Member Review

Mari Cole lives to revitalize indie bookstores. She sees them as havens after her local indie became her refuge from a horrendous home life. So when she gets the chance to go to London and rescue Ross & Co., a classic, once-prestigious old bookstore, she's happy to take on the challenge. Except that its current owner and boss, Leo Ross, wants to keep everything just as his grandfather had it. A battle of wills and forced cooperation will lead both of them to face their past and open their hearts.

It's a very sweet, bookish romance that has some very dark backgrounds for the characters, but doesn't drown in them. I loved how hopeful and reassuring the overall feeling of the book is, even in moments when the characters are at their lowest.

Mari's insistance that she doesn't need anyone and Leo's coldness are both very valid reactions to family trauma, with both of them taking very different approaches to how they deal with them. It makes the fact that they both work through their issues not simply by finding each other but thanks to the support of those around them an excellent point for the book. It's not just two people in a relationship vaccum, they have friends and loved ones willing to help them out.

A lovable fluff read that comes with depth and romance that heals.

Very happy thanks to NetGalley and St. Martin's Griffin for the sweet bookish romance!