The Tourist Attraction by Sarah Morgenthaler
Moose Springs, Alaska #1
Contemporary Romance
May 5, 2020 by Sourcebooks Casablanca
ARC
I think it was the grumpy hero in the blurb that clinched the deal for me as far as snapping up this book for review. I was expecting a fun, easy read and that’s exactly what I got. The Tourist Attraction is the book equivalent of a Hallmark movie. Beautiful small town touristy setting, quirky characters, a couple of “awww” inducing pets for comic relief, and a sweet romance.
Zoey Caldwell is our heroine and she has scrimped and saved every dime she has made as a truck stop waitress to save up for her dream vacation to Alaska. Now she is there and determined to do all the things she’s always dreamed of doing. She ends up at The Tourist Trap, a burger joint run by Moose Springs native Graham Barnett, when her good friend and vacation buddy Lana suggests the local hot spot.
She and Graham hit it off pretty quickly, even though he normally hates tourists. Their chemistry is what makes this story interesting and kept me reading even when I thought it dragged a bit in the middle. There were a lot of fun moments with both witty banter and physical humor. The sex scenes are fade to black, which had me a bit grumpy, but I will admit worked for this book. This author saves the conflict for the very end, and I appreciated the low angst.
This is one story that perfectly reflects its cutesy, illustrated cover. I had a good time getting to know this world and look forward to catching up with a few characters and storylines in future installments.
Final grade- B-
Dear Enemy by Kristen Callihan
Contemporary Romance
March 31, 2020 by Montlake
ARC
I’m not a huge fan of enemies to lovers and even less of a fan when the hero’s ex is the heroine’s sister… but, if anyone can make this work for me it’s Kristen Callihan.
I wasn’t sure I was going to like this book after the first chapter where the author takes readers back in time to see the main protagonists in their childhood verbally abusing each other. The last scene at the prom had me wincing and angry, but I kept reading and believe it or not, I ended up enjoying this book.
I think what ultimately kept me reading was the chemistry between Macon and Delilah. It just jumped off the page, I mean you could practically see the sparks between them. As soon as they appeared in present day and readers finally get into Macon’s head I knew that all was not as it appeared. And it wasn’t. I’m not sure some of the reasons for the hero’s childhood behavior toward the heroine can ever be excused, but at least it can be explained just a bit. I did think this author did a good job of slowly building their relationship from enemies to lovers and resolving all the issues between them.
This is definitely a slow burn romance and I thought they would never get to the sexy times. But when they finally did… wowza.
All in all, not my favorite by this author, but a solid, enjoyable read.
Final grade- B
I was ambivalent about DEAR ENEMY, in part because of the bullying—I have a big problem with books where a woman falls for the guy who bullied her in school—but also because I really wanted to get more of a handle on the sister: why was everyone around her willing to forgive her awful (and, at times, criminal) behavior and bend over backwards to make things easier for her and give her a second/third/fourth chance? Once the actual slow-burn romance got underway, I enjoyed the book, but I’d have to give it a qualified recommendation because of the bullying and not e much the behavior of the sister but the enabling behavior of the people around her.
I think if this was any other author I might not have enjoyed this book as much. There is just something about Kristen Callihan’s voice that I love. I do agree about the sister though, I kind of wish that part of the story was resolved a bit better than just Delilah walking out of the house and leaving her behind.
I picked up this book not knowing anything about it. When I realized it was bullyish, I was hesitant but I love Callihan’s voice. This wasn’t a huge hit for me but I did enjoy it enough to be at least moderately invested in the couple.
I finally got a chance to read The Tourist Attraction after seeing your review here last year, Angela. It was a fun read that made me laugh.
Have you read A Christmas Bun for Ulysses: A Moose Springs, Alaska Story by Sarah Morgenthaler? It’s free and available here ~ https://issuu.com/sourcebooksmarketing/docs/a_christmas_bun_for_ulysses?ff