Review – Going for Four by Erin Nicholas

Publisher: Samhain
Publish Date: Out Now
How I got this book: eARC from publisher

Hot firefighter Cody Madsen has stayed away from Olivia Dixon for almost two years-technically. Even though he talks to her every day and sees her every weekend. But there’s no kissing, touching, or telling her how he really feels. Because they’re “just friends.” Anything more than that would mean crossing the line that Olivia’s older brother has firmly drawn between them.

Olivia wants what her three sisters have-true love. She could almost believe she’s found it with Cody, if it weren’t for the fact that he’s her older brother’s best friend and her brother won’t have it. And he’s never steered her wrong before. Her head is telling her to trust her brother, but her heart won’t let go of Cody.

Her solution? A dating site where she and Cody can each find their “Perfect Pick” once and for all.

But when the site yields some unexpected results, their real feelings come front and center. And they have to decide if it’s worth the risk to cross the line from friendship to love after all.

Warning: Contains a starry-eyed romantic, a wannabe knight in shining armor, and chocolate chip cookies. A “lot” of chocolate chip cookies.
*Blurb from Goodreads*

I adore this series from Nicholas about the Dixon family, and I was so excited to read more about Olivia, the good sister who doesn’t like to rock the boat.

Olivia feels as if she owes so much to her brother, Conner, and she hates disappointing him. So although she is wildly attracted to her best guy friend, Cody, she isn’t ready to act on it because of his friendship with Conner. But the attraction between her and Cody is off the charts, and the only solution she can see is to date someone else.

The last thing Cody wants is to date someone else, but if that is what Olivia wants, he’s willing to take the chance. The only problem is that they keep getting thrown together. After trying to find someone else, they realize they really are best together. But getting Connor on board with their relationship is a hurdle that isn’t easily cleared.

I’ve adored Olivia in this series, so getting to see her front and center was so wonderful. I love the fact that she was so devoted to Connor, even if that devotion was to the extreme. I’m always a big fan of the brother’s best friend trope, but I thought Nicholas did a wonderful job of tweaking it a bit, by giving Connor and Cody a troublesome history when it comes to seeing each other in relationships. I loved that the biggest hurdle in this book was overcoming Connor’s stereotype of Cody, and finding a way to be together.

Cody was such a great hero. Despite the mistake of his past that caused Connor to not trust him with Olivia, Cody was so sweet and alpha and adorable. I loved the way he and Olivia were so determined to make their friendship work, despite the sexual tension that clawed at them constantly. I thought their baking nights and movie moments were so sweet, and it just went to show how deeply in love Cody was with Olivia from the very start.

Their romance was so incredible. I loved the fact that they struggled with maintaining a strict friendship. But as they decided to date other people, I love the way they were continuously thrown together one way or another. I especially loved when we found out how sneaky Cody was being, and how Olivia was forced to react to it. I loved the way Olivia made Cody wait for her, to be sure that what they had was real.

I am so excited for Connor’s book. Nicholas does such an amazing job writing secondary characters, that I’ve already fallen head over heels for Connor. I can’t wait to see how his story unfolds, and how the Dixon family will wrap up their HEAs.

All in all I really liked the fourth book in the Counting on Love series. I thought Cody and Olivia were so perfect together, and their romance was one of my favorite in the series to date. Nicholas has absolutely become a must-buy author for me!
I give Going for Four a B+

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