Review: I Knew You Were Trouble by Sandy Barker*

*I received a copy of this book in eBook format via NetGalley in return for this review. All reviews published on Yours, Chloe are completely honest and my own, and are in now way influenced by the gifting opportunity. This review is being posted as part of the I Knew You Were Trouble blog tour hosted by Rachel's Random Resources.

Title: I Knew You Were Trouble
Author: Sandy Barker
Genre: Romance

Trigger warnings:  Cheating/Affair

Rating: ★★★★

Spice Level: 🌶️🌶️ (Closed Door)  

Don’t get mad. Get even.

Kate Whitaker has always believed in love, but when a stranger named Willem shows up on her doorstep, the news he has to share isn’t as exciting as his god-like looks might suggest. He’s come to tell her that Kate’s fiancé is also engaged to his sister.

Kate doesn't know how she didn’t see the red flags: Jon’s work as an airline pilot having him flying around the globe, the postponed dates, the huge rock of an engagement ring that isn’t her style at all.

Overcome with fury – and entranced by the Nordic god’s piercing blue eyes and quiet allure – Kate agrees to accompany Willem to his hometown of Amsterdam to help break the news to his sister. Yet what begins as a simple gesture of support soon twists into a deliciously devious plan to get back at Jon.

Kate is drawn into a world of retribution, revenge and – unexpectedly – romance. Because sometimes the best way to get over someone is to get under someone else…

A laugh-out-loud romantic comedy about broken trust, sweet revenge, and the surprising places we find love. Perfect for fans of Sophie Kinsella and Emily Henry.

I Knew You Were Trouble is the latest fun romance from author Sandy Barker. This book follows a duped fiancée as she plots revenge against her cheating fiancé whilst finding herself finding love in a very unexpected place. We get to return to the Ever After Agency in this fifth instalment of the series, reuniting with some of the much-loved characters from earlier books as they help Kate with her revenge plot but can’t resist doing a bit of matchmaking for her along the way.

This is a very easy read you could easily get through in a single sitting. Sandy Barker nailed the blend of romance and the revenge plot point and the whole narrative was really well paced.

Whilst the book is mainly set in London, Kate does travel across Europe to find out the truth about her fiancé. Sandy Barker’s brilliant storytelling really immerses you in the settings and I particularly enjoyed the chapters set in Amsterdam as someone who visited recently.

Kate and Willem had great chemistry. Theirs is very much a slow-burn will they, won’t they romance with lots of yearning which was all really well written. There was a great forced proximity element to the story but I particularly loved the bit of meddling from the other characters which gave us a brilliant only one bed moment. This is a closed door romance but it doesn’t completely shy away from any spicier references, it’s more of a fade to black which worked well.

There’s also some brilliant supporting characters. If you like strong female characters you’ll love this book as there’s a brilliant girl power aspect as they seek revenge on the man who wronged them. Margot in particular had a brilliant personality and I’d love to return to her story in some capacity later in the series.

Overall, this is a fun and easy read and a great new addition to the Ever After Agency series.

Review: You Had Me at Chateau by Portia MacIntosh*

*I received a copy of this book in eBook format in return for this review. All reviews published on Yours, Chloe are completely honest and my own, and are in now way influenced by the gifting opportunity. This review is being posted as part of the You Had Me At Chateau blog tour hosted by Rachel's Random Resources.

Title: You Had Me At Chateau
Author: Portia MacIntosh
Genre: Romance

Trigger warnings:  Parent Divorce

Rating: ★★★★

Spice Level: 🌶️🌶️ (Closed Door)

Romantic comedy writer Amber Page is stuck in a rut.

After her editor tells her she needs to "up the spice" in her books (literally Amber's worst nightmare...), she is at a crossroads of what to do with her career.

When the opportunity arises to go on a writer's retreat at an exclusive château in the beautiful French Alps, Amber reluctantly agrees, hoping a change of scenery will help with inspiration.

While she tries and fails to spice up her writing - with the unhelpful guidance of the eccentric romance writers at the château - she meets two leading men who cause her own real-life romantic comedy to unfold...

You Had Me at Chateau is the latest romantic comedy from bestselling author Portia MacIntosh. This is the perfect cosy wintery read packed full of all of your favourite romance tropes and a bookish theme.

