I’ve always been a romance reader, but I’ve only recently “fallen in love” with contemporary romances. I love that there’s so many to choose from, and they are so much more diverse than they used to be. With Valentine’s Day coming up, I thought I’d write a short review of two books I read recently by new-to-me authors, both great in different ways, though with some elements I didn’t care for. These were both published in 2022, so should be readily available if you’re a library borrower like me (also good for backlist reading challenges).
Kiss Her Once for Me by Allison Cochrun
My favorite Christmas movie is While You Were Sleeping, mainly because it reminds me of my first Christmas with my husband’s family. I had no idea when I picked up this book that it was partly inspired by the movie; I’d just heard good things about it. I also don’t seek out Christmas romances as a rule. But I ended up loving this story, which combines second chance love and fake dating in a new way.
Ellie Oliver fell in love over the course of a single day last Christmas. She met a woman in a bookstore and they spent a fantastic day together, but it ended badly. Now she’s hit an absolute low point: she can’t pay rent, and her mother is hitting her up for money. When she goes on a date with Andrew, she learns he needs a wife to satisfy his uncle’s will, and he’s willing to pay for a temporary marriage. When she agrees to spend the holidays posing as Andrew’s fiancée, she has no idea she’s about to run into the woman she still thinks about.
It sounds cheesy, as most romances do if you try and describe them, but it had a really well-developed story and great characters. None of the characters are one-note; there’s no dastardly villain (even Andrew is just trying to help out his family) and they all have complicated issues. And like While You Were Sleeping, it’s a story not just about love, but about family.
A Proposal They Can’t Refuse by Natalie Caña
Another new author for me, I enjoyed a lot of things about this book, though I had issues toward the end that left me with mixed feelings. Kamilah Vega is helping her parents run their family restaurant; as a trained chef, she has a lot of ideas for improvements but they still treat her like a child. Her neighbor, Liam Kane, was her close friend as a child, but after a disastrous prom date he stopped talking to her. Their grandfathers get together and decide the two of them need to get married. Liam’s grandfather has cancer and they agree to an “engagement” in exchange for him agreeing to get treatment.
What I liked most about the book was how the elements of Irish and Puerto Rican culture are woven into the story and are a major part of Kamilah’s and Liam’s lives. I also liked that Kamilah and Liam really needed to wrestle with who they are and who they want to be; both are tied to their family businesses in ways that aren’t healthy, and Liam is extremely introverted and has trouble communicating unless it’s in writing or art. Also, this book had snappy, clever dialog that made me laugh. I recommend this one on audio.
What I didn’t love: this book had some “over the top” moments, beginning with a too-cutesy opening scene in the grandfathers’ assisted living home. At first I thought it was a nice thing to see assisted living in a novel (since I’m spending a lot of time in my dad’s home these days), but it was a ridiculous scenario. And there was a big change in tone in the last part of the book, where many of the characters get really hateful towards each other (these are big-emotion families so maybe that’s in keeping with their characters, but it felt unexpectedly harsh to me).
If you’re looking for other romances to explore, my favorite authors right now are Katherine Center, Mhairi McFarlane, and Emily Henry. I also really like Ashley Herring-Blake (Delilah Green Doesn’t Care) and Kate Clayborn (Love Lettering). And for historical romances, definitely check out Evie Dunmore and Mimi Matthews.
Are there other authors you recommend?
