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#Book Review #Trace of Evil by Alice Blanchard

A riveting mystery that introduces a bold and audacious rookie detective assigned to hunt for a killer who is haunted by the past in this gripping murder case…

Natalie Lockhart always knew she was going to be a cop. A rookie detective on the Burning Lake police force, she was raised on the wisdom of her chief-of-police father. These cases will haunt you if you let them. Grief doesn’t come with instructions.

But the one thing her father couldn’t teach her was how to handle loss. Natalie’s beloved sister was viciously murdered as a teenager, and she carries the scars deep in her heart. Although the killer was locked up, the trace evidence never added up, and Natalie can’t help wondering―is the past really behind her?

As the newest member on the force, Natalie is tasked with finding nine missing persons who’ve vanished off the face of the earth, dubbed “the Missing Nine.” One night, while following up on a new lead, she comes across a savage crime that will change everything.

Daisy Buckner―a popular schoolteacher, wife to a cop, and newly pregnant―lies dead on her kitchen floor. As Natalie hunts for Daisy’s killer in the wake of the town’s shock, her search leads to a string of strange clues―about the Missing Nine, about Daisy’s secret life, and reviving fresh doubts about her sister’s murder.

As the investigation deepens, Natalie’s every move risks far-reaching consequences―for the victims, for the town of Burning Lake, and for herself.

Spellbinding and gripping, Trace of Evil is a novel of twisting suspense that will leave you breathless.

(From the official synopsis)

*****

My thoughts:

In order to get to understand Natalie Lockhart you need to know two things about her: where she comes from and her family.
Burning Lake is a small town in upstate New York, mostly famous for the stunning beauty of autumn trees and the burning of three innocent women convicted of witchcraft which happened in 1712. Their accusers later admitted it had all been made up. For years this event remained buried in town history until a book about the witch trials came out and put the town on the map. Hundreds of tourists come to visit its occult shops selling magic kits, spellbooks and souvenir cauldrons. ‘Dabbling in witchcraft was something of a rite of passage in Burning Lake’ and Natalie herself went through ‘a witchy phase’.

Another thing you need to know about Natalie is that she is the youngest of three sisters, and her oldest sister Willow Lockhart was brutally murdered twenty years ago at the age of 18, stabbed 27 times. The perpetrator was quickly arrested and sentenced for life, although he continues to maintain his innocence. The tragedy marked the remaining two sisters and their parents. Their mother never wanted to have more than one child, so having lost her favourite daughter destroyed her world and her will for living. Natalie’s father was more even in his affections. He was a police officer and often left little puzzles and mysteries for Natalie to solve. He noticed she had an inquisitive mind and a stubborn streak, and tried to teach her everything he knew about his work and life.

A secret is like a magic mirror, with endless layers of illusion. What you assume to be a fact isn’t always real.

Trace of Evil focuses on two interwoven cases. The first one is called The Missing Nine and is a group of cold cases that involved mysterious disappearings of transients, homeless people and troubled teenagers over a long period of time. Any new detective in BLPD is asked to give these files a fresh look, although nobody expects a major breakthrough: there is too little reliable information to go on. The second case is the murder of a school teacher and Natalie’s sister’s best friend Daisy Buckner, who also happened to be the wife of one of the detectives in BLPD.
I’m not going to give away the story. Suffice it to say, the story kept me on the edge of my seat and the ending was quite unexpected. There is also a touch of burgeoning romance with an old childhood friend, which is, I hope, going to develop in the following books.

I liked Natalie for her tenacity and her courage, which I define as acting in spite of fear. She is a kind person, respectful of other people’s boundaries and need for autonomy, and a fantastically supportive sister and aunt. The cases in this book were very personal for Natalie for a variety of reasons, but I would like to see how Natalie’s character evolves in the light of other experiences.

The writing was absolutely compelling, there was depth and beauty in the descriptions, which made it really difficult for me to put down the book – I needed to read it from cover to cover.

My only regret is that I did not read this book in October- with it’s dark and slightly creepy atmosphere, it would have made an excellent choice for the Halloween month.
I will definitely be looking forward to reading the next book in the series.

Thank you to Edelweiss and Minotaur books for the ARC provided in exchange for an honest opinion.

