#BookReview : The Break Up by Tilly Tennant #TheBreakUp @bookouture

12 Comments March 16, 2020 Books Teacup and Reviews

The Break Up by Tilly Tennant
Publication Date: March 26th 2020
Publisher: Bookouture
Genre: Chick-Lit / Romance / Women’s Fiction
Pages: 315
Stars: ★★★★★

What happens when Mr Right goes rogue?

Lara doesn’t have a back-up plan. So when her safe-bet boyfriend Lucien dumps her for her best friend, Lara’s world implodes. Life after the break up stretches bleakly ahead, lonely evenings on the sofa with only a bottle of wine and her grey cat Fluffy for company…

Down the road, Theo loves his job as a jazz musician, giving other people great nights out before coming home in the early hours and unwinding with his loyal cat Satchmo.

What they don’t know is that it’s the same cat.

And when they find out, standing in the streets in their pyjamas, both on the hunt for their lost pet, sparks of the wrong sort fly.

Lara can’t deny that Theo is one of the most gorgeous men she’s ever met, but she can see exactly why he’s still single. They do say opposites attract… but is she ready to move on? And when Lucien comes back into the picture, will she be tempted back to her life before the break up, or risk everything on the chance of something new?

A wonderfully warm will-they-won’t-they romantic read that will have you laughing one minute and crying the next. If you’re a fan of Jill Mansell and Carole Matthews, The Break Up is the love story you’ve been waiting for.
Previously titled: A Cat Called Cupid

*** Note: I received e-copy of this book from the publisher via NetGalley, in exchange for an honest review. Many thanks to publisher and NetGalley. ***

The Break Up was heartwarming chick lit, cozy romance and women’s fiction that revolved around Lara and life after heart break. It was about betrayal, working on your dream, coming out of heart break and finding closure of hurtful chapter in life, friendship, love, and pet love.

Writing was cozy, lovely and uplifting. Book was written in third person narrative from Lara perspective. It started with the Break Up (so this new title make sense), but it was not just that. After ego-centric, narcissist, Lucien dumped Lara, she found out he left her for her best friend which left Lara heart broken and alone.

Good thing, she didn’t wallow in misery because she found love and companion once again. Not in man, in cat called Fluffy that arrived to her on the very same fateful day to lift her spirit. She started her own business and year had been great with no time to think about heartbreak and man-less life.

But cats are like men. They love to roam around especially at night and go where they get food and cuddle. Fluffy was no different. When Lara was out in her Pajama to find Fluffy, she came across Theo looking for his cat, Satchmo. Turned out both were looking for same cat and that followed by arguments, disagreements, and finding middle solution to work together. Lara found him handsome and attraction was undeniable. But was she really over her heartbreak, ready for another relationship? Can she trust Theo not breaking her heart? As soon as life was going on right track for Lara, Lucien came back in her path to destroy her life and confidence.

It was interesting to find out who will keep the cat in question, if second chance at love would be lucky and what she will do about Lucien.

Lara was, without a second thought, my favorite character. She was sensible, developed, kind, compassionate, and lovely person. The way she treated her cat, her mother, her one and only employee- Betsy, and clients spoke the volume. She loved with full heart and that’s why it was just so sad to read her heartbreak and I could see why it was so hard for her to come out of it. She needed closer, to come out of it fully and when that moment came I admired her even more.

Her friendship with Betsy was wonderful. I so wish I could work under such employer. Working hours, amiable tone and treatment, crying shoulder and helping person when in need… Who gets such employer! Honestly, I’m jealous even though I don’t have job.

I even loved her love for her cat. My mom’s cat (partially mine, whenever I’m there) is so like Fluffy. Only thing different is he doesn’t sleep at anybody’s house. But like Fluffy he loves to roam, his freedom, treats and yes he loves variety in his food. I could understand Lara’s worry, what it’s like when cat is lost more than a day, how it feels when it gets hurt.

When it comes to Theo. I liked him but I guess he was bit idiot too! How can he believe in rumors and then question Lara even when she needed understanding and support. I sided with Lara when she gave him hard time. He deserved what he got. His cocky and arrogant exterior made it hard for Lara and me to warm to him, initially. But I’m also glad he wasn’t like Lucien or any men. He was caring, kind and decent guy. At the end he made it hard not to like him.

