Unromance by Erin Connor

 

4*

Author Erin Connor has given us a delightful romance where life imitates art…or vice versa. Each chapter begins with the name and description of a romantic trope or element, such as “Meet-Cute,” “Just Once, To Get It Out of Our Systems,” “Miscommunication,” and “The Grand Gesture,” which then plays out on the page. Sawyer is a romance writer with a severe creative block and Mason is an actor who is also a hopeful romantic who falls in love too fast, only to see it fall apart after the wrap party. In a bit of serendipity (which is actually one movie that ISN'T mentioned in this story that borrows from several classic romances), they meet up and agree to help each other. He’ll provide inspiration to help her get over her writer’s block and she’ll “unromance” his notions about love by having a series of stereotypical dates gone wrong. However, in the best romantic traditions, those pesky feelings get in the way.

Although I’m not a fan of third person narration or third act break-ups, I still thoroughly enjoyed this debut novel. Mason is the perfect cinnamon roll boyfriend (in a gorgeous package), Sawyer writes my favorite genre, and there’s loads of laughter, friendship, and steamy scenes. The secondary characters aren’t very fleshed out, but there’s so much to enjoy in the central romance that there’s really no need for a supporting cast. I look forward to reading Connor’s future books. Recommended.

I received a complimentary ARC of this book from Forever Publishing through NetGalley in exchange for an honest review. Opinions expressed are completely my own.

She's Not Sorry by Mary Kubica

 

5*

This book is so incredibly twisted. It’s like a pretzel of grifting, stolen identity, assault, scams, revenge, and murder, all revolving around a Chicago-based critical care nurse named Meghan Miller. I won’t even try to write a synopsis since it’s impossible to do without spoilers. Suffice it to say, it’s a non-stop adrenaline rush, especially all of the times Meghan walks home from work in the dark, knowing there’s a masked man who has been assaulting, robbing, and raping women. Add to that the fact that she and her 16-year-old daughter are living in an apartment with a door that doesn’t properly latch, and you’re just waiting for the worst.

Mystery/thrillers aren’t a genre I usually read, but I chose this for a reading challenge based on a Facebook recommendation, and I’m not sorry. It is absolutely riveting, and I really appreciate it as a window into the way people’s minds work: the lengths people will go to protect themselves and their loved ones, the damage and repercussions of childhood abuse, and people who are just natural-born sociopaths. Highly recommended!

I received a complimentary ARC of this book from Park Row through NetGalley in exchange for an honest review. Opinions expressed are completely my own.

 

The Accidental Pinup by Danielle Jackson

 4*

In The Accidental Pinup, author Daniellle Jackson tackles misogyny, toxic masculinity, the patriarchy and systemic racism in both the fashion industry and the business community as a whole. Cass Harris is an educated, talented, successful photographer (and voluptuous, beautiful black woman) who has consistently been passed over for jobs in favor of Reid Montgomery, a white male competitor who is known for his vintage pinup-inspired style. While her Buxom Boudoir business (started with her supermodel, social media influencer, and emerging lingerie designer best friend Dana) is booming, she wants the recognition and prestige that would come with directing and shooting a major national advertising campaign. When Dana collaborates with Luscious Lingerie to produce her body-positive, edgy Dreamland line, it’s with the understanding that Cass, her muse, will be in charge. However, when Dana is forced to go on bed rest early in her pregnancy and the executives at Luscious express their discomfort working with a relatively unknown photographer, she is once again passed over for the job in favor of Reid. The compromise is for Cass to replace Dana as the primary model as well as serve as Art Director, but will the greedy capitalists on the board be able to step outside their comfort zone and back up their performative support for the body-confidence movement by entrusting a major campaign to a plus-size black woman?

 

When Reid and Cass start working together, sparks start to fly almost immediately despite their professional relationship. It’s a pleasure to see how they treat each other with mutual respect and share their love of both photography and their city of Chicago. However, will the pressures of family and finances destroy everything they’ve been building?

 

As someone who has more than a little knowledge of how shamefully the fashion industry treats curvy women and black models in particular, it is frustrating and stressful to read about Cass’s experiences since they accurately reflect the real struggles black women face in the business world. However, it’s a testament to Jackson that she makes readers uncomfortable. I also appreciate that she has a male protagonist who can admit when he’s wrong and who is attracted to a curvy woman without qualifiers. This story will appeal to readers who are looking for strong, successful heroines and have a passing interest in the fashion industry. Highly recommended.

 

I received a complimentary ARC of this book from Berkley Books through NetGalley in exchange for an honest review. Opinions expressed are completely my own.

 

Love at First by Kate Clayborn

5*


When Will first visits the Chicago apartment building he inherited from his uncle, his only thought is to sell it as soon as the year his uncle required he keep it expires. He refuses to live there due to the bad memories associated with it, except for one shining exception: the young girl he saw on a balcony tossing cherry tomatoes at the squirrels who strikes his very heart and soul, a feeling he’ll never forget. Although he never got the chance to speak with her, Nora is the one bright spot in a day when Will lost everything. When he finds her 16 years later, living in her late grandmother’s apartment and looking out for the older tenants who are like family, he realizes that his plans to rent the apartment short-term will make him the enemy. Despite Nora and the others’ attempts to sabotage his efforts, the two are drawn to each other.

Clayborn has such a way with words. Describing their first pseudo-date on a Lake Michigan beach and discovering the comfort and joy they find in each other’s company, she writes, ”Between them, the jacket-tablecloth had wrinkled up, a dozing chaperone.” So much of their relationship is conveyed with looks, limited words, and intense feelings that can’t be hidden. However, the path to happily-ever-after is strewn with the baggage of childhood neglect and abandonment for both of them, and Will is determined to avoid falling into the “rash, reckless, selfish” love he witnessed between his parents (as described by his uncle on that fateful day). Out of fear that he might follow in his parents’ footsteps, he spent his adult life proving that he could be stable, measured, and in control, going on to become an ER doctor. It will take a great deal of persuasion on the part of friends who care for him to get him to accept that there isn’t just one way to love.

There’s so much packed into this beautiful, enemies-to-lovers story: genuine emotion, a subtle romance with mild sex scenes, selfish parenting, and a colorful cast of secondary characters who offer a platonic, at times parental, kind of love. This is a very worthy follow-up to Love Lettering, and you won’t be able to help being charmed by the well-meaning extended family. Highly recommend!

I received a complimentary ARC of this book from Kensington Books through NetGalley in exchange for an honest review. Opinions expressed are completely my own.