What I'm Looking For: a 1980s Boston opposites attract rom com

What I’m Looking For is the first book in the Boston Classics series by Karen Grey. It seems to be a perfect recipe for a Boston Cocktail: one park finance geek, one part starving actor, two shots of stubbornness and a healthy squeeze of passion. Shake well and service in a vintage glass. When Kate Bishop walks into Boston’s famous Bull and Finch pub, she is looking for the one salesman she can trust to have her back. She has been ordered to get over her stage fright and present her precise research to clients and save her job. Romance is the last thing on her mind but when she meets the Shakespeare quoting bartender, she starts to wonder what if. Will Talbot is not a fan of the slick financiers who come into the bar every night. However, a certain beautiful, reserved brunette with a fire in her eyes caught his attention. As a Wall Street financier and a starving actor, they were totally wrong for each other but they can’t seem to stay away from each other.  

As a rom com story set in the finance world of the 1980s, I was intrigued. However, I was bored. I didn’t care for either Kate or Will. Kate felt like a stereotypical 1980s career woman, angry at the blatant sexism. Yes, women weren’t exactly welcomed in the workplace but the story didn’t give me a reason to root for Kate. Will was her antithesis. He hated the money making mentality and wore starving actor like a badge of honor. I felt the financial terms and speech slowed down the story and it really didn’t feel like the 1980s. It was supposed to be the late 80s and other than not having cell phones and the difficulty connecting with each other, it didn’t feel like the 1980s. One character even joked that it was too bad that we couldn’t carry phones in our pockets. I love a good Shakespeare quote; however, the sheer amount further weighted the story down. Overall, I did not enjoy this story and I will not be continuing the series. I do not recommend What I’m Looking for. 

What I’m Looking For is available in paperback, eBook and audiobook

The Shippers: rom-com with childhood friends to lovers and hijinks on a cruise ship

The Shippers is the newest comedy romance by Katherine Center. Jojo Burton has been bad at love her entire life. With the help of her sister and a little pop psychology, she figures out the source of her intimacy issues, JoJo decides that she is going to fix them once and for all at her sister’s destination wedding aboard a cruise ship. Her first crush and first kiss will be a guest at the wedding and she decides to woo him for some closure. The snag in her plan, she needs a wingperson as her sister will be very busy with the final details of the wedding. Enter Cooper Watts, her childhood bestie. Cooper agrees to her plan, which is dubbed Project Conquest. As they participate in the ship's activities in order to catch the attention of her first crush, they also have late night talks and walk down memory lane. Something feels off, can JoJo figure it all out before it’s too late?

Katherine Center has been an autoread author for years and when she announced her newest novel, I eagerly waited. Unfortunately, the story started off iffy for me as I did not like JoJo. I found her naive, annoyed and very immature. However, she did grow on me by the end, I was cheered for her as she figured it all out. I figured out the piece of childhood memory didn't happen as she thought it did and maybe I was supposed to. I loved Cooper from the very beginning and begged JoJo to truly see him behind the childhood bestie she once knew and loved. By the end, I laughed, sighed and closed the book with a smile. I am so happy that I stick with it and I love this childhood-friends-to-lovers romance with plenty of heart. I also love the play on words as the majority of the story takes place on a ship and the slang “ship.” I highly recommend The Shippers. 

The Shippers is available in hardcover, eBook and audiobook

Me and Mr Just Right: a messy public break up, an escape and a forced proximity rom com

Me and Mr Just Right is the first book in the Enchanted Forresters series by Kaylee Baldwin. Singer/songwriter Aurelia “Lia” Halifax needs to flee from the spotlight. After a messy public break up and a betrayal, she seeks an escape at an Alaskan island. It was perfect. Deserted with minimal communication. The island isn’t as deserted as she wanted and she is surprised when three hot brothers arrive. To say they weren’t happy would be an understatement. When a sudden storm hits, they are stranded on the island together. Haydn, the oldest brother, is a photographer, and the kind of person she was hoping to avoid. Soon, she is inspired to write again by Hayden and feelings she never thought she would feel again. However, trust isn’t going to come easy for Lia especially when Hayden has a secret, a secret that could be behind the biggest betrayal of all. 

Me and Mr Just Right is a cute sweet rom-com with great banter and humorous moments. They were great characters but with not a lot of depth. The story wasn’t filled with a lot of romance but Lia and Haydn together were sweet. The interactions between the brothers were fun and filled with sibling squabbles. There wasn’t much to the plot and the story behind the betrayal and breakup was obvious and I thought, even in the beginning, that there was more to the situation that Lia knew. The ending was a bit cheesy for me even for a rom com. Overall, the story was fine. However, I was not pulled into the story enough to care about the other characters and I will not be continuing the series. If you like sweet, cute rom com that would be a cozy weekend read, I recommend Me and Mr Just Right. 

Me and Mr Just Right is available in paperback, eBook and audiobook