Smitten by the Brit
Author: Melonie Johnson
Reviewer: Jen
Rating: B
What I’m Talking About:
Bonnie’s life comes crashing down around her when she finds her long-time-never-set-the-date fiancé having sex in their apartment, on her grandmother’s quilt, with another woman. She walks out right then and there, questioning how long things have been falling apart and she didn’t realize it.
Theo has been smitten with Bonnie since they first met in Europe the previous summer. Now in Chicago for a fundraising event and to help plan his best friend’s wedding, Theo can’t keep his hands to himself when he finds out Bonnie left her fiancé. But she’s reluctant, and he doesn’t want to be just a rebound hookup, so the pair take a break and start things more slowly when she travels to England for work.
Smitten by the Brit is the second story in the Sometimes in Love series. Although a standalone romance, Bonnie and Theo first met in book 1: Getting Hot with the Scot, which gives readers a bit of background for the pair. Linked together because they are Best Man/Maid of Honor for their BFFs’ wedding, they are drawn together through physical attraction. However, once Bonnie moves to Oxford for the summer, it gives the pair time to get to know one another on a deeper level. Theo adores Bonnie and proves he is worth the risk with his sweet and romantic dates.
I like Bonnie and Theo, especially during their time together in England. They open up to one another and a genuine relationship develops. The little dates and trips are creative and fun. And it’s easy to see why the pair fits so well together. I like that Bonnie remains cautious and hesitant after being hurt so badly by the man she thought she’d spend forever with. And I love how Theo recognizes this and takes his time to win her over.
So what’s the catch you may ask… well, here’s the thing. Theo is a duke and carries the weight of his family’s financial burdens on his shoulders. He has a manipulative mother who plays on Theo’s guilt to get what she wants. She’s old school, high society and expects Theo to marry someone of “worth.” Eventually this drives a wedge between our couple, and while it fits the story, I didn’t like the way Theo totally ghosts Bonnie. However, it’s the way they find their way back to one another that really rubbed me the wrong way. No spoilers here, but the climax of the book sort of pissed me off and left me a bit disappointed.
In the end, Smitten by the Brit is a strong sophomore title from Ms. Johnson, and although the penultimate scene disappointed a bit, the overall book is enjoyable.
My Rating: B, Liked It
Jen
About the Book:
DEFINITELY, MAYBE…OR LOVE, ACTUALLY?
English professor Bonnie Blythe expects her life to play out like her favorite novels, especially now that her long-term boyfriend has finally proposed. So when a shocking discovery leads Bonnie to end her engagement, she decides to close the book on love. But the plot thickens when a brand-new character enters the scene—and quickens Bonnie’s heart.
With his brilliant blue eyes, sexy accent, and irresistible charm, Theo Wharton is like a romantic hero straight out of a Jane Austen novel. When fate places Bonnie in England for a summer—conveniently close to Theo—she realizes a hot friends-with-benefits fling is exactly what she needs to start a fresh chapter. Just as Bonnie begins to believe she’s falling in love, an eye-opening revelation into Theo’s life makes Bonnie feel like she’s wandered into one of her favorite books. Will Bonnie have the courage to risk her heart and turn the page with the dashing Brit to find her true happy ending after all?
Release Date: May 28, 2019
Publisher: St. Martin’s Press
Series: Sometimes in Love #2
Genre: Contemporary Romance
Format(s): paperback (384 pages), e-book, audiobook
Book Source: NetGalley
Purchase Info:
Amazon
Reviews in the Series:
Getting Hot with the Scot by Melonie Johnson (Sometimes in Love #1)