Love Island: Money Doesn't Grow on Palm Trees

My last Target run wasn't complete without a copy of Christina Lauren's latest, The Paradise Problem.  Once home, I opened the beautiful cover to embark upon what was sure to be another great romcom.  Spoiler alert: I wasn't disappointed.

Things couldn't be worse for starving artist Anna Green.  No one is buying her paintings, she just got fired from her convenience store gig, and she caught her roommate doing the dance with no pants on her couch.  So when her in-name-only husband, Liam Weston, offers her a fortune to attend his sister's wedding, she accepts.  All she has to do is play the part of his adoring wife on an island for two weeks.  Then he gets his inheritance, and her problems go away.

Yet despite being draped in Chanel and Dior, Anna sticks out like a sore thumb.  Her pink hair and blue humor clash spectacularly with the Westons' reserve.  Still, despite -- or perhaps because of -- this tension, Anna and Liam become allies, getting to know each other for the first time.  What follows is a modern -- albeit, to paraphrase Anna, an Indecent Proposal-esque -- fairy tale with a villainous patriarch, a gorgeous setting, and the promise of love conquering all.

Funny, romantic, and surprisingly shrewd, The Paradise Problem questions the cost of being born with a silver spoon.  Because even paradise loses some of its charm when you're tap dancing to the tune of millions.

So, yeah.  The Paradise Problem was just the distraction I needed.  And I have to say, it made me feel  very lucky to not be a one-percenter.

Sex Equals Death: The Mystery of Romance and the Romance of Mystery

I was recently reading a post on The Big Hair Diaries about the romance of books and reading -- in other words, the magic of imagination and transportation that comes from losing yourself in a story.  And that got me thinking about my two favorite genres: romance and mystery.  Or, more specifically, romcoms and cozies.  Sure, these gentler subgenres are softened by comedy.  But they still center around sex and violence.  Which makes me wonder how such turmoil can be comforting, not just to me, but to countless readers.  Yet maybe it's not the turmoil that's soothing.  Maybe it's the resolution of the turmoil, and with it, the reaffirmation of love and life.  

Or maybe there's no deep explanation at all.  Maybe people are just animals.

Either way, when I find a romance with mystery or a mystery with romance, I know I've hit the genre jackpot.  Which is the case with most of the books I read, including Christina Lauren's Dating You/Hating You and Lee Hollis's Death of a Bacon Heiress.  

Because office romance burns hotter when sparked by a scheme, and finding out whodunit is more fun with flirtation.

Fantasy vs. Reality: A Date With DNA Destiny

"She blinded me with science!" could be the tagline for these two Christina Lauren romcoms.  Because The Soulmate Equation and The True Love Experiment ask the age-old question: "Is there a science to love?"  As in, is romance all hearts and flowers?  Or also why hearts beat and flowers grow? 

In The Soulmate Equation, down-on-her-luck single mom and freelance statistician Jessica Davis is done with love.  Her deadbeat baby daddy and absentee mom have convinced her that there are no happy endings, and all she wants is to give her daughter, Juno, the best life possible.  So when she crosses paths with a gorgeous man at her local coffee shop, she doesn't pursue him.  At least not until her bestie Fizzy insists.  Because Americano, as Jess affectionately-not-so-affectionately calls him, isn't any old hottie.  He's a brilliant scientist who created a dating app that matches people based on their DNA.  Jess can't deny that the scientist in her isn't intrigued.  In a moment of weakness, she signs up for the app only to discover that she and the good doctor are a Diamond Match, the highest the company's ever seen.  What follows is a PR campaign designed to show the world that Jess and Dr. River Peña (that's his real name) are a soulmate success story.  The gig pays Jess's bills, which is a huge relief, and ends up being surprisingly fun.  But giving interviews and flirting with River is one thing.  Giving her heart away is another.         

In The True Love Experiment, Felicity "Fizzy" Chen gets her chance at love.  The bestselling romance novelist has hit a slump in her own usually red-hot love life.  After being burned by a relationship with an unbeknownst-to-her-married man, Fizzy's zest for life has, well, fizzled.  So when she gets an offer to star in a reality show based on the DNA dating technology developed by her best friend's husband, she accepts.  But not without first submitting a list of conditions, one of which is that the contestants, or "heroes" as she calls them, must be archetypes typically found in romcoms, e.g., the "Hot Nerd," the "Tattooed Bad Boy," and the "Cinnamon Roll."  (That last one, by the way, is Mr. Sweet and Supportive, which I didn't know before reading this book.)  After some heated back and forth, producer Conner Prince finally hires her.  At first, vivacious Fizzy hates everything about the buttoned-up, romcom-averse Brit.  But as she gets to know him, she realizes he isn't nearly as staid as he seems.  It isn't long before she imagines riding off into the sunset with him.  Still, Fizzy may not be ready to risk her heart.

