices exactly how I felt).
While I have never been to upstate New York I like reading about it in books. It sounds beautiful. I can see why it's become a popular setting for books. I like it allows people to use NYC as a setting and then the rest takes place upstate in a more small town setting.
My favorite scene involves some characters browsing through a library book sale. I liked when they discussed their book selections and totally judged each other.
I did grow to like Mia and loved most of the other characters. I can't wait to see who book 2 is about. I have guess since I think there's a set up for it in book 1 but sometimes author surprise you with the series order.

Jennifer Probst has written a story that I want to live in forever. Jennifer's writing style is so seamless that you can't help but fall in love with her worlds and her characters, The Start of Something Good was definitely not an exception. From the very first chapter to the last I was committed to the characters and the story. I wanted each one of them to overcome everything that was in the way of them finding their happiness, especially Ethan and Mia. These two were so opposite yet so much the same.

Ethan is staying at his sister's B&B while taking the time to heal, Mia is there for her job in PR. While the first meeting between the two may not have been love at first sight, they'll have the whole summer to fix that. The Start of Something Good is the perfect summer read. One that will be on your list of summer reads for a long time.

Reviewed for Reviews From the Heart

The Start of Something Good was definitely the start of a new love affair with Jennifer Probst. There was definitely something that drew me to both Ethan and Mia that I didn't want to leave. Probst has a way of writing characters and setting up the environment that draws me in and makes me wanna visit, such was very true about the inn and horse farm that Ethan calls home. The conflict between Ethan and Mia, the way they fought their attraction, Ethan's ptsd, the myriad of amazing animals (Hei Hei was a hoot!), as well as the secondary storyline with Chloe all worked to create such a wonderful backdrop to these two falling in love and finding what truly matters. I've come to know that a Jennifer Probst book is a guaranteed winner with me and this one is no exception! I'm excited to see what's next in this series, because the set up for Ophelia and Kyle's story was excellent!!

Mia owns a public relations company and her big client is a politician running for mayor. His daughter gets into some trouble and the judge makes her do community service at a horse rescue farm. Mia is tasked to go with her and keep her out of trouble. Ethan is former Special Forces, a bodyguard to Hollywood’s famous, and after getting injured on a mission comes back home to his family’s B & B and horse farm. He and Mia do not hit it off in the beginning. She is used to living in the city and not used to the country. She’s there all summer and she realizes having the most clients and the best firm, will not make you happy.
Excellent story. Funny. Sexy. Wonderful characters. A crazy chicken. Great start to a new series. Can’t wait for the next one.

* Voluntarily read and reviewed this for Netgalley *

What happens when you take a high maintenance city girl out of her element and throw her onto a horse farm to babysit a troubled teen for the summer? Throw in a gruff, former special ops soldier recovering from his mental & physical scars and you have pure magic! Some meddlesome seniors, well meaning siblings and a hilarious rescue chicken round out the delightful supporting cast. This enemies to lovers story sparks with chemistry and verbal sparring as Ethan & Mia slow burn their way toward a relationship that can only lead to heartache when summer ends. Jennifer Probst paints a rich, descriptive narrative of coming home, the value of family and finding yourself in this beautifully written contemporary love story. First in a new series, I look forward to the next book!

This is an excellent book about finding love when you least expect it.

Ethan Bishop returned home to his home town to heal his wounds inside and out from an accident during his time as a Special Forces paratrooper. He helps out his two sisters who run a bed and breakfast as well as a horse rescue farm. He meets Mia Thrush a fiery tightly wound PR from New York. Mia is staying at the bed and breakfast for the summer with a clients daughter while she serves her community service for some trouble she got into and Mia is trying to keep it under wraps as her father is running for Mayor.

As the summer passes Ethan and Mia find themselves getting closer and closer. Will it be a summer fling no strings attached, or will it become something more.

