The Ex Effect: A completely addictive lesbian romance (Meet Cute in Minnesota)

After steaming things up in Seattle, romance author extraordinaire Dana Hawkins is back with the first book of a new series. THE EX EFFECT is sweet and spicy sapphic romance sent in small-town Minnesota. Fans of Hawkins’ previous books will be glad to know she brings the same rich, descriptive scene-setting and immersive character-building that she employed so well in her previous books. Readers feel like they are right beside the characters as they navigate their second chance romance. The main characters both are likeable and well-defined. Morgan is a Type A, hair-and-makeup-just right wedding planner living in her beloved hometown of Spring Harbor, Minn. However, business has been slow as of late. She has one big wedding on her calendar, and her work on that project could make or break the business she’s worked so hard to build. But trouble rolls into town in the form of Frankie, Morgan’s blue jeans and boots-wearing, motorcycle riding ex-girlfriend. Frankie left Spring Harbor right after high school, and broke Morgan’s heart. Now, she’s a photographer, and the two end up working together on the wedding preparations, which are off to a rough start. Will they be able to collaborate long enough to save the wedding? And could sparks be rekindled between Frankie and Morgan? (I think we know the answers. I mean, it is a feel-good romance, after all. But getting there is a lot of fun!) I ended up loving both main characters. Sure, Morgan seems pushy. But it’s because she…

The Ex Effect by Dana Hawkins Rating: 4.5 stars I went into The Ex Effect expecting a standard second-chance romance, but Dana Hawkins delivered something with much more emotional weight and tension than I anticipated. The chemistry between the leads is electric from the very first chapter. Hawkins excels at the "forced proximity" trope, making the shared history between the characters feel lived-in and messy rather than just a plot device. What I appreciated most was how the story handled the growth of the protagonists; they aren't the same people they were years ago, and navigating those changes while dealing with their past mistakes felt incredibly grounded. The pacing is excellent—it’s a quick read, but the emotional beats are given enough room to breathe. There were moments of genuine vulnerability that caught me off guard, balancing out the sharper, more playful banter. My only minor critique is that I wanted just a little more closure on one of the secondary plot points, but it didn't take away from the overall experience. If you’re a fan of high-stakes romance with deep history and plenty of "will-they-won't-they" tension, this is a must-add to your TBR.

This was a great story…I connected with Frankie and Morgan so much. I loved the way the author handled ADHD, and would honestly have loved it even more if they discussed Morgan’s anxiety even more. It was so refreshing, and authentic. Can’t wait to finish this series!

I’d like to start with the positives. The writing is very good and I enjoyed the fact that coming out wasn’t at all a part of the storyline. I also really liked all of the characters individually. But man I struggled with liking the two MC’s together. For well over half the story Frankie said nothing but awful things about Morgan’s personality and Morgan wasn’t much better. They didn’t even seem to have anything positive to say about their relationship when they were young. I will concede that there was some growing and understanding of personality traits but not enough to counteract how long and how much the negative lasted. I never felt the love between them until the last 20% and then it was said not shown. I also don’t understand why Frankie was so mean to Morgan when in my opinion their past relationship ending was all on Frankie. Morgan never veered from their stated paths and was about as self aware as you’d expect from a high school senior. Now the last 20% was very emotional and I really enjoyed that part of the story and I even cried which is not easy to get me to do. I will read the next book because the writing is good and the issues I had with this book hopefully won’t translate to the next book. I have also read Dana Hawkins book ‘Not in the Plan’ and loved it! So she’s worth reading again. Oh, one last thing, I adored Frankie and Sam’s relationship! I hope they interact in future books in the series!

Dana Hawkins is an auto-buy author for me so when I saw she had a new small-town romance series I was so excited and this book did not disappoint! This first book in the series has all the small-town feels with some electric chemistry between the main characters Morgan and Frankie. It has the tropes of opposites attract and second chance romance. Dana's writing is just so good and she makes the characters super relatable oh and very funny! There are multiple times I have laughed aloud. I couldn't put it down and have already started reading the next book in the series!