*    *    *    * 

I enjoyed both of these books.  The Soulmate Equation's Jess and River struck me as the stronger couple, but The True Love Experiment's Fizzy was a more compelling heroine.  Neither novel answered the question about if there's a science to love, but that was okay.  

Style over science, I say.           

Treasure Hunt Stunt: Shock and Aw, Wild Style

Christina Lauren's rom com Something Wilder is aptly named.  And not just because it echoes heroine Lily Wilder, is set in the modern-day Wild West, and mentions the word "wild" so many times it made my pun-loving heart gallop.  No, the biggest reason is that this novel is "something wilder" than those that Lauren penned previously.  And that's because it's brimming with, not just romance, but romantic adventure.  

Four city slickers take a boys' trip to a Utah ranch in search of fun and fabled treasure.  Studly but sensitive math whiz Leo is the one we care about.  Because the treasure hunt is led by none other than Lily Wilder, the girl he fell for ten years ago but left behind.  The reunion is a surprise to them both and the first of many twists on a trip that quickly goes from carefree to deadly.  Yet if the danger is disturbing, then the intrigue of the treasure more than makes up for it.  As it turns out, there may be real gold buried out there in the desert, and along with it, Wilder family secrets.  Lily and Leo must decide if they can put aside old hurts to find it.

It's a wild ride alright, ripe with riddles and revelations.  The Southwestern setting heightens the drama, touching everything with its eerie charm.  You know I heart a desert scape escape, so this story -- and fever dream of a cover -- fit the Buffalo Bill.  Best of all, the mystery kept me on my toes until the trail's end.  Full of all the feels and cinematic scenes, Something Wilder has the makings of something bigger -- like a blockbuster movie.

What a way to ride off into the sunset. 

Six-String Fling or Lifelong Thing?: Lights, Camera, Attraction!

Christina Lauren's Roomies is so much fun.  And not just because it reminds me of that Friends episode when Phoebe announces that she and Mike are moving in together and Monica says something like "Roomie?  Don't you mean groomie?".  But because it's about following your heart and your art, even when both get you into trouble.

Aspiring novelist Holland Bakker never dreams that taking the subway to stalk listen to Calvin McLoughlin play guitar will upend her life.  But when Calvin unexpectedly does her a favor, she does him two in return.  The first is to get him a job on Broadway.  The second is to marry him.  Why the rush to the altar or, in this case, city hall?  It seems that the Irish Calvin is in dire need of that classic romcom accessory, namely a green card.

What follows is flirty and funny, sexy and sweet.  As Holland and Calvin muddle through their marriage of convenience, Holland learns a lot about herself.  After an unrelenting bout of writer's block, she's even inspired to write again.  Also, part of the appeal of this story for is me is that I picture it taking place in the '80s.  In my mind, Holland has a perm, and Calvin has a modified mullet.  Also, they both wear acid-washed jeans.   

Hitting all the high notes -- and hijinks -- Roomies is a romance so crazy it might just work.

Love Songs -- and Life -- on a Loop

This post isn't so much a book review as it is an off-the-rails-rant/reflection/rambling of a section of a book.  The book is The Honey-Don't List, by Christina Lauren, and it's an enemies-to-lovers tale about two twentysomething assistants on a home renovation reality show.

Now that that's out of the way, here's the quote in question:

"Our eyes catch for a few loaded seconds.  I'm thinking about how the first few times I hear a new song -- even one from a band I love -- I don't like it.  I resist the idea that something new could ever be as good as something old, but then slowly the new song works its way into my brain and I forget what it ever felt like to dislike it.  Right now I'm looking at Carey's face, thinking it's like a song I've heard a few times now, and every time I hear it again I like it more." (Lauren 93)

We've all been there.  Maybe not the falling-in-love-with-an-enemy thing, but the not-liking-something-until-it's-firmly-wedged-its-way-into-our-daily-lives thing.  What is it about a hook, musical or otherwise, that brainwashes us into hearting things that once made us want to hurl?  This is something I've wondered since childhood, when I first succumbed to liking the latest Hall & Oates single.  What can I say?  It was the '80s, and my mom was a fan.