I enjoyed reading Lara’s dedication towards her business, Places she visited for her wedding services, all sort of clients she dealt with and moreover perks of working from home office set in her own garden. I so wish I could carry my laptop and kindle over there while reading this book. It is different thing blogging is not job but girl can dream, right?

Lara and Theo’s hate-to-Love relationship was entertaining. They both disliked and somewhat hated each other. Every time they met there was arguments and disagreements over the cat, each wanting to take their cat back for good. Attraction was there from the beginning, but both were too pride to admit it until one had to swallow it and other had to be good and kind. I liked how it progressed. It was not usual, like they went on date or something but chemistry was there until that douchebag Lucien stuck his nose in. My goodness, he was do obnoxious. I just couldn’t fathom how Lara could have dated him in the first place!

Climax was sad. It broke my heart seeing Lara heartbroken once again and felt new found admiration for all she did for Betsy and the way move ahead in life. I thought she would lose everything but that wasn’t the case. I’m still shocked and thinking how can her ex-best friend could be so blind and naïve.

The tension near end was palpable and I feared the worst but happy ending was inevitable like all chick lits. I loved how things turned out and I could see why it was title ‘Cat Called Cupid’ first. I still think that title was better.

Overall it was lovely, refreshing and cozy chick lit, part romance and women’s fiction. I highly recommend this book to cat lovers and fans of this genre and those who loves pretty covers. Isn’t it absolutely eye-catching?

Book Link: Goodreads
Affiliate Link: Amazon.in | Amazon.com

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Has anyone seen my sex life? Cover click

#BookReview : Has Anyone Seen My Sex Life? by Kristen Bailey

3 Comments February 18, 2020 Books Teacup and Reviews

Has Anyone Seen My Sex Life? by Kristen Bailey
Publication Date: February 14th 2020
Publisher: Bookouture
Genre: Women’s Fiction
Pages:363
Stars: ★★★★★ [4.5]

It’s normal for your washing machine to get more action than you, right?

I wake up, bleary-eyed.

It’s been two years, six months and three hours since I last shaved my legs, and the llama-patterned knickers I’m wearing have seen better days.

We have seven minutes before the kids wake up, and my husband shuffles closer. ‘Ouch,’ he says, a piece of Lego sticking into his back.

Then, a light comes on in the landing. Small footsteps creep down the stairs. A little voice screams, ‘IS SOMEONE COMING TO MAKE BREAKFAST?!’

All hopes of having some ‘alone time’ is replaced with wondering if we’ve run out of Cheerios, thinking about the overflowing laundry, and remembering that I forgot to take out the recycling. Again.

Just a typical Monday morning for the Morton family…

Except today, when I go downstairs in my dressing gown, I find something. Something belonging to my husband. Something that definitely wasn’t mentioned in the wedding vows. And it’s either going to make us… or break us.

An utterly hilarious and unmissable novel for anyone who has ever felt like they spend more time washing the dishes than getting lucky. Fans of Why Mummy Drinks and The Unmumsy Mum, and rom-coms by Sophie Ranald and Sophie Kinsella, will ugly laugh at this gloriously funny and relatable read.

*** Note: I received this book from the publisher via NetGalley, in exchange for an honest review. Many thanks to NetGalley and publisher. ***

Has Anyone Seen My Sex Life was quirky Women’s fiction that revolved around Meg and Danny’s married sex life and lot of sex related things but definitely not erotica or a pure romance. It was about uncertainty and questions related to sex life after marriage and kids, rekindling sex life, professional unhappiness, and honest portrayal of sex and how it’s different for everybody.

Now I’m really scratching my head how I should say and how much I should say. There was lot of things in this book. At first I thought it might be a chick-lit or about betrayal or rekindling love but it was much more than that.

It started with Meg receiving a shock in the morning when something arrived in the post that belonged to her husband that changed her life and views. What was it and if her doubt was right or not, was revealed pretty quickly, within first 30% of the book. I’m pretty sure you cannot figure out what was in the box and what was the truth behind it or what Meg will do about it and what happens in the end.There was hilarity in every single chapter. This book defines what laugh-out-loud is, from the very beginning.

