A veterinary student and a CEO toe the line between business and pleasure as they juggle work, play, and their dachshunds, all while trying to figure out who is threatening a beloved animal rescue center.
Piper Summers isn’t having a good day. Not only has she gotten fired from two of her three jobs—driving taxis and delivering pizzas (leaving her only to perform singing telegrams)—but her taxi is stolen from right behind her, with Aiden Caldwell’s briefcase inside. Aiden, the CEO whose lap she had just fallen into during a singing telegram gone wrong, is instantly drawn to her, and when they come across each other yet again, he offers her a job: walking his new dog, Sophie, who happens to be very friendly with her dog, Colin. Circumstances continue to throw them together, which is great—unless those circumstances include increasingly severe damage to the rescue center where Piper volunteers. Debut author Griffin gives the reader a satisfying blend of romance and mystery while also taking the time to give us real—if a touch predictable—characters with their own personality hurdles to jump and realizations to make. Blend in an appropriate amount of playful banter and dog shenanigans, and you’ve got the makings of a promising start to a new series.
A delightfully adorable mystery-romance with a well-planned plot. And dogs!Pub Date: Aug. 2, 2016
ISBN: 978-1-250-08467-5
Page Count: 368
Publisher: St. Martin's
Review Posted Online: May 18, 2016
Kirkus Reviews Issue: June 1, 2016
Categories: ROMANCE | CONTEMPORARY ROMANCE
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BOOK REVIEW
BOOK REVIEW
BOOK REVIEW
A fake romance starts becoming surprisingly real.
Alexa is a lawyer-turned–chief of staff for the mayor of Berkeley. Drew is a pediatric surgeon from LA in town for his ex-girlfriend’s wedding. When the two get stuck in an elevator in a San Francisco hotel, they unexpectedly hit it off, and Drew convinces Alexa to be his plus-one at the wedding, leading to a whole fake-relationship scheme. The relationship may be fake, but Alexa and Drew are very clearly interested in each other. As a one-night stand becomes a two-night stand becomes weekend trips between Berkeley and LA, both are in denial about how important they are to each other. As they face ups and downs, ultimately they must decide if they want to try to make a real relationship work. The writing is fast-paced, jumping between Alexa's and Drew’s points of view. The two leads are charming, and both have quirky friends who add flavor to the story. The issue of race comes up since Alexa is black and Drew is white; Alexa is more aware of situations that may turn ugly, and Drew becomes more mindful of his privilege, a timely lesson that adds depth to the story. The book is also unexpectedly raunchy, since Alexa and Drew’s connection starts as a purely physical one and they only later develop deeper feelings. The characters never find a situation that doesn’t turn them on at least a little bit.
Guillory’s debut is a mix of romance and raunch that will charm rom-com fans.Pub Date: Feb. 6, 2018
ISBN: 978-0-399-58766-5
Page Count: 320
Publisher: Berkley
Review Posted Online: Nov. 13, 2017
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Dec. 1, 2017
Categories: GENERAL ROMANCE | ROMANCE | CONTEMPORARY ROMANCE
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Terri Rayburn is devastated that her perfect man belongs to someone else, but once Nate Taggert realizes that Terri's the one for him, her complicated past still stands in the way of their being together.
Terri is attracted to Nate the moment she lays eyes on him, and soon they fall into an easy partnership at the Virginia lake resort she runs with her father. Nate is upfront about being engaged to the mayor’s daughter, Stacy, but she’s in Europe for a few weeks, and it quickly becomes clear to Terri that Nate and Stacy aren’t a great match. However, Terri, whose mother left when she was 2, has always had a problematic relationship with the citizens of Summer Hill. Since Leslie disappeared, the town gossip has made sure everyone remembers her as a promiscuous vixen, a label which tainted Terri as she got older and made her look like a problem when, as Nate begins to understand, she was really a victim. It’s clear to everyone around them that they are falling in love, but even as Nate realizes it himself, Terri is adamant that they can’t be together. She won’t steal him from the popular Stacy because it would mean she’d never be able to live in Summer Hill, and she won’t abandon her father. Deveraux spins an intriguing and unorthodox romance, continuing her Summer Hill branch of the Taggert/Montgomery series with two characters who have some unique, interesting obstacles in their paths and navigate through them with secrets uncovered and old wounds healed. The story is well plotted, though Nate is unnecessarily oblivious sometimes and the book takes an unexpected swing into romantic suspense territory in the last quarter. The solved mystery resolves Nate and Terri’s conflict, though the villain’s motivations seem a little cartoonish.
An entertaining page-turner.Pub Date: Sept. 17, 2019
ISBN: 978-0-7783-5124-5
Page Count: 336
Publisher: Harlequin MIRA
Review Posted Online: July 28, 2019
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Aug. 15, 2019
Categories: GENERAL ROMANCE | ROMANCE | CONTEMPORARY ROMANCE
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