What is supposed to be a welcoming homecoming for Ethan, after recovering from a horrific botched rescue, turns into anything but when he is placed in charge of the mayoral candidate's daughter who is ordered to do community service at his families Band B. When the owner of the PR firm for the candidacy is sent to chaperone Ethan and Mia clash on site and the name calling and attitude only escalates. But where there is anger there is also passion and the two become lovers. But can Mia give up her high powered NYC job and stay on at the B and B? Or is the relationship doomed to be more flash than substance? With beautiful characters and an emotional storyline this book was amazing. I cannot wait for more in this series.

This romance story is about family, it is not centered on a couple but the happy and sad dynamics of families. We may have the romantic element from Ethan and Mia but if you look closely, it is more about Mia and Chloe’s interactions, Chloe and her father’s, Ethan with his siblings, and between Ethan and Chloe. It is mainly about how they support and take care of each other.

I expected Ethan and Mia to be romantically involved somewhere in the book. I saw that it is building and leading to that direction. But somehow, I noticed the story concentrating on family rapport. If you appreciate a non-romantic heavy romance book, this story is for you.

A beautiful enemies to lovers romance following uptight city girl Mia Thrush as she copes with life on the farm with a teenage girl who doesn’t want anything to do with her, a chicken that’s obsessed with her, and a hot ‘horse man’ who thinks he’s got her pegged as a ‘Princess’. Lovely writing, a wonderful, if not predictable story, fantastic characters, both lead and supporting, along with adorable farm animals with awesome names. The chemistry between Mia and Ethan is off the charts. I loved this story, it was a complete feel good read and I can’t wait for more in this series. I received an advanced copy of this book from the publisher via NetGalley. This is my honest review.

When the book started I found the main character Mia completely unrelateable. Her desire to lose 10 lbs was driving me crazy. I know most women struggle with their weight but from the first time she barely eats I wanted to jump into the book and feed her. Without posting a spoiler I am not the only one that feels that way (a character voices exactly how I felt).
While I have never been to upstate New York I like reading about it in books. It sounds beautiful. I can see why it's become a popular setting for books. I like it allows people to use NYC as a setting and then the rest takes place upstate in a more small town setting.
My favorite scene involves some characters browsing through a library book sale. I liked when they discussed their book selections and totally judged each other.
I did grow to like Mia and loved most of the other characters. I can't wait to see who book 2 is about. I have guess since I think there's a set up for it in book 1 but sometimes author surprise you with the series order.

Jennifer Probst has written a story that I want to live in forever. Jennifer's writing style is so seamless that you can't help but fall in love with her worlds and her characters, The Start of Something Good was definitely not an exception. From the very first chapter to the last I was committed to the characters and the story. I wanted each one of them to overcome everything that was in the way of them finding their happiness, especially Ethan and Mia. These two were so opposite yet so much the same.

Ethan is staying at his sister's B&B while taking the time to heal, Mia is there for her job in PR. While the first meeting between the two may not have been love at first sight, they'll have the whole summer to fix that. The Start of Something Good is the perfect summer read. One that will be on your list of summer reads for a long time.

Reviewed for Reviews From the Heart

The Start of Something Good was definitely the start of a new love affair with Jennifer Probst. There was definitely something that drew me to both Ethan and Mia that I didn't want to leave. Probst has a way of writing characters and setting up the environment that draws me in and makes me wanna visit, such was very true about the inn and horse farm that Ethan calls home. The conflict between Ethan and Mia, the way they fought their attraction, Ethan's ptsd, the myriad of amazing animals (Hei Hei was a hoot!), as well as the secondary storyline with Chloe all worked to create such a wonderful backdrop to these two falling in love and finding what truly matters. I've come to know that a Jennifer Probst book is a guaranteed winner with me and this one is no exception! I'm excited to see what's next in this series, because the set up for Ophelia and Kyle's story was excellent!!

