Raising Love: A Friends-to-Lovers Romance

by Brookelyn Mosley

When Ivy Pressman and Leo Vanguard, two career-driven friends who couldn’t be more different, suddenly become guardians to a baby, their lives are turned upside down. Navigating sleepless nights and the baby’s milestones, they begin to uncover feelings for each other they had always denied.As a sports journalist and a professional basketball player, Ivy and Leo are at the height of their careers and fear that a romantic relationship could complicate their new responsibilities. With their friendship at stake and a baby depending on them, they face a critical choice.

Will they take a risk and transform their deep-rooted friendship into something more, or will their fears prevent them from embracing a potential love that could anchor their new family?

234 pages, Paperback

Published April 23, 2025

About the author

Brookelyn wrote her first short story when she was a sophomore in high school. Back then she discovered how using her experience as a teen living in Brooklyn to create romantic shorts was just as exciting to her as retail shopping and going on dates. After starting her first semester of college two years later, Brookelyn’s creative writing became more of a hobby and something to do to escape the stress of midterms and finals. Now in her 30s as a freelance writer, penning short stories and novellas is her everything. While her experience with writing has evolved for the better, her undying love for creating fiction remains unchanged. Brookelyn's focus is on creating contemporary women's fiction with characters based in urban settings. Her stories chronicles the emotional journeys and erotic experiences of women today through her characters and the scenarios they're thrown into.

The motivation behind her brand of writing has a lot to do with what she discovered storytelling provided for her - an escape. Her goal with her work is to create characters and urban worlds that offer a great escape for fiction readers looking for a break from the daily grind of adulting and who prefer to relax with good books and short stories. When she’s not freelancing, doing yoga, or showing her husband and toddler lots of love, she can be found sitting at her computer desk, with her legs folded, and a cup of coffee (or a glass of wine) at arm’s reach as she types or edits her latest short or novella.

Reviews

[Salene Whyte (thee_book_connoisseur_) · Rating 5 out of 5]

Ivy League + 55
Raising Love by Brookelyn Mosley is a heartwarming and beautifully layered friends-to-lovers romance that explores love, loss, responsibility, and the unexpected ways life can bring people closer. When Ivy Pressman, a driven sports journalist, and Leo Vanguard, a charismatic professional basketball player, are suddenly named guardians to a baby after the tragic loss of their friends, their worlds are turned upside down.

At first, I couldn’t imagine the emotional weight of becoming a guardian under such circumstances, but Mosley crafts Ivy and Leo’s journey with such authenticity and care that you truly believe in their growth—both as individuals and as a unit. Leo honestly started off a bit annoying to me, but as the story progressed, he slowly grew on me. His evolution felt natural, and by the end, I was rooting for him just as much as Ivy.

Ivy was a standout. She’s chill, organized (almost to the point of OCD), and incredibly grounded. We all know someone like her, and her relatability made her even more lovable. The chemistry between her and Leo was built on a solid foundation of friendship, which made their slow-burn romance all the more satisfying. You could feel the shift in their dynamic as their bond deepened—and it was magical.

One of the most touching elements of the book was Kendra’s journal entries. They added so much emotional depth and context to why she and Tyrell chose Ivy and Leo as guardians. And the baby's name? The way it was created using letters from both Ivy and Leo’s names was just the sweetest, most thoughtful touch.

Brookelyn Mosley delivered a poignant, romantic, and emotionally rich story that reminds us that sometimes love finds us in the most unexpected ways. I thoroughly enjoyed Raising Love and can’t wait to see what Mosley has planned for 2025!

[Msstiletto · Rating 4 out of 5]

3.5

[Jacquie · Rating 5 out of 5]

One thing about BK, my girl will always give you a story. I did not read the synopsis and honestly thought this was a surprise pregnancy. When the plot smacked you in the face I was like "whoa, wait a minute, whyyyyy?!" It was heartbreaking and I almost shed a thug tear!

I love how the story developed, the timing of things, the reality of it. Leo and Ivy gave me the best kind of slow burn. I want to be attached to my characters when I read, feel their emotions, be invested in their inner thoughts, and I got that with these two. From Ivy learning to let her hair down and Leo learning to be a bit more responsible, we got a good growth arc for both characters while we watched the love story develop. The baby journal came in absolute perfect timing. This will definitely tug at your heart strings, make you laugh, and make you fall in love!

[Cynthia · Rating 3 out of 5]

A cute read ❤️

[Simisola Johnson · Rating 4 out of 5]

Definitely going to read this again 😅 enjoyed the friends to lovers trope