Sacha T. Y. Fortuné

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The Premise

Never-travelled-anywhere travel agent Marie is newly single in more ways than one — after being betrayed by her ex-boyfriend, she faces even more singledom as her best friend is about to migrate to the USA. Determined to reinvent herself or die trying, Marie focuses on attracting stylish, sophisticated friends. But alas, the friends that seem to come her way are an eclectic bunch of misfits. And then there’s Brian, with whom there’s a consistent bubble of attraction as their friendship blooms — but have they friend-zoned each other for too long?

The Pros

With quirky easy-to-love characters, this was a sweet story that fell squarely in the “chick lit” category — a blend of Sophie Kinsella’s Shopaholic-esque impossibly implausible situations, with a sprinkle of British humour and romantic comedy. I liked all the characters, and the dialogue kept me laughing all the way through. I also noted the heavier overtones of Marie’s hurt after being betrayed by her ex, and her best friend’s uncertainty and anxiety about her life decisions — these are portrayed well and keep the story grounded, rather than being too over-the-top with its cutesy-ness.

Marie’s romance with Brian is the definition of slow-burn — if that’s your cup of tea, then this will hit the right spots! From antagonistic suspicion to begrudging friendship to eventual love, I was rooting for them all the way! I also loved her friendships with each individual character, as well as the overall “Thursday night” group as a whole. It was lovely and heartwarming to see all of these relationships developing despite their strange combination of personalities and situations. Finally, the twist at the end is unusual, and so sweet — I was expecting all kinds of crazy ideas, but never saw it coming… and it was so much better than anything I’d considered!

The Cons

While I enjoyed the story, it did seem to be a bit slow at times, where it felt as though some events were “told” rather than “shown”. I found myself putting down the book whenever this happened, but kept going back because I wanted to see what happened to Marie and her friends! That was unfortunate, as a swifter pace could’ve made a fair bit of difference.

Conclusion

Ultimately, there are many great messages here that are uplifting — friendship, love, loyalty, family, and so much more. Though I was twitching to chop out a chunk of it to get on with the story, overall it winds things up beautifully in the end, and it’s worth the journey to get there! I noticed it’s part of a series, and although I don’t think it needs to be (things seem to be tied up quite nicely!), I would perhaps pick up another in the series to see what happens to Marie and her odd bunch of friends. Also, beyond this series, as I enjoyed the author’s writing style, I’d love to read more books by her.

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The Premise

Lauren has cultivated a reputation for herself as a sexy, independent woman who only needs men for one thing — but then she meets her match when she has a chance encounter with Hunter. Playgirl meets playboy is bound to steam things up quickly — but they have to pull up the brakes on things when she soon realises he is her new client. She needs him to help her win a prestigious home design contest — lest she lose a high-stakes bet to her nemesis. Her good intentions soon crumble as they spend more time together, but they agree to keep it casual. Can they resist the scariest gamble of all — falling in love?

The Pros

This was a good, steamy romance read that kept me entertained all the way through. The chemistry between the main characters was really good, and I liked their first encounter especially! Lauren is blazing her way through men, leaving a trail of broken hearts in her wake, and I liked her independence and feisty demeanour; meanwhile Hunter’s suffering under the weight of his family’s expectations and meaningful relationships are not his top priority.

The relationship issues and conflicts are relatable and believable, and it’s easy to fall into their world of luxury and success. It was heartwarming to see them build a relationship gradually — despite each claiming they didn’t want one — as their feelings evolved into much more, and I loved how they struggled against their beliefs and resisted opening their hearts because they had been hurt before. The novel’s shining grace is its excellent dialogue, which I really enjoyed reading.

The Cons

Though I liked and enjoyed the story overall, the bits and pieces of other characters were distracting. It was evident to me that the book was part of a series (which is fine), but every so often there was an info dump about other characters — her friends, his friends, his sister, etc. and they all had huge events happening to them: a baby being born, surviving a disease, overcoming grief, having a contentious affair, etc. It’s like I was supposed to get invested in these other people, but I really was too wrapped up in the main characters’ story (a good thing!) so it just made the overall story longer and more difficult to follow. All these side characters are great on their own, and the author is talented at creating memorable and lovable characters, but I just would’ve preferred them to get less real estate in this particular book!

I also felt like Lauren’s family drama, though a great story arc, it was somehow not blended into the story aptly — one minute she had no intention of going to see her father, and then she showed up with no real event in between to nudge her in that direction. Also, not really a con, but it’s marketed as an “age-gap romance” but the age difference seemed negligible (not sure why it was even mentioned in such a big way!)

Conclusion

Despite my few niggles as a picky reader (especially one that has high expectations if it’s a trope-filled romance!) this was a good book and I would recommend to others. I would rate it high on the steamy scale, so buyer beware… not for the kiddies! I would like to read more by this author, and may pick up others in the series to learn their stories more in depth.

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