It was very easy to see how Joe Walsh qualified as a cad, a bounder and the official MullinsParker office heartbreaker. When he stepped into the sunlight, I almost gasped out loud. The man looked like something off the cover of a romance novel and not one of the modern ones with the cute illustrations that were, according to some very angry people in my DMs, seriously misleading about the content inside. Oh no. This man belonged on a proper, old school romance novel, something overtly sexy with ‘rogue’ in the title. Or duke. Or pirate.
Love Story is another delightful and satisfying rom-com by Lindsey Kelk.
She’s a small-town schoolteacher, he’s a hotshot creative director. Together, it’s hate at first sight.
Sophie Taylor has a secret and Joe Walsh is the last person she’d tell. He’s devilishly handsome, incredibly hot – and far too sure of himself.
But Sophie desperately needs his help.
Because she’s not just hiding something small. She is Este Cox, the mysterious romance author the entire world is desperate to unmask.
When a trip to the countryside means sharing a cottage with only one bed, it’s a short step to sharing a whole lot more besides… Can Sophie trust Joe with the truth – and be herself?
I really do adore Lindsey’s books, and I am so happy to say that her latest book, Love Story, is just as fabulous and fun as her previous books. Love Story is this beautiful blend of fun, humour, drama, and romance. There is just so much to love about this book, starting with how it shouts to the world how important the romance genre is to the literary world. I remember growing up and having to hide my romances because I knew that if anyone saw me reading them, then I would be judged for reading something that was considered to be trash by many. And even though romances are now getting more positive attention, there is still that stigma that romances and their readers aren’t important to the industry. Lindsey does a wonderful job of weaving this issue into her story. Sophie has written a best-selling romance novel, but she has done so under a pen name. The reason for this is that she doesn’t want her parents, who are well-known in the literary world, to know she wrote a romance because they think romance books are worthless. Sophie also has to deal with negative pushback from some who think romances are just books filled with smut and no actual plot. Joe is one of these critics. Lindsey was really thoughtful and a great cheerleader for all things related to the romance genre. I loved watching Sophie show Joe how wonderful the romance world is. It was also delightful watching Sophie interact with fans of her books; she continued to be amazed at how passionate readers are about the characters and stories she created.
The overall story is a lot of fun. Things move pretty quickly with the bulk of the story taking place over a short period of time. I was actually a bit surprised by the plot. I thought for sure that this would be a road trip book, with Joe and Sophie travelling all over England to try to locate her missing bag. That was not the case. Sophie’s missing bag problem is solved quite quickly and with little excitement. I was curious about what direction Lindsey would take us in for the rest of the book, and I wasn’t disappointed. Lots of crazy and funny things happen in the few days leading up to Sophie’s dad’s big birthday weekend. I enjoyed the ride this book took me on. It really was a hoot.
Lindsey has once again created a story with a wide range of delightful and slightly quirky characters. There wasn’t a character in this book that I didn’t like. They all had a purpose, whether it was comic relief, creating drama, or pushing the two MCs together. I loved the family dynamic that existed within Sophie’s family. It’s interesting watching a family interact, especially when they all have such different and, for some characters, strong personalities. Sophie has always felt she has let her parents down by choosing to teach instead of pursuing a career in the publishing industry. She also hides the fact that she is this famous author because she knows her parents hate the romance genre. There is a lot of growth in this book amongst a lot of the characters, not just the two MCs. It was great watching people connect in those quieter moments.
The romance is really enjoyable. I liked Sophie and Joe right from the moment they met. They both keep each other on their toes with very sharp and witty dialogue. The attraction between these two is right from the beginning, but things hit a rocky patch when Joe starts trash-talking about Sophie’s book. To be fair, he doesn’t know that Sophie is the book’s author at that point in time. Between all those crazy, quirky moments, there are some wonderful, quiet moments where both characters start to get to know each other. I know not everyone is a fan of the third-act break-up, but in this case, I loved it. It was such an expected twist, and I loved how Joe had to grovel at the end of the book. I truly do love it when the hero has to suffer a bit.
Love Story is a book that puts a smile on my face and proves that Lindsey really knows what makes a great rom-com novel.
Thank you, HarperCollins Canada, for the ARC in exchange for an honest review.
