Overall Take:
If you are looking for a fun read with a little spice, then I recommend buying a copy of this one.
Star Rating:
4 Stars
Genre:
Contemporary Romance
Synopsis:
Seven years ago, Cord fell in love with Pearl, but he couldn’t have her. Now she’s back in his life and Pearl’s not in the position to be able to fall in love.
Pearl was just appointed acting director of OurCode, a nonprofit aimed at inspiring high schoolers to code. With a scandal threatening her position, seeing Cord suddenly on the board further threatens things for her.
Cord fell for Pearl hard all those years ago and he’s never recovered. He wants Pearl, but outing their relationship might derails Pearls career.
They’re both nervous to put their feelings on the line and take some risks.
Thoughts:
I really enjoyed the characters, but above all I am a sucker for a great cat. And Cord’s cat was the best side character. I am a true sucker for a man who loves cats, so I immediately liked Cord. Writing good side characters, human and non-human alike, can be tricky, and the author did a fantastic job.
I loved the flashback chapters because we got glimpses into how they originally fell for each other. This was made even better with the dual point of view chapters. Dual POV is my favorite way to enjoy romance books, so I was smitten with this. The chemistry between Cord and Pearl was amazing and sizzled off the page. While there weren’t many spicy scenes, the ones that were present were wonderful.
The miscommunication trope is a hard one for me at times, but in this case, it worked as both characters really wanted to work things out. I think that it only works well for me when the miscommunication is believable, which it was.
Second chance romance is also another one that can be a miss for me, but again it worked in this case. This author just did a fantastic job writing some difficult tropes.
I also enjoyed the women in STEM rep. I feel that even today it is hard to get this representation, so when I come across a book where it is done well, I fall in love. It’s a topic that is close to my heart because I work in STEM and it can be difficult, so it’s nice to see it being brought to life.
This was my first book by this author, but I really enjoyed it and can’t wait to read more. If you are looking for a wonderful second chance romance and a miscommunication trope that just worked, then I recommend you check this one out.
Thanks for my copy to:
Berkley Publishing, @berkleypub, and Berkley Romance @Berkleyromance and Netgalley @netgalley for this e-ARC in exchange for an honest review.
Publication Date:
December 5, 2023
Page Length:
384 Pages
Availability:
Amazon link: Affiliate Link
