Series name: The Darlings, # 2
He leans into me, and I start at how close our faces are. His gaze traces the line of my face. My heart races. I smell his cologne, something woodsy and rich. “You have the most adorable scowl right now,” he murmurs.
Scowl?
Oh, he hasn’t seen anything yet.
My Darling Jane is a lusty, entertaining rom-com that was a lot of fun to read.
On an ordinary day, Jane Darling wouldn’t be caught dead in a sports bar wearing a toga with angel wings. But she’s desperate to launch her matchmaking business to secure her young daughter’s future. Her mission: to attract new clients at any cost.
Her Cupid outfit catches the eye of New York’s beloved star quarterback, Jasper Jannich. She and Jasper have always clashed, but when a pushy admirer goes too far, he steps in as an unexpected knight in shining armor.
He offers a tantalizing proposal: to be Cupid’s Arrow’s premier client. Reluctantly, Jane agrees, aware of the business potential despite her reservations about Jasper and his playboy reputation.
As she sets him up on date after date, it grows clear that Jane’s the only woman he wants.
She is his goal, his endgame.
She’s not not interested…but her heart has been burned before. To get anywhere, they’ll need courage and faith, not just sizzling chemistry.
He’s ready to make the pass. Is his darling ready to catch it?
I was a bit nervous about starting this book. I wasn’t overly fond of the second half of My Darling Bride, the previous book in this series. It just didn’t live up to the exception I had for it. But what I did love from My Darling Bride was that frenemy energy and banter between Jane and Jasper. So, I was cautiously excited to see what the author had in store for these two characters. I’m happy to say I like this book more than the previous one. The author took a lot of great tropes and mashed them together to create a fun and bantery love story. This is an easy and quick read. It’s one of those books that doesn’t require you to think too much and it doesn’t drain you emotionally. You can just sit back and enjoy the ride.
The chemistry between Jane and Jasper is what really stood out for me. I am a sucker for that sharp banter between two MCs. When it is done right (and it was in this case), the two MCs are constantly keeping each other on their toes. It makes for an entertaining reading experience. That frenemy energy also means that shenanigans often occur between the two characters. I loved watching Jane and Jasper dance around each other in this lusty frenemy tango.
The story itself moves at a steady pace. The author did a great job at placing dramatic twists and turns in the story so that her readers constantly felt the need to keep on reading because they needed to know what would happen next. I liked this story. Jane and Jasper’s stories have realism, making it easy for a reader to connect with them. Jane is a single mom who works at her family’s bookstore and has started up her own dating website. She has a lot on her plate and believes romance isn’t in her future. She also thinks Jasper’s a playboy and that if she lets her guard down around him, he will break her heart. Jasper knows he has feelings for Jane, but he is thrown that she won’t give him the time of day. He knows that there is something special going on between them. Jasper also has some family issues that have come up that have thrown his life into turmoil. Watching as these two characters deal with their own life drama and navigate these growing romantic feelings they have for one another was enjoyable. I love a book with lots of ridiculous drama, and this book had that in spades.
The romance was great. The author did a much better job with Jasper and Jane’s romance than with the previous MC’s love story. I loved the way the author incorporated Jane’s start-up dating website as a tool to help bring these two characters closer together. Jasper’s attempts at dating don’t go smoothly, and with each date, he increasingly realizes that it’s Jane he wants to be dating. It was an entertaining way to have these two characters come together. This is a much spicier book than the previous one. The lusty tension between Jasper and Jane just leaps from the pages, and it gets hot when they finally give in to those feelings. There are also a lot of sweet and tender moments between these two. But of course, some moments of miscommunication and fear cause some problems for these two. What I like about Jane and Jasper’s relationship problems is that they weren’t ridiculous; there was no big blow-up. They just needed time to help sort through some messy emotions.
My Darling Jane is an easy-to-love romantic comedy that is a great way to escape the world for a couple of hours.
Thank you, Montlake, for the ARC in exchange for an honest review.
