Heat Factor: The two stories are vastly different–one is a slow build, one crashes and burns/rebuilds.
Character Chemistry: I have a theory that readers will love one more than the other, and that it’s entirely about the reader
Plot: Two sisters rebuild their lives through their very different careers, meeting regularly to cheer one another on. Unsurprisingly, as they work to be their best selves they find their best matches.
Overall: It’s a really sweet duo of love stories–easy to read and enjoyable.
This one was an easy and delightful read.
Margot is a poised and polished etiquette expert who consults for high-ranking businesspeople, celebrities, and dignitaries. She also has a stop-and-start/hot and cold history with a real jerk of an ex-boyfriend she can’t seem to resist throwing her life away for. Her newest client is an ex-starlet who, after a lifetime of scintillating tabloid stories and mesmerizing the general public has fallen for a foreign diplomat and wants to shift from engaging the press with scandal to engaging the press with grace. She moves in with the client and her academic son, who is actually a control-freak dreamboat. Fireworks commence.
Sunshine is a recovering flake who used to abandon the families she nannied for after whirlwind romances that left her stuck in sticky situations all over the world. She wants to settle down and find stability, a career, and love–but has a hard time being taken seriously by men who seem to see her as a temporary thrill. She moves in with a widower and his adorable son, and starts taking classes to earn a degree. The widower thinks he needs someone to care for his kid, but it’s really his own heart that needs care. Fireworks commence.
There were a few downsides to this book that were a little distracting–for starters, we have an etiquette expert who is supposed to be poised to a fault but spills her own messy romantic history at the barest of prodding by Mr. Academic. It was really jarring and out-of-character, and I had a hard time settling back in afterwards. Likewise, Sunshine is supposed to be all heart, but she doesn’t seem to show ANY remorse for abandoning the kids she used to care for until she’s publicly slapped for it. Prior to that, she only seemed to care that it was a side of herself she wanted to escape from. It was also very out of character and I just couldn’t identify with her the same way afterwards.
On the flip side, I certainly didn’t have a hard time reading it–it was well-written and had interesting sub-plots. The secondary characters were minimal but supported the plot well. This would be best read in the sunshine with watermelon and a nice glass of wine. Trust me on this one.
I voluntarily read and reviewed a complimentary copy of this book. All thoughts and opinions are my own. We disclose this in accordance with 16 CFR §255.
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