I did not intend to spend my morning reading and reviewing this book. I have 5 other books that need to get reviewed. Very little about this book appealed to me at first glance. I didn’t like the premise, the blurb, the title, or the cover. But it kept getting good reviews from Cannonballers. And then Amazon offered it for $.99, but I still might not have read it were it not for a short expletive filled rant from Mrs. Julien wondering which of her favorite heroes was about to move down a notch on her list.
New Cannonballer, Ellepkay, was the first to review the book, swiftly followed by Scootsa100, alwaysanswerb, and Malin. I’ve linked their reviews to their names. I really should have known I would like a book with this many good reviews.
Lainie and Richard agree to a faux-mance, each for their own reasons. Richard is an arrogant prick and Lainie has no patience for his shit. However, they agree to act like they are dating and find they can be themselves around each other. The bickering is delightful, and the progress of their relationship feels natural (if compressed).
I have qualms about Richard as a human being. I don’t love the trope in fiction that the hero can get away with being an asshole because he’s an equal opportunity asshole and he isn’t as bad as the “nice guy” who is really a smarmy shit. That said, Parker managed to breath so much life into Lainie and Richard that I ended up liking them both so much I was sorry to reach the end of the book.