Have you read Trace of Evil or is it on your tbr?

Happy Thanksgiving Day!

Happy Thanksgiving Day for all my friends in the USA!

Hope you are having wonderful time with your families and your friends!

Can’t-wait-Wednesday # Big lies in a small town by Diane Chamberlain

Can’t-Wait Wednesday is a weekly meme hosted at Wishful Endings, to spotlight and discuss the books we’re excited about that we have yet to read. Generally they’re books that have yet to be released. It’s based on Waiting on Wednesday, hosted by the fabulous Jill at Breaking the Spine. If you’re continuing with WOW, feel free to link those up as well! Find out more here.

The book I am waiting for on this Wednesday is:

From the official synopsis:

North Carolina, 2018: Morgan Christopher’s life has been derailed. Taking the fall for a crime she did not commit, she finds herself serving a three-year stint in the North Carolina Women’s Correctional Center. Her dream of a career in art is put on hold—until a mysterious visitor makes her an offer that will see her released immediately. Her assignment: restore an old post office mural in a sleepy southern town. Morgan knows nothing about art restoration, but desperate to leave prison, she accepts. What she finds under the layers of grime is a painting that tells the story of madness, violence, and a conspiracy of small town secrets.

North Carolina, 1940: Anna Dale, an artist from New Jersey, wins a national contest to paint a mural for the post office in Edenton, North Carolina. Alone in the world and desperate for work, she accepts. But what she doesn’t expect is to find herself immersed in a town where prejudices run deep, where people are hiding secrets behind closed doors, and where the price of being different might just end in murder.

What happened to Anna Dale? Are the clues hidden in the decrepit mural? Can Morgan overcome her own demons to discover what exists beneath the layers of lies?

*****

Publisher: St.Martin’s Press

Expected Publication Date: January 14th 2020

Genre: Historical Fiction, Mystery

*****

I haven’t read any books by Diane Chamberlaine- something I intend to correct with this book. The blurb had me intrigued. It sounds like the story is going to touch on some serious and thought-provoking issues.

Have you read Big Lies in a Small Town or is it on your tbr? If yes, do you recommend it?

Have you read any other books by Diane Chamberlaine?

#Book Review #A Cowboy Like You by Donna Grant (Heart of Texas #4)

Danny Oldman, the handsome Lone Star sheriff, is still single. He tells himself, and anyone who asks, that he is married to his job―and what matters most is keeping the people of his beloved Texas hometown safe. The truth? Danny still hasn’t gotten over his high school crush. She moved away after graduation and took Danny’s heart with her.

Skylar Long never thought she would have to flee Houston and return home―where it all began for her. But that’s what happened after the man of her dreams turned out to be an actual nightmare. Now, Skylar is desperate to escape her obsessive boyfriend. Nothing shocks her more than seeing Danny again and realizing that their long-ago attraction is more powerful than ever. But can she and Danny find a way to fight against Skylar’s wealthy, powerful ex who is dead set on tearing them apart?

(From the book blurb)

My thoughts:

Danny Oldman may hide his loneliness behind his even temper and cheerful smiles, but his friends know he seems to spend an awful lot of time either working or staying at home and hasn’t had a date in a long time. Danny lives for his job and does it really well, but all these years of working as a police officer and sheriff have left him feeling sad and lonely. He knows he has been drinking more and more just to get through the night and it can’t be good. On some nights he just gets a takeaway and eats it quietly in his car, not in a mood to talk to anybody. This is how Danny happens to witness a woman trying to run away from an abusive husband or boyfriend who catches up with her and drags her out of the car by hair. When Danny intervenes, he is just doing the right thing, as a sheriff and a decent man, as, hopefully, anybody would. The woman gratefully acknowledges his help and admits that she has tried and failed to escape before, but this time she also has a concealed gun with a permit. Who knows how the night might have ended, had Danny not arrested Matt Gaudet.

Danny knows cases like these are not easy and far from being over with the arrest. First of all, Skylar will have to prove what has been happening, and even if she manages to do so (victims of domestic abuse rarely report or document this crime), the perpetrator might still get away with a minimum punishment, while Skylar will have to uproot all her life, trying to find a place where she can feel safe. At least, Danny can help her with this, by taking her to his friends’ ranch. Danny and Skylar went to the same school and he even had a crush on her, but she always had big dreams and it was clear she’d leave their small town in search of something bigger.