Anyway, the familiarity-breeds-content theory is alive and well in The Honey-Don't List.  At least for Jim and Carey (and yes, there's a Jim Carrey joke in the book).  The bond that burgeons between our hapless-in-Hollywood (okay, Jackson, Wyoming) heroes rings true because it's spurred by the soul-crushing egos of the show's married yet miserable stars.  A pressure cooker of a workplace like that is enough to make any two unattached people, however seemingly ill suited, turn to each other for moral support -- and more.  That said, The Honey-Don't List is a fun ride (most of it takes place on a tour bus), perfect in these weeks before Valentine's Day -- or for cleansing your palate after a wrenching read.

Because even with books, the heart wants what the heart wants . . . after being exposed to it a gazillion times.

From Pals to Wow: Catfish Tales That Tip the Scales

Christina Lauren's novels are fun.  Breezy and clever and steamy and sweet, these rom coms get right to the heart of romance.  And now I count 2018's My Favorite Half-Night Stand as one of my, well, favorites.

Millie and Reid have been friends for years.  They're both professors at UC Santa Barbara; Millie is a criminologist with a focus on female serial killers (so don't mess with her!), and Reid is a neuroscientist.  Millie is a hoot but closed off, whereas Reid is introspective and -- holy grail of men -- in touch with his emotions.  Three other academics round out their Y-chromosome-heavy circle: earnest Chris, sexy Alex, and never-quite-grew-up Ed.  Which is just fine with Millie.  As a tomboy with no female friends, she feels at home with "her boys" and their antics, right down to a running gag that involves gifting Chris with rooster paraphernalia.

Then one drunken night, Millie and Reid end up in bed.  As if this doesn't throw enough of a monkey wrench into things, the five friends sign up for a pricey but vetted online dating app called IRL to find plus-ones for an upcoming gala.  Millie adopts a fake persona in an attempt to weed out the creeps (of which there are many, even in this Cadillac of matchmaking platforms) and discovers that she's 98% compatible with none other than, you guessed it, Reid.  Under the guise of her made-up moniker Catherine (chosen because it's her middle name, not because it sounds like "catfish," which she thinks is "just a show on MTV"),  Millie feels free to open up to Reid in ways she can't in real life (pun intended).  Reid is instantly hooked and finds himself falling.  Still, he doesn't know whether to pursue this "new" woman or Millie or Daisy, the buxom bimbo (hey, it wouldn't be a rom com without one!) with whom he also matched on the app.

Is a mistaken identity plot a little contrived?  To be sure.  Yet Christina and Lauren (for this is a writing team) deftly craft theirs to reveal the depths of their characters, so I gave it a pass.  Plus, as a sucker for friends-to-lovers tropes, getting-to-know-you love letters, and sweet and nerdy (but still cute!) male leads, I triple-hearted My Favorite Half-Night Stand.💖💖💖      

Daydream Weaver, Cabin Fever: Wording My Way Back to Two

When I first saw Christina Lauren's Love & Other Words pop up on Amazon, I thought of the movie Love & Other Drugs, which I'd very much liked.  Also, this unknown-to-me-book was less than ten dollars.  So, you know, add to cart.

And what a good get it was.

Sometimes you have to kiss a few frogs to find your soulmate.  Other times, you meet him at thirteen.  Such is the case for Macy Sorensen.  But that doesn't mean her love story runs smoothly.  Far from it, in fact, from the very first moment she sets eyes on Elliot Petropoulos.  

The authors (for Christina Lauren isn't one person, but a dynamic duo writing team) toggle between Macy and Elliot's teens and twenties.  Telling the story this way amplifies the angst and awkwardness of their early years, especially when slammed up against their grown-up present.  

