Sloth Goes Places - Colorado

 

Sloth Goes Places is a feature where I share books I have tracked from previous Literary Escapes reading challenge hosted by Escape With Dollycas Into a Good Book.

Today we are looking at books set in ....

Colorado

My favorite book last week, The Roommate Pact, was set in Colorado, and thus, I thought I would highlight books set there. 

It is a state well known for its mountains and outdoor activities. Sloth hasn't really been to Colorado, but he pass through two of the state's airports - Denver and Grand Junction. Grand Junction was an experience. Such a small airport. Loved it! 

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Seven Percent of Ro Devereux by Ellen O'Clover
Published by HarperTeen on January 17, 2023
Age/Genres: YA, Contemporary, Fiction

Goodreads

A clever, charming, and poignant debut novel about a girl who must decide whether to pursue her dreams or preserve her relationships, including a budding romance with her ex-best friend, when an app she created goes viral.

Ro Devereux can predict your future. Or, at least, the app she built for her senior project can.

Working with her neighbor, a retired behavioral scientist, Ro created an app called MASH, designed around the classic game Mansion Apartment Shack House, that can predict a person’s future with 93% accuracy. The app will even match users with their soul mates. Though it was only supposed to be a class project, MASH quickly takes off and gains the attention of tech investors.

Ro’s dream is to work in Silicon Valley, and she’ll do anything to prove to her new backing company—and the world—that the app works. So it’s a huge shock when the app says her soul mate is Miller, her childhood best friend with whom she had a friendship-destroying fight three years ago. Now thrust into a fake dating scenario, Ro and Miller must address the years of pain between them if either of them will have any chance of achieving their dreams.

This was a fantastic girls-in-tech book that won me over in every way. Aside from my obvious love of techie girls, there were great storylines featuring family, friendship, and romance. The found family element was one that really stood out given that Ro's relationship with her mother was so contentious, and what a "family" it was. Some of the warmest part of the story involved Ro, her dad, and their neighbor, and I really loved it. 

[review]

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There's Something About Molly by Christina Hovland
Published by Entangled: Amara on September 20, 2021
Age/Genres: Adult, Contemporary, Romance

Goodreads

Molly Princeton hasn’t met the right guy. Yes, she’s a dating coach. But she’s also a single mom with a rocky relationship history. She may be able to help others find love, but she doesn’t really need it in her life. Happiness doesn’t require falling in love. Winning a matchmaker competition however requires being part of a couple. And darn it, she needs to win this one. That’s when she sets her sights on Gavin Frank—the one man she would absolutely never fall in love with.

Gavin is her nemesis, her best friend’s ex, and yeah, okay, he’s sexy as sin. He’s also off limits. But she’s out of other options. Plus Gavin could use a fake relationship to keep his meddling mother from setting up blind dates with every available woman in the Mile High City. There’s no way he’d fall for Molly. None. Nada.

The two quickly learn there’s a thin line between hate and love, and she finds herself tipping onto the wrong side. For the first time, she doesn’t have all the answers. What the heck is she supposed to do next? Lucky for her, Gavin realizes there’s something about Molly he can’t resist…

I adored the Mommy Wars books, and this was a great addition to the series. I was surprised that the author was able to get me to buy into this pairing given that the hero was the ex-husband of one of the other mommy's. What can I say, she posed a convincing argument. As with the other books in the series, there was tons of warmth, humor, and antics which made this so enjoyable for me. 

[review]

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Would You Rather by Allison Ashley
Published by MIRA on August 23, 2022
Age/Genres: Adult, Contemporary, Romance

Goodreads

Noah and Mia have always been best friends, and their friendship is the most important thing to them. Life is going great for Noah and he’s up for a promotion in a job he loves. But Mia’s life is on hold as she awaits a kidney transplant. She’s stuck in a dead-end job and, never wanting to be a burden, has sworn off all romance. So when the chance of a lifetime comes to go back to school and pursue her dream, it’s especially painful to pass up. She can’t quit her job or she’ll lose the medical insurance she so desperately needs.

To support her, Noah suggests they get married—in name only—so she can study full-time and still keep the insurance. It’s a risk to both of them, with jobs, health and hearts on the line, and they’ll need to convince suspicious coworkers and nosy roommates that they’re the real deal. But if they can let go of all the baggage holding them back, they might realize that they would rather be together forever.

This is the companion to The Roommate Pact, and the book that started my love affair with Allison Ashley's book. It's friends-to-lovers which is one of my favorite tropes, and it just left me feeling so happy. Filled with warmth and humor, I couldn't resist seeing this fake marriage become real. These two were perfect for each other! It was wonderful to root for this union, but I also liked seeing the hero heal and deal with the grief related to his brother's death. This book was such a treat!

[review]

Have you read any books set in Colorado?
Let us know in the comments!