This was my first time reading anything from Portia MacIntosh, despite many of her books being on my TBR, but I was instantly hooked by her engaging writing style. This novel is a really easy and quick read thanks to its perfectly paced narrative and really cosy feel.

The vivid setting descriptions made the beautiful settings of the French Alps ski resort and cosy château come alive on the page. I really felt like I was curled up in front of the roaring fire in Amber’s room with the beautiful snowy landscape just outside.

Portia MacIntosh has created a brilliant protagonist in Amber, who felt really real and relatable. The subplot with her family issues added a really interesting layer to her character which I wasn’t initially expecting but thought was really well written. Some of the situations she found herself in created perfect comedic moments which had me giggling away.

Amber finds herself in a love triangle with reality star turned influencer Caleb and the charming French Henri who works at the hotel. She had brilliant chemistry with both love interests and I loved the flirting and banter we saw in their interactions. Through these romantic plots we see many of the romance tropes Amber has previously written about in her books playing out in real life. This includes fake dating, only one bed, meet cutes, forced proximity, miscommunication and friends to lovers. Although the topic of spice in romance books is at the forefront of the plot, and there are regular references to things of this nature, this is a closed-door romance.

I often find myself torn between both MMCs in a love triangle scenario but in this case it was the swoon worthy Caleb who had my heart from his very first appearance. I loved that his character was really fleshed out beyond him being the stereotypical reality star turned influencer sort, giving him real substance. But similarly to him, all of the supporting characters were well written and added so much to the story.

Overall, You Had Me At Chateau is the perfect easy-read romantic comedy to cosy up with this winter.

Review: Casket Case by Lauren Evans*

*I received a copy of this book in eBook format in return for this review. All reviews published on Yours, Chloe are completely honest and my own, and are in now way influenced by the gifting opportunity. This review is being posted as part of the Casket Case blog tour hosted by Rachel's Random Resources.

Title: Casket Case
Author: Lauren Evans
Genre: Paranormal Romance

Trigger warnings:  Death, References To Car Crashes, References To Childhood Cancer, References To Death Of A Sibling, References To Death Of A Parent, References To Purity Culture/Abstinence

Rating: ★★★★

Spice Level: 🌶️🌶️ (Fade To Black / Closed Door)   

He’s almost perfect.

But he works for Death.

Nora Clanton sells caskets. It wasn't her dream job, but it's the family business. She lives in Rabbittown, a sleepy middle-of-nowhere small community, and her only friends are decades older than her. Her life is comfortable but sometimes she finds herself wanting more.

Then Garrett Bishop turns up and sweeps her off her feet. He's handsome, charming and seems to have a good (if vague) job. There is one little thing though . . . death seems to follow him and rumours never stay buried in Rabbittown.

But when Nora finds out what Garrett has been hiding and all the ghosts left in his wake, she wonders whether it is time to lay their love to rest too . . .

Casket Case is the debut novel from author Lauren Evans. This unique and heartfelt paranormal romance is set in a small and sleepy town in Alabama and is the perfect read for the upcoming spooky season.

Nora and Garrett made a really nice couple. Their meeting explores the idea of finding love in the most unexpected places and they have quite a fast-burn relationship in the early chapters of the story. There is a third-act breakup which I’m not typically a fan of but it did feel necessary for the story and was well-written, particularly with the introduction of an additional potential love interest following their breakup.

Both Nora and Garrett are in their thirties which was nice to see and generally they demonstrated a maturity that was a breath of fresh air to see within a romance novel. Nora was a fantastic protagonist whose inner conflict regarding her future was a nice addition to the story. I loved her relationship with her Grandpa – who, side note, was one of my favourite characters – and the powerful exploration of her grief.

I also liked Garrett as a MMC, particularly his confidence and maturity. The flashback chapters exploring his past, particularly with regards to his job, were really interesting and really worked to support the narrative. They actually ended up being some of my favourites in the book as they helped us to really understand the somewhat complex concept of his job. Garrett is very matter of fact, particularly with his general approach to the topic of death which I found to be something it took me a little while to get used to, actually completely mirroring Nora’s experiences. But he does also show a more emotional side which was nice to see too. If gift giving is your love language, you’ll absolutely adore the meaningful gift Garrett gives Nora for her birthday towards the end of the novel, I know it absolutely warmed my heart.