Mia owns a public relations company and her big client is a politician running for mayor. His daughter gets into some trouble and the judge makes her do community service at a horse rescue farm. Mia is tasked to go with her and keep her out of trouble. Ethan is former Special Forces, a bodyguard to Hollywood’s famous, and after getting injured on a mission comes back home to his family’s B & B and horse farm. He and Mia do not hit it off in the beginning. She is used to living in the city and not used to the country. She’s there all summer and she realizes having the most clients and the best firm, will not make you happy.
Excellent story. Funny. Sexy. Wonderful characters. A crazy chicken. Great start to a new series. Can’t wait for the next one.

* Voluntarily read and reviewed this for Netgalley *

What happens when you take a high maintenance city girl out of her element and throw her onto a horse farm to babysit a troubled teen for the summer? Throw in a gruff, former special ops soldier recovering from his mental & physical scars and you have pure magic! Some meddlesome seniors, well meaning siblings and a hilarious rescue chicken round out the delightful supporting cast. This enemies to lovers story sparks with chemistry and verbal sparring as Ethan & Mia slow burn their way toward a relationship that can only lead to heartache when summer ends. Jennifer Probst paints a rich, descriptive narrative of coming home, the value of family and finding yourself in this beautifully written contemporary love story. First in a new series, I look forward to the next book!

This is an excellent book about finding love when you least expect it.

Ethan Bishop returned home to his home town to heal his wounds inside and out from an accident during his time as a Special Forces paratrooper. He helps out his two sisters who run a bed and breakfast as well as a horse rescue farm. He meets Mia Thrush a fiery tightly wound PR from New York. Mia is staying at the bed and breakfast for the summer with a clients daughter while she serves her community service for some trouble she got into and Mia is trying to keep it under wraps as her father is running for Mayor.

As the summer passes Ethan and Mia find themselves getting closer and closer. Will it be a summer fling no strings attached, or will it become something more.

What is supposed to be a welcoming homecoming for Ethan, after recovering from a horrific botched rescue, turns into anything but when he is placed in charge of the mayoral candidate's daughter who is ordered to do community service at his families Band B. When the owner of the PR firm for the candidacy is sent to chaperone Ethan and Mia clash on site and the name calling and attitude only escalates. But where there is anger there is also passion and the two become lovers. But can Mia give up her high powered NYC job and stay on at the B and B? Or is the relationship doomed to be more flash than substance? With beautiful characters and an emotional storyline this book was amazing. I cannot wait for more in this series.

This romance story is about family, it is not centered on a couple but the happy and sad dynamics of families. We may have the romantic element from Ethan and Mia but if you look closely, it is more about Mia and Chloe’s interactions, Chloe and her father’s, Ethan with his siblings, and between Ethan and Chloe. It is mainly about how they support and take care of each other.

I expected Ethan and Mia to be romantically involved somewhere in the book. I saw that it is building and leading to that direction. But somehow, I noticed the story concentrating on family rapport. If you appreciate a non-romantic heavy romance book, this story is for you.

A beautiful enemies to lovers romance following uptight city girl Mia Thrush as she copes with life on the farm with a teenage girl who doesn’t want anything to do with her, a chicken that’s obsessed with her, and a hot ‘horse man’ who thinks he’s got her pegged as a ‘Princess’. Lovely writing, a wonderful, if not predictable story, fantastic characters, both lead and supporting, along with adorable farm animals with awesome names. The chemistry between Mia and Ethan is off the charts. I loved this story, it was a complete feel good read and I can’t wait for more in this series. I received an advanced copy of this book from the publisher via NetGalley. This is my honest review.

The Start of Something Good by Jennifer Probst is the start of her new “Stay” series. Set in upstate New York at a B&B/Farm it is about the healing power of animals and people and how sometimes you just have to get away from it all. I did not care for the heroine at the beginning – she was too weight obsessed. (Anyone who meticulously counts the number of blueberries in their yogurt – 5 – is not going to be someone I relate well too, fictional or not.) I’m glad I stuck with it as she was able to grow through the course of the novel; the hero makes her eat, which is fun. I recommend this book to anyone who is looking for a good second chance read.

