Noelle Shepard is unemployed, living with her parents, and grieving the loss of her beloved grandmother when she discovers decades-old photos of Gram and a smitten man, tucked alongside a love letter. She creates a TikTok to search for the mystery man, which goes viral, and she’s shocked when his grandson responds—a man who happens to be her high school nemesis, Theo Spencer.
Noelle refuses to let Theo’s annoying accomplishments in adulthood—or his sexy smirk—stand in the way of meeting his grandfather and unlocking the secrets he knew about her gram as a young woman. When she learns that their plans to elope were thwarted, Noelle decides to take the honeymoon road trip they planned but never got to carry out. There’s a catch, though: Paul, Theo’s grandfather, asks to come with her, and he insists that Theo join them.
It’ll be a miracle if they make it through the trip without Noelle throwing Theo out of the moving car—or the bed they end up sharing. As the miles tick by, the tension simmers hotter between them…until she discovers that Theo’s hiding a secret that could cause their tenuous relationship to end before it can restart.
Release Date: Jul 11, 2023
Heat Level: Hot
Publisher: Penguin Group
Imprint: Berkley
Price: $10.99
Noelle is not pleased with her life at the moment. She is stuck at home with no job and grieving her grandmother. She can’t seem to shake her rut until she discovers old letters her grandmother had hidden away. There is even a picture of her with a mysterious man. Eager to learn more about her grandmother’s past, Noelle posts it on her TikTok page and garnishes the attention of the elderly man who was her grandmother’s former beau.
She agrees to meet with the gentleman but she didn’t anticipate that his grandson would be her nemesis from high school. Theo is not the same guy she remembers, but he is still kind of aloof and distant. His grandfather, Paul, reveals that he and her grandmother were to elope and go on a honeymoon. Since they never got to do it, Noelle decides to explore the place for herself. Paul and Theo opt to go with her.
I really did enjoy this heartwarming romance. It is very interesting how authors are using social media in romance novels. Some can do it right and others rely to much on it to carry the story. Ms. Joyce uses it to jumpstart the introduction of the hero and heroine but doesn’t rely on that to carry the entire the story. There is enough with Paul and Kathleen’s romance plus the new budding romance with Theo and Noelle, to keep a reader’s interest.
I really love that along the way, Theo and Noelle’s relationship got to slowly shift towards more. They both seem eager to be in something and if I’m being honest, the angst could have been more intense. The sweetness of the romance needed just a bit of edge to make this 100% perfect. The two learn more about themselves and are able to open up and finish what their grandparent never could.
This debut novel is definitely one to read. I recommend it for contemporary romance lovers. I’m anticipating more, and Ms. Joyce has officially put herself on my radar.
~ Samantha
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