The Gossip (New Wave Newsroom Book 2)
Publication Date: October 4, 2016
New Adult Romance
Self-Published

Reviewed by Kini

Dawn Hathaway is a realist. She’s not the smartest girl at Allenhurst College. She’s not the prettiest, either. So if she wants to be popular, she’ll need something else: power. What better way to get it than to start a gossip column in the campus newspaper? If she has to commit a few minor crimes in pursuit of the latest scoop, what’s the harm?

Arturo Perez loves being a campus cop. He knows Allenhurst’s nooks and crannies—and lately he’s been finding the campus gossip snooping into every one of them. He can’t deny that he enjoys bantering with the sassy schemer. But he also can’t shake the sense that there’s more going on with Dawn than meets the eye.

When tragedy strikes and Dawn needs help, how far will Arturo go to protect her?

This novella is second in a series, but could be read as a stand alone. This is a quick read and could be described as a slow burn romance. The book is told from dual POV, which was very helpful. I liked this one better than The Fixer, but it had a heaviness to it that The Fixer didn’t.

Dawn and Arturo meet when she’s a freshman and he is 28. It’s not pervy, I swear. The story is told through their interactions over the years. They have a really cute back and forth between them. Sometimes with novellas I feel like I am missing things because the story feels rushed, Jenny Holiday does a fantastic job in not making me feel like this. The characters still feel fully formed and have growth. It had a good mix of funny and emotional moments.

Favorite quotes:

Arturo being swoon-worthy. “Dawn, he said again, very low, almost whispering, but with an urgency that made it seem like he was shouting. “I see you, Dawn. I see you”

Dawn: “I want you to touch me,” I said, getting the hang of this continuous-consent thing. Hell, I was getting off on it. Being able to tell him exactly what I wanted and have him comply was a huge turn-on.” Arturo is all about consent and once again an author manages to make it sexy.

Arturo solidifying his swoon-worthiness “And because I wanted to be the sort of man who was worthy of you.”

Even though technically new adult, it doesn’t have the high angst levels that are sometimes found in that genre. And the angst that was there, was appropriate for the characters and not at over the top levels. I look forward to reading the next in this series.

Grade: B+

Author Site l Goodreads
Amazon l Nook