hen I read this was going to be laugh out loud funny, I could NOT wait. Sadly for me, it never did happen. It was an ok book, but at times, I was a little bored to be honest.

Kit and Kate were ok characters.

I took a little while to get into this, finding it predictably written at the beginning. It wasn't until Katharine left London to set up her gallery (don't worry - not a spoiler, it's in the synopsis) that I feel like everything really fell into place. The characters became more rounded, with their flaws and perfections. The dialogue got funnier. The pace lifted. More than anything, I was enthralled by a romantic story that doesn't feature a perfect protagonist. Katharine has her own faults, as many as the other characters, if not more, but it is learning about these herself that makes her the perfect narrator.

On another note: Kit. Swoon.

This was an interesting take on the trope of a heroine who loses her job and boyfriend at the same time and moves home to start all over. The difference is that the heroine, Katharine, is the one who quit her job after she got passed over for a promotion because she wasn’t one of the guys. And she gave her boyfriend the heave-ho once she came to the realization that he was never going to treat her seriously.

She moves back to her hometown in Sheffield and decides to fulfill her long-held desire of opening her own art gallery. And she decides that the mysterious local artist, Kit, would be the perfect artist to showcase in her gallery. Unfortunately, she didn’t hit it off with him from the beginning and he’s quite resistant to her attempts to show his art.

The story is leisurely told. We follow along with quite a lot of detail about the house she leases for her new gallery and all the work she’s putting in to paint it and get it ready. She has several encounters with Kit and it takes a while for the two of them to lose their mutual antagonism and see what is worthwhile in the other. Their attraction builds slowly.

At first I was a little irritated with Katharine as she jumps into this new career and investment without much idea of which artists she was going to show. But I got more and more interested in her and her plan and her growing relationship with Kit. I ended up staying up late to finish the novel and didn’t regret it one bit.

I voluntarily reviewed an advanced reader copy of this book that I received from Netgalley; however, the opinions are my own and I did not receive any compensation for my review.

Accidentally in Love is a delightful distraction. Katharine’s life as she knows it is falling apart. She quit her job after being passed over for a big promotion that she has been working years to achieve and she can’t get her “boyfriend” to commit. Katharine goes home to visit her family for the weekend and comes up with the crazy, spur of the moment decision to move back to her hometown and to open her own art gallery. One of the first people she meets when she comes back is Christopher. Christopher doubts everything about Katharine. Can she really give up the big city living she is accustomed to in London? Can she settle for showing local artists instead big names at her new gallery? Katharine is determined to prove him wrong and both of them are surprised when sparks between them start to fly.

I love it when a funny story is combined with a cracking protagonist. This book has both plus a terrific side show of characters which make you feel like you are right in the middle of things. It’s a pretty easy read which is what we all want from time to time. One to take on holiday and leave behind for someone else to enjoy!

I read this book as part of the blog tour organised by Rachel's Random Resources. Special thanks to Netgalley and HQ Digital for the e-ARC in exchange for an honest review.

Wooh, did this book send me on an unexpected rollercoaster of emotions or what?! My moods have been swinging erratically lately and as a mood reader that means I've found it difficult to stick to a book...until I picked up Accidentally in Love! This had everything I love to read in a romance: cheeky banter, sarcastic/dry humour, enemies-to-lovers, eccentric families and tight sibling relationships, interesting friendships, and realistic and relatable characters. Although the story meanders at an often slow pace, I found myself so quickly invested in their lives that I didn't mind that it took a bit of time to reach our end goal. As I have many artist friends in real life, I appreciated the art aspect to the story because I've been in some of these situations myself when helping them, but if you're not into art/art scene, I would keep in mind that it's a big part of the story.

I loved Katharine's character and found it motivating that she was so sure of what she wanted, knew what she deserved, and 100% pulled through on her vision for herself and her future. I found it very easy to relate to her because a lot of her thoughts and the things that she experiences in the story (especially in her friendship with Lainey) are things that I've also thought and experienced myself in recent years. She's someone I could see myself being friends with and I found myself rooting for her throughout all her many ups and downs; I really felt her heartbreak but also her excitement and joy for what's to come. What I also really appreciated was that she was willing to admit her flaws, even though it took a bit of time, and that she was also willing to grow and learn from others.

