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Book Smart, an all new friends-to-lovers sweet romance by debut author Amanda Pennington, is available now in Kindle Unlimited!
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Melanie Hirsch is tired of watching life pass her byā¦
Iāve spent the last few years watching my dreams of a writing career and true love fade away, settling for a dead-end job and denying my feelings for my best friend ā until I find a list of dating advice for single women to āfind a husbandā in the 1950s. I decide to experiment: try out the 1950s advice on my 21st-century dating pool and write about the results. If love is timeless, some of the dating advice still holds value. Maybe my experiment will launch my writing career. Maybe Iāll get over my best friend and meet someone new. Either way, Iām done watching from the sidelines.
Cameron Whitacre canāt wait foreverā¦
Iāve spent the last few years in love with my best friend, hoping sheāll notice my friendly overtures have more than friendly intentions ā but before I realize whatās happening, she declares me her wingman for a dating experiment. This idea could launch her writing career, so Iām trying to be supportive. But her experiment turns my life into a desperation-fueled dumpster fire. I need to show her how I feel without jeopardizing our friendship, all before she falls for someone else.
āBook Smartā is a full-length contemporary romance and can be read as a standalone. Book #3 in the Work For It series, Educated Romance World, Penny Reid Book Universe.
***4 Stars***
A friends to lovers story set in the Pennyverse? Yeah, not gonna say no to that, especially when you add in the whole 1950ās experiment added into the mix. So I dove in and while I enjoyed the journey and loved Cameron, Melanie and many of their friends and family, there was also that feeling like something was missing that would have bumped this baby up another notch when it came to the overall story. But in the end, this was a fun, sweet read filled with great characters, many of whom I'd love more of.
Cameron and Melanie. It was hard to not like these two. They are both good people, with good hearts who have an amazing friendship that anyone would be jealous of. Neither have had picture perfect lives, but theyāve done what needs to be done to live the lives they want.
As for their journey to their HEA. Slow burn is an understatement. Oh my. I love a good slow burn friends to lovers story, LOVE, but man, these two take it to another level. I loved their friendship and it was easy to see how much they truly liked and respected each other, but I didnāt really feel thatā¦thatā¦that thingā¦that gut feeling that there was a simmering, intense passion between them just waiting to explodeā¦ok that sounds a bit much and cheesy, and I'm not talking about smexy times, I'm talking about the build up to it, I just needed that little bit more from them in that arena. But overall, Iām happy they both finally got over themselves and saw what was in front of them this entire time.
For a debut, this was a fun read. I think the author brought some amazing characters to life and I would really love to spend more time with Cameron, Melanie and their friends and family ~ especially Ivy, who I think has a really interesting story to tell. The writing was engaging, but the pacing was a bit slow at times, but overall kept me turning the pages. So, if youāre looking for a slow burn, sweet, fun, friends to lovers read, this is one to check out.
~ Copy provided by Smartypants Romance & voluntarily reviewed ~
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A man with perfect golden-blond hair and a slim-cut suit appeared next to me. He smiled with the bright ease of someone whoās had enough alcohol to lower his inhibitions but not enough to make him obnoxiousāyet.
āI donāt think Iāve seen you here before.ā He gestured at my face with his Guinness.
āIām new here.ā
He grinned. āThis is like a throwback to college days, huh?ā
Not any college Iād ever been to.
āRight,ā I said, āthose good olā days.ā
āSo tell me.ā He stepped closer. āAre you here for the business or the fun?ā
My best friend Ivy hadnāt mentioned which business we were supposed to be involved in, soāāIām here for the fun.ā
Guinnessās smile took on an edge. āExcellent. Want to dance?ā
Glancing around for Cameron and Ivy, I couldnāt spot them. The lone bartender was busy with a large crowd, so Cameron would be a long while, and Ivy mustāve been tied up with the host. Besides, wasnāt the point of being here to meet someone new? āSure.ā
We moved to the dance floor at the edge of the pool, swaying with the bass. The light of the chandelier above us cast a glow over everyone, and Guinness looked charming in the glass refractions, his golden hair glinting.
His lips brushed my ear. āYouāre beautiful.ā
It was nice, feeling charmed.
I took a breath to answer him with my own complimentāprobably about his pretty hairāwhen my gaze locked on Cameron. He stood across the room, leaning one shoulder against an exposed pillar. I smiled at him, but he didnāt return it. He just stared. My rhythm faltered. Tossing back the last of his drinkāwhich actually might have been the gin and tonic he got for meāhe moved through the crowd without the ease and friendliness heād had earlier. No mischief lit his face. He didnāt look away from meānot onceāand I forgot that Guinness existed at all.
Cameron broke eye contact when he reached us, glancing at Guinness before opening his mouth to speak.
The crowd on the dance floor surged, jostling us toward the pool. Cameronās hands reached for me at the same moment Guinness let go of me. An instant passed as we fell into the pool, and then warm, chlorinated water surged up my nose. Even though I didnāt stay under for long, I gulped breaths when my head broke through the surface of the water. The shock of suddenly being in the water, not to mention Cameronās actions, had left me breathless.
āPool party!ā someone yelledāit sounded like Guinnessāand people jumped in at random. The water churned, and chaos reigned. The suits and tuxedos and gowns made a colorful kaleidoscope in the turquoise water.
Cameron grasped my hand underwater. āAre you okay?ā
āYes. Are you?ā I sputtered around a wave of water when someone cannonballed next to me.
A man swam into view but I didnāt recognize him until he spoke. The dim lighting of the chandelier was replaced with the harsh blue glow of underwater pool lights, and his golden hair was now flat against his head. He looked completely different. Wet Guinness was not at all attractive.
āDid you bring a swimsuit?ā Guinness asked.
Irritation jabbed at me. Did I look like I was expecting a late-night swim? āNo.ā
He grinned. āI donāt mind.ā
And that was my cue to leave. I already felt disoriented from the surprise swim, but this? It wasnāt his fault we were in the pool, or that he looked bad without his golden hair, but it was his fault for suggesting skinny-dipping at this exact moment.
Book note: The appeal of skinny-dipping relies entirely on the context.
I turned away and followed Cameron to the edge of the pool, moving through the water in that vaguely weightless, slow stride Iād seen Grandma use in her water aerobics classes. He climbed out first and then turned to offer me a hand.
I looked up. Oh.
Mr. Darcy at the lake had nothing on Cameron emerging from the pool. Clingy, wet clothes; rivulets of water streaming down his chest; his cowlick sticking on end even as it dripped. Frantically looking away, I took his hand. I couldnāt let Cameron see me staringāheād never let me live it down.
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About Amanda Pennington
Amanda Pennington lives outside Louisville, Kentucky with her husband in their fixer-upper house. When sheās not writing, Amanda loves traveling, running, and reading anything within reach. More information is available at www.amandacpennington.com.
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Book Smart by Amanda Pennington
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