Isn't It Romantic?

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Love Interest by Clare Gilmore
Published by St. Martin's Griffin on October 10, 2023
Age/Genres: Adult, Contemporary, Romance

Goodreads

A sparkling debut co-worker adversaries-to-lovers rom-com set at a fictional Conde Nast-style company.

Casey Maitland has always preferred the reliability of numbers, despite growing up the daughter of two artistic souls. Now a twenty-four-year-old finance expert working in Manhattan, Casey wonders if the project manager opening at her company – magazine powerhouse LC Publications – is a sign from the universe to pursue a career with a little more sparkle. That is, until she’s passed over for the job in favor of the board chairman’s son.

Alex Harrison is handsome, Harvard-educated, and enigmatic. Everybody loves him – except for Casey. But when the two are thrown on the same project, they both have something to prove. For Casey, it’s getting tapped for a transfer to the London office and fulfilling her dreams of travelling. For Alex, it’s successfully launching a brand that will impress his distant father.

As work meetings turn into after hours, Casey and Alex are drawn to each other again and again, but neither can avoid the messy secrets and corporate intrigue threatening to tear them apart. What they discover about their own company might change everything – including the dreams each of them is chasing.

After the job she wanted was awarded to the son of the board chairman, Casey was forced to work with Alex. Initially, she resented him but slowly fell for his charms and saw that there was a lot more to Alex than met the eye.

I adored these two from their very first meeting in the elevator (wait until you hear what he says to her!). There was this spark and fun exchange which had me smiling. But the fabulous banter didn't stop there. Many of Alex and Casey's encounters and written communications were filled with great verbal volleys which had me grinning from ear to ear.

Needless to say, I was onboard this ship from the get-go, but alas, the characters were kind of anti commitment. They had different reasons for wanting to be free of such entanglements, and therefore, they settled for fostering this connection with a pre-designated expiration date. I sort of hated that they had this end in sight, but the time they spent together was wonderful. Watching them open up and get to know each other, sharing pieces of themselves that they tend to keep undercover, and really communicating warmed my heart. It was all perfect and also frustrating every time they reminded me that it would end.

I mean, I didn't believe them, obviously. Especially when it came to Alex. He kept trying to sell me on his rolling stone life, but I felt like he put himself out there for Casey. He wore his heart on his sleeve, and if she said the word, he would be hers forever. My heart was mush for this man.

I must admit, I was not the biggest fan of the corporate takeover plot, but I rolled with it because I understood that it was helping other parts of this story move forward. And how could I be mad when there were so many fantastic characters to love. Casey's dads were definitely treasure type characters, and I adored her friend group as well. Alex didn't have a big posse, but his steadfast friend, Freddy, was a gem.

Overall, this was a delightful workplace rom-com. It was a pleasure watching Alex and Casey fall in love, find the success they were seeking, and grow personally and professionally. The ending was one of those perma-smile type endings too, making my final impression of this book an incredible one.

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Snowed in for Christmas by Jacqueline Snowe
Published by Forever on October 3, 2023
Age/Genres: October 3, 2023

Goodreads

Fans of Christina Lauren and Maggie Knox will adore this fun and festive romcom featuring a grumpy/sunshine duo who find themselves in stuck together over the holidays, where the weather outside is frightful—but inside, things are heating up in this sexy holiday story.

Sorority mom Becca Fairfield is used to guys not taking her seriously. She’s too blond, too quirky, or Just. Too. Much. So she’s ditched dating to focus on her job and a house filled with drama and plenty of tea. Now with the holidays and a major blizzard on her doorstep, Becca has everything she needs to survive the next two weeks on her own. Hot cocoa, plenty of books . . . and the memory of a steamy kiss with a certain sexy, grumposaurus next-door neighbor to keep her warm.

Only Becca’s seriously underestimated this Snowpocalypse. So when the power goes out and Harrison Cooper—football coach, master crank, and the guy who acted mega-awkward after said steamy kiss—offers her shelter, it only makes sense to accept. They’ll just be Blizzard Buddies. Hang out, stay safe, and maybe indulge in a little R-rated cuddling . Becca knows that Harrison isn’t the dating kind, and what happens during the storm lasts only as long as the storm. But are they keeping warm . . . or playing with fire?

Seriously, I was fully on board when I read the author's note about how she was snowed in for a week with her husband back in 2013. What a great way to get me all warm and fuzzy and in a great mood to settle in for this delightful grumpy-sunshine romance.

Becca was quite the quirky heroine, and who loves quirky characters? ⇢This girl!⇠ My affection wasn't just due her cute quirks though, but rather that Becca acknowledged and embraced her quirks. You know that they say, let your freak flag fly, and I loved that Becca was unapologetically herself. She was well loved by her "girls", and that adoration was well earned. Becca had a heart of gold and had kindness to spare.

I had a bit of a beef with Harrison for ghosting Becca two years ago, but he was able to win me over. Most might think of him as grumpy, but he had his reasons for his behavior. His ex-wife, his parents, and his brother were all sources of pain and aggravation for him. His ex was a reminder of how his marriage failed, while his brother never passed up an opportunity to needled Harrison about his team's losing record. I was happy that he was able to work through some of these issues over the course of the story, and I was especially excited when he finally dropped his guard and let his inner leader shine with his team.

But, some of the best parts of this story were when Harrison and Becca were just trying to survive the horrific weather conditions. The weather was definitely frightful, but at least they had each other to keep warm. Nothing like some good old-fashioned forced proximity to get the sparks flying, and it was wonderful seeing these two open up and grow closer to one another.

I did say that Harrison's family was a sore spot for him, but he had an older sister who was magnificent. I had the best time celebrating Christmas with her and her brood. The kids were too cute, and it made me happy to know Harrison had someone in his corner. 

 Overall, I was happy to be snowed in with Becca and Harrison. I am always delighted to see love get a second chance, and it's even better when the two people are so perfect for each other. I laughed a whole lot, and that stupendous epilogue left me hopped up on sunshine and rainbows.

*ARCS PROVIDED BY THE PUBLISHER

Have you ever been snowed in?
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