As I mentioned, the relationships in this story are wonderful. Although I found myself dubious about Kit and his ability to be charming, once they both admitted their errors, the chemistry between them was INTENSE! Oof, I felt that chemistry jumping out my screen and the slow burn and anticipation of 'will they/won't they' was so sweet and ultimately satisfying. I do think Kit acted immaturely at times but I also understood his insecurities and fears. I loved Katharine's family. Her father and Fiona were super quirky free spirited parents that made me want to be friends with them, but I especially loved her relationship with her brother, Adam. It's been a while since I've read such a fun and supportive relationship between brother and sister (usually it's sister-sister) but I was 100% here for this! I just want a story about Adam now, please? He's definitely a romance hero I can get behind!

TL;DR: This was the romance that I didn't know I needed in my life right now. Although it's not very fast paced, and it talks a lot about art/curating and the 'every day life' activities of our MC, it had all the elements that make me fall head over feet for characters and had me rooting for that HEA all the way through. I'm so glad that this was put on my radar and I can't wait to read more from this author!

This book had everything I look for in a modern rom com. Witty banter, a little heart break, and an enemies to lovers story line always makes for a good story.

While I loved the journey for Christopher and Katharine some of the other non romantic relationships in the story are what stood out to me.

Katharine’s relationship with her best friend Lainey I felt like was an honest portrayal of how friendships change during big life events. But her brother showing up when she needed him most and always have her back in an honest way only family can do shows how family always is there for you.

Mostly though I loved her relationship with Fiona and how clearly Fiona adores her role in the family. From the moment Katharine is back she goes out of her way to make her feel welcome and take care of her while never overstepping and in turn Katharine and Adam show their gratitude in the best ways they know how.

I’ll read any romance based in London and loved the writing in this one. It was a quick light read but wasn’t cheesy or over done and will definitely checkout more of Belindas books.

When Katharine is passed over for a deserved promotion at a London art gallery, she decides to take a huge risk and move back home to open her own art gallery. Where she meets Kit, an artist who hasn’t shown his paintings anywhere for years, and who doesn’t seem to like her very much.

Accidentally in Love is a fun romance filled with witty banter, and a journey to restart her life. She learns to demand more for herself, that she has some not easy to acknowledge faults, and that some relationships don’t survive the uprooting of an old life to a new one. A fun and enjoyable read!

Thanks to the publisher for providing me a free copy via netgalley in exchange for my honest review!

Accidentally in Love by Belinda Missen | review.

Genre: Romance.

Rating: Four stars.

I read this book after a stack of dark thrillers and it was PERFECTION. Seriously, I spent one entire Saturday cuddled up with this book enjoying it’s sweet and carefree story.

Katherine is at a crossroads in life when within a week she quits her job, moves home and decides to start her own art gallery.

Of course, there is a fun romance in Accidentally in Love, but it also focuses a lot with Katherine’s other relationships- her brother, her step mother, and her best friend. I think they were my favorite part!

I also really enjoyed reading about the opening your own art gallery and I appreciated how good Katherine was at her own job.

I enjoyed Accidentally in Love!

Thanks you to HQStories and Netgalley for an ARC in exchange for an honest review

I'm going to be honest, I never finished this book. I only got myself 50% through it before deciding to call it quits. And it honestly pains me that I never got around to finishing it.

When I requested this book, I thought it would be a fun, light romance with the perfect swoon worthy couple. That sadly wasn't the case. I really expected way more out of this book, but I just couldn't get myself to connect with the characters at all. There was so much space given to the project that it took me - more than once - out of the story. Everything just felt so bland. No chemistry at all.

Despite this book not working for me, I really hope it works for someone else.

This was a cute read!