Writing was fabulous, gripping and so lovely with varied characters, couples and gossips. Setting of Kendal, Lake District in northern part of the UK made it more entertaining with its close-knit community where everybody knows everybody’s business. I loved characters, family dynamics and even school moms. I rooted for Meg and Danny pretty quickly. I loved Meg more and her voice had a charm that made me to stick with her story and thoughts throughout the book.

Meg was amazing partner and mom. Her sacrifices and love for her family were great to read. When she did her research and found about many other things that might question if she even know her husband, I really felt sad for her. No wife deserves that but oh my, that scene later in bedroom and hospital made me forget all that. Her reaction to the truth was so natural and real. I could feel her insecurity, self-doubt and vacillation. It was not easy for her to clear her mind and see it from Danny’s perspective and when she heard opinions of her sister, best friend and cleared the fog with Danny, she was back to herself. She found a new knowledge and new spark.

Danny was such a nice and well written character. I had my doubts like Meg, but he turned out really amazing. He was a great father, son, brother and husband, I get what he did and why and still I feel he shouldn’t keep it secret and for that I was holding back my likeness. I like how he explained things, his hobby and all the things he did. He didn’t voice it earlier out loud but one can see and feel unhappiness in his professional life. His worry, anxiousness, and love was realistic. I had trouble understanding at first but I loved what he decided at the end and I agreed with Meg.

Stu, Danny’s brother was not easy to like but he surprised me at the end. And I have to say he took the entertainment to upper level. School moms and their gossips was hilarious. Some were friends while some were always at each other’s neck, bitching about other moms and that cat fight in the end was so funny. It all says a lot about how people let out their suppressed feelings and unhappiness on other, finding fault in other person and their life.

I loved Danny and Meg’s girls. They were charming. I can see my girl turn out like Eve! 😅 Emotions and feelings of the characters were well written. Even serious and sad moments were given the touch of humor.

There was lot of sex talk so if you are prim and prudish, just be prepared. You will see lot of sex trinkets, different sex life of different couple, threesome, toesome, wild and adventurous, hook ups… and many sex terminology and synonyms of body parts. To be honest it was all so informative.

I loved the message in the book. It say a lot about people’s mentality towards erotica and art related to it, how people jump to assumptions and think the worst about the person behind any sex related act. It told what love is, what sex is and how it can be different for everybody. It showed a difference between sexual exploration and perverseness.

Climax was uncertain. I was not sure what they will do about this Danny’s secret. I guessed it a little and I was only 20% right about it but anyway it was good to see how they all solved their problems and doubts.

Why 4.5-

I have to say I had little difficulty in understanding some terms and British phrases that slowed the pace, as I was doing lot of googling. Of course it wasn’t difficult to get the idea.

Overall, it was hilarious, entertaining, and enjoyable women’s fiction with a unique and quirky topic. I recommend to all readers of this genre.

Book Links: Goodreads
Affiliate Links: Book Depository | Amazon.in | Amazon.com

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#BookReview : The Neighbours by Nicola Gill

10 Comments February 7, 2020 Books Teacup and Reviews

The Neighbours by Nicola Gill
Publication Date: February 6th 2020
Publisher: Avon Books UK
Genre: Women’s Fiction
Pages: 400
Stars: ★★★★☆

Meet Ginny, 34, and Cassie, 55. Neighbours, and (very) unlikely friends.

Some women have it all. Others are thirty-four, renting a tiny flat alone because they recently found their long-term boyfriend in bed with their boss. Unfortunately, the latter applies to Ginny Taylor. Single and jobless, Ginny is certain her life can’t get any worse. But then she encounters her downstairs neighbour for the very first time…
Cassie Frost is a woman who had it all – she was a once-loved actress, but a recent stint on reality TV has rocketed her to online infamy. She’s suddenly become a national hate figure – and she desperately needs a new publicist. And Ginny is a publicist who desperately needs a job… but can she be persuaded to work for the uber-difficult, excessively prickly woman that lives below her floorboards?

Because sometimes – just sometimes – bad neighbours become good friends…

*** Note: I received e-copy this book via NetGalley, in exchange for an honest review. Many thanks to Publisher and NetGalley. ***

The Neighbours was a women’s fiction that revolved around Ginny and her neighbor Cassie. It was about friendship, fighting depression, relationship, getting over fear, and working to achieve dream.

