Much Ado About You by Samantha Young is a fave for 2021, and it’s now live!
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Blurb
The cozy comforts of an English village bookstore open up a world of new possibilities for Evie Starling in this charming new romantic comedy from New York Times bestselling author Samantha Young.
At thirty-three-years old Evangeline Starling’s life in Chicago is missing that special something. And when she’s passed over for promotion at work, Evie realizes she needs to make a change. Some time away to regain perspective might be just the thing. In a burst of impulsivity, she plans a holiday in a quaint English village. The holiday package comes with a temporary position at Much Ado About Books, the bookstore located beneath her rental apartment. There’s no better dream vacation for the bookish Evie, a life-long Shakespeare lover.
Not only is Evie swept up in running the delightful store as soon as she arrives, she’s drawn into the lives, loves and drama of the friendly villagers. Including Roane Robson, the charismatic and sexy farmer who tempts Evie every day with his friendly flirtations. Evie is determined to keep him at bay because a holiday romance can only end in heartbreak, right? But Evie can’t deny their connection and longs to trust in her handsome farmer that their whirlwind romance could turn in to the forever kind of love.
Review
5 stars
This is a delightful gem of a read! A book that completely captured my heart and whisked me away to the wild English coast in a story of love, friendship, and finding your true place in the world. I laughed, I swooned and I fell in love as I journeyed with a wonderfully relatable heroine and, like her, fell in love with a rugged farmer and a village full of assorted characters. A 2021 fave!
Evie is 33 and struggling to figure out her life. She’s had no luck with relationships, has been overlooked for a promotion once again, and it feels like her friends’ lives are moving on without her. Desperate for a change of scenery and some time to get away from it all and take stock of her life, she books herself a trip to a small village on the north-eastern coast of England where she finds an apartment that comes with a built-in job temporarily managing the local bookstore downstairs from her rental. As a mad book lover, it’s a dream opportunity, and just what Evie needs while she sorts herself out.
It takes no time at all for Evie to settle in to her new life – she loves everything about her new job, and is quickly swept up into the lives of the local townsfolk. None more so than local farmer, Roane. Roane’s interest in Evie is evident from the very beginning, but she has no intention of starting anything with him. Not only is she generally wary of men, but her stay is temporary and she doesn’t want to tempt heartbreak by getting involved, so she proposes friendship, and she and Roane grow close… and closer… and closer still as the sexual tension builds into an irresistible chemistry that becomes so much more than she ever expected.
“This isn’t just sex for me, Evie. I want us to take a chance on each other, for real.
… I knew Roane. I knew that it would never just be sex for him. He wasn’t that guy. And he didn’t look at me like a guy who just wanted one thing.
Roane just stole my heart! He is sweet, fun, protective and devoted to the people he cares about – and that includes Evie. He makes no secret of his attraction to her, but he respects her wishes and keeps his distance until she’s ready. And when she’s ready, damn. The man is sexy and affectionate, pure “lady porn”, and he’s all in, holding nothing back, and I absolutely adored him!
“I want you to be mine, as I am yours.”
But a life-changing romance wasn’t in Evie’s plans, and she’s still got a few personal demons to wrestle with. There is some drama and ups and downs while she figures it all out, but it’s all a part of her journey and it’s a mostly low-angst read as we watch her work through it all.
“You’re my home.”
I loved Evie as a heroine. She’s so relatable, and a lot of her journey and the reasons behind it are really realistic. I found myself agreeing with so many of her thoughts and revelations as she seeks to figure out what she wants and where she wants to be.
“I don’t want you, or anyone, to wake up in ten, twenty years’ time, and wonder what could have been. Such benign little words – ‘what if’. But at some point in life, those two words become the scariest two words in the English language.”
And the little village of Alnster came to life for me with Evie’s vivid descriptions, and in the lives of its residents. I felt transported to the little seaside town, and a part of the local community of characters as Evie became a part of their lives and went out of her way to help her new friends deal with their issues and find their own happiness. A lot of times while reading I kept hoping that Young would turn this into a series, with so many of the side characters deserving a story of their own, but there’s lots of little side-plots running through the book which provide entertainment and character development for them and I love that we get this all-encompassing story that is so much more than a romance (though that romance is more than enough to carry the book on its own).
I can’t gush enough about how much I loved this book. It’s the perfect escapist read, and I read it in a day, unable to put it down, and finished it hugging my kindle with a huge cheesy grin on my face.
5 huge stars.
An Advanced Review Copy was generously provided by the author in exchange for an honest review.
About the Author
Samantha Young is a New York Times and #1 International bestselling author from Stirlingshire, Scotland. On Dublin Street was Samantha’s first adult contemporary romance series and has sold in thirty countries. She has since published over thirteen romance titles including the New York Times Bestsellers Into the Deep, Hero, and her most recent contemporary romance Black Tangled Heart. When writing Adult Paranormal romance she writes under the pen name S. Young.
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