Two broken hearts coming together in one fateful summer. One was damaged by the fate of the world and being unable to save someone he promised he wouldn’t let die. The other focused on being the best she could be since her private life was slowly falling apart. Consumed with being there for her clients and promising them success she gets lost in how to simply live her life. Can they possibly heal one another and make them both realize they cannot control everything life will toss their way. An absolutely great story on the process of healing and experiencing all life has to offer.

4 stars

The Start of Something Good by Jennifer Probst is a very enjoyable and well written contemporary romance.
The writing is well done, the plot well paced and the drama just enough to keep you turning the pages.
I enjoyed watching Mia and Ethan come together, they made me smile and they made me swoon and they frustrated me a little but overall I loved them together and I was a very happy they got their happily ever after.

The Start of Something Good is a very good start to the Stay series, looking forward to the next book A Brand New Ending due to be released in October 2018.

This book is a real charmer. The character development was superb. Not only do Ethan and Mia, the H and h, grow as people, the ingenue Chloe, becomes a real person. Added to the people characters is a rooster, Hei Hei, who, when added to the horses in the story, goes from being an irritant to becoming a much beloved pet. There is something for everyone in this story.
The plot is reasonable, not something off the charts. The setting is somewhere I would like to be. I found the book warm and wonderful, and I am looking forward to the next book in this series.

This is the first book in the series. it introduces us to Ethan and Mia. Mia owns a PR firm and Ethan is back from the military. They both end up at his family's bed and breakfast/ farm and things aren't always as they seem. At first they dig in to each other continuously. As the story goes we learn a lot about them and we will have all our questions answered.

This was a story that flowed well. It was a story that brought me back to the reason I love to read.

** I received a copy of this book from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review**

"In a way, I'm whole again. She makes everything . . . better."

Charming, sensual and utterly addicting - I've found a new must-read author. Full of heart and humor The Start of Something Good, is a beautiful tale about finding friendship and love in unexpected places and from unexpected people (and animals.) I'm looking forward to reconnecting with all the wonderful characters as the Stay series continues.

"She'd found everything she'd always wanted. It had just been packaged differently than what she had expected."

I received this book from the publisher for a review through Netgalley. Ethan, injured on the job returns to his hometown to reevaluate and recover. Mia, who runs her own PR company, needs to "babysit" the daughter of one of her clients so his chances at winning an important election are not ruined. Sparks fly between Ethan and Mia as opposites initially repel, but end up attracting in the end. I thought that this was a cute, sweet opposites attract romance. Initially I didn't think I would like the character of Mia, she came off of shallow, but as the novel continued on she grew on me. I enjoyed all of the secondary characters, especially the animal characters, and am looking forward to getting to hopefully read future books in the series about Ethan's sisters. This author did a great job building these characters and their lives, the environment and the people that surround them and is able to make the reader care about them all.

Highly entertaining, sweetly sexy romantic journey filled with disagreements, laughter, honest feelings and a sweetly thrilling passionate chemistry that is undeniable....

Ethan Bishop is a sexy, charming and wounded body and soul. He is home looking to hideaway and hopefully heal from his last mission gone horribly wrong. Mia Thrush is a driven, sassy and determined PR agent on assignment and at the farm for business not pleasure.... Loved the sparks that fly, the banter and the crazy passion was a page turner from beginning to end.

This is a beautiful story about finding love when you least expect it. These two characters were thrown together and had to make adjustments in their everyday lives to make things work. Both are stubborn and it was great seeing how they came together proving that your heart wants what it wants no if ands or buts. I really enjoyed the writing it flowed at just the right pace and the plot was planned perfectly. I look forward to reading more of this series in the future. I would recommend this book to all the romance lovers out their.

I voluntarily reviewed an ARC from Netgalley.

I have yet to read anything by Jennifer Probst that's terrible. Absolutely, nothing. Ms Probst will keep her perfect record with "The Start of Something Good!" I have to tell you, I really thought I was gonna hate Mia, but she fooled me and I LOVE that!! Ms Probst gave her an exceptional hero in Ethan.

Seriously, people... You really need to read this. The ONLY drawback.....waiting for the next in the series.