Although Casket Case is primarily a romance novel, it is also a powerful exploration of the theme of grief and how people approach the topic of death very differently. A real comfort can be taken in the idea of Garrett’s job, with the idea that nobody is alone when they die. Nora lost her parents around a year before the start of the story so her grief plays a key role in her character and the story, which was well written.

Whilst being mindful of avoiding spoilers, the epilogue made me a really emotional. It was something I had predicted quite early on but I was still caught off guard by how much it captured my emotions and brought a tear to my eye in the final pages of the story. It ended the book on a really powerful note, which is testament to Lauren Evans’ fantastic writing ability.

I really liked the small-town setting of Rabbittown and it’s inhabitants. The idea of the small town everyone knows you and everything about you vibe really worked well in the story.

Overall, Casket Case is a heartfelt romance story which is an easy yet emotional read, perfect for fans of The Good Place. It’s a great debut novel from Lauren Evans and I’m excited to see what we see next from her.

Review: Let the Games Begin by Rufaro Faith Mazarura*

*I received a copy of this book in eBook format via NetGalley in return for this review. All reviews published on Yours, Chloe are completely honest and my own, and are in now way influenced by the gifting opportunity.

Title: Let The Games Begin
Author: Rufaro Faith Mazarura
Genre: Romance

Trigger warnings:  Death Of A Parent, Anxiety/Panic Attacks

Rating: ★★★★

Spice Level: 🌶️🌶️ (Closed Door)  

It’s the Athens 2024 Olympics and Zeke and Olivia are there to win.

Zeke Moyo is the star athlete of Team GB. He’s in Athens to claim the title of fastest man in the world.

Olivia Nkomo has landed a career-making internship, finally earning her seat at the table.

Then Zeke and Olivia collide – literally – on the first day of the games, and something unexpected begins.

But the competition is stirring up uncomfortable memories from Zeke’s past. And Olivia’s dream job is turning into a nightmare.

Will love become a hurdle? Or could running beside the right person change the whole game?

Let The Games Begin is the debut romance novel from author Rufaro Faith Mazarura. Set against the backdrop of the 2024 Olympic Games – but a fictional version set in Athens rather than the Paris games we’ve just seen – this fun, flirty and fast-burn romance is the perfect summer read for 2024.

Olivia was a fiery, head-strong and determined FMC who I really want to be friends with. Zeke was a charming and funny MMC who I fell in love with very quickly. I liked the pairing of the two of them, especially the mild enemies-to-lovers plot and the fact that Zeke fell first and harder. They had good chemistry, great banter and I loved that they could both be their authentic selves with each other. The forced proximity chapters where they (mild spoiler alert) get trapped in a lift together were some of my favourites in the book. I would however have liked to have seen more interactions between the two of them to build their relationship further. They didn’t really spend that much time together on-page and this made it hard at times to fully root for their relationship.

Through Zeke’s character we have anxiety and panic attack representation and it was honestly one of the best portrayals of panic attacks in particular that I’ve ever read. As someone who has experienced panic attacks and anxiety for over fifteen years, this is a subject that is very close to me and it warms my heart when it’s represented well in fiction. I particularly liked the exploration of the physical effects of panic attacks; this was very powerful. Zeke also attends therapy throughout the book and although he’s reluctant about it at first, he opens up to the idea and the benefits of therapy over the course of the book. We love to see therapy representation within fiction, especially therapy-positive representation so this was a brilliant inclusion. It’s also really impactful to see mental health difficulties affecting all people, even athletes at the top of their game.

There is also a great cast of supporting characters. I loved both Aditi and Haruki who are Olivia and Zeke’s best friends respectively. Olivia and Aditi had a brilliant strong female friendship and were fiercely supportive of one another. Haruki was a total sweetheart who was also a brilliant friend to Zeke. We also have some good LGBTQIA+ rep through one of the characters. Whilst I won’t name them in this review to avoid spoilers, I will say that they are one of the athletes competing in the games. This was particularly impactful as it provided a commentary on the fact that, although the Paris 2024 Olympics has reportedly set a record for having the most athletes who are openly LGBTQIA+, we still have a long way to go in truly opening up the world of professional sport to the queer community. The book also explored the idea of privilege through the character of Lars, who truly made me physically angry every time he appeared.

