Isn't It Romantic?

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The Wake-Up Call by Beth O'Leary
Published by Berkley on September 26, 2023
Age/Genres: Adult, Contemporary, Fiction

Goodreads

Two hotel receptionists--and arch-rivals--find a collection of old wedding rings and compete to return them to their owners, discovering their own love story along the way.

It's the busiest season of the year, and Forest Manor Hotel is quite literally falling apart. So when Izzy and Lucas are given the same shift on the hotel's front desk, they have no choice but to put their differences aside and see it through.

The hotel won't stay afloat beyond Christmas without some sort of miracle. But when Izzy returns a guest's lost wedding ring, the reward convinces management that this might be the way to fix everything. With four rings still sitting in the lost & found, the race is on for Izzy and Lucas to save their beloved hotel--and their jobs.

As their bitter rivalry turns into something much more complicated, Izzy and Lucas begin to wonder if there's more at stake here than the hotel's future. Can the two of them make it through the season with their hearts intact?

Izzy poured her heart out in last year's Christmas card, and Lucas laughed when he read it. This was the event that marked the beginning of a tense relationship between the two. When they learned that Forest Manor was on the brink of bankruptcy, they joined forces (sort of) in a quest to save the hotel. Their mission was to reunite the owners with their lost rings, but would Izzy and Lucas be able to overcome their hard feelings to get the job done?

I am still trying to figure out the connection between the story and the title, but regardless, this was another marvelous book from Beth O'Leary. As I hinted, there was this BIG rejection that started all the trouble between Izzy and Lucas. I don't know about you, but I thought for sure that there was more to THAT story. If the miscommunication trope is one you don't enjoy, you may struggle with this book. I was sure that if they just discussed that night, all would have been quickly resolved. But regardless, I rather liked the way the truth unfolded.

With that out of the way, I want to share some highlights:

• The Ring Thing - There's something so romantic about reuniting a person and their lost token of love. Some of the stories weren't quite the epic romances I was expecting, but all were super entertaining, and others were really touching too. These Ring Thing adventures usually precipitated some fantastic rom-com antics as well which amused me and made me smile.
• The Forest Manor Hotel - I was so taken by this place. It may have been a bit rundown, but the hotel was not about its structure or the furnishings, it was about the people. It was an especially important place for Izzy, and its inhabitants had become Izzy's family. I could feel the love and support inside that building and adored all the people who called the hotel "home".
• Izzy and Lucas ❤️ - This was such a great grumpy-sunshine pairing. Izzy's default was sunshine smiles, but she wasn't all that sweet to Lucas. Not mean, but she challenged and needled him. She would call him robotic, and one of my favorite parts of this story was when Lucas set out to change her mind. He was such a sweetheart, and like all the heroes that win my heart, he was a man of action. I collected all those precious things he did, those small acts of kindness, and I put them in my heart. Needless to say, my heart was almost full to bursting by the end of this story.

Overall, The Wake-Up Call was a rollicking good time for me. This grumpy-sunshine/enemies-to-lovers romance was so much fun while also extremely touching and heartwarming. Fantastic characters, a great setting, delicious chemistry, witty banter, some mad-cap capers, and a holiday party made this a solid hit for me. I was left with lots of laughs and happy tears, and I greatly enjoyed rooting for Lucas and Izzy as they attempted to save the hotel while falling in love.

*ARC PROVIDED BY THE PUBLISHER

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The Blonde Identity by Ally Carter
Published by Avon Books on August 8, 2023
Age/Genres: Adult, Romantic Suspense

Goodreads

A fast-paced, hilarious road trip rom-com about a woman with amnesia who discovers she's the identical twin sister of a rogue spy... and must team up with a rugged, grumpy operative to stay alive.

It's the middle of the night in the middle of Paris and a woman just woke up with no memory.

She only knows three things for certain:
1. She has a splitting headache.
2. The hottest guy she has (probably) ever seen is standing over her, telling her to run.

And oh yeah...
3. People keep trying to kill her.

She doesn't know who. Or why. But when she sees footage of herself fighting off a dozen men there's only one explanation: obviously. . . she's a spy!

Except, according to Mr. Hot Guy, she's not. She's a spy's identical twin sister.

Too bad the only person who knows she's not the woman they're looking for is this very grouchy, very sexy, very secret agent who (reluctantly) agrees to help her disappear.

That's easier said than done when a criminal organization wants you dead and every intelligence service in the world wants you caught. Luckily, no one is looking for a pair of lovesick newlyweds on their honeymoon. And soon they're lying their way across Europe--dodging bullets and faking kisses as they race to unravel a deadly conspiracy and clear her sister's name.

But with every secret they uncover, the truth shifts, until she no longer knows who to trust: the twin she can't remember or the mysterious man she can't let herself forget...

I read quite a few of Ally Carter's young adult books back in the day and was excited to see what she would bring to her adult debut. This was classic Carter for me. It was delicious combination of romance, action, and humor which had me captivated from the very first page.

The synopsis calls this "fast paced", and that is no lie. When the twin sister of a spy awakened on the streets of Paris with amnesia, she was immediately thrust into a dangerous situation with multiple intelligence agencies thinking she was her sister. She was immediately on the run, along with another spy named Sawyer, and they kept up a frantic pace for quite a while. I sensed myself reading faster and faster as the danger grew. It was fantastic!

Lots of action, for sure, but there were a lot of fun moments too. The hero and heroine of this story were electric together, and their interactions always evoked some sort of emotion from me. For the most part, they amused and delighted me as they grew closer to each other while trying to survive, but they also made me laugh with their banter.

This was the total package for me. Carter often had me on edge, kept me guessing, and made me laugh. AND! The ending eluded that there could be more. I say, YES, PLEASE!

What author are you glad crossed over?
Let us know in the comments!