The sight of the stranger struck me in a way I didn’t understand. But it was like all the air fled my lungs. It felt like that time I got mugged when I was nineteen and tried to fight the guy instead of letting him take what little money I had. He’d punched me so hard in the gut, I couldn’t breathe. It wasn’t a pleasant sensation. It was discombobulating.
The Love Plot is a fun rom-com jam-packed with smoking-hot chemistry and heart.
Star Shine Meadows is all about freedom, thanks to the hippie parents who raised her. Juggling her jobs as a professional costume character actor and a line sitter, she believes in no expectations, no stressful ambitions, and no-strings-attached relationships. So when she meets a birthday girl’s grumpy uncle while working a princess party, she can’t help but needle him. She’ll never see him again, and honestly, he’s pretty hot.
Rafe Whitman may be a veterinarian with a great bedside manner, but that doesn’t mean his patience extends to anyone with opposable thumbs. His family will not stop nagging him about finding “the one,” so when he runs into obnoxiously cheery Star again, he makes her an offer: He’ll pay her more than she would make doing her odd jobs if she’ll pretend to be his girlfriend at family gatherings. She can stop sitting in line waiting for someone else’s new phone, and he’ll get his family off his back.
When the tension between them heats to a breaking point, Star’s desire for “no strings” is tested against Rafe’s staunch stability. They say opposites attract, after all….
This was one addictive and swoony read. I do adore Samantha’s writing. She always seems to have this incredible ability to make her readers laugh and fall in love while still tackling some more challenging issues. The Love Plot is perfect for those bookworms who love fake dating, grumpy sunshine; opposites attract, and one-bed love stories. If you have read one of Samantha’s previous books, you know that her writing and stories are super easy to sink into. They always flow beautifully and move quickly enough to keep readers engaged and entertained. There is a lot of humour, spice, and some interesting family dynamics that I think readers will enjoy.
Star is a ray of sunshine. I loved hanging around with her; she had me laughing multiple times throughout this book. Star gives off this hippy, flighty unconventional vibe, and many people around her think she isn’t smart or possesses any moment of depth. But she does; she is passionate about life and often sees things more clearly than those people around her. She is smart and ambitious, but her ambition is geared towards living a life that makes her happy, which is a way of thinking that I love. Many characters in books go through a journey of growth or change, and I was worried that Samantha would try and change who Star is. Thankfully that doesn’t happen; instead, Star’s growth is linked to her ability to open her heart to the possibility of having a relationship with Rafe.
Rafe, Rafe, Rafe, he is that perfect mixture of broody grumpy and adorable softness. I loved watching this man become bedazzled and befuddled by Star. She really just shakes his world, and he doesn’t know what to do with her or her outrageous antics. One of my favourite things in romance land is watching an uptight grumpy man have his world completely rocked by a bubbly loveable woman, and that is what happens here. He is just drawn to Star, and he loves her for who she is and doesn’t want her to change.
The romance between these two is delicious, and all I wanted was more Star and Rafe moments. I always find grumpy sunshine romances addictive when they are done right, and Samantha knocked this one out of the park. The chemistry between these two is on fire, and everyone can see the sparks flying between them. I ate up every heated look, brief touch, and sexual innuendo between these two. For those who love a romance with a bit of spice, then you will enjoy the second half of this book.
The Love Plot is an addictive rom-com that I plan on reading again and again.
Thank you, Berkley Publishing, for the arc in exchange for an honest review.