I would say that this book does overall read as more of a YA novel than an adult romance. Although both protagonists were in their mid-twenties, they generally read as younger and I’d also say that the fact that this was a closed-door romance didn’t help with this. But this didn’t impact on my overall enjoyment of the novel at all, it’s just a note for any other potential readers.

Overall, Let The Games Begin is a fun and flirty romance which is an easy-read, perfect for a beach-read this summer. It’s a great debut from Rufaro Faith Mazarura and I can’t wait to see what comes next from her.

Review: The Love Algorithm by Camilla Isley*

*I received a copy of this book in eBook format via NetGalley in return for this review. All reviews published on Yours, Chloe are completely honest and my own, and are in now way influenced by the gifting opportunity.

Title: The Love Algorithm
Author: Camilla Isley
Genre: Romance

Trigger warnings:  Absent Parents

Rating: ★★★★

Spice Level: 🌶️🌶️ (Closed Door) 

At 28, with a Ph.D under her belt and a meteoric rise to head of Research and Development at Mercer Robotics, Reese feels her decision to put her career first has worked out pretty well for her. Sure, she doesn’t have many personal relationships to speak of, but she does love her team and they like her too.

So when she’s called to the Big Boss’s office and told she will be looking after his son while he does a rotation in her lab, she’s not thrilled that her hard work and achievements have boiled down to being a glorified babysitter – especially to a billionaire playboy with zero experience of mechanical engineering.

But then tall, blond Thomas walks into her office, and Reese realizes this assignment is going to be even harder than she thought. Because the CEO’s son is not only extraordinarily gorgeous, chiseled, and charming… he’s also on course to become her new boss one day, and so extraordinarily out of bounds. As the pair get to know each other, can Reese hold her nerve and her beliefs, or will she fall victim to the billionaire charm?

The Love Algorithm is the latest romantic comedy novel from author Camilla Isley. This is the third instalment of her True Love Series and although it was my first time reading anything from the author I was instantly hooked by her engaging writing style. Fans of enemies to lovers, forced proximity and workplace romances this is the book for you! Add in a woman in STEM protagonist, only one bed, lots of geeky references and a witty robot and you have The Love Algorithm.

Our story is told through a perfectly-paced dual POV narrative which worked really well as we got to experience the yearning from both Reese and Thomas’ perspectives. Thomas falls first and harder in the story and this was wonderful to read. Although this is part of a series, and features characters introduced in earlier books, it works well as a standalone too.

Reese was a fantastic FMC. She was so intelligent – we love to see a woman in STEM! – and feisty. I also loved Thomas as a MMC. He was so respectful and charming and the flirting through handwritten notes hidden around Reese’s office was EVERYTHING. I will say though that I did roll my eyes towards the end of the book when his response to being called a man child was to throw a tantrum, aka the most man child thing to do, but I’ll forgive him for being so dreamy for the rest of the book.

Reese and Thomas had electric chemistry from their first meeting. The sexual tension between the two of them was very well written, especially in the hotel scenes. They had brilliant banter (the Star Wars jokes had me giggling throughout!) and I was rooting for them from the beginning. I will say though that given how significant the sex tape was to the plot I would have liked to have seen a bit of spice, rather than it being closed-door but that’s just personal preference.

As much as I loved Reese and Thomas though, it was Reese’s robot K-2P who was my favourite character and he played a great role in their matchmaking. Reese’s colleagues at Mercer Robotics were brilliant supporting characters, as were Thomas’ family who I look forward to reading more about in the other books in the series.

Overall, The Love Algorithm is perfect if you’re after an easy feel-good romance which is packed full of your favourite tropes and lots of geeky elements.

Review: Lavash At First Sight by Taleen Voskuni*

*I received a copy of this book in eBook format via NetGalley in return for this review. All reviews published on Yours, Chloe are completely honest and my own, and are in now way influenced by the gifting opportunity.

Title: Lavash At First Sight
Author: Taleen Voskuni
Genre: LGBTQIA+ Romance

Trigger warnings:  Toxic Work Environment, Difficult Family Relationships

Rating: ★★

Spice Level: 🌶️🌶️ (Closed Door)  

Twenty-seven year old Nazeli ‘Ellie’ Gregorian likes the prestige of her tech marketing job but hates the condescending Patagonia-clad tech bros, her micromanaging boss, and, now, her ex-boyfriend. Who dumped her. At work.