When Matt Gaudet’s lawyer gets him out on a $500 bail and threatens Danny, insinuating that the arrest was a set up, Danny finds out that Matt comes from one of the richest and most powerful families in Texas. He also knows he has to help Skylar.

Fans of Donna Grant will be delighted with this continuation of the Heart of Texas series. There is something comforting in coming back to the same setting and finding out how the familiar characters continue living their lives. If you are new to the series, you might still find yourself charmed by the setting and the cast. Danny Oldman is a good man who knows right from wrong and who is not afraid to stand up for what he believes in (swoon) and it seems that he has almost been waiting for Skylar to come back into his life, because she is The One for him (double swoon). Skylar is trying to work out ho how to get her own life back without putting other people in danger. A romance between them is a predictable, but sweet story of second chances, and it is difficult to resist the charm of this trope. There is a lot of drama-any true love needs to overcome obstacles- and there is a Happily Ever After, of course, which makes this book so suited for this season when we tend to focus on love, family, and hope for new beginnings.

Thank you to Edelweiss and St.Martin’s paperbacks for the review copy provided in exchange for an honest opinion.

Have you read any books by Donna Grant? Are you familiar with this series?
Do you enjoy reading stories with the second chance love trope?

#Teen Tonic # Book Review #Eight will fall by Sarah Harian

In a land where magic is outlawed, eight criminals led by seventeen-year-old Larkin are sent on a mission to kill an ancient evil that plagues their kingdom. Descending into an underground realm full of unspeakable horrors, Larkin and her party must use their forbidden magic to survive what lies in wait, teeth sharp and jaws deadly.

As she fights for her life, Larkin finds a light in Amias, a fellow outlaw with a notorious past. Soon Larkin and Amias realize their fates are entwined. The eight of them were chosen for a reason.

But as the dangers multiply and her band of felons are picked off one by one, Larkin must confront a terrible truth: They were never meant to return.

(From the book blurb)

*****

My thoughts:

Seventeen year old Larkin is a miner who comes from a family of Empaths, magic users who can channel other people’s emotions and use them to create or destroy things. Not that they get a lot of practice doing that. Magic is absolutely forbidden by the law. Empaths are all but enslaved by non-magic users and their queen Melay, who can break their families by sending some members to farms while others earn meager wages mining luminite, a rare mineral that suppresses the Emapath magic by blocking their ability to sense other people’s emotions.

Empaths have no surnames and are not allowed to learn to read. Larkin knows her wages and her brother Garran’s keep her family from starvation, yet when humiliated and provoked by a shopkeeper’s disdain, she uses a tiny bit of destruction magic to create a diversion that allows her to steal a bit of food. Very soon she and Garran are arrested and taken to the Queen’s dungeons. Larkin would give anything to fix the situation and protect her brother’s life. Even draw the Queen’s attention to herself when Melay appears to be choosing several inmates for a dangerous mission. There are eight of them: six Empath teenagers, an Empath soldier (a rarity in itself), and a non-Empath scholar. The Queen tells them that dark destruction magic is being used by unknown forces and there have been multiple disappearances from the farms. She sent her soldiers to investigate the underground area called the Reach where a thousand of years ago seven rebel Empaths were imprisoned together with their leader Kyran. Old legends say the darkness will rise. Could the mysterious disappearances and the fact that the soldiers never made their way back to the surface have something to do with this ancient lore?

As the Queen holds Garran and and the families of the other six Empaths as her leverage, Larkin and her party must descend into the Reach with one week worth of food and water, find and kill Kyran. The good news is that luminite is a surface mineral, so they will be able to protect themselves by using their forbidden magic. The bad news is that since it has been outlawed for such long time, they haven’t had much practice.

The magic system is very clear and interesting in this book. We often read about mind-readers, but what about emotion-readers? Wouldn’t it be fascinating to be able to read and use the mood of other people to be able to create various objects or destroy obstacles? In Larkin’s world it is impossible to live alone- you wouldn’t be able to feel the calm and joy that comes from other people’s company, even fear, rage and anxiety have their usefulness- they just have to be acknowledged and controlled.

