Review – Up By Five by Erin Nicholas – The Book Pushers | Book Reviews

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

He’s in the middle of the last thing he wanted… and the best thing to ever happen.

Ace paramedic Conner Dixon has sworn to never live with another woman after raising his four younger sisters. They have been giving him gray hair since they lost their father fifteen years ago. Now they’re all in love and Conner’s ready to retire– from worrying, fixing problems and cleaning up messes.

Of course, when his fellow paramedic, Gabrielle Evans, needs a place to stay after her apartment burns down, Conner can’t say no. But it’s no problem– Gabby’s just one of the guys.

Gabby’s penchant for poker and her ability to overhaul a transmission definitely make her different from Conner’s usual women. She also has no interest in getting involved with him. Conner’s crazy mix of family and friends is the last thing Gabby needs right now. She has her sights set on medical school in the fall and knows success depends on focus and commitment.

But within forty-eight hours of moving in, Gabby’s in the middle of a family crisis that could disprove all her I-don’t-need-anyone bluster and Conner’s in the middle of the last thing he wanted-a girl and all her stuff, all over his stuff. Still, the more she makes herself at home, the more he thinks that’s maybe exactly where her stuff should be. For good.

Warning: Contains a girl who thinks she wants to be just one of the guys, a guy who happily proves why that won’t work, and a very good reason to buy cinnamon roll icing-you know, other than for use on cinnamon rolls.
*Blurb from Goodreads*

From the moment I first read Nicholas’s work, I fell in love. I adore the Dixon clan, and was so excited to read all about Conner, the older brother who was so protective of his sisters as they fell in love with his buddies.

Conner has practically raised his four younger sisters, and now that they are all happily paired off, it’s time for him to kick back and enjoy life. But when his teammate Gabby losses everything she has in a fire, Conner takes her in and realizes that the teammate he has come to trust and rely on, is NOT one of the guys.

Gabby is used to men trying to rule her life, so she can easily see through Conner’s BS. With starting med school, she doesn’t want to get tied down in a relationship. So, despite the attraction between her and Conner, Gabby tries to put the brakes on their relationship. But Conner has other ideas, and the intense physical chemistry between them is more than either can fight.

I’ve been waiting anxiously to see what women could bring Conner to his knees. He’s been an overbearing (and somewhat adorable) Alphahole this entire series. I was so excited to read all about Gabby. I couldn’t wait to get to know her, see her bring Conner down to his knees and put him through the ringer like he has to the men in his sister’s lives. And I have to say, I adored Gabby. I thought she was great as a secondary character throughout the series, but getting to know more about her, I thought she was absolutely perfect for Conner.

Poor Conner had a lot of growing up to do in this book. He was so concerned with doing the right thing by his sisters, stepping in as a father figure that he let his job as big brother fall to the wayside. Once his sisters were all paired up, he had to relearn how to be a brother and friend. I loved the fact that Conner’s sisters and their men didn’t hold back when it came to letting Conner know just how bad he was at times. It really made his development that much stronger.

I loved that Gabby didn’t put up with Conner’s crap. She told him like it was, and made sure that he didn’t try and walk all over her, rule her life like he did with his sisters. The end scene where both Conner and Gabby have to come to grips with what they can do for one another was perfect. I loved everything about it.

All in all, I thought this was the perfect wrap up to the Counting on Love series. I adore Conner, and watching him fall in love was such a treat. I adored Gabby, and hope we can see more of these characters in (hopefully) another spin off series.
I give Up by Five a B+