⭐⭐

Belle is devastated after her fiancée, Ed, disappears on their wedding day. He never made it to the church on time, and she never had any kind of contact with him after. Six long years later, and Belle is still stuck half in love with Ed, but also still angry at him. She hides this really well from her sister and her best friend. At the office, there is a tentative romance brewing between her and Nate, a senior journalist for the paper.

There was a very unexpected, shocking twist there in the middle. And for a few seconds, I was completely thrown for a loop. This added an element to the story that I did not expect at all. It wasn’t bad per se, but up until then, I wouldn’t have said it fit in with the story. But if you can assemble this new bit of information, then it works all right with the rest of the story.

I did not buy Belle and Nate as a couple. Their entire relationship consisted of a view furtive looks at the office, some mild flirting, and plenty of misunderstandings. There really wasn’t any kind of relationship development between them. I think they spent more time at odds with each other, than trying to get to know one another. And Belle’s time was a bit consumed with all kinds of other shenanigans.

So, it was okay. I did find it interesting enough to read until the end. I agree with other reviewers that the writing is excellent, and this book certainly did not put me off reading other books by the same author.

Thank you to the publisher and Netgalley for providing me with an ARC. All thoughts and opinions are my own.

Was I hooked by this book? Not really, no.

Genre: Contemporary Romance