Nothing too insane or wild, just a pretty mellow romance and sometimes that’s all I need

I feel like this book was a bit too slow for me.....I was never really 100% invested in the characters so it made it difficult for me to fully enjoy

<i>ARC provided by publisher via Netgalley <3 Thank you!</i>

I was taken by surprise by this book; it starts off being about a woman in her 30s in London who is at a crossroads—personally and professionally—and ended up making me cry with its look at family dynamics and art.
Kate is a curator at a gallery in London. When she’s denied a promotion, she abruptly quits and decides to move home to Sheffield and start her own gallery. Her love interest, Kit, is an artist living in her hometown and working part time at her father’s art supply shop. At first they can’t stand each other, and then Kate realizes she wants Kit’s art as the first exhibition in her gallery, and Kit of course refuses and they argue and sparks fly.

I love competence porn in romances. Kate is good at her job, and the book shows us this in big and small ways throughout. Her family shows up often and is lovely.

The most frustrating part of the book was the part of the plot where boy and girl part. It didn’t feel realistic from Kit’s perspective that he would do what he did, and when boy and girl reunite, I wanted more scenes showing them after the reunion.

Would love a sequel about Adam.

All told, I really enjoyed this and recommend it to anyone who likes contemporary British romances about people in their thirties.

*I received an ARC from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.*

Solid 4.25 for an ARC generously provided by Netgalley in exchange for an honest review.

I really enjoyed this book. It was funny, and sweet, and the relationship between Katherine and her stepmother Fiona developed in a realistic way. Katherine's relationship with her best friend Lainey shifted throughout the book, and that was explored nicely, as was her mutually supportive relationship with her older brother, Adam. Katherine was well developed, and we got just enough of her friends and family to imagine her as a real person in a real world.

The hero Kit was a typical rom-com handsome, smart, wounded, asshole. We were told that Kit and Katherine were the same sort of person, the opposite gender version of each other. Whilst I totally didn't see that, I did enjoy their prickly banter and their mutual all-in capitulation to lust and affection (though love seemed a bit rushed). I liked Kit, but he wasn't as fully developed as Katherine (and his family was briefly seen early on and then totally dropped).

Whilst I very much enjoyed this book and totally recommend it, I want to be clear. It's not a romance. The love story is secondary to Katherine's narrative of leaving London, changing jobs, and figuring out who she really wants to be. And though there is certainly a happy ending, the romantic resolution is less satisfying than Katherine's professional success and personal growth. Told in single, first-person POV, it's similar to <i>Beach Read</i> and <i>One to Watch</i>, two books I loved but have been dinged as "chick lit" rather than romance.

Thank you to NetGalley and HQ Stories for a copy of this novel in exchange for an honest review.

I loved this book. I have been in a reading rut for a bit now and this put me right back in the game.

The POV is from Katharine, but it does cover the growth of all the characters in the book.
The characters are wonderful, they pull you in and carry you along their journey to a fresh beginning of their lives.
The banter is on point, and the dynamic that Katharine has with everyone else in the novel is relatable. From fights with best friends and the slow burn of love, with a dash of family fun - the book was moving so smooth that I was so surprised it was over so soon.

The plot was a nice little lesson in my eyes - never give up on your dreams. What you want to do. What do you want out of life?
But, also, and I think this is something good for everyone, believe in your decision. Believe in the journey and you'd be shocked where you end up.

The book is your wholesome rom com, and by the end, you're grinning like a maniac and the butterflies in your stomach are fluttering again with the happiness.

I'll be grabbing a copy when it's officially released.

What happens when an art curator and an artist clash? Well, apparently it ends up being a romance between them. The protagonist is Katherine, having just quit her job after not getting a promotion, she returns home and plans on opening her own art gallery. The love interest is Christopher, aka Kit, an artist and art teacher who is friends with Katherine’s dad. The two immediately clash and don’t mix well at their first meeting. Katherine has just broken up with her sort of boyfriend/ friends with benefits, and Kit just screams “closed off”. Here’s the thing, throughout the story I found myself getting a bit irritated with some of Katherine’s choices and Kit made some valid point’s about her character. However, Kit is also not such a great romantic interest, he’s hot and cold at best and honestly, acts a bit like a teenager in regards to how he reacts to his budding relationship with Katherine, the moment something goes wrong he just completely goes off grid and ignores her. Katherine’s character does grow a bit. but if I am being brutally honest, I didn’t much care for her. This story had the potential to be such a great fit for me but it just did not work out. The story started off sort of like enemies to lovers which I adore, but the one thing missing was the actual chemistry between the two characters. I did enjoy Katherine’s relationship with her family, they’re weird and quirky but ultimately love and support each other. I adored that aspect of the story the most. This was all in all, an okay read, and it does drag on a bit and I just felt like it was missing something.