The Start of Something Good is well written, filled with wonderful characters and a sweet storyline! I would make a great summer read!
Mia, Lucas and even Chloe all have baggage whether it is guilt, feelings of inadequacy, sadness or loss and they all need each other to heal and finally find their way. The animals were a perfect part of the story and added to both the fun and healing for each of them.
I hope that you take the time to enjoy this wonderful story.

This is a wonderful love story, not only between an injured Veteran with PTSD and a PR executive, but we also see the struggles between a troubled teenager and her mayoral candidate father, and how families don’t have to be related by blood. Though people sometimes make bad decisions, throughout the book there is the continuous theme of second chances and hope. I really liked that there wasn’t all the extra angst and foolish, drawn out conflict in other romance stories that seem contrived and are just annoying. There were certainly problems and issues to resolve, but these people managed to communicate with one another, which - Surprise! - helped them move forward and reach resolutions. I admit I teared up a few times, but I also smiled and laughed. The romance parts were hot, along with being, well, romantic! Really well done.

The ranch setting, with the rescue horses getting their second chances, was exactly what Ethan, Mia, and Chloe needed. And what a great town and townspeople! I want to live there! I’m looking forward to more stories in the series. My first Jennifer Probst book, but definitely not the last.

Great read that started off with Mia and Ethan as enemies then becoming lovers. The main link being Chloe and she's a fantastic side character. A college girl who's lost her mother and has a father who's more focus on his campaign for NYC mayor than his own child. She's lost and feels neglected. She lucked out having Mia and Ethan in her life. They may not my family by blood, but they eventually became one. A wonderful, feel good story.

Ethan ex-military man comes home to rest and recover from his injuries. His sisters want him to re-enter society. Mia owner of a PR company is working for a high profile man Jonathan, who is running for mayor. Jonathan is a widower with a daughter, Chloe who is a freshman in college. This is hate at first sight. Jennifer Probst does write some of the most hilarious scenes Hei Hei is just one of many. Highly recommended. AJM

Jennifer Probst does a great job creating interesting and complex characters. Mia instantly had my attention and the way her character grows throughout the story is really well done. Ethan is even more complex and watching him battle his own demons and slowly heal and grow felt very real. The story itself is also well written and I can't wait to learn more about the other secondary characters introduced in the book.

I truly enjoyed this story! Mia and Ethan live in different worlds and only thanks to Mia's job they find each other.
At first they couldn't stand each other, but with time they could both see how wrong they were about each other and the passion between then ignites. Will their time together be limited?
I loved the characters and the story and I found it so easy to get lost in it.
Can't wait for more

This was such an entertaining book for me to read. While getting to know all the characters at the beginning of this book, I wasn’t sure how this story was going to end up, but found I liked the slow burn to a evenly paced romance with Ethan and Mia. I also really enjoyed the secondary characters and can see this being the start of a good small town series with the horse farm and B&B as the background.

This book reads kinda how a YouTube video views now with ads galore. I only made it to the 4th chapter before I gave up. How many names must you drop? 4 chapters in and it mentions Prada, Coach, Gucci, Starbucks, Adam Levine, Waze app... even Kia. NONE of this does anything to ad to the story. It’s like one of the ditzy girls from Mean Girls or Clueless wrote this. This author is trying way too hard. “I can have a Greek yogurt with 5 blueberries”. “I want to lose 10 pounds” give me a break. And my standards for good literature aren’t even high! Lol don’t waste your time on this one.

Besides the lead characters, Ethan and Mia, there were so many good characters in this story. Also, there were some outstanding animal characters that were very entertaining. The setting was very nice (country, woods, an Inn for the guests, huge big barns mostly for the horses, mountains and a stream). This is such a good book, I just know you will like it. Enjoy.

Liked this book very much. It shows how wounds, both physical and emotional can be healed through kindness and love. Each character had their own issues and a past that was affecting their present, but with the help of those around them they were able to build each other up. Looking forward to the next book.