Larkin is a strong character and I am always on a lookout for great female leads. The blurb might have led you to think that there will be multiple points of view in the book. There is only one POV, Larkin’s, and while it certainly helped to flesh out her character, at least half of the others remain less developed, especially the ones who die closer to the beginning of their horrifying adventure.

The book was conceived as a duology and then was re-written as a standalone. On plus side, we still get great worldbuilding and action starts early in the book. On the other hand, some things we learn from the characters talking about old legends, while we could have been shown, not told. For example, I am still not clear about the reasons for the conflict between the original non-magic Queen Ilona and Kyran. I would have also preferred to meet the other disciples in their sectors of the Reach. The ending also seemed a bit rushed. As I read I could almost envisage which parts would have been developped in the second book of the duology.

I would define the genre of this book as horror/ dark fantasy. There is definitely enough blood and gore, so it is better to go in the book expecting these elements. I am a bit claustrophobic, so there was one particluar scene that made me feel for poor Larkin and her companions. This book would make an excellent read for a Halloween readathon or a book club for slightly older teenagers who enjoy this kind of stories.

Finally, I just loved the cover. It is dark and beautiful, and perfectly matches the mood of this book.

Thank you to Edelweiss and Henry Holt for the ARC provided in exchange for an honest opinion.

Do you enjoy reading YA fantasy books? What’s your definition of ‘dark fantasy’?
Have you read ‘Eight will fall’ or is it on your tbr?

#Can’t-Wait-Wednesday # In a Good Neighborhood by Therese Anne Fowler

The Book I am presenting today is A good Neighborhood by Therese Anne Fowler.

Synopsis:

In Oak Knoll, a verdant, tight-knit North Carolina neighborhood, professor of forestry and ecology Valerie Alston-Holt is raising her bright and talented biracial son. Xavier is headed to college in the fall, and after years of single parenting, Valerie is facing the prospect of an empty nest. All is well until the Whitmans move in next door―an apparently traditional family with new money, ambition, and a secretly troubled teenaged daughter.

Thanks to his thriving local business, Brad Whitman is something of a celebrity around town, and he’s made a small fortune on his customer service and charm, while his wife, Julia, escaped her trailer park upbringing for the security of marriage and homemaking. Their new house is more than she ever imagined for herself, and who wouldn’t want to live in Oak Knoll? With little in common except a property line, these two very different families quickly find themselves at odds: first, over an historic oak tree in Valerie’s yard, and soon after, the blossoming romance between their two teenagers.

Told from multiple points of view, A Good Neighborhood asks big questions about life in America today―What does it mean to be a good neighbor? How do we live alongside each other when we don’t see eye to eye?―as it explores the effects of class, race, and heartrending star-crossed love in a story that’s as provocative as it is powerful.

What happens when you try to do the right thing but it all goes wrong?

*****

Publisher: St.Martin’s Press

Expected Publication Date: February 4th 2020

Genre: Fiction / Family Life

320 Pages

*****

Have you read this book or is it on your tbr?
Have you read any other books by Therese Anne Fowler?

#Teen Tonic #Book Review #Catfishing on CatNet by Naomi Kritzer

Book synopsis:

How much does the internet know about YOU? A thought-provoking near future YA thriller that could not be more timely as it explores issues of online privacy, artificial intelligence, and the power and perils of social networks.

Because her mom is always on the move, Steph hasn’t lived anyplace longer than six months. Her only constant is an online community called CatNet—a social media site where users upload cat pictures—a place she knows she is welcome. What Steph doesn’t know is that the admin of the site, CheshireCat, is a sentient A.I.

When a threat from Steph’s past catches up to her and ChesireCat’s existence is discovered by outsiders, it’s up to Steph and her friends, both online and IRL, to save her.

Catfishing on CatNet is a surprising, heartfelt near-future YA thriller by award-winning author Naomi Kritzer, whose short story “Cat Pictures Please” won the Hugo Award and Locus Award and was a finalist for the Nebula.

My thoughts:

As promised by the blurb, the story does go to some extent into thought-provoking questions on how much information about us is available to any serious hacker or an AI and how trusting we are of the good intentions of those who have become a member of our social network closer circle. But it isn’t all dark and gloomy, quite the opposite. It is more about our fundamental desire to make friendships and find people we belong with.

