Author: Crystal Hubbard | Goodreads
Publisher: Indigo Love Spectrum (Genesis)
Genre: Romance, Contemporary
Series/Standalone: Stand alone
Format: Mass Market
Genre: Romance, Contemporary
Series/Standalone: Stand alone
Format: Mass Market
Cost: $6.99
Pages: 304
How I got it: Purchased
Purchase: Amazon | Barnes & Noble |
Publication Date: September 2008
Add To Goodreads
Synopsis:
This book has been on my shelf for years. I determined that this year I was getting it read. I'm so glad I did. I grabbed this one after finishing a particularly bad interracial romance read and needed something good to cleanse the palate and this one did the trick. As always I went into this one without reading the synopsis and I'm so glad I did. This had me hooked from the get go, I started late at night and didn't stop until the next morning. This was such a refreshing take on a interracial romance. The characters were well written, witty and had great relevant conversations.
This one is great friends to lovers romance. Khela moved into this building three years ago and fell in lust with the handyman she saw polishing the banister. Having been recently divorced she didn't see any point in pursuing the matter and lusted from afar. For his part Carter was awestruck by Khela but didn't know how to approach her since she had all the "don't come near me " flags waving and simply lusted from afar as well.
Recently Khela''s best friend decided to try her hand at matchmaking by slowly breaking, unplugging or clogging whatever she could to get these two in the same room. Yet each time she did so Khela managed to find a way to run. You see Khela is a great romance writer and she's being honored at an industry event and she can't possibly go by herself, so she and her best friend devise a plan to bring Carter, the perfect Mr Fix It as her date.
From the get go there was chemistry and I just loved how these two were dancing around each other, wanting more but not sure how to ask the other for it. Having been burned before by a man attracted to her success Khela wasn't trying to repeat her mistakes but as much as she wanted to be cautious Carter just kept drawing her in. I loved how a simply initial meeting set the tone for their friendship, both of them made assumptions (especially Khela) that hindered their going forward quite a bit. I loved the discussion about romance and it's relevance as a genre to the literary world. I loved the glimpse of romance from the POV of the author and her editor.
This was a fantastic, fun read that made you think, laugh and enjoy the sexy moments as well. I loved that the issues they faced were more self inflicted issues, they had their baggage to wwork their way through and each time they overheard or misunderstood something it brought up more for them to confront. In this relationship this time it's not the woman who has issues with being with the man, it's Carter's insecurities that are constantly being brought to the fore. I loved their friends in the book as well because they were well thought out characters who challenged and propped their friends up. Khela's issues with romance were being challenged daily as her friends fell in love as she grew more successful as she realized she was seeking but so alone because she was afraid of being hurt.
I loved that there was more to Carter than meets the eye and I guessed way before she did a few of his secrets not all of them but a few. I really enjoyed his interactions with her friends and his own friends. I loved the glimpse of the future I saw hen reading from his POV even before the author wrote about his choices in the end.
The only thing I disliked of this story, was a scene in the grocery story, where they debated the usage of "him/her" for a character, and her going back and forth between them when explaining to Carter why she feared this person. Looking at it and the description of the person you can see why she would be confused on the box to shove the person in, but at the same time why did it matter?? I'm not sure how to feel about he scene because on one hand it all around just felt like a moment that was supposed to be funny by poking fun at the unknown gender of the person and I wasn't really a fan of it. It also at the same time opened up the discussion of gender stereotypes we assign to people without their permission, because we don't know a person's belief about themselves and whether they see themselves as "him/her/ they/ them" and in that case it was very forward thinking for a book written in 2008. So much of what was discussed is reflected in today's discussions so they book wasn't too far outdated.
I really loved that so much of this story came down to miscommunication and assumptions. As each was confronted with their assumptions and the miscommunication was cleared up the story flowed and the relationship grew stronger. I really enjoyed this one and highly recommend it.
** I attempted to find social media links for the author but it doesn't appear she's active anymore and the few I found don't appear to actually be her. I have linked to her Goodreads as that's all I could find**
Publication Date: September 2008
Add To Goodreads
Synopsis:
After a hot handyman becomes intrigued by an uptight romance novelist who doesn't believe in love, he finds the tools to unlock her impenetrable heart.
This one is great friends to lovers romance. Khela moved into this building three years ago and fell in lust with the handyman she saw polishing the banister. Having been recently divorced she didn't see any point in pursuing the matter and lusted from afar. For his part Carter was awestruck by Khela but didn't know how to approach her since she had all the "don't come near me " flags waving and simply lusted from afar as well.
Recently Khela''s best friend decided to try her hand at matchmaking by slowly breaking, unplugging or clogging whatever she could to get these two in the same room. Yet each time she did so Khela managed to find a way to run. You see Khela is a great romance writer and she's being honored at an industry event and she can't possibly go by herself, so she and her best friend devise a plan to bring Carter, the perfect Mr Fix It as her date.
From the get go there was chemistry and I just loved how these two were dancing around each other, wanting more but not sure how to ask the other for it. Having been burned before by a man attracted to her success Khela wasn't trying to repeat her mistakes but as much as she wanted to be cautious Carter just kept drawing her in. I loved how a simply initial meeting set the tone for their friendship, both of them made assumptions (especially Khela) that hindered their going forward quite a bit. I loved the discussion about romance and it's relevance as a genre to the literary world. I loved the glimpse of romance from the POV of the author and her editor.
This was a fantastic, fun read that made you think, laugh and enjoy the sexy moments as well. I loved that the issues they faced were more self inflicted issues, they had their baggage to wwork their way through and each time they overheard or misunderstood something it brought up more for them to confront. In this relationship this time it's not the woman who has issues with being with the man, it's Carter's insecurities that are constantly being brought to the fore. I loved their friends in the book as well because they were well thought out characters who challenged and propped their friends up. Khela's issues with romance were being challenged daily as her friends fell in love as she grew more successful as she realized she was seeking but so alone because she was afraid of being hurt.
I loved that there was more to Carter than meets the eye and I guessed way before she did a few of his secrets not all of them but a few. I really enjoyed his interactions with her friends and his own friends. I loved the glimpse of the future I saw hen reading from his POV even before the author wrote about his choices in the end.
The only thing I disliked of this story, was a scene in the grocery story, where they debated the usage of "him/her" for a character, and her going back and forth between them when explaining to Carter why she feared this person. Looking at it and the description of the person you can see why she would be confused on the box to shove the person in, but at the same time why did it matter?? I'm not sure how to feel about he scene because on one hand it all around just felt like a moment that was supposed to be funny by poking fun at the unknown gender of the person and I wasn't really a fan of it. It also at the same time opened up the discussion of gender stereotypes we assign to people without their permission, because we don't know a person's belief about themselves and whether they see themselves as "him/her/ they/ them" and in that case it was very forward thinking for a book written in 2008. So much of what was discussed is reflected in today's discussions so they book wasn't too far outdated.
I really loved that so much of this story came down to miscommunication and assumptions. As each was confronted with their assumptions and the miscommunication was cleared up the story flowed and the relationship grew stronger. I really enjoyed this one and highly recommend it.
** I attempted to find social media links for the author but it doesn't appear she's active anymore and the few I found don't appear to actually be her. I have linked to her Goodreads as that's all I could find**
★★★★1/2☆
RECOMMENDATIONS
- Delaney's Desert Sheikh by Brenda Jackson
- The Wedding Date by Jasmine Guillory
Happy Reading my loves,
No comments:
Post a Comment