CONTEMPORARY
CONTEMPORARY
Izzy and Lucas both work front of house at a grand country hotel in the New Forest
THE WAKE-UP CALL
by Beth O’Leary (Quercus £16.99, 416pp)
Izzy and Lucas both work front of house at a grand country hotel in the New Forest. Bitter rivals, they normally work alternate shifts because the atmosphere when they’re together on reception is awful.
However, when the hotel’s owners reveal they are in dire financial straits and might have to close, our two antagonists are forced to work together to try to save the place they love.
Spending so much time together focusing on this common goal means their relationship inevitably changes and, as they start to show each other their vulnerabilities, the physical attraction also mounts.
The narrative alternates between Izzy’s point of view and Lucas’s, and I enjoyed the way these distinct voices provided their own perspective on shared events. This beautifully written enemies-to-lovers romance kept me hooked from the start. Wonderful.
Artist Cassie lives in Chicago and has a few part-time jobs
MY ROMMMATE IS A VAMPIRE
by Jenna Levine (Penguin £8.99, 352pp)
Artist Cassie lives in Chicago and has a few part-time jobs. She also has a permanent knot of anxiety in her stomach thanks to money worries and the fact that she’s about to be evicted yet again.
When she sees an advert for a room in a stunning apartment for a ridiculously low rent, she immediately starts wondering what’s wrong with either the place or the person she’ll be sharing with.
The last thing Cassie expects to be confronted with at her viewing is the most gorgeous man she’s ever seen.
Frederick J. Fitzwilliam wears three-piece suits and writes formal letters. His home seems frozen in time. And it’s dark because he keeps the curtains closed. There’s something weird about eccentric Frederick, but he is also thoughtful and compassionate. Cassie takes the apartment and it’s not long before she finds out more about her strange roommate. The clue’s in the title, of course. Funny and sweet.
Comedian Ari is sleeping with her female roommate and believes she might have stumbled on the perfect sexual relationship, casual and free of emotional chaos
YOU, AGAIN
by Kate Goldbeck (Penguin £9.99, 448pp)
Comedian Ari is sleeping with her female roommate and believes she might have stumbled on the perfect sexual relationship, casual and free of emotional chaos. Well, she does until a man called Josh turns up claiming to be the roommate’s boyfriend.
Ari can’t work out why he’s been granted ‘boyfriend’ status while hers is uncredited. It doesn’t help that they had an unfortunate encounter on the street earlier and he seems very bossy and sure of himself.
The dislike between them is instant and intense. They don’t expect to meet again but, years later, both nursing broken hearts for different reasons, they reconnect.
This witty, emotionally intelligent story is set in New York and the sense of place is strong. I rooted for open, likeable Ari and grumpy, ambitious Josh from the start.
Their huge differences make this slow-burn romance even more appealing.
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