Published: January 31, 2018
As y’all have probably seen I’m currently having a love affair with Emm Hart’s books. Every one I pick up just makes me feel good because of all of the sass and sarcasm that her characters have. I am a naturally sassy and sarcastic person (according to everyone I know) so these characters speak to me on a personal level. And this novel was no different.
I should begin by saying I absolutely love the city of New Orleans. NOLA is one of my favorite places to visit and though I am a northerner I became increasingly Southern when I lived in Alabama for 3 years. I was very pleased when the book started with Mardi Gras (which I knew from the summary) and stayed in New Orleans for the duration.
Mellie is a 27-year-old manager of a hotel that is about to get a new owner. She and her friends go out for Mardi Gras and the one thing she cannot resist is a dare. So she flashes the man who is in reality her new boss. And it only gets better from there. Around him she is a hot mess that seems like she should not be managing anything let alone a hotel
Jake is the new boss and owner of Mellie’s hotel. He definitely remembers her flashing him and the sexual tension only grows from there. Around him, she can’t act like a regular human being and he plans to use that to his full advantage. Even if she is his employee.
Mellie and her friends could easily be me and my friends. The stuff they say to each other is the same shit we would say and still be friends. Also, what self-respecting 27-year-old doesn’t love donuts? Seriously. Though, I loved the characters and was laughing until I cried this book felt like it was missing some elements to me.
First, Jake only got his point of view shown twice. I would almost rather had not heard his side at all (like was done in Miss Fix-It) than only get 2 chapters of it.
Second, the romance seemed lacking to me. Yes, there was a lot of sexual tension but there was one scene that would make it a romance novel and it was quick and at the end of the book.
Third, it wasn’t edited as well as it should have been I found a couple of instances where the word was misspelled or the name of the character that was talking or being talked about changed when it wasn’t supposed to. These are minor but they are also pet-peeves of mine. Authors pay editors for a reason. These should be caught. And I don’t know if it is Emma’s British English coming out (which has happened like in Miss Mechanic) but I’ve never heard a burner for the stove called a “ring”. That one may just be all me though. I’ll be first to say that I don’t know all of the slang used in the South so I may be wrong.
Overall though, this book was very good. I was able to read it quickly and I enjoyed it the whole time. So far the books of Emma’s I have been reading are lighthearted, fun, and hilariously sarcastic. It’s a great change for me because I tend to gravitate towards the brooding male protagonists and paranormal romances. You all should definitely give this book a chance. And if you ever go to Mardi Gras, leave the kids at home!
Laissez les bons temps rouler!
Angie
bookishlyromantic.com 