Writing was good. I liked the way author represented Ginny’s mediocre life and Cassie’ defamed life with realistic tone that had balance of seriousness and wit. Story was told from Ginny’s perspective.

Book started with 34-yr-old Ginny talking about her simple life whose fertility clock was ticking at rapid rate. She was holding onto her boyfriend to fulfil her simple life by marrying and producing babies with her. But that went to downhill when she found him having pleasure with her boss at her own flat. You can guess where this is going. Jobless, boyfriend-less, wallowing in sadness and self-pity was not exactly a picture she imagined. At the same time her neighbor, Cassie was turning into national hate figure after a reality show. She needed publicist who can help improve her reputation and Ginny desperately needed a job.

Now Ginny lacked confidence and she was not sure she could handle Cassie’s bad reputation and a prickly nature while Cassie no matter what people says never lacked confidence and her power of persuasion was irresistible.

The story was about two totally opposite in nature and in life style neighbours forming strong friendship, helping each other in all kind of situation, uplifting other from depression, giving an honest opinions, and developing over the time.

This was character driven story and relationships between characters and their life was most important part of the story. When I read synopsis, I knew I’m going to have wonderful female friendship and I wasn’t disappointed there. I expected this book to be fun and light-hearted but it was much more than just friendship and fun moments, there was darkness, sadness and depression.

Ginny was timid, squeamish, and a pushover but at the same time she was nice at heart, helped her family and friends. She definitely deserved better than non-committing, competitive, and self-centered Jack. I really felt for her in the beginning but then she was wallowing and whining too much. I had really difficult time to warm with her but when she actually started helping Cassie when she was going through depression, I liked her a little more. But then she had to make that stupidest decision. I wasn’t happy with it. Then again she became such wonderful neighbor, I started liking her back. You see my like and dislike for her was really bumpy ride.

I can see why she was taking one after another disastrous decisions but how could she not see the relationship she was giving a chance won’t last long and what that guy was doing to her. Can a person really be blind in obsession of family and child? I know the answer and we have read thrillers who have given us horrible layout on that. Another point was she never voiced her thoughts and took decision based on what she assumed. I mean you are already hurting somebody what harm would come if you can just say what you’re thinking! It was just so hard to warm to her.

Anyway, I loved her development (that definitely could come earlier) and what she did for Cassie. I admired when she worked to achieve her dream and her amazing decision (one and only) when she got over her fears in climax.

Now even though Ginny was near my age and Cassie much older (55), I connected with her and I liked her from the very beginning. I could see she was bitchy, temperamental and difficult woman but she was honest, brave, bold, and spoke her mind. Yep, total badass. The way people treating her making her national hate figure, it was really horrible. Oh hell, some even said she should have died! I don’t understand why and she was taking it all with such brave face, rode the hate wave like diva. But of course she was human and it affected her. I loved the way she fought her depression, gave her loved ones a chance, and developed by the end of the book. No doubt she was my favorite character.

Some side characters were good while some were shockingly horrible. My second favorite character was Nick. He was such a gentleman and lovely guy.

What I liked most was the message conveyed here through Cassie and Ginny’s story. Depression can come to any one at any time, some face it during their downtime while some can face their worst time and see depression coming much later. There are so many ways to treat depression but it’s different for every person. What works for one person might not work for another. Depressed person should not be left alone they need love, care and companionship no matter how much they denies. Another message was never stop chasing your dream. It’s always hard but there’s always a way or an alternative. You cannot just depend on others to get what you want. And the most common one- talk about your problem with concerning person, don’t just assume things and take decision that you might regret later.

There were few twists and turning points in the book that kept me hooked to story. I really dreaded a heartbreak or even worst but thank fully the end wasn’t bittersweet. It was chocolicious sweet.

Why 4 stars-

Ginny was really frustrating most of the time. I wanted to shake her so hard. As I said it was just so hard to warm to her.

The thing is I loved Cassie I wanted few chapters from her perspective. We are told she was bitchy and did things on reality show that had turned her into hate figure. It was not in detail what exactly happened or what she said, how she felt/so suddenly felt depressed. I wanted to give that middle portion which was so focused on Ginny’s stupid decision to Cassie.