Steph Taylor has changed six high schools. Her slightly paranoid mother keeps moving every couple of months and Steph hasn’t even worked out what triggers these frequent moves. Mom says Steph’s father is a psychopath and convicted arsonist and the only way to keep safe is to keep a low profile and run at the first sign of danger. Steph would do anything to keep her mom happy, but their lifestyle choice also means she has never had time to make any real friends or develop a crush. The only permanent feature in Steph’s life is CatNet a social network site where cat (or any other animal picture at a pinch) pictures serve as a currency and where everybody is put in big chat groups called Clowders. Steph (or Little Brown Bat /LBB) feels her Clowder are the only people who can understand and relate to her. To be fair, they are supportive and respectful of each other. Then, she notices that one of the members of the group is always online. A few days later a strange event involving a hacked package delivery drone makes her think that somebody in her Clowder may be not telling the whole truth.

The story is told from three points of view: Steph, her Clowder chat, and an AI being (if you’ve read the blurb you already know that they are the admin of the site). The events move forward quickly and there is never a dull moment as Steph makes new real-life friends in her new town, re-programs a sex ed robot with the help of her online friends, and escapes her father- the homicidal maniac/ wannabe world dictator.

The characters are very sweet, especially the AI/Cheshire Cat who does grapple with serious ethical questions in a very human way. There isn’t really anything dark or scary about this book, apart from Stephanie and her mom’s life of perpetual nomads. On the other hand, Steph seemed to act quite selfishly, so it is up to the reader to decide whether they like her character, are annoyed by her, or simply accept her as a typical teenager with her own set of flaws. There is diversity in characters and LGBTQIA representation, which makes the story stand out of the usual coming of age YA novels. I also liked the way it is stressed that nobody should be rushed into a romantic relationship, especially if they need time to work out their feelings.

Some of the things in the plot are far-fetched, and I still think everything works out a bit too neatly in the end. The events may appear just one big rollercoaster of adventure, but I hope the serious issues of how new technology is redefining privacy or how the differences between virtual and real-life friendships are getting blurred are also going to be noticed by the readers of this entertaining novel.

Thank you to Edelweiss and Tor for the ARC provided in exchange for an honest opinion.

#Book Review #Murder off the page: a 42nd Street Library Mystery by Con Lehane

From Goodreads synopsis:

A note from bartender Brian McNulty, Raymond Ambler’s friend, confidant, and sometimes adviser, sets the librarian sleuth off on a murder investigation, one that he pursues reluctantly until a second murder upends the world as he knows it. The second victim is a lady friend of McNulty’s—and the prime suspect is McNulty himself.

As Ambler pursues his investigation, he discovers that the murdered woman had a double life. Her intermittent visits to the city—a whirlwind of reckless drinking and illicit liaisons with men she met in the cocktail lounges—had their counterpart in suburban Fairfield County Connecticut where, as Dr. Sandra Dean, she practiced dermatology and lived in a gated community with a doting husband and a young daughter.

While Ambler looks into the past of Dr. Sandra Dean to understand the murder of Shannon Darling in the present, NYPD homicide detective Mike Cosgrove investigates the men in Shannon Darling’s life. She might have been murdered because she frustrated the wrong man. It could have been a jealous wife. In fact, any number of people might have murdered Shannon Darling. Or, as Ambler suspects, did someone murder Dr. Sandra Dean?

Yet, no matter which way he turns, McNulty emerges as a suspect. Ambler’s dilemma seems insurmountable: Should he keep searching for the truth behind the murders if the deeper he probes, the more evidence he finds that points to the morally rumpled bartender as a murderer?

***

My thoughts:

This is the third book in the series set in New York Public Library crime fiction collection, featuring Raymond Ambler, the collection curator and a few other characters that seem to make up the permanent cast: Adele, another librarian and Raymond’s love interest, Johnny,Raymond’s grandson, and Brian McNulty, a bartender and Raymond’s friend.