So when Ellie's lovingly overbearing parents send her to attend a conference in Chicago, she's eager for the distraction. While she's there, she just has to help their company, Hagop's Fine Armenian Foods, win a huge award and get a free Superbowl ad. No big deal.

Within minutes at the conference, she meets witty, devil-may-care Vanya Simonian. The sparks fly as they get to know each other – both Armenian! From the Bay Area! Whose families are into food! But their meet-cute is cut short when Ellie’s parents recognize Vanya as the daughter of their greatest rivals – the Simonian family whose mission (according to Ellie's mother) is to whitewash and repackage Armenian food for the American health-food crowd.

Sworn as enemies, Ellie and Vanya must play to win the award by the week’s end – while keeping their feelings secret . . .

Lavash At First Sight is the latest romance novel from author Taleen Voskuni. After reading and loving her first novel Sorry, Bro last year (click here to read my review) I was highly anticipating the release of Lavash At First Sight but unfortunately it missed the mark for me.

To start by discussing the aspects of the story I did like, as with Sorry, Bro I enjoyed the bisexual rep and the exploration of both Ellie and Vanya’s parent’s attitudes to them being queer. It was also nice to see the celebration of Armenian culture that's briefly sprinkled throughout the story but I really wanted more of this as it was the thing which would really set this book apart from others.

Unfortunately, that is where my praise for the book ends. The plot primarily takes place over the course of a weekend but it was very slow paced and I felt like I was crawling through it by the end. Although the book is marketed as a romance novel it really actually lacked any proper romance plot. The plot was primarily just about Ellie attending a food packaging conference with her parents, taking part in a competition to win a free Superbowl ad and then gradually realising she wanted to leave her corporate job and join the family business. Any romantic aspect was quite flat and felt like an after-thought by the author. This was ultimately really disappointing as I loved the romance story in Sorry, Bro so had high hopes for this book too. I did also get quite tired of the conference setting very quickly. The competition element added a bit more excitement but it felt very repetitive in the end.

Ellie was a fundamentally unlikeable protagonist. She had no likeable qualities, little personality outside of her corporate job and very little character development over the course of the story. Vanya also felt like quite a two-dimensional character whose only discernible personality trait was being sexually attractive to our protagonist.

I didn’t find myself rooting for Ellie and Vanya at all, they really lacked chemistry and we didn’t get much relationship building. The fact that their relationship was forbidden due to their parents being enemies added a bit of an interesting element but it wasn’t enough to stop the romance feeling quite flat. This is a closed-door romance which meant that the author almost needed to work harder to write relationship building scenes which have us buy into the chemistry but this wasn’t achieved at all.

Unfortunately Lavash At First Sight was a disappointing read for me.

Review: Couples Retreat by Lorraine Brown*

*I received a copy of this book in eBook format in return for this review. All reviews published on Yours, Chloe are completely honest and my own, and are in now way influenced by the gifting opportunity. This review is being posted as part of the Couples Retreat blog tour hosted by Rachel's Random Resources.

Title: Couples Retreat
Author: Lorraine Brown
Genre: Romance

Trigger warnings:  Parentification, Parent Illness, Parent Divorce, Verbal Abuse From A Parent, References To Parent Death, References To Fertility Issues

Rating: ★★★★

Spice Level: 🌶️🌶️ (Closed Door) 

Two writers. One pressing deadline. No time for romance...

Scarlett and Theo have one bestselling novel to their names: the psychological thriller they wrote together years ago. None of the books they've written separately have sold anywhere near as well...

Now at risk of being dropped by their respective publishers, their agent tells them that working together is the only way to save their careers and sends them off on a writers' retreat in the south of France.

It wouldn't be the worst way to spend a summer--except that they've accidentally been booked on a couples retreat instead, and spending so much time together stirs up some very inconvenient feelings!

With their careers on the line and a pressing deadline, romance is the last thing on their minds...

Beach Read meets The Proposal in this gorgeously escapist and wonderfully bookish romcom set in the south of France

Couples Retreat is the latest romcom from romance author Lorraine Brown. Fans of enemies to lovers, forced proximity and a good second chance romance, this is the book for you! Add in a gorgeous French Riviera setting, a couples retreat, two author main characters and palpable sexual tension and you’ve got Couples Retreat, the perfect feel-good beach read for 2024.