Overall, it was great read with strong message and friendship that all women’s fiction readers would love to read.

Book Links: Gooreads
Affiliate Link: Amazon.com | Amazon.in | Book Depository

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#Review #BlogTour : A Typical Family Christmas by Liz Davies #ATFC @rararesources @lizdaviesauthor

10 Comments October 17, 2019 Books Teacup and Reviews

Hello readers! Today is my stop during the blog tour for A Typical Family Christmas by Liz Davies, organized by Rachel’s Random Resources . Many thanks to Rachel and author for tour invite and providing e-copy of this book. Please check out my review and book details in this post.

View of vector evening paris from the cafe, eps 10

A Typical Family Christmas by Liz Davies
Publication Date: 10th October 2019
Genre: Chicklit / Romance
Pages: 282
Stars: ★★★★★

For once, Kate Peters would like a happy, family Christmas; the kind of Christmas seen in the movies. She wants harmony and happiness, smiling, glowing faces, tables groaning with food, carol singing around the tree. She wants love, kindness, and goodwill to all men, especially in her own house.
What she doesn’t want is drama. Absolutely no drama, whatsoever.
But what she gets is three stroppy children, two equally stroppy grandmothers, a husband who can’t manage to change a lightbulb, and Pepe the poodle.
It’s no wonder she feels unappreciated, overworked, and ignored. At the end of her tinsel-coated tether, and with the only Christmas spirit being in the form of a bottle of raspberry gin, Kate decides to leave them to it, and see how they manage without her.
A quiet little hotel somewhere near the sea, where she can pretend Christmas doesn’t exist, is just the thing she needs. Isn’t it?

*** Note: I received e-copy of this book as a part of Blog tour, in exchange for an honest review. ***

A Typical Family Christmas was lovely, entertaining, humorous and realistic Romcom that revolved around Peters family. I bet you wouldn’t want to spend your Christmas anywhere near this family. It was about family drama, importance of sharing burden, being supportive, understanding each other’s perspective, and bringing back the spark in relationship and enjoying Christmas as a family.

“Christmas is all about family.” But that might not be true with Peters family!

Characters-

Meet the Peter family.

Kate was best wife, mother and a person who kept her family glued sorted out all little problem, handled her whiny kids all day and taxied them wherever they wanted to. She was doing amazing along with her part time job. Trust me Peter household is not easy to manage. My heart went out to Kate. Poor thing did all without any support or help.

Her kids were lousy, ignorant and selfish especially teenage girls. They didn’t respect each other or elders, always wanted her mother to find their things they put somewhere. They were treating her like their personal maid and even dared to say they hated her on her face. I don’t know how Kate tolerated these brats. Her son was much better. At least he was cooped up in his room with xbox.

Her Husband, Brett was no better. I disliked him more than her kids and mothers. How could he not see what she was going through, how she was feeling about him, his mother and their children! And his behavior and thoughts after Kate’s big step at climax surprised me even more. Thank God mine is better and thanks to my years of training (Just as author mentioned in acknowledgement ;)).

Helen– the mother-in-law- always criticized Kate. Kate was never good enough for her. She sometime do things just to spite Kate. Beverly– the mother- was always miserable. She hated Christmas and made everybody around her miserable.

I have to say, Pepe– the poodle steal the show. Most of laughable moments were because of this little spoilt dog who had attitude higher than any other family member. He desperately needed training and a dog whisperer.

What I liked-

Writing was wonderful. It hooked me to story right from the beginning. The story was narrated from Kate and Brett’s POV. Kate’s POV said about her trouble and burden she felt at house. She had empathetic and realistic tone. It was easy to feel relatable with her when it came to her mother-in-law and her feelings. While Brett’s POV said about his own problems, work pressure and long hours that left him tired and frustrated. I could understand why he was ignorant towards his family but that didn’t justify his thought towards Kate.

