Thanks to partners NetGalley and One More Chapter for the digital ARC of Cassie Connor’s Love Under Contract. The book is out tomorrow! Cassie Connor’s Love Under Contract plays with several romance tropes—fake dating, love (well, lust) at first sight, opposites attract—and it does so in an engaging way. When Rebecca Madison learns that her sister is going to marry Rebecca’s own ex, she’s miserable. The best way she can come up with to save face is inspired by The Wedding Date: she can pay her recent one-night-stand partner to be her date for the engagement party. And, since Rebecca is an attorney, she’ll draw up an unbreakable contract that requires no sex and no kissing and no feels with absolutely no loopholes. Of course, that’s not quite what happens. When she and Hudson Strong, a furniture designer in need of some quick money, make their way from England to the U.S., she discovers that he’s even more appealing than she first thought. As he charms everyone in sight, including her, Rebecca realizes that the way she’s always approached her life, with a firm focus on work at the sacrifice of family, partners, and friends, may not be quite as appealing as she previously thought and that her outlook is rooted in some pretty deep places. This was a fun, quick read, and I absolutely loved Hudson and his family. I thought that Rebecca’s revelations about why she focused on what she did were believable, and I liked the way that each new step with Hudson helped her to see herself more clearly. While I thought the writing could have been a bit stronger, Connor has a real touch with characters, and the relationship itself felt real. This steamy read is well worth picking up for fans of open-door romance!
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Thanks to partners NetGalley and St. Martin's Press for the egalley of Erin Hahn's Built to Last, which will be published next week, on October 18! This is a sweet and satisfying second-chance romance about two child stars who are trying to recapture their love. Shelby Springfield and Cameron Riggs starred with Lyle Jessup—their former friend and Shelby's ex-boyfriend—on a super-popular tv show when they were teenagers. Shelby and Cameron had a secret romance before Cameron left the show, and her life, leaving Lyle to console her. A decade later, Shelby has created a new career for herself with her dad, restoring furniture in the old homes he flips. Cameron has become a successful documentary filmmaker. They're brought back together, ironically, by Lyle, who has an idea for a new home renovation show, one that he'll produce. For very different reasons, they agree, despite their reservations about Lyle's involvement. As they start to become reacquainted, they also understand things about each other that weren't clear before. I read this one in close to one sitting, drawn in by Hahn's compelling characters, intriguing plot—fueled by flashbacks that illuminate the past, and steamy romance. |
AuthorI'm Jen Moyers, co-host of the Unabridged Podcast and an English teacher. Archives
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