30 Books in 30 Days, Vol. 4
Book 18/30
Alicia Thompson is reliably smart and funny in all her romance books, and her characters have such heart. The setting in this one is also really fun: a tourist attraction in or near Orlando called Cold World, where it is winter all year long. Both of our main characters work there—Asa for over ten years (he’s been there since his family kicked him out for being bisexual), and Lauren for just over two (she is the bookkeeper). Asa and Lauren aren’t enemies as the book opens, but they have an antagonistic relationship with each other (and underlying attraction), because both of them have misjudged the other and don’t actually know the other as well as they think they do. A challenge from their boss to see who can have the best idea to revamp Cold World and bring in more guests and revenue sets the stage for them to actually get to know one another.
Something that I love about Alicia Thompson’s books is that even as her characters have “special circumstances” or things they have to overcome, like a lot of contemporary romances do these days, is that they always feel grounded in the real world, and lived in. That Asa was kicked out by his parents, and that Lauren was in foster care are essential elements to their characters, but they aren’t overplayed; they feel like they were integrated naturally into the plot, and thus the illusion that we’re just peeking in at these characters’ lives is maintained.
I’d have to re-read her first book to be sure, but I think this might actually be my favorite book of hers, just because of the emotional reactions it pulled out of me.