G Benson

This was such a fun read! I’ve been a big G Benson fan since I read the fake marriage one years ago, and I’ve loved each new one I’ve picked up since. She’s great at creating characters that feel really fleshed out and putting them in dynamics that you want to root for—mains and secondary characters alike. Her writing style is also just really humorous and there were several points I laughed out loud at the inner narration of both characters. I loved pretty much everyone in this show more one. Wonderfully written, really fun, this will def be a re-read some time in the future for me, and one I’d love to listen to as an audiobook. Def recommend!! show less

I was wary about this book at first. Love stories that start off with infidelity tend to make me uncomfortable, for one thing. And for another, it's set in my home city and the protagonists have careers that are closely related to my own (I'm a nurse, Frazer and Cora are a midwife and a social worker). That meant it was super relevant to my interests, but had the potential to throw me out of the story if the portrayal didn't ring true. I was destined to either love this book or hate it. And show more I LOVED it!

The cheating plotline was sad and uncomfortable, but it was supposed to be. Alec and Cora's marriage wasn't working, and hadn't been for a long time. Frazer and Cora were both very sympathetic characters, good people who were making some bad choices. Alec was controlling and unkind and not particularly sympathetic, but he wasn't a cardboard cutout villain, and it was clear that him being a shitty husband didn't mean cheating on him was OK. There was a ton of friendship and personal growth for both protagonists, and I was so proud of them and happy for them by the end.

Frazer and Cora were both really good at their jobs, and they loved their work. The program they put together to support people struggling with pregnancy in less than ideal circumstances was inspiring, and it warmed my heart to watch it grow. They're both people I'd love to know as friends or colleagues in real life.

The author nailed what it's like to work in a hospital, and to live in Perth. I never get to read about a setting I'm so familiar with, it was great! I got a little thrill when they talked about a place I recognised.

And I was so happy I could almost cry that they actually used the word bisexual. Multiple times, even! Cora did research after falling for Frazer prompted her to reconsider her orientation, and considered a lot of options before concluding that 'bi' felt best to her. And there were trans and queer and gay secondary characters, I was so pleased with the portrayal of the LGBT community.

This book was beautiful. It gave me so many feelings. I'm really glad I took a chance on it.

(I received a free copy of this book in exchange for an honest review) show less

I'm still processing my thoughts on this one and will write a much more complete review on my site but I think I'd give it 3.5 stars. I'm rounding up because there was a lot I liked about this book. It's not a standard romance novel and it deals with some moral issues that will likely turn some folks off before they get more than halfway through. I didn't have a problem with most of what happened in the story line and think this is probably a lot more realistic than most romance novels - show more which I really like. The other thing that pleased me was that the two main characters are women of color and an important secondary character is a trans man. There are some serious issues discussed and portrayed and I appreciate an author who not only addresses them but does it well.

I don't want to give any spoilers away so one of the only not-so-positive things I can go into is that I felt like the resolution happened too quickly and too easily. Even with that, I think it's a solid story and the author's voice and style appeal to me. I loved her first book, liked this one quite a bit, and I'll definitely read her next, no matter what it's about. show less

I was given this ARC by the publisher in exchange for an Honest Review.

Hayden is a nurse who is very much living paycheck to paycheck. One night when she's trying to shift from Night Shift to Day Shift she stumbles onto an online ad where someone is looking to be married for a year. Whoever takes the 'job' will get paid to be married for a year. But, the readers (and Hayden) don't know the exact reason at first, and while it drove me as crazy as it drove Hayden not to know when Benson chose show more to reveal the truth it seemed like the perfect place for it.

Sam is the woman who hires Hayden to marry her. She's a Neurosurgeon at the same hospital where Hayden works and is not the most warm and fuzzy person at work. And so it's definitely a bumpy start to the business relationship. Of course, this is a romance book, and so slowly but surely they learn more about each other as the year goes on. And there were pretty awesome twists and turns that I didn't see coming during the year as well.

There was also a cool subplot about Hayden's best friend (another nurse) Luce and a woman where they get their coffee, Clemmie. It was super, super cute, and very cool.

But, all the characters were amazingly written, from Sam's little brother to all of Hayden's family, especially her four-year-old nephew Javi. The description of four-year-old soccer was totally spot on, and while I will say that for various reasons I don't generally like Alzheimer's Disease stories, this one was so, so well done as a subplot.

With the title I had no clue what I would get inside this novel, but I like TV medical dramas, and one of my favorite hetero movies is The Proposal (I couldn't tell you why, but it is) and so I thought I'd give this story a try and I'm very, very glad that I did. It was so well written and even more importantly it was plotted so tightly that you could probably bounce a quarter off of it. Seriously, go read it, you won't regret it. show less