Shannon Darling is working on her first research which seems to be centered around a crime writer’s old letters. Raymond and Adele also keep seeing her in their local bar where Shannon completely changes her behaviour under the influence of just a few drinks. She starts saying things that make her an easy target of unwanted male attention. A few days later she appears to be involved in a murder that happened in a hotel room. Was the murder victim one of the men who took advantage of her vulnerability? and where did Brian McNulty, the bartender who looked at Shannon with tenderness and admiration and even tried to protect Shannon in her moment of weakness, disappear? Could he have known her from before?

When Raymond finds out that both Shannon and Brian are on the run, he knows there must be more to this smart and seductive woman than meets the casual eye. Raymond and Adele need to unravel the mystery which is somehow connected to the crime writer’s letters Shannon had been researching, and therefore, to the library collection. Raymond decides to pay a visit to the author and cannot shake the feeling that the old lady has met the mysterious library researcher and knows her real identity, but prefers to keep it secret. Then, a second body is found, and there is little doubt it is Shannon Darling, Raymond’s friend Brian McNulty becomes the prime suspect and is in a dire need of help from the few people in his life he can trust.

I haven’t read the previous books in the series, but there is enough in the book to fill the gaps. There is a subplot of a custody battle over Raymond’s grandson Johnny and serious disagreements between Raymond and the boy’s maternal grandmother who comes from a very affluend and influential family. Raymond is also trying to arrange an appeal for his son John who is serving a long prison sentence, although the crime he committed was in self-defence.

The story was fast-paced and kept me engaged in the way only a good old whodunnit can. There was something old-fashioned about the whole story, something that brought back memories of black and white films with private investigators and amateur sleuths. Of course, that’s what Raymond is, he is the guy who asks questions, gets data (he keeps quoting Sherlock Holmes- ‘Give me data, I cannot make bricks without clay!’) and digs deep into the victim’s murky past.

It was a quick read, and although the victim and the perpetrator were slightly exaggerated, in my opinion, I think fans of Con Lehane are going to enjoy this latest instalment in the series.

Thank you to Edelweiss and Minotaur Books for the ARC provided in exchange for an honest opinion.

Have you read any books by Con Lehane? If yes, what did you think?
What are your favourite stories set in a library?

Can’t Wait Wednesday #A Highlander in a Pickup: Highland, Georgia #2 by Laura Trentham

From the book blurb:

The second book in a brand new series from Laura Trentham, full of love, laughs…and highlanders!

Iain Connors is the poster boy for the strong and silent type. Growing up a loner at Cairndow Castle in Scotland with only the cliffs and moors for company, it’s understood Iain will assume the mantle of Cairndow groundskeeper when his father is ready to relinquish it. But his stint in Her Majesty’s Armed Forces has opened up the world, and now he’s not so sure he wants to settle down. When Alasdair Blackmoor, the next earl of Cairndow, asks him to travel to the States, namely Highland, Georgia, to take charge of the Highland Games, he jumps at the chance. After all, he’s led men into battle, how hard can planning a party be?

Anna Maitland is ready to step up for her best friend Isabel Blackmoor. Unable to return to Highland for the annual Highland Games, she’s asked Anna to make sure the Games run smoothly. Feeling too settled into her routine as a dance instructor to the children of Highland, Anna relishes the challenge of planning the Games. After all, who better than Anna to take charge considering she has been a big part of the Games for years?

The challenge Anna doesn’t anticipate is the grumpy bear of a man who turns up claiming he’s the one in charge. She doesn’t need Iain Connors’s help—or the distraction he poses. Never has she met a more mule-headed, infuriating, exasperating man in her life. Why then does she find herself dreaming about him in a kilt and whispering sweet-nothings in her ear in his rumbly, sexy brogue?

Expected Publication Date: February 25th 2020

Publisher: St.Martin’s Paperbcaks

Genre: Fiction/ Romantic Comedy

320 Pages

Series: Highland, Georgia

*****

I really enjoyed the first book in the series A Highlander Walks into a Bar that explored the adventures of two Scottish-American couples and various issues related to home, family and tradition. I can’t wait to find out what happened to fiesty red-head Isabel Buchanan and her mom Rosie as well as Isabel’s best friend’s Anna.

Have you read A Highlander walks in a bar? If yes, did you like it? Would you like to return to the little town that was the setting of the novel?
Are there any upcoming books in the genre of romantic comedy that you can’t wait to read?