It all starts when Macy and her dad buy the cabin next to the Petropoulos' as a way to start over after Macy's mom's death.  Tucked away in the wilds of northern California, it's an ideal refuge, and the big, boisterous Petropoulos clan welcomes them with open arms.  Even skinny, nerdy Elliot, the only person Macy has ever met who loves books as much as she does.  The two spend every spare moment in the converted closet that is Macy's library, reading, talking about their favorite books, and playing a game best called what's your favorite word?  Elliot is comfortable and never treats Macy like "the girl with the dead mother."  Yet at the same time, he challenges her, his curiosity making him bold and giving her the courage to be bold too.  It's years before their friendship ripens into a surprisingly steamy romance, but the wait makes it even sweeter.  So when their paths cross a decade later, the question is, how do they get back to the book bubble they shared before the real world tore them apart?

I've read three other Christina Lauren books, and Love & Other Words is my favorite.  The split timeline allows for suspense and surprises, adding layers to an already poignant tale.

Because when it comes to love, sometimes words aren't enough.  But sometimes they mean everything.

Ptomaine Gain: Hawaii, Here We Come

Imagine that you land an all-expense-paid luxury vacation in Maui.  Each day is filled with five-star meals, postcard-perfect sunsets, and lazy afternoons by the pool.  Now imagine that you're only there because your twin sister and her husband got food poisoning from the seafood buffet at their wedding.  And that your travel buddy is the groom's brother -- also known as the dude you hate most.

Now you've got the hang of Christina Lauren's The Unhoneymooners.  Olive Torres and Ethan Thomas are determined to make the most of their island idyll without killing each other.  Yet other challenges await, including 1) run-ins with randos from home, 2) discovering their siblings' secret, and 3) realizing that they -- gasp -- like each other.  

Entertaining, funny, and surprisingly sweet, The Unhoneymooners is buoyed by banter yet deepened by dialogue that delves much more than sunburn deep.  Will Olive and Ethan's cheeseburger in paradise morph into a meatloaf in Minnesota?  Or will life outside their bubble send them back to the (unsexy kind of) wrestling ring?  I'm not at liberty to say.  But one thing's for sure.  The Unhoneymooners reinforces something I've always known.

No matter what, avoid the buffet.

It's Beginning to Book a Lot Like Christmas

Now that it's December, it's all Christmas all the time, at least when it comes to my reading material.  And just like the season's ugly sweaters, the fluffier the books, the better!  So far, I've read Leslie Meier's Mistletoe Murder and Christina Lauren's In a Holidaze.  And as usual with tales of holiday hijinks, it's the bits about shopping that put me in the spirit.  

In Mistletoe Murder, small-town sleuth Lucy Stone is working the graveyard shift at a wannabe L.L.Bean mail order catalog (this is back in 1991, folks) when her boss is murdered.  Each chapter begins with a description of an item from the catalog, and the compass or knife or ski hat or whatever ends up tying in with the plot.  Cute, no?  Here's one of my favorite listings:

"#5532: An intricately patterned vest knitted in 100% Shetland wool.  Designs include Christmas trees, reindeer, and ice skates.  Dry clean or hand wash.  Natural color with green and red.  Women's sizes: S(6-8), M(10-12), L(14-16), XL(18-20).  $58" (24) 

This little snippet, item number and all, reminds me of picking up the ye olde landline to make a catalog order back in the day.  You'd write what you wanted on the order form, then wait breathlessly while the customer service rep scrolled through her database to see if your must-haves were in stock.  Sometimes, they'd have your size but not your color, and you'd have to make a snap decision whether to go with your second choice or hightail it to the mall.  Online shopping is convenient and all, but it lacks that particular brand of excitement.

What was I talking about?  Oh, right.  The books.    

So, In a Holidaze.  This one's a rom com about time-traveling, lovelorn Maelyn Jones.  Although it offers up mistletoe moments of the toe-curling (spoiler alert: Mae's not lovelorn for long) rather than criminal variety, it's this line about the magic of Christmas presents as opposed to sweet nothings that made me dog-ear the page:

"The pile of gifts under the tree is a hilarious display of adoration, capitalism at work, and our complete inability to moderate ourselves in any way." (258)

People are always going on about how Christmas has gotten too commercial.  And although I totally get the need for kids to understand the reason for the season beyond expanding their Barbie and Hot Wheels collections, I think there's something beautiful about buying your loved ones things you know they'll adore. 

All this, and I haven't even cracked the book called Window Shopping.    

So this Christmas -- or Hanukkah or Kwanzaa or Winter Solstice -- when it comes to reading and retail, I wish you festive stories and hassle-free shopping.

In other words, happy booking and happy looking. :)