Drama started from very first line with Kate’s announcement of her mother coming for Christmas. Now that’s big issue because her mother-in-law always come for Christmas. Both mothers disliked each other, avoided being in same room and that means one of the girl had to share room. It shouldn’t be issue as well but in this family everybody were at each other’s throats. Squabbling, disagreements, shouting, slamming doors was normal with two teenage girls, one almost-teenage-boy. Moreover two mothers were going to be under same roof who could be worse than teenagers. You can imagine how entertaining this was going to be.

I was curious to see how they were going to survive and how worse it can be, what new drama will unfold and how much Kate’s nerves can tolerate. It was like hurricane was inevitable, I was just waiting and preparing for it until all the hell broke free from all direction. It was exciting to see what Kate will do about it and how she will turn this typical family Christmas into merry one.

Family dynamic was great. I so enjoyed characters’ descriptions, their characteristics and antics. Normal dysfunctional family is where everybody has reason to dislike each other but here they disliked each other without a specific reason and based on childishness so I don’t know if I should call it dysfunctional family. Oh, but their bickering and squabbling was fun to read. They were amusing.

What I liked most was their development. Specially Brett’s that came after climax. Climax was the best. Served everybody right. The moment of realization and remorse was different for all characters, some needed even more scolding and stern authoritative tone. Even Kate realized her mistake and felt guilt. Brett’s emotions were most heartfelt and I so loved him from climax to end.

End was sweet and lovely with merry Peters family Christmas, not a typical one I started with.

Overall, it was hilarious, dramatic, warm and festive romcom. This, so far, was best Christmas read. Those who love family drama wouldn’t want to miss this. I highly recommend this book.

Book Links: Amazon US | Amazon UK | Goodreads

Affiliate Link- Book Depository

Author Bio:

Liz Davies writes feel-good, light-hearted stories with a hefty dose of romance, a smattering of humour, and a great deal of love.

She’s married to her best friend, has one grown-up daughter, and when she isn’t scribbling away in the notepad she carries with her everywhere (just in case inspiration strikes), you’ll find her searching for that perfect pair of shoes. She loves to cook but isn’t very good at it, and loves to eat – she’s much better at that! Liz also enjoys walking (preferably on the flat), cycling (also on the flat), and lots of sitting around in the garden on warm, sunny days.

She currently lives with her family in Wales, but would ideally love to buy a camper van and travel the world in it.

Social Media Links:

Facebook https://www.facebook.com/LizDaviesAuthor1/

Twitter https://twitter.com/lizdaviesauthor

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#Review : Well Met by Jen DeLuca @PRHGlobal #partner

7 Comments September 30, 2019 Books Teacup and Reviews

Well Met by Jen DeLuca
Publication Date: September 3rd 2019
Publisher: Berkley
Genre: Romance / contemporary / Women’s Fiction
Pages: 336
Stars: ★★★★★

All’s faire in love and war for two sworn enemies who indulge in a harmless flirtation in a laugh-out-loud rom-com from debut author, Jen DeLuca.
Emily knew there would be strings attached when she relocated to the small town of Willow Creek, Maryland, for the summer to help her sister recover from an accident, but who could anticipate getting roped into volunteering for the local Renaissance Faire alongside her teenaged niece? Or that the irritating and inscrutable schoolteacher in charge of the volunteers would be so annoying that she finds it impossible to stop thinking about him?
The faire is Simon’s family legacy and from the start he makes clear he doesn’t have time for Emily’s lighthearted approach to life, her oddball Shakespeare conspiracy theories, or her endless suggestions for new acts to shake things up. Yet on the faire grounds he becomes a different person, flirting freely with Emily when she’s in her revealing wench’s costume. But is this attraction real, or just part of the characters they’re portraying?
This summer was only ever supposed to be a pit stop on the way to somewhere else for Emily, but soon she can’t seem to shake the fantasy of establishing something more with Simon, or a permanent home of her own in Willow Creek.

*** Note: I received e-copy of this book from the publisher via NetGalley, in exchange for an honest review. Many thanks to PRHGlobal for free copy. ***

Well Met was cute, refreshing romance with hate to love arc that revolved around caring organized Emily, uptight rule-follower Simon, and Willow Creek renaissance fair with its historical theme. It was about family love, belongingness, getting over grief, letting others help and share responsibility, and need of change without affecting the essence of originality. The message was deep and thought provoking.