This was my first time reading anything from Lorraine Brown, despite all of her books being on my TBR list, but I was instantly hooked by the plot and read the entire book in a single sitting. I’m a sucker for a forced proximity book and thought the concept of two people with a complicated romantic history being stuck on a couples retreat was really intriguing and it certainly did not disappoint. The story was brilliantly paced and the vivid descriptions of the French Riviera setting made me feel like I was on holiday myself.

As the setup is that Scarlett and Theo are two authors trying to save their writing careers by writing another psychological thriller together, there was a wonderful bookish theme throughout the whole story. As a book blogger it was really interesting to see a bit of a behind the scenes of how a book is written, particularly when it’s a collaboration between two authors. I really wanted to read both their first book Little Boy Lost and the book they write over the course of the story! One brief moment I thought was particularly impactful was when the characters were exploring why they love books, sharing that they’ve used reading and creating stories since they were young as an escapism tool for managing challenging experiences. Scarlett says that books can take readers “out of their own problematic lives for a split second” and this really stuck with me as it’s something that I’m sure lots of readers like myself would agree with.

Scarlett was a fantastic relatable protagonist who I warmed to instantly. We see wonderful character growth in her over the course of the book, with Scarlett realising that it’s ok to put boundaries in place in order to put herself first for a change. Theo was another fantastic character and brilliant love interest who, like Scarlett, also has wonderful character growth as we see him begin to learn how to open up emotionally to others.

Scarlett and Theo had brilliant chemistry and their slow burn romance, full of almost kisses and palpable sexual tension, had me practically screaming at them to hurry up and kiss already. Although I don’t tend to be a fan of second chance romances, the way their relationship history was drip fed to us through the retreat’s activities was very compelling, particularly within the setup of the therapy sessions as Scarlett and Theo gradually open up to the wider group. This is a closed-door romance and although I thought I’d miss a spicy element to the story, it actually worked really well.

Although this is at heart a feel-good summer romance, it also doesn’t shy away from some hard-hitting topics which was great to see. I thought the exploration of parentification through Scarlett taking on a role as a surrogate mother to her younger siblings at the young age of just nine was particularly powerful. There is also brilliant panic attack representation in the early chapters of the book and seeing supportive friends looking after someone experiencing a panic attack really warmed my heart as an anxiety girl myself. Other important topics represented within the story include adults caring for their ill parents, the impact of adverse childhood experiences on adult relationships and attachments and, briefly through the side characters, fertility issues and IVF. With the story being set on a couples retreat the whole story is very therapy-positive which is brilliant to see as I think society generally shies away from discussing therapy and the benefits it can have.

If you are looking for a feel-good romance as your holiday read for 2024 which is packed full of your favourite tropes, look no further than Couples Retreat.

Review: Fake It 'til You Make It by Laura Carter*

 *I received a copy of this book in eBook format via NetGalley in return for this review. All reviews published on Yours, Chloe are completely honest and my own, and are in now way influenced by the gifting opportunity. This review is being posted as part of the Fake It 'til You Make It blog tour hosted by Rachel's Random Resources.

Title: Fake It 'til You Make It
Author: Laura Carter
Genre: Romance

Trigger warnings:  Cheating/Affair/Infidelity

Rating: ★★★★   

Spice Level: 🌶️🌶️ (Closed Door) 

Can a fake date fix everything?

On a day Abbey thought would be the best of her life – her boyfriend is surely going to propose tonight, right? – it all falls apart: he tells her he’s met someone else. And then to make things worse, she loses her job.

In an act of reimagination, she splurges her wedding savings on renting an apartment in a building she’s always dreamed of living in and kits out her wardrobe to match.

But when her family invites her ex – a close family friend – plus a date(!!) to her parents’ vow renewal, Abbey realizes her façade won’t be enough. There’s nothing for it but to fake one more thing – a romance. And she knows exactly who to ask... her hot new neighbor...

A laugh-out-loud fake-dating rom com, with a chemistry you’ll be thinking about long after turning the last page. Perfect for fans of The Hating Game and Elena Armas

-

Fake It ‘til You Make It is the latest rom com from romance author Laura Carter. Fans of fake dating, mistaken/hidden identity and a good slow burn romance, this is the book for you! Add in a geeky cinnamon roll hero, a dual POV narrative and a family vow renewal and you’ve got Fake It ‘til You Make It, the perfect feel-good Spring romance read.

