May Fredericks hates New York. Which is fair enough, since New York seems to hate her back. After relocating to Manhattan from the Midwest to be with her long-distance boyfriend, NFL quarterback Thor Einarsson, May receives the world’s worst marriage proposal, stabs the jerk with a shrimp fork, and storms off alone—only to get mugged. Now she’s got no phone, no cash, and no friends. How’s a nice girl supposed to get back to safe, sensible Wisconsin?
Frankly, Ben Hausman couldn’t care less. Sure, it’s not every day he meets a genuine, down-to-earth woman like May—especially in a dive in the Village—but he’s recovering from an ugly divorce that cost him his restaurant. He wants to be left alone to start over and become a better man. Then again, playing the white knight to May’s sexy damsel in distress would be an excellent place to start—if only he can give her one very good reason to love New York.
May Fredericks is having a crap day. Her NFL superstar boyfriend just gave her a crappy proposal in front of the world and she stabs him with a fork. The video is viral and the reporters are chasing her. She escapes but only to be mugged. Hiding out in a NYC bar, she tries to come up with a plan for what is next in her life. She tries to coax the guy in the bar into a conversation but he is the most standoffish man she has ever met.
Ben Hausman is waiting for his friend and the girl in the bar next to him is trying so hard to strike up a conversation. It’s not on his list of things to do this that day. His friend convinces him to stop being mean and strike up a conversation with May. She is going through a lot and he offers to help her against his better judgment.
The two start a weird friendship that leads to something so much more. Two people with some serious baggage find their way together in the big apple. I liked the premise and the unconventional story. Ben’s background as a chef turn beekeeper is interesting since I can’t imagine being a lucrative one in NYC.
I’m truly amazed at the author’s ability to take a surly character like Ben and make me like him. Gosh, he is such a downer but I liked his realism. He is a bitter divorcee trying to figure out how he got himself in a jam where he can’t open another restaurant for another year and spill the beans that he is the chef behind his ex-wife’s famous cookbook. He lost a piece of himself and May’s kindness brings back memories of the guy he used to be.
I found it harder to relate to May since she is on a path of self discovery. She doesn’t know who she wants to be. She does what is expected of her except when she denies her fiancé’s proposal. She can’t stand up to her parents. She wonders around New York like a lost puppy but Ben forces her to deal with her emotions head on.
I’m biased but I love books about New York City but I have to admit that the sightseeing scenes were my least favorite. I got nothing out of them and wanted to skim them. I wondered why Ben wasn’t taking his apartment search so serious. I thought they should have hit the pavement in an apartment search.
I loved when May finally went home and I got the chance to understand her as a real person. She finally learned how to stand on her own and accept who she really is. I want to know about her sister Allie and Matt. I look forward to the next book.
Reviewed by Samantha
Heat Level: Hot
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