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Review
“She said, ‘Forgive me for being a dreamer,’ and he took her by the hand and replied, ‘Forgive me for not being here sooner to dream with you.’” – J. Iron Word
4.5 stars
Oh, I loved this book! Fun, feisty, and beautifully romantic, it’s both an enemies-to-lovers and friends-to-lovers, as the shifting dynamic between Charlotte and Reed brings lots of laughs, sweetness and intensity, and a natural, beautiful love story. It’s a highly entertaining read that I could not put down and I loved it!
Charlotte Darling and Reed Eastwood meet in strange circumstances. Charlotte discovered her fiancé cheating on her and after severing all ties with him she was trying to pawn her wedding dress when she came across another beautiful dress, with a love note tucked inside of it. Something about that note touches her, and she’s suddenly buoyed by the idea that true love does exist. She’s captivated by the story behind the note and in a stunning display of drunken stalking, she tracks down its writer, Reed Eastwood, and sets herself up to view an exclusive apartment that he is showing. It does not go well.
Then in a fantastic twist of fate (with a little help), Charlotte kick-starts her fresh start in life with a brand new job… that just happens to be as the PA for Reed and his family in their property management and sales company.
It’s all snark and banter, and it’s so freaking funny as sassy, quirky and fun-spirited Charlotte goes up against broody, work-obsessed Reed. Their work demands that they spend a lot of time together, which means there’s plenty of opportunity for lots of fun.
“I’m sorry for the way I acted.”
“Apology accepted. And I’m sorry for calling you a narcissistic bastard.”
My brows drew down. “You didn’t.”
She smiled. “Oh well, I thought it, then.”
Of course, underneath it all, there is their attraction to each other which slowly, unexpectedly and effortlessly builds, and as their animosity moves to friendship, Charlotte doesn’t hold back in letting Reed know how she feels. OMG, I love Charlotte! She’s a dreamer, she’s smart, sassy, and she has her quirks, and she’s so much fun! She hides nothing, and her honesty is SO refreshing to read. There’s no game playing with her, what you see is what you get, and I love that so much.
“Darling as in my last name, with a big D not a little d, right? That’s okay, I like big Ds.”
But Reed is holding back. He wants Charlotte, but he refuses to go there, and the story twists and turns as things between these two moves from hate to friendship to lust, anger, confusion, love and everything in between. I loved watching their relationship change as they wrestle with their feelings, all the while growing closer and closer together, and then watching them figure out what they want and then go out and get it.
“It was fate…I’ll always believe that I was meant to find you.”
As always with Vi and Penelope, there’s a touch of drama to go with all of the fun times, but I thought it tied in well and was handled well by the authors. It’s a great story with a lot of strong, meaningful messages, and I thought it was beautifully told.
In my bones, in my heart, I knew that Charlotte was made for me. And giving her up would be like a slap in the face of the very universe who’d sent her to me.
The audiobook is narrated by Lynn Barrington and Sebastian York, and they do a fantastic job with it. They brought these characters to life and give them – Charlotte in particular – so much personality. It was a real treat to listen to.
The story ends well with an epilogue that left me with a big smile on my face, and I loved it!
4.5 stars!
Check out our Penelope Ward Author Spotlight and Vi Keeland Author Spotlight for more books by these authors
And our Vi Keeland & Penelope Ward Author Spotlight for their co-written work