#Book Review #Not The Girl You Marry by Angie J. Christopher

How To Lose a Guy in 10 Days gets a millennial makeover

Jack Nolan is a gentleman, a journalist, and unlucky in love. His viral success has pigeon-holed him as the how-to guy for a buzzy, internet media company instead of covering hard-hitting politics. Fed up with his fluffy articles and the app-based dating scene as well, he strikes a deal with his boss to write a final piece de resistance: How to Lose a Girl. Easier said than done when the girl he meets is Hannah Mayfield, and he’s not sure he wants her to dump him.

Hannah is an extremely successful event planner who’s focused on climbing the career ladder. Her firm is one of the most prestigious in the city, and she’s determined to secure her next promotion. But Hannah has a bit of an image problem. She needs to show her boss that she has range, including planning dreaded, romantic weddings. Enter Jack. He’s the perfect man to date for a couple weeks to prove to her boss that she’s not scared of feelings.

Before Jack and Hannah know it, their fake relationship starts to feel all too real—and neither of them can stand to lose each other.

(From Goodreads)

*****

My thoughts:

If you loved How to Lose a Guy in 10 days and decide to pick up this book, two things can happen: you either going to love this hard-edged gender-swapped retelling, or… you are going to quietly put it aside, get comfortable on the sofa and get ready to re-watch Matthew McConaughey and Kate Hudson spin their magic tale.

As I am a kind of girl who always chooses a book over a movie and did not swoon over the original rom-com, so I was actually quite open to whatever Andie J. Christopher was going to make out of the original story.

The first chapter left me a bit perplexed: the main character Hanna Mayfield seemed so angry and aggressive about the whole dating/non-dating issue and menfolk in general, while being understanding and supportive with her extra-feminine friend Sasha. Hanna definitely had the qualities I like: she was fiercely loyal and independent, and yet, so confused about what she wanted.

Hanna’s ex-boyfriend Noah, who I never forgave until the end of the book despite the author’s best attempts to give him some redeeming qualities, had an issue with Hanna being biracial (not black enough to make a part of a power couple), Hanna being too spontaneous and honest (not good enough to make a good wife for a lawyer or a politician). Noah told her she was not a kind a girl a guy would marry, and Hanna…believed him.

Two years later Hanna, who has been on an extended dating hiatus ( I think it’s a great idea for somebody who needs to clear their ideas), accidentally meets Jack Nolan in a bar. They click, and even share a spectacular kiss and a few cute puppy pictures the day after that, but it’s clear that, given the fact that neither of them wants to date at the moment, they are not going to give in to the chemistry and attraction they feel for each other. Until… Hanna’s boss challenges her to find and keep a boyfriend for two weeks to prove she can do ‘romantic’ if she wants to get out of planning sports events and start organising weddings. Plus, Jack’s boss gives him a new assignment: to write a how-to article on losing a girlfriend in two weeks.

Here is the thing. The original movie already had the whole gender stereotype inverted. It is usually us, girls/ women, who do our best to please our dates to keep the guy, hoping for a white wedding some time in a not so distant future, and it is men who still have an upper hand in the dating game. That’s why the movie was so funny. Here…we revert back to the old traditional gender role behaviour, no matter how much we might hate it? Jack is supposed to be a good guy whose girlfriends keep dumping him, although he always puts their needs first. What he really needs to do is work out why they keep doing it. And he plans to do it by agreeing to do everything to lose (and hurt) Hanna, who he professes to like, to prove to himself that he can put his career first ?!? Complicated, to put it mildly.

The book is engaging, although I kept asking myself the big question any reader asks about the characters: can I relate to them? yes, I had Hanna’s experience of a toxic relationship that made me think hard about what I wanted from life and whether I wanted romance at all. Plenty of people also share Jack and Hanna’s story of having divorced parents, and growing up without one of the parents being present in their life. What I found the most interesting and authentic in the book was Hanna’s reflections on her identity and the role it played in her romantic history.

I am left with mixed feelings about this re-telling, but I’m sure there are other readers who are going to like it and be entertained by the trope of a fake relationship that grows into something more.

Thank you to Edelweiss and Berkley for the ARC provided in exchange for an honest opinion.