The aptly titled Accidentally In Love, is a contemporary romance set somewhere in the middle of author Laura Drewry’s Friends First series. Since I got my copy from NetGalley, I wasn’t aware I was jumping in in the middle of a series, but it’s pretty easy to tell that the pre-paired couples’ stories must have already been told in the previous books. You don’t need to know them to appreciate Ellie and Brett’s story, but some people (me) like to start at the beginning, so just FYI.
In this installment, we get the story of perpetual speeder Ellie and the cop who has to pull her over every time Brett. At least, that’s how they start out. Obviously, things move on from there, hastened by Ellie’s dangerous ex, a covert fake-relationship cover story (one of my favorite tropes, done impressively by Drewry), and a bunch of interfering, but well-meaning friends. (Although Ellie’s recently separated, but making up via Skype parents may have the best scene in the book, their role is pretty minor. Still: worth mentioning that even minor characters are given sharp dialogue and the chance to make fools of themselves.) Will Brett & Ellie somehow manage to navigate all of that, plus their own individual hangups, to cobble together an actual relationship?
While not quite up to the level of a comfort read for me, Drewry’s sense and style is entertaining and quirky: Enough that I’ll probably (should I ever make enough progress on my current To Be Read Mountain) get around to checking out the rest of the series.
