I have been knee deep in romantic suspense murder novels and while I am loving them, I always love a good romance. When I decided to review this one it was because I loved the cover (the girl with the sleeve tattoo spoke to me since I have a sleeve too!) and I loved that it was a Much Ado About Nothing retelling! While Much Ado About Nothing isn’t my favorite Shakespeare play, I did enjoy it and was eager to check out this more modern retelling.
I haven’t read anything by author, Chloe Liese, but I loved that she is a dedicated romance writer committed to everyone having their own unique love story. I like the inclusivity and I see that she is an established author which means that she is tried and true so I was eager to check out this latest novel by her, especially since it’s not part of a series. That way I can sample her writing before committing to reading a series if that makes sense.
I quickly scanned early reviews for this novel before reading it and was pleased to see a lot of people enjoyed it, picking up new to me authors can sometimes be intimidating—exciting, but intimidating. I have a handful of authors that I will read whatever they put out and then there are those new authors that I see around the blog-o-sphere that I think I might like, but sometimes it’s hard to pull the trigger on a new author but in this case, I am glad that I did!
Summary
Opposites become allies to fool their matchmaking friends in this swoony reimagining of Shakespeare’s beloved comedy, Much Ado About Nothing.
Jamie Westenberg and Bea Wilmot have nothing in common except a meet-disaster and the mutual understanding that they couldn’t be more wrong for each other. But when the people closest to them play Cupid and trick them into going on a date, Jamie and Bea realize they have something else in common after all—an undeniable need for revenge.
Soon their plan is in place: Fake date obnoxiously and convince the meddlers they’re madly in love. Then, break up spectacularly and dash their hopes, putting an end to the matchmaking madness once and for all.
To convince everyone that they’ve fallen for each other, Jamie and Bea will have to nail the performance of their lives. But as their final act nears and playing lovers becomes easier than not, they begin to wonder, what if Cupid’s arrow wasn’t so off the mark? And what if two wrongs do make a right? (summary from Goodreads)
Review
This author really does stick to her motto that everyone deserves a love story. In traditional romance novels the lead female is almost always young, thin, and depending on sub genre—a rich heiress/titled lady or an up and coming career woman. The guys are similarly, ripped, cocky, and also either rich or successful. Basically the characters mostly have their shit together and they are looking for another perfect match for them. I have been excited about the shift in heroes and heroines—we see more people represented—-thick women, older women, heroes with anxiety etc. Love stories are for everyone and I love seeing more representation that goes against traditional storytelling in romance novel troupes. While I still love a traditional romance, it’s nice to see diversity in the genre. Even the covers have evolved—-here we see a heavily tattooed woman instead of the classic Fabio romance novel covers. As a heavily tattooed woman, seeing this cover instantly made me feel like I was represented in this book—even if it was just on the cover—-spoiler, it wasn’t just the cover in the story Bea is heavily tattooed as well!
As I dove into the story, it was clear that I was reading something special. Liese has a great storytelling style and I very much enjoyed the characters in this one! Bea is on the Autism spectrum which I didn’t expect but enjoyed all the same! As a heroine, she is unique, quirky, and I read her with a lot of emotion. I really enjoyed getting to know her and how being on the spectrum shaped her but also managed not to define her as a character if that makes sense. It was really fun to explore Bea’s character and get to know her. As for Jamie, he struggles with anxiety and similar to Bea’s character, the anxiety was part of his character but didn’t define him as a character for me. I thought that together they were great and there was a lot of emotion that their romance explored and I really loved reading a novel full for feeling and depth with the characters!
I think the a lot of readers will enjoy this one. For the older demographic (40+) who grew up with the classic Fabio laden book covers and traditional romance plots/troups, this will feel like something completely new and different! For the younger demographic I think they will see real characters that aren’t distorted by traditional fantasies and will enjoy getting to know real characters with real struggles that still find love. Basically I think this book will appeal to many demographics for different reasons. I certainly enjoyed it and am looking forward to reading more from this author! Don’t miss this latest romance!
Book Info and Rating
Format
351 pages, Kindle EditionExpected publication
November 22, 2022 by Berkley
Free review copy provided by publisher, Berkley, in exchange for an honest review. All opinions are my own and in no way influenced.
Rating: 4 stars
Genre: romance
The Lit Bitch 