Sloth Goes Places - Ohio

 

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 ....

Ohio

I have briefly visited Ohio several times. Once, for a Delta Gamma conventions, another time for a Paramore meet and greet, and an overnight on my way to Chicago. When I think of Ohio, I immediately think of Kerry Winfrey who often sets her books there. I also think of midwestern charm, and many books I have read do capture that. In the past week, I read TWO wonderful books set in Ohio, so I felt that was the state I needed to share. 

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Old Flames and New Fortunes by Sarah Hogle
Published by G.P. Putnam's Sons on April 2, 2024
Age/Genres: Adult, Fiction, Rom-Com

Goodreads

From the celebrated author of You Deserve Each Other and Just Like Magic, a steamy second-chance romance about a magical florist’s unexpected reunion with her high school sweetheart as she fake dates his soon-to-be stepbrother.

A small, magical town tucked away in rural Ohio, Moonville is the perfect place for flora fortunist Romina Tempest to expand her shop, where she uses the language of flowers to help the hopeful manifest their love lives. After giving up on her own big romance eleven years ago, at least she can bask in the promise of others’.

So, when the shop’s potential financier shares news of his wedding, Romina jumps on the opportunity to discuss buying the business. What better place to negotiate a deal than at a wedding, even if she has to fake-date her chaotic colleague Trevor to get an invitation? But all hell breaks loose when she discovers Trevor’s soon-to-be stepbrother is none other than Alex her high school sweetheart. Her greatest love. The boy who, eleven years ago, broke her heart, and who now thinks she and Trevor are dating.

What starts as an innocent misunderstanding becomes a week-long fake dating scheme, as Romina resolves to make Alex pay for breaking her heart. The only issue? She can’t deny their still-burning connection. Caught between proving to Alex what he lost, and coming clean and risking her business, Romina must decide whether giving Alex another chance means going back on herself, or finally releasing her hold on the past.

This story took place in a fictional Ohio town, but they name dropped a lot of real places in the state. I absolutely loved the setting for this book as it was the perfect quaint backdrop for this second chance romance that had a touch of magic. I feel confident in my rom-com label because there were so many fun and laugh out loud moments which added to my delight. 

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Faking Christmas by Kerry Winfrey
Published by Berkley on September 26, 2023
Age/Genres: Adult, Contemporary, Romance

Goodreads

Laurel Grant is playing house for the holidays--complete with a fake husband and kids--in this delightful, cozy rom-com by Kerry Winfrey.

Laurel Grant works as the social media manager for Buckeye State of Mind, an Ohio tourism magazine and website. She is most definitely not an owner of a farm...but one tiny misunderstanding leads her boss, Gilbert, to think she owns her twin sister Holly's farm just outside of Columbus. Laurel only handles the social media for the farm, but she's happy to keep her little white lie going if it means not getting fired.

And keep it going she must when Gilbert, recently dumped by his wife, invites himself over for the farm's big holiday dinner (as advertised on Meadow Rise Farm's Instagram, thanks to Laurel herself). Laurel immediately goes into panic mode to figure out how she can trick Gilbert into thinking she's basically the Martha Stewart of rural Ohio and keep her job in the process.

Laurel and Holly come up with a plan--all Laurel has to do is pretend to own the farm for one dinner. But when Laurel shows up at the farm, an unwelcome guest is there: Max Beckett, her nemesis since Holly's wedding. The annoyingly attractive man she hates will be posing as Laurel's husband just for the evening, but when a snowstorm traps them all for the entire weekend, Laurel is going to have to figure out how to survive with her job and dignity intact. Whatever the case, this promises to be the most eventful Christmas in ages...

Winfrey took us out to a farm for this book which was great on its own, but it was also Christmas. Snow and holiday magic combined with quirky characters and some fake dating made this book fun and adorable. There was also plenty of heartwarming moments that made this holiday romance shine. 

[review] 

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Lucy on the Wildside by Kerry Rea
Published by Berkley on September 13, 2022
Age/Genres: Adult, Contemporary, Romance

Goodreads

A charming and wildly funny new romantic comedy by Kerry Rea, author of The Wedding Ringer.

Lucy Rourke has two great loves in her life: the gorilla troop she cares for as a primatologist and the laundry list of reality TV shows she watches to escape the fact that her actual love life doesn’t exist. And like a reality contestant gunning for the final rose, Lucy’s laser-focused on one thing: getting promoted to head keeper. So when a wildlife docuseries hosted by hotshot TV personality Kai Bridges chooses her zoo as its summer filming location, she sees an opportunity to showcase her beloved gorillas to the world and land a starring role in her department.

When Kai and his film crew arrive, however, it's obvious to Lucy that Kai cares more about sky-high ratings than the gorillas, and he considers her a camera-averse know-it-all whose wardrobe consists entirely of khaki. But she’s surprised to discover there’s more to him than his rugged good looks and cheesy catchphrases...and that maybe a promotion isn’t the only thing she wants. But when secrets from their pasts threaten to complicate everything, Lucy discovers that happiness and success aren’t the same thing—and that finding joy just might mean getting a little wild.

Animals always tend to make my heart pitter patter, and this fine romance was set in the Ohio Zoo. Zoo + Gorillas + Reality TV had me fully engaged, but it was the romance that stole my heart. Kai and Lucy were such a great couple, and I was cheering for them immediately. There was a really sad part that had me sobbing, but mostly this was a lot of fun. 

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