This was my first time reading anything from Laura Carter (although some of her other books have been on my TBR for a while!) and as a fake dating girlie through and through I was instantly hooked by the plot, particularly as the fake dating was partially to spite a cheating ex. Fellow fans of a good slow burn romance will also absolutely love this because this is a true extreme slow burn where, despite lots of almost-kisses, it takes them until the last 25% of the book to actually admit their feelings.

Our story is told through a present-tense, first-person dual-POV narrative, told by both Abbey and Ted. The dual-POV aspect worked so well within the story, as did the first-person narrative as it gave us a peek into Abbey and Ted’s inner thoughts. This was particularly impactful as the novel really focuses on the idea of you not needing to change yourself in order to be loved and although both Ted and Abbey initially feel the need to reinvent themselves in order to find a partner, through their inner monologues we got to gradually see them find their self confidence and learn to love their true selves.

On top of the fake dating plot, mistaken identity and miscommunication play a key role in the story as Abbey mistakes Ted for his professional athlete brother Mike and he then just doesn’t correct her and continues to dig himself a deeper mistaken identity hole. Abbey also hides part of her identity and they both get stuck in this big situation where their relationship is built on lies but their true identities, personalities and eventually feelings gradually start to seep through. I’ll put my hands up and admit that miscommunication and mistaken identity aren’t typically my favourite tropes by all means but there was something about the way they were written within Fake It ‘till You Make It that just really worked for me. I was hooked seeing how it would play out and found myself shouting aloud at the book on more occasions than I care to admit.

Abbey and Ted both had wonderful depth to their characters and their responses to their respective partners cheating on them was really well explored. They had great banter throughout the novel and their relationship felt really realistic. I do normally prefer to see a bit of spice as opposed to a closed-door romance but the closed-door aspect actually really worked here, particularly as the romance was such a slow burn.

I loved Ted with my whole heart. He was the cinnamon roll hero we’re all looking for in a romance story. I’ll even excuse the whole lying about his identity thing because he was a total sweetheart. The way he spoke about Abbey had me smiling from ear to ear and his POV chapters were my favourite in the plot. I also loved the little peeks we had into his relationship with his brother and would have loved to have seen that play out in person, but I appreciate the practical issues with that given that Ted had assumed his brother’s identity!

Abbey was a wonderful FMC. She was witty and a total girl boss for how she responded to her breakup. Spending your entire wedding savings on an expensive new apartment and treating yourself to a brand new wardrobe? THAT is how you respond to a partner’s infidelity. Through Abbey’s character, Fake It ‘till You Make It explores parental expectations and the idea of trying to please your parents and this was done really well. I loved her family dynamic and the role that played in the story.

Laura Carter also writes antagonists very well and I absolutely hated Andrew with a burning passion.

I would have liked the ending to have been explored in a little extra depth - perhaps through an epilogue - as I was craving opportunity to see more of Abbey and Ted once they were actually together. I really just didn’t feel ready to part with them once the book ended so would love the opportunity to return to their story in some capacity, perhaps through a story focusing one of the supporting characters. I also found that the mistaken identity plot was wrapped up a little too quickly and neatly for my liking. But it is testament to Laura Carter’s engaging writing style that I just wanted more.

If you are looking for a feel-good romance which is packed full of your favourite tropes whilst still being closed-door, you will love Fake It 'til You Make It.

Review: One Sweet Holiday by Lucy Day*

 *I received a copy of this book in eBook format via NetGalley in return for this review. All reviews published on Yours, Chloe are completely honest and my own, and are in now way influenced by the gifting opportunity.

Title: One Sweet Holiday
Author: Lucy Day
Genre: Holiday Romance

Trigger warnings:  Death of a Family Member, Emotional Abuse

Rating: ★★★★

Spice Level: 🌶️🌶️ (Closed Door) 

It’s the most wonderful time of the year…unless you’re me.

Hold the hayrides, keep your cocoa, and don’t put me within a country mile of mistletoe. This year, Christmas means chaos. My sister’s getting married and I—Gwen Griffin, perfectionist extraordinaire—will make sure her wedding is flawless. That includes doing the impossible: finding myself a wedding date. But in my tiny hometown of Jasmine Falls, South Carolina, I’ll have better luck winning the lottery.

