Please note that I received this book via NetGalley. This did not affect my rating or review.
Yes, I gave this 5 stars, I loved it to pieces, but it’s not on my favorites shelf because I think the handling of the addiction story-line felt a little too pat and I wanted more details than what I got on that. I just thought that it was great to keep the main storyline on the heroine (Bea) and hero (Nate) so applause for that. Give me enemies to lovers or give me death, but I think that it went too light there considering the seriousness of the storyline.
“How Freaking Romantic” follows 29 year old law student, Beatrice (Bea to her friends). Bea is angry that her two best friends are going through a divorce. Instead of thinking of things rationally (hint she never does for the most part) she goes into her one ex-friend’s divorce lawyer’s office and curses him out and blames him for stealing money from her friend. Of course, this is a romance novel so Bea is forced to see Nate again and then even start working with him. And though she thinks he’s trash, she starts to see a different side to him while fighting the urge to go there.
There’s a lot going on with Bea and her friendship group (no spoilers). But the biggest thing I will say and have sympathy for is your friends you went to college with, often things change. Bea for many reasons loathes change and doesn’t seem to get they can’t all be the same to each other at their stages in their lives. I think her meeting Nate and facing how she needed to loosen her grip was wonderful to read about and see.
I loved Nate. Seriously. Someone calls him Paul Newman at one point and you guys…that’s my kink. Not ashamed. Loud and proud.
Ahem.
Anyway I thought that Harding did what I wish more romance authors did these days, they stay focused on the main couple and the heat going from a low boil to a full blast. I got why these two characters were drawn together and I rooted for them the whole way.
The flow in this one was pitch perfect and the main and side plots did too.
The setting is New York, but a gritter and dirtier New York than we usually get in these romance novels. I just enjoyed it. Usually everything is sparkly and rich.
The ending was perfect and I will happily read anything else that Harding puts out.