#Book Review #After the Night (Romance for All Seasons #1 ) by Sandra Marie

Synopsis:

She never thought she’d be the prince in the Cinderella story.

Cassidy Joanes met the man of her dreams during the annual Halloween office party. Only problem? He was wearing a mask, and she hasn’t a clue who he is—only that he can rock a Dread Pirate Roberts costume.

With only a few men in the office, she makes it her mission to find the man who swept her off her feet, only to be met with date after date of disappointment. And with a growing attraction to her boss, she’s not sure she can find her prince before she falls for someone else.

My thoughts:

Sweet in a lovely, nerdy way…what’s the right word for it? Adorkable?

Cassidy is known as Marvel Girl in her office. She is a billing assistant in an OBGYN clinic and there is always a superhero figurine on her computer, just for luck. Her boss/unlikely friend persuades her to attend the office Halloween party and even helps her to choose a costume. Buttercup. I don’t know about you, but there are lots of people who can’t imagine Christmas/New Year holidays without rewatching this timeless classic. Cassidy even puts in a pair of contact lenses, something she hasn’t done for ages. Shame she doesn’t know what happens to contact lenses if you keep them in solutions well their expiry date (if you’re squeamish, skip this part, nothing bad happens, but just the thought…)

She starts chatting to… yep, you’ve guessed it, Dread Pirate Roberts …and they click in the most unexpected and romantic way. He is funny, caring…well, you’ve seen the Princess Bride. He even helps her get out those horrible lenses. The downside of this undoubtfully kind and sadly necessary action is that Cassidy can’t see a thing without them. So when our nerdy Cinderella makes her escape, she still has no idea who she has been taking to. Of course, she needs to find him, and luckily she knows something about him that could really help her, a very particular kind of tattoo. Cassidy decides to date elegible men and try to figure out who her mysterious Westley is in real life.
Meanwhile, Pirate Roberts… a.k.a Dr Jon Bateman is convinced Cassidy doesn’t want to do anything with him because there are rules that prohibit office romance. Hold on, then why has she clearly gone on a dating spree?

There’s also a mystery of disappeared/ misplaced /siphoned off money. As Cassidy is from the billing department and certainly has serious work ethic, she won’t rest until she’s found the culprit.

Altogether, I really enjoyed this workplace romance. The characters were adorable. Sometimes office parties do serve their purpose of making the most unlikely match possible and bringing the timid and nerdy (with a heart of gold) together. Humour is a subjective thing, but this time it really worked for me.

Recommended to anyone who works hard, and has had to endure excruciatingly boring work conferences with the promise of having a bit of banter and a cup of coffee or two.