I’ve always hated being told what to do.
Imagine my surprise when my grandmother calls me back to Sugar Creek and casually informs me that she’s leaving me the farmhouse I grew up in and a sizable inheritance.
There’s just one tiny little catch.
I must prove I understand our family’s legacy, and that I can stop chasing whims and put down roots … by marrying Hartley Adler.
(ARC Read)
Adriana Locke really said “what if we weaponize yearning?” and then unleashed Hartley Adler on all of us.
I consumed Make Me like a woman with zero self-control and absolutely no interest in acting responsibly once Hartley Adler showed up. There was absolutely no chance I was putting this book down once I started. The laundry? Irrelevant. Sleep? Negotiable. Hartley Adler? Essential.
This story was aching, emotional, swoony perfection wrapped in small town charm, second chance tension, and the kind of love that never actually goes away no matter how hard someone tries to outrun it.
Mira has spent years running—from Sugar Creek, from grief, from vulnerability, and especially from anything that might root her somewhere long enough to lose it. Ever since losing her parents, she’s convinced herself that staying still is dangerous. Hartley, meanwhile, stayed. He stayed for the farm, for his family, for his responsibilities… and quietly for Mira too. While she was out trying to outrun her pain, Hartley was back home loving her patiently from a distance and hoping one day she’d finally stop running long enough to see what was right in front of her.
“You know that you’re my weakness.”
And THEN comes Lolly.
That chaotic matchmaking grandmother absolutely stole every scene she walked into. The woman really looked at these two idiots pining after each other for years and said “enough of this nonsense.” Her solution? Force them into a one-year marriage arrangement if Mira wants to inherit the family farmhouse and land. Which honestly was iconic behavior.
The best part is that Hartley never truly stood a chance when it came to Mira. This man has been gone for her for YEARS. The pining? EXCRUCIATING. Delicious. Elite. Everyone in Sugar Creek could see them orbiting each other while Hartley tried to pretend he wasn’t hopelessly in love with her. Meanwhile Mira kept trying to convince herself she could leave again once the year was up, even while slowly realizing Hartley had always been her home.
“Don’t be scared. I got you.”
And Hartley… LORD HELP ME.
The quiet devotion? The patience? The way he understood Mira even when she was hurting him? That man loved her so deeply it physically hurt to read at times. Every look, every moment, every internal battle he had about protecting his own heart while still showing up for her anyway is something I think everyone desires to have in a relationship.
“Because I’ve been in love with you my whole life. Getting to love you is a whole different thing.”
“You could FEEL the history between them” is honestly the best way to describe this book. Their chemistry wasn’t just attraction—it was years of friendship, grief, longing, comfort, tension, love, and unfinished feelings layered into every interaction. Adriana Locke writes emotional intimacy so well that even the smallest moments between Mira and Hartley felt huge.
And the TENSION?
“I’ve waited my whole life to hear you say you love me again.”
These two set rules for themselves and then immediately started breaking them because Hartley had waited far too long for his chance with her. Their banter, softness, chemistry, possessiveness, and emotional vulnerability all balanced perfectly together.
“For someone who can’t ride a horse worth a shit, you sure can ride a dick.”
I also really loved Mira as a heroine. She was messy, impulsive, funny, emotional, and honestly very real. Watching her slowly work through her fear of loss and realize that loving someone fully is worth the risk made this story so rewarding.
The farmhouse setting, the family legacy, Blackbird Ranch, the found family vibes, the warmth of the town, it all felt nostalgic and comforting while still delivering those emotional body blows when it mattered most. Like being wrapped in a quilt while someone simultaneously tears your heart out.
This book felt like coming home when you never meant to stay. Like years of love that never actually burned out. It was so, so good!
Hartley Adler climbed my book boyfriend rankings at an alarming speed, and honestly? I completely understand why everyone in Sugar Creek was rooting for these two to finally figure it out. Adriana Locke absolutely delivered with Make Me.
Release Date: May 22nd, 2026 (TODAY!)
Thank you to Adriana Locke and Hambright PR for the ARC read!