Review copy was received from NetGalley. This does not affect my opinion of the book or the content of my review.
Until It Gets Real by Carolyn Brown Series: The Paradise #3
Published by Sourcebooks Casablanca on July 7, 2026
Genres: Contemporary Romance
Pages: 336
Format: eARC
Source: NetGalley
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Charlotte "Lottie" Johnston, the only woman on her construction crew, has had enough or the catcalls, teasing, and flirting from the men on her team. So when she spots Knox Callahan on the job site, she hatches a a fake boyfriend arrangement to keep the guys in line.
Knox agrees. After all, pretending to date Lottie might also keep his meddling Aunt Bernie from setting him up with a date every weekend. What starts as a simple arrangement soon is anything but as the crew looks for signs to prove Lottie and Knox are pretending.
Between long workdays, shared lunches, and stolen laughs, their make-believe romance begins to feel dangerously real. But while Knox's roots are planted deep in small-town soil, Lottie's work will send her hours and miles away. Settling down in one place might be scary, but that's what it will take to build a life together.
From the first fun, feisty Christmas prequel novella, to the Sisters of Paradise series, the standalone historical prequel during western times, and then into The Paradise series still following an ever growing and expanding four-generations of family, I have adored the stories set in the Paradise world. With not just a little reluctance, I took up this last remaining single brother’s story even as the anticipation also built for more of Carolyn Brown’s country charm brand of contemporary romance.
Until It Gets Real is the third book in a follow up series to the Sisters in Paradise series. While the romance is for a new pair, the overall world and large cast of characters was built through the previous books, so I highly recommend reading it in order so all those people and family connections make sense.
Fake dating, feisty matchmaking great-aunts, and a stay or go romance in a construction work setting in the country made for a lively tale. Knox Calahan loves his family and is happy for his brothers finding great women, but him personally? He likes being single, but it’s tricky avoiding Great-Aunt Bernie’s matchmaking ploys. So, when Charlotte or Lottie (don’t call me Charlie), as she prefers, brazenly proposes a plan to be each other’s fake date for the duration of the big construction work job, he doesn’t laugh in her face. In fact, he leaps at it besides, he can’t ignore the spark of attraction or how fun he finds being around capable Lottie on and off the job. She said they had to make it good so no one would doubt it was real, but at some point, he can barely tell the difference himself. He knows there is an expiration date steadily approaching. She plans to go with the next job and he’s found home at Spanish Fort and the family of the Paradise.
Lottie Johnston just wants to be taken seriously for her work like any other guy on the crew and she wants to be able to work without having every single male and some of the married ones coming onto her and badgering her for dates. The solution is hot single framer just like herself, Knox Calahan who she meets at a wedding before the job gets started. She’d be lying if she said the fake dating idea had great appeal because it’s Knox and all the dating couple things they do to fool everyone, especially suspicious Bernie are more than tolerable from work lunches to time with his family at the Paradise. But, she’s only ever wanted to do the job on her uncle’s crew and it’s safe to her. Can she ever take a chance on growing roots and giving love a chance to grow?
Until It Gets Real is low-angst, light, entertaining and sweet with small-town, country charm. The family element is huge and as important as the growing romance. This pair had to decide something deeper is worth it and worth figuring out their different notions of what they need- really need. I liked them both and found this an easy-going romance. And, sigh, the finally brother of The Paradise has had his story. As the author said in her note, there are other generations… If you like small-town, low-angst fake dating this one’s for you.
About Carolyn Brown
New York Times and USA Today bestselling author Carolyn Brown was born in Texas and raised in southern Oklahoma. These days she and her husband make their home in Davis, Oklahoma, a small town of less than three thousand people where everyone knows everyone, knows what they are doing and with whom, and read the weekly newspaper to see who got caught.
A plaque hangs on her office wall that says I know the voices are not real but they have such great ideas. That is her motto and muse as she goes through the days with quirky characters in her head, telling their stories, one by one, and loving her job.
She has been married almost half a century to a retired English teacher that she calls Mr. B and he does not read her books before they are published because she cannot afford a divorce. They have three grown children.—and enough grandchildren to keep them busy and young.
When Carolyn is not writing she likes to sit in the back yard and watch the two tom cats protect the yard from all kinds of wicked varmints like crickets, other cats, spiders and blue jays.
As a lifelong reader, it was inevitable that Sophia would discover book blogs and the joy of blog reviewing.Sophia is a prolific reader and audiobook listener which allows her to experience so many wonderful books, authors, and narrators.Few genres are outside her reading tastes, but her true love is fiction particularly history, mystery, sci-fi, and romance.Though, sorry, no horror or she will run like Shaggy and Scooby.
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I love a low-angst small town romance. I’ll definitely have to check it out. Thanks!
The whole Paradise world starting with the sisters stories in Sisters of Paradise are like that. 🙂
I love small town, angst – free romances. Great review Sophia.
Sometimes an uncomplicated slow romance is just the thing. 🙂
I miss Carolyn Brown. I should pick something up
I remember reading a half dozen each year. I have been slacking off lately. 🙂