Book Summary: 

Intimacy can be awkward … but someone’s gotta write about it.

Samuel Harthrup — AKA romance novelist Sammie Hart — has lost his mojo. His MasterChef-inspired smash-hit Heat in the Kitchen left readers voracious for a sequel, but Sam’s muse ran off with a hulking, tattooed biker, and his new manuscript is more fizzle than sizzle. Sam needs help – a special ingredient to inspire the spicy scenes his editor (and career) demands.

When the circus rolls into the small town of Moonshine, Sam stumbles upon Anita Fortuna, a psychic who firmly believes that wishing upon a star will make your dreams come true. Together, they resolve to whip his manuscript into shape, and succumbing to personal temptations is not an option – no matter how enticing the offer might be.

On a deadline, and with Sam’s career at stake, can Sam and Anita find the write way for romance, define their own stories, and discover whether words are enough? Or is the whole deal a recipe for disaster?

My Review:

To say I love this book would be far too easy. To say I am head over hills for Sam and Anita would feel repetitive. Instead, I will say I have never read a book where I feel like I could step into the pages. The Write Way For Love engulfs you, pulling you into the small town of Moonshine, Australia. From the hijinks of the townspeople, to the bromance of Reece and Sam, to the magic that is Anita and the circus, you will grow to know, love, and figuratively stand beside them, experiencing all the feels that only an exceptional writer can provide.

In a literary world dominated by female authors, a crafty pseudonym has allowed Samuel Harthrup to make his way in and disturb the status quo. Posing as Sammie Hart (and doing everything in his power to keep his true identity a secret), Samuel couldn’t ask for anything more. With a bestselling, record-breaking romance and a growing fan base demanding a sequel, Samuel’s editorial team is beside itself waiting to get a glimpse at his latest manuscript. Sounds wonderful except the next “epic romance” is turning into an epic fail. Taking advice from his doctor and best friend Reece, Samuel decides to denounce his hermit lifestyle for a night, rejoining the living by heading out to the circus that has come into town. Looking for motivation in the form of liquid courage, Sam suddenly finds himself falling, quite literally, for a gorgeous curvy palm reader. Pulling him from the game bin that he just fell into, Anita Fortuna finds herself drawn to Sam. A kindred spirit in the arts, Anita asks to read Sam’s palms and gets more than she bargains for when he passes out of her (what is with this guy and gravity?!) Enjoying the nuisances of small town hospitality (and hoping for a decent meal for once), Anita ends up playing babysitter in Sam’s apartment. While waiting for Sam to regain consciousness, she discovers a manuscript that must be a comedy because it is either that hilarious or that awful! Not one to bite her tongue, she quickly shares with hungover Sam all the ways he has gone wrong with his romance – creating the missing spark Sam needs to get back on track. Together, can these two pull off the impossible and create the sequel the fans demand without writing a love story of their own?

This book had me laughing from the beginning! I have never encountered someone so at home with his lactose intolerance or room clearing flatulence! Someone please introduce this man to Lactaid. The town of Moonshine itself was such a wonderful community that you couldn’t help fall for the citizens (and secretly hope the author intends to write more about its occupants). From Billie, to Friday, to the librarian, to the Knights! Oh my the Knights! If you need a reason to drop what you are doing and read this book, that group of feisty elders will do it. I also love a good bromance and the interactions between Reece and Sam were just too adorable.

Shifting my attention to the main characters: I love Sam so much! He is just a guy trying his best to hold his space in the world. He isn’t muscle-bound, super wealthy, or drop dead gorgeous. He is just like the rest of us mere mortals with the blessing and disappointments that only life can offer. His insecurities are so relatable and his past will make you want to hug him and promise everything will be ok. Anita didn’t stand a chance and neither did Sam when it came to the “witch” who was so full of life, despite her brother Adrian’s determination to suck it out of her. That is another thing I enjoyed about this book – within it you are introduced to two words – Sam’s and the simple town of Moonshine and Anita’s birthright of Circus de la Fortuna. In most books, the main two characters operate within the same world but different perspectives. For Anita and Sam, we get two layers – different perspectives moving between two different societies with its own sets of rules and hierarchy. 

Brooklyn brought the heat with this book but she kept it so true to the characters that it felt incredibly intimate. As the reader, you bore witness to two people who felt hollow in terms of deserving love from someone. When they come together, you see the ying/yang of their emotional connect and it just beautiful. They complement each other in such a way that if this was a closed book romance, you would still feel the intensity. Add in the poetry of Sam’s seductive food puns and you are just putty.

This book focuses a lot on the impact of family. We are taught to believe that family is who catches you when you fall, who shields you from harm, who has your back and loves you unconditionally. When we meet Sam, we quickly learn the detrimental impact his family had on his upbringing – the constant reminder that he was never wanted, that he ruined life as his parents knew it, that he was the blame for everything that had ever gone wrong. He couldn’t do right by them and still, when they decided to skip town after a horrible accident, Sam would have given anything to have been with them. This left him feeling disposable, unwanted, and unlovable. As he kept saying throughout the book – everyone leaves. For Anita, the loss of her parents also caused her to lose the only family she had left. Instead of growing closer as siblings, she became the symbol of hatred and detest for her brother. From the verbal abuse to the borderline physical abuse, she observed unconditional love as controlling, demanding, demeaning, and toxic. Like Sam, she was never good enough in the eyes of Adrian, she couldn’t do anything right, and she was simply unlovable. We witness how much is stolen from these two main characters but we also see the power of the family we create. We see how much Reece meant to Sam and how Claus, Benny, and Robin loved and supported Anita. We are reminded that family isn’t always who you are born to, but who you choose.

Staying with the heartbreaking story of Sam, I was at a loss for words. How can two people be so cruel? Why would you treat your child like that? Edith was a godsend and the love she has for Sam and Reece was clearly his life preserver. I was destroyed when Anita got out of the car and Sam called after her. For someone who already had abandonment issues, that scene just left me depleted emotionally. 

On a lighter note, Sam’s best friend Reece was my hero in this book. To have someone in your life who has your back like that is a blessing. The way the two of them were together shows the strength of their bond, so much so that I nearly feel over when Anita made the wrong assumption!

What I loved most about this book is as soon as Brooklyn grips your heart with sorrow, she makes it lighter with laughter. The smile this book leaves plastered on your face speaks volumes. Well that and the food puns. Seriously, I was impressed! How she came up with so many was insane! 

I have had the pleasure of reading a lot of Indie authors and Brooklyn is definitely one to watch. I don’t know if she did it intentionally but she has set this book up perfectly for at least two more in the series (hint…hint). I would love to read Reece’s entire story and Adam’s. The town of Moonshine has stolen my heart and I can’t wait to see what other magic it has up its sleeve.