I may be awesome at running my cafe, but I’m terrible at men. And after my last epic breakup, everyone in town knows it. That’s why I need a plus-one—even a fake one—so that when my sister gets married, everyone’s attention is on her, where it belongs.

The guy next door is perfect for the job. Gorgeous and charming, Logan Fyfe is only here for a few weeks. He’s also a hot Scottish bazillionaire who’s totally out of my league—so my risk of falling into a relationship with him? Less than zero.

Pretending to date Logan is the perfect plan—until it isn’t. Beneath his devilish smirk and delicious brogue is a big-hearted man who makes me feel the one thing I never believed to be true—that I’m enough, just the way I am.

With the wedding approaching, there’s nothing fake about my feelings anymore. When he slips his arm around my waist and whispers into my ear? Yeah, I’m a goner.

We may be worlds apart, but I’m done pretending. It’s time to get real…even if it means risking my heart. 

One Sweet Holiday is a new cute small-town festive romance novel from author Lucy Day. It’s the latest instalment in her Jasmine Falls Love Stories series but each book can be read as a standalone and has a guaranteed happily ever after. This was my first festive read of 2023 and boy has it got me in the Christmas spirit!

Our story is told through a dual POV and this worked so well in the story. I loved seeing instant attraction experienced by both Gwen and Logan and explored in their respective chapters. I also loved the banter between the two of them. The forced proximity was explored in a different way to the typical bed/room/house sharing that you might typically see through Logan moving next door to Gwen and this really made the story feel more realistic.

One of the things that I think sets One Sweet Holiday apart from other romance novels is the fact that the characters aren’t who you might typically see in this genre. Both protagonists are in their 30s and this makes their relationship feel so much more mature. On top of this, Gwen was the curvy queen that I’ve always wanted in a festive romance protagonist. I loved that the book celebrated body positivity by acknowledging her size and it being one of the things that attracted Logan to her. The way Logan talked about her curves and meeting her for the first time just made me melt.

If you are after male romantic interest who is the definition of swoon-worthy and will make you fall in love with him instantly, look no further than Logan Fyfe. He is a complete gentleman who is so respectful of Gwen and it was amazing to read. At one point in the story I worried that the miscommunication trope I have a vengeance against would rear it’s ugly head but Logan being the mature man he was any chance of this was eliminated immediately. I loved how supportive Logan was of Gwen, he had an absolute heart of gold.

The book also provided an unexpected but really interesting commentary on mental wellbeing and avoiding burnout which is so relevant to so many adult readers. The bakery setting added a really different angle to the story and we love a female entrepreneur who gives off total girl boss vibes! The family drama for both characters was also really interesting and it was great to be able to see how they tackle it as couple who are still in the early stages of a relationship.

One of the things that did take away from this being a 5* read for me was that the ending felt rushed. I felt that Gwen and Logan were owed a little more depth to their happy ending so this was a shame. I would like to be able to return to their story, ideally in a sequel but even just briefly as passing minor characters in a later book set in Jasmine Falls just to check in with them and see where they’ve ended up.

I will also say that the fake dating trope felt misplaced within this story. There was instant attraction and a blossoming relationship so having them fake dating for the sake of appeasing Gwen’s mother, who (potential spoiler alert) wasn’t appeased by it anyway, felt like an unnecessary way to add in an additional trope. I think the story was enough on it’s own as a small-town forced-proximity instant-attraction story. It’s also interesting that the book is marketed as an opposites-attract story when I found that Gwen and Logan were actually pretty similar apart from being from different countries. But this is more of an issue with the marketing rather than the story itself so it hasn’t impacted on the star rating for me.

This is a closed-door romance and whilst I fully respect that and recognise that not everyone wants spice in their romance novels, I do wish we’d been given a little bit more and had even just the indication that sex had taken place. Instead, it was very much completely glossed over aside from some passionate kissing and this felt unrealistic.

These things aside, I still absolutely loved the story and it was the perfect Hallmark-movie style romance to get me in the festive spirit. I’d recommend it to anyone who wants an easy christmassy read, packed full of sweet moments, witty banter and relatable characters.

One Sweet Holiday will be published on 6th November 2023.