New to Marina Adair, I was curious to see what unique qualities she brought to contemporary romances. Right off the bat, I was drawn in by her lovable characters, hilarious and witty banter, and the raw, real depth she gave not only to the main characters but also to the supporting ones in her stories. Within the first few chapters, I knew I was in for a treat.

Summer Russo gives a whole new meaning to the term “hopeless romantic.” Meet-cutes, destiny, love at first sight, forever – these are words that warm her heart and fuel her dedication to her bookstore, All Things Cupid. Unfortunately, romance may have missed the memo. Plagued with meet-uglies and forever living in the shadow of her mirror twin, Autumn, Summer dreams of finding “the one” and getting her own happily-ever-after. That is, right after she deals with the pompous Brit building a behemoth of a bookstore right next to hers!

Shots are fired, and the battle between Wes and Summer rages on. Refusing to back down but desperately needing an escape, Summer turns to her annual vacation with her family for refuge – only to find the enemy darkening her doorstep. Of all the places to be stuck for a week, being trapped with her sister Autumn’s new boyfriend’s brother, who also happens to be the man trying to put her out of business, is downright unforgivable.

All his life, Wes Kingston has been the outsider looking in. Born from an affair and cast aside, Wes learned early on that the only thing that mattered was the bottom line. Love was for fairy tales – money and success were the only things he could rely on. What he didn’t expect was for a spitfire bookstore owner to make him question everything he’d ever believed in.

Determined to keep his distance and stay focused on his job and grand opening, Wes finds himself constantly at odds with Summer – and yet, he’s surprised to find there’s nowhere else he’d rather be. As the stakes escalate, so does the fire burning between them. Can they keep their hearts from becoming casualties of war?

There were so many people and moments in this book that I truly enjoyed, but the two things that stood out the most were Cleo (everyone should have a Cleo in their life!) and the annual games – specifically the scavenger hunt. These moments made me feel like I was part of the family and helped me understand why this vacation was such a cherished annual event and a pivotal turning point between Wes and Summer.

Marina demonstrated immense talent in her ability to manage three parallel storylines, giving each one the love and attention it deserved as it cycled through the classic arcs of introduction, fallout, and resolution.

We followed Wes and Randy as they worked to overcome their estranged relationship as siblings, trying to rebuild their bond. Just as they made progress, the truth of their father’s actions caused everything to fall apart – only for it to be quickly and meaningfully resolved. Similarly, we saw Autumn and Summer’s close relationship begin to deteriorate due to deceit, only to have it beautifully mended.

Finally, the primary focus of the story was Wes and Summer – a classic enemies-to-lovers tale. Through forced proximity, they began to fall for each other, only to have everything come crashing down. Yet, in the end, we were treated to a cherished “love conquers all” finale.

I’ll hand it to Marina – I actually thought I was going to escape the classic third-act breakup. As I approached the finish line, everything seemed to be going well… until a particular chapter title reminded me that, to get that HEA, it has to be threatened first. And boy, did she go all in on the fallout.

Trust be told – I kind of saw it coming, so in the back of my mind, I was anticipating it, but she held out just long enough for me to let my guard down. Just a reminder – never trust a contemporary romance author!

Even though I was enthralled with the book, there was quite a bit of repetition, reiteration, and redundancy. For example, Marina’s references to how Wes ended up in his position were fine the first and second time, but repeating the entire situation each time became somewhat off-putting. The same applies to Summer being a mirror twin. As readers, we understood these details as essential to the characters’ backstories, but they didn’t need to be fully explained every single time they were mentioned.

Despite that, I absolutely loved the humor woven into the spicy moments of the book. These days, spice in a book is a dime a dozen, and for those of us who read a plethora of contemporary romances, it’s easy to feel desensitized to it. You almost need a position or situation unheard of by mankind to really get a reaction.

For Marina, while the traditional spicy scenes were present, it was the humor embedded in those moments that truly stood out. First, even in bed, in the throes of passion, Wes and Summer still managed to argue! And second, the fact that they turned it into a wager to see if they could actually break the bed was absolutely hilarious.

Wes’s backstory, or his “villain origin story,” was so incredibly sad. He was simply a little boy trapped in a grown man’s body, yearning to be enough – to be seen, heard, and loved. He was constantly reminded by his father that he wasn’t wanted and made to feel that who he was would never be enough for his ex.

On that note, that was one aspect I found a little confusing in terms of explanation. At one point, it seemed like his ex left him but tried to come back once he took over the company, and he wasn’t interested. Then, it sounded like they were together and engaged, but she didn’t want to do long distance. Either way, for someone who worked so hard to shut out the world, it was evident how much belonging truly meant to him.

For Summer, it was wonderful to see her stand her ground and not cave. Initially, I was genuinely concerned about the level of codependency she had on her sister, Autumn. However, as we were introduced to the family dynamic as a whole, we were able to see all sides of what could be described as a parasitic yet symbiotic relationship.

I’m happy that, despite her differences from Wes, Summer never abandoned her “love conquers all” belief. She stayed true to the power of love – even in the darkest moments.

For those who caught the undertones, Marina beautifully blended in the love of Pride and Prejudice along with The Princess Bride. From the dog being named Princess Buttercup, to Wes as the male protagonist – named after Cary Elwes’s character Westley – and, of course, the line that still makes every woman swoon to this day. There may have been other references, but those were the most obvious ones that stood out to me.