Characters–

Emily was great character. She was most caring, responsible, organized, sensitive, and selfless. She dropped out of college for person who never promised her anything and that tells all about her. I mean who would do that in this world! I loved the way she put things behind and moved on to help her sister. Her ideas for fair and bookstore was great. I felt for her in all situation whether it was sharing her past, being affected by rudeness of Simon, making friends at fair, helping her sister and others in the town or love and heartbreak. Her development was impressive, I’m glad she stood up for herself and didn’t repeat her mistake of being secondary and worthless for anyone.

Simon was uptight, rule-follower, English teacher and sole organizer of fair. Fair was his life that connected him to his brother. I didn’t like the way he behaved but as I read more about him it felt there was more to him than this cold, serious, and angry Simon. There was that carefree, flirting, and freely smiling The Pirate Simon, a character he was playing in fair. I bet he will grow on you pretty fast. He kept juggling this two sides that confused both Emily and me. His behavior at certain places was idiotic especially at climax. But liked him and the change in him after he met Emily.

I loved all the side characters. They were all nice, supported Emily and never let her feel outsider.

What I liked–

Writing was fabulous. I loved it from the very first line, “I didn’t choose the wench life, the wench life chose me.” It was gripping. Character introduction, Willow Creek, Renaissance fair, Elizabethan setting of the fair, romance, hate to love arc everything was immaculately described in refreshing and emotive voice of Emily.

It started with Emily being supportive sister, taking care of April (her sister) and Caitlin (her niece), while April was recovering from accident that put her on bedrest for few months. When Emily drove Caitlin to high school where she was going to sign up for renaissance fair, volunteers talked Emily into participating too. Now she didn’t have anything to do this summer, April was recovering day by day, she had to support Caitlin, and hot muscular Mitch in kilt was tempting to refuse the offer. This summer was fun and entertaining both for Emily and reader. Well not that fun for Emily. As There was that uptight Simon making her uncomfortable and giving her hard time. Looked like he wanted her to leave fair but why? Story took interesting turn once the fair started.

I was curious to know– why Simon was so serious all the time, what happened to his brother, why he behaved rudely to Emily, can Emily win him over their never ceasing arguments, will Simon thaw and accept her help, what will she do once April is recovered, will she stay in this small town, community where she felt she belonged or Simon will mess it all up.

Shakespeare lovers would love to read this as there was idea of Shakespeare theme, his plays and sonnet. Now I haven’t read Shakespeare so I cannot comment on it but what I loved most was, Willow Creek, its people and fair. Community spirit was lovely. I also don’t know a thing about renaissance fair but author gave picture perfect details of it. I loved knowing everything about it and the way characters entertained visitors of fair.

I loved sisterly relation between April and Emily. They helped each other when needed, gave uplifting advice, never judging other. Their relation grew so much in the story. Emily’s friendship with Mitch, Chris and Stacey was lovely.

As the narration was from Emily’s perspective, we don’t get to know what was going on in Simon’s mind. I judged him based on Emily’s thoughts and emotions and it also made Simon unpredictable and mysterious. At first I thought there should be dual narration but as story progressed I think author did wonderful job and I wouldn’t want to change it.

It was fun reading the story of Emily and Simon. I enjoyed bickering and small fight between them in first half. They disliked each other, Emily couldn’t stand Simon and there was time she even tried to do all to avoid Simon’s dagger throwing stare and Simon was out to find teeny tiniest fault in Emily and whatever she did. But once they started knowing each other, the chemistry between them was lovable and award-winning. Romance between them was steamy, hot, and sizzling. I’m not usually fan of sex scene but trust me here it was amazing.

Romance and humor was as expected but what surprised me was the tears in my eyes during climax. I’m not much crier but seeing Emily what she experienced and felt was heart breaking. Things taken place from climax to end was interesting. End was sweet. I wouldn’t want it any other way and epilogue was cherry on cake.

Overall, it was feel good, gripping, and dramatic romantic comedy with lovey small town and fun fair. It’s perfect summer read. I highly recommend this book.

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Let’s discuss!

What do you think about the book and review? Have you read this book already? Are you going to add it to TBR? Are you fan of enemy-to-lover trope or friends-to-lover? Have you read any book in which fair is important element? Recommend me your favorite in this genre.