Seven Year Itch by Amy Daws

Alone and Looking to Bone! Loudmouthed Mountain Man Seeks Fiery Woman to Grow Old With.
I might look like a tall, tattooed, bearded neanderthal…but like an onion, I have layers. Swipe right if you like a proud cat daddy who catches feelings after direct eye contact.

All I wanted was a casual plus-one to my brother’s destination wedding, but those idiots on my family tree hacked my dating profile and sabotaged my quest for the perfect weekend fling. Now I’m stuck on a tropical vacation with only my hand to keep me company.

Until I’m forced to share a room with the bane of my existence: my sister-in-law’s best friend.

Dakota has hated me for the past seven years. I wasn’t losing much sleep over her screaming rants because she was some other guy’s problem. Or she was, until she got divorced.

Being stuck in paradise with a woman who loathes your very existence doesn’t sound hot, but after an unexpected moment in our shared palapa, she starts screaming at me in a different way.

What happens in paradise stays in paradise. That is, until Dakota shows up on my mountain with a proposition: be her wingman to help her regain her pre-divorce confidence.

Suddenly, Dakota’s not just the person I love to fight with. She’s the woman I want everything with.

My Review

I have been eating to read this book for the perfect seasonal change between summer and autumn.  I have it on Kindle and Audible, so I can listen to or read it or both. 

Calder’s Tinder summary is hilarious. I can’t help but giggle at the descriptions.  His love for his cat Milshake, is epic. But his brother Luke’s prank is even better.  Calder needs a date for the destination wedding, and I love the family ties that bring us back to previous books. It is nice to see beloved characters again.  He has his quirks, like the cat by his brothers make the reading fun. But now he is set to find a date for this wedding. 

This story is for mature audiences only, as there are lots of references to adult content. He runs into an old friend of the family at a faraway place. He has met his match with the sassy Dakota. She seems to bring out his protective caveman instincts. Omg 😱 she totally is a witch, but then again, he wasn’t soft and gentle with all those manly instincts. I love the enemies-to-lovers banter between Calder and Dakota.

On our way to Mexico, and now none other than Dakota is in forced proximity to him for the trip. His niece Everly is a mastermind. I love Dakota’s pov; she definitely hates Calder and the new predicament. She is celebrating her divorce being final. But this trip isn’t at all what she wanted or expected. She is one scorned woman, especially about her past. She is midlife and struggles with her body’s changes, which is very relatable, but she has a great attitude. 

Shirtless and tempting her hate is ramping up her emotions to a little tension in the story. I love that she is a little grumpy about her divorce, but set on turning her attitude around, she doesn’t want to be bitter. Calder is intrigued by her secrets and her body. The tension and banter between them is palpable. I am enjoying the dual narrative in the audiobook. Also, the sync so I can read and listen.

I’m really enjoying Dakota’s pov and her wanting more, including love again and realizing mistakes in the past.  They have a solid history of issues that she keeps straying to bring up as reasons why he can’t be helpful to her. 

I love that Calder cares like a gentleman but is also kinda prickly like a porcupine, granted, every interaction between these two is armed. 

Omg this book gets steamy as we hear Calder’s pov as he takes care of his self needs in vivid descriptions.  What will she do now? 

Dakota is a mystery to this man, and he can’t help being curious about everything about her. But her character is definitely a “Karen, “ she really isn’t likable at this point in the story. I guess eh gets more likable as she gets less attitude. Calder is one lucky fellow as this gets sizzling with a one-night stand. But there has to be more. 

This book is filled with issues and challenges, but also good advice for a midlife character who struggles with her aging body and an ex who was abusive. I love that the author is writing about difficult relationship issues that are relatable.

What happens in Mexico didn’t stay in Mexico, and I think Calder has caught feelings. This book is so indecent it could be called erotic escape. There is an actual storyline and point to the story. But it is hot enough to melt your Kindle. 

The found family vibes in the story are endearing, with the Fletchers being involved in everyone’s business, but at the same time, the support is very heart-warming. 

The storyline is very smutty, but I adore the body positivity, the characters’ struggles with previous relationships, the self-confidence, the encouragement, and, of course, the romance. I really like the message in this story for anyone who is going through a divorce, midlife, or just needs to find themself again. 

Calder has his relaxation about Dakota and how much he cares a little later, but I’m sure they will work it out. I love the epilogue of the story; it really brings it all together, and unlike normal enemies-to-lovers, this story carries that trope all the way through. They don’t lose their fire or spark, but they sure do get sweeter. 

While the ending is cute, this story was a riot to read and quite the journey. And I look forward to reading more in this series. 

Overall, I liked the enemies-to-lovers, but I honestly didn’t connect with the characters very well. I did, however, love the underlying message and relatable issues. I did enjoy the midlife story with a true enemies-to-lovers romance and all the sizzling scenes. But the story in Colorado wasn’t as great as the vacation to Mexico. I did love the growth and self-confidence of Dakota and the sweet personality side of Calder. The found family and all their shenanigans were honestly my favorite part. 

If you would like to read Seven Year Itch by Amy Daws you can find this on Amazon. As an Amazon Assocaite I earn on qualifying purchases.

If you like this book you may also enjoy books with this tags and categories; Forced Proximity, Romantic Comedy, and Enemies to Lovers.