Publication date: 4th Feb 2020
Genre: Contemporary Fiction (Rom-Com)Publisher's synopsis
A wedding planner left at the altar. Yeah, the irony isn’t lost on Carolina Santos, either. But despite that embarrassing blip from her past, Lina’s managed to make other people’s dreams come true as a top-tier wedding coordinator in DC. After impressing an influential guest, she’s offered an opportunity that could change her life. There’s just one hitch… she has to collaborate with the best (make that worst) man from her own failed nuptials.
Tired of living in his older brother’s shadow, marketing expert Max Hartley is determined to make his mark with a coveted hotel client looking to expand its brand. Then he learns he’ll be working with his brother’s whip-smart, stunning —absolutely off-limits — ex-fiancée. And she loathes him.
If they can survive the next few weeks and nail their presentation without killing each other, they’ll both come out ahead. Except Max has been public enemy number one ever since he encouraged his brother to jilt the bride, and Lina’s ready to dish out a little payback of her own.
But even the best laid plans can go awry, and soon Lina and Max discover animosity may not be the only emotion creating sparks between them. Still, this star-crossed couple can never be more than temporary playmates because Lina isn’t interested in falling in love and Max refuses to play runner-up to his brother ever again...
My Review
First impression: The cover screams nauseating chick lit to me, which would usually put me off, instantly. However, as it turns out, it was refreshing to read this romantic comedy that has a female character of Brazilian heritage. The reader is given a taste of Brazilian culture, which I found informative and interesting.
The upside: There is a lot of good stuff in this book, especially the development of both characters, which I found insightful. The observations on human behaviour are very good, particularly, how both Max and Lina react to the negative experiences they have had to face, the impact those experiences have had on them (their personal demons), the conflict that results, and how they navigate through it.
I also liked the way the reader is given an insight into both Lina’s and Max’s professional roles, and how they worked together. The author really did her homework! You can see how they managed to achieve the outcome they did. I enjoyed that aspect more than the romance!
There were laugh out loud moments.
I am always happy to discover a book which has a main character that is under-represented in fiction. This one is absent of annoying stereotypes (Praise the Lord! 🙌).
The downside: I was not keen on the style of writing: in particular, the romance was too sweet for my taste - sickly sweet, in parts, and their sexual exploits made me cringe.
It took too long to reach the conflict (about 80% into the story), and the resolution was rushed and lacked Wow! factor.
The verdict: I liked it. Okay, it may not be a great work of fiction, but it is good escapism, which is welcome during a global pandemic.
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