On the Corner of Love and Hate by Nina Bocci Series: Hopeless Romantics #1
Published by Gallery Books on August 20, 2019
Pages: 336
Format: ARC
Genres: Contemporary, Romance
Amazon
For fans of Christina Lauren and Lauren Layne comes a delightfully sassy and sexy romance about a campaign manager who reluctantly works with the local Lothario to help revamp his image for the upcoming mayoral elections, only to discover that he’s hiding something that can turn both their lives upside down.
What’s a campaign manager’s worst nightmare? A smooth-talking charmer who’s never met a scandal that he didn’t like.
When Emmanuelle Peroni’s father—and mayor of her town—asks her to help rehab Cooper Endicott’s image, she’s horrified. Cooper drives her crazy in every way possible. But he’s also her father’s protégé, and she can’t say no to him without him finding out the reason why: Cooper and her have a messy past. So Emmanuelle reluctantly launches her father’s grand plan to get this Casanova someone to settle down with and help him lose his lothario reputation.
Cooper Endicott wanted to run for Mayor, but he never wanted the drama that went with it. Now that he’s on the political hamster wheel, the other candidates are digging up everything from his past. Even though he’s doing all the right things, his colorful love life is the sticking point for many of the conservative voters. He wants to win, badly, and he knows that if he wants any chance of getting a vote from the female population, he needs to change his image. The only problem? He might just be falling in love with the one person he promised not to pursue: the Mayor’s off-limits daughter.
A perfect blend of humor and heart, On the Corner of Love and Hate is the first in a new series from USA TODAY bestselling author Nina Bocci.
As far as enemies to lovers stories go, my favorite ones are romantic comedies where the animosity between characters generates witty banter and an overall lightheartedness. On the Corner of Love and Hate is more of a contemporary romance, which is fine, but I did miss that humorous factor.
Emma and Cooper are former best friends whose relationship is now strained. I understand Emma’s frustrations with Cooper, particularly in the beginning of the book, but ultimately she comes across as self-righteous and unnecessarily mean. Her pointed digs about Cooper’s manwhore past last well into the second half of the book. It lacks a sense of teasing or flirtatiousness.
Between Emma’s obvious disdain and my ambivalence towards Cooper’s character, I wasn’t invested enough in their relationship. As much as I enjoy a good slow burn romance, the lack of spark just makes the story feel slowly paced. There are several interesting conflicts established, including press leaks, scandals and backstabbing rivals, but the resolutions are too abrupt.
The brightest aspect of the book is its setting. The picture perfect small town inhabited by eccentric residents is exceptionally well developed. I loved Cooper and Emma’s caring friends, the artisanal creamery, the gossipy senior citizens, and the tree-lined streets. I would book a vacation to Hope Lake in a heartbeat.
Recommended for fans of:
Contemporary romance
Electoral races
Bicycles
Small towns
** I received an early copy of this book to voluntarily read. **
Nina Bocci has some awesome giveaways to celebrate the release of On the Corner of Love and Hate. Be sure to enter!
On the Corner of Love and Hate Giveaway
About Nina Bocci
Nina Bocci is a novelist, publicist, eternal optimist, unabashed lipgloss enthusiast, constant apologist, and a hopeless romanticist. She has too many college degrees that she’s not using, and a Lego addiction that she blames on her son.
I get what you mean about the humor. I think it didn’t come through because there was so much going on maybe?
Great review!