When you swear off men for the foreseeable future, that means no dating. Hookups don’t count, right?
Harper Ryland has been on a self-imposed man ban for the last twelve months, after a particularly horrible breakup. Instead, she’s focusing on the one thing she can control: her career as an up-and-coming food stylist. Harper’s latest gig is her best friend’s wedding, and she receives glowing praise throughout the night. When the Best Man, Manny Gomes, belittles her hard work, she wants to stab him with skewers from the buffet table, but she can think of something much better: to lead him on the entire wedding and then humiliate him in sweet revenge.
When the handsome Anglo-Indian doctor shows up in New Zealand a week later, while Harper’s on her first international job, it’s the last thing she needs. Everything about him rubs her the wrong way, but when suave Manny steps in to help after an unfortunate disaster, his chivalry gets under her skin a little, and Harper discovers lifting her ban while overseas is exactly what the doctor ordered.
Manny isn’t looking for anything but fun either–especially not marriage, like his grandmother Izzy keeps pushing on him. But there’s something about Harper that makes him want more, even though she keeps her distance, and they’re about to discover how far he’s willing to go to be with her. . . .
Release Date: Jul 27, 2021
Heat Level: Sensual
Publisher: Penguin Group
Imprint: Berkley
Price: $9.99
Harper is content with focusing on her career. Her last relationship ended badly after she reveal some personal information to her ex-boyfriend, so she rather focus on the other areas of her life. Romance is the last thing she wants but she soon finds herself very attracted to Manny Gomes after their encounter at a friend’s wedding.
Manny is avoiding marriage by any means necessary. His grandmother is on the hunt for him to find a perfect Anglo-Indian wife. He flirts with Harper all night long knowing that his grandmother would not approve since she is not Indian. The harmless flirting becomes something more as he gets to know Harper better.
Harper is sent on a work trip in New Zealand and runs into Manny. The sparks start to fly as he offers to help her out. I really enjoyed the sexual tension between Harper and Manny. The heat level is just smoldering. I didn’t like how the author had Manny talk about what he wanted to do to Harper in detail but when it came down to it, she faded the scene to black almost. It was told in the next chapter.
They enter a relationship rather quickly. I expected a bit more angst and fight but it seems natural for these mature adults to fall in love. Harper reveals herself to Manny in a raw and vulnerable way and he easily looks past it and accepts her for who she is.
A brief misunderstanding takes place and brings drama into the relationship. Of course, the ending is smoothed out so quickly and easily that I almost felt the little drama didn’t need to occur.
I will say that I’m not sure if this is part of a series but there are lot of characters and couples who seem to have back stories. You won’t get lost in the story but I think it can enhance the overall feeling.
Overall, this is a quick and humorous read that I would recommend to contemporary romance lovers.
~ Samantha
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