* Thank you Netgalley and HQ for sending me an arc in exchange for an honest review*

I liked this story very much, the detail was very good as were the characters.

I thought that the plot was excellent and it was a really good slow burn romantic read.

The characters were well developed and had some great interaction too, it was a book that made me smile and I loved it for that very reason!

It is 5 stars from me, a lovely story - very highly recommended!

**Thanks to the publisher HQStories and Netgalley for an ARC in exchange for an honest review**

Accidentally In Love is much more than just a romcom! It was wholesome and reminded me of Sally Thorne’s books.

•The plot was really inspirational and jaw droppingly beautiful. Katherine’s confident and her ambitious attitude made me realise that it’s never too late in life to chase your dreams. Kate is a self reliant woman which makes her damn sexy!
•To talk about the lead male character of the book Kit, he’s an artist. Men with artistic qualities are interesting! He’s supportive and extremely sweet. He encourages Kate and has her back.
•The banter between Kate and Kit was so cute, the humour and everything made me giggle a lot. The personal growth of the characters and people close to them were perfect.
One of my favourite quote from the book was “Looking at him from behind the safety of my phone,I feel as if it’s him who’s seeing me for the first time”

This book will be published on 11th September,2020. It’s extremely hilarious and heartwarming. So add it to your September reads list!

Accidentally in Love is one of those books that I enjoyed but didn't really like the main characters. It is about a 35 year old woman who is an art curator looking for new horizons in both her work and personal life. While I enjoyed the storyline, the writing sometimes seemed a bit stilted. I enjoyed visiting the art scene throughout the book. Would I read another book by this author.....yes. It was an enjoyable story and great setting. Thank you to Netgalley for this free ebook in exchange for an honest review.

Katharine, our female lead was such a real person and I was with her every step of the way. I genuinely liked her and rooted for her throughout the book, and this was right from the beginning. I remember grinning at the end of chapter 1's events and nodding to myself that this was going to be a good book. I loved her passion for her work, being good at it, and realizing her own worth. I Her friendship with Lainey was also one of the highlights and again it was real. **spoiler** something happened, and I am glad that the resolution was not picture perfect because life is not that**. I enjoyed her humor and that's one of the highlights of the book - it had great witty banter, and I chuckled so many times when reading.

Now Kit. I must admit he made me quite infuriated. He was very quick to jump into conclusions and was at times so rude. And I am referring to later in the book when I honestly feel he should have known better! However he redeemed himself and I must confess that watching his and Kat's growth was a particularly awesome thing to see.

Another very lovely highlight was the family dynamics between Katie, Adam, their Dad and Fiona. It was so refreshing to read about a normal family where everyone just supports and loves each other without too much trauma. More of this please Romance-world.

The very minor thing I just was unsure about was that for a book set in Britain, it had some American slang. E.g. there was reference to Bob Ross and then Jeopardy and maybe I am wrong and these things are really popular across the pond, but they sort of brought me out of the setting a little.

All in all, I enjoyed this book immensely.

Thanks NetGalley for the ARC

I struggled with this book to be honest. Mhairi McFarlane is one of my favourite authors and seeing this was being compared to her novels really sold it for me. I looked at other reviews before requesting and all seemed to be saying how funny and great the book was so it is maybe my frame of mind but I could not connect with Katherine or the book at all really. I did finish the novel and I enjoyed the last third.
I am sure it will sell well as the cover is great and the book description really sells it well. Thank you to NetGalley and the publishers for allowing me to read a preview copy of this book.