Review: "Building What's Meant to Be" by Ellie Hall

Building What's Meant to Be by Ellie Hall
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

After the latest in a series of scandals, screw-ups, and poor choices that her wealthy family believes have tarnished their upstanding reputation, aspiring actress Tinsley Humber's parents have decided to cut her off. "Borrowing" a car from their New York City condo, she starts driving south with no real plan or destination in mind. She thinks she's hit rock bottom when her credit card is declined, but it turns out there's still farther for her to fall; she's pulled over for speeding and ends up in jail for driving a stolen car on a license that has long since expired. As if that weren't bad enough, her travels have brought her back to the small town of Butterbury, Georgia, the scene of a past humiliation in which she threw herself at country music star Taylor Whitmer while he was busy declaring his love for another woman, now his (very pregnant) wife, Mae.

Undercover FBI agent Aiden Fuller is cooling his heels in the jail cell next to Tinsley's after getting caught in the act of kidnapping Twinky, the mayor of Butterbury's cat. It's all a part of his current case, which just so happens to be related to Tinsley's scandal in Los Angeles. Since the investigation brought him back to his adopted hometown of Butterbury, Aiden has realized that he's ready for a change. As soon as he wraps up the case and succeeds in removing the town's corrupt mayor from office, he plans to retire from the FBI and run for mayor himself. He just has to figure out how to get himself out of jail without blowing his cover first. Fortunately, the local sheriff offers him and Tinsley a deal: He'll let them go if they agree to perform 30 days of community service together.

I adored this funny, sweet, and heartwarming story! Aiden and Tinsley's banter was hilarious and while their relationship was definitely a slow burn, the payoff was worth it. They made a super cute couple and I was rooting for them the whole way. I'm always a fan of redemption stories, and Tinsley certainly redeemed herself as far as I'm concerned. Her past behavior made a lot of sense after I learned her backstory. There was a good heart (and a brain!) beneath the outer layers of glitz and glam, tantrums, and social climbing. She came a long way over the course of the story, as did Aiden, who finally told his friends and family the truth about his career and opened himself up to a serious relationship at the same time.

I highly recommend "Building What's Meant to Be" for all sweet contemporary romance and romantic comedy fans. I can't wait to find out what Ellie Hall writes next!

*Review copy provided by the author. All opinions expressed are my own.

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