Series: Hopeless Romantics #1
Author: Nina Bocci
Publisher: Gallery Books
Release Date: August 20, 2019
Purchase Link: Amazon
My Rating: 3 Stubborn Hearts
*Special thanks to the publisher for an arc of this book!
Synopsis:
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 everythingfrom 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.
Review:
On the Corner of Love and Hate is a small town, enemies-to-lovers romance featuring childhood friends turned enemies Emma Peroni and Cooper Endicott. Emma's father (outgoing mayor) talks her into being Cooper's campaign manager in an effort to revamp his shady ladies-man image and help him get elected as the next town mayor. Emma reluctantly agrees to it even though she continues to hold a long-time grudge against the man who once broke her heart. As they begin working together, the sarcastic remarks fly . . . and so do the sparks!
One of my favorite tropes in romance is small town and enemies-to-lovers! The author does a great job with setting up a small town scene, including the prevalence of everybody-knows-everything-about-everybody atmosphere . . . a town where it's hard to outrun your past mistakes as you're constantly reminded of them. The town people are authentic, adding a special ambiance to the story. Bocci also excels at writing realistic dialogue with some much needed humorous banter which I enjoyed.
This story unfolds through Emma's point of view which understandably doesn't paint Cooper in a very good light. While I wanted to be sympathetic to Emma's plight, I found her to be so consumed by past betrayals that she continuously took one step forward and then two steps back, causing her to appear too stubborn and wishy-washy. Unfortunately, Cooper doesn't fare much better. His in-your-face immature attitude is flaunted a bit too often as are his womanizing, alley-cat ways. He shows growth by the end which is a plus, as does Emma; however, it became a case of too little, too late for me to feel much empathy with either character. The result is a lack of true chemistry between these two main characters, making it hard for me to identify with either.
While I liked the premise of On the Corner of Love and Hate, I think the story would have resonated more with me if it had concentrated more on the romance building between Emma and Cooper and less on their ongoing feud over a broken past. Having said that, there are some great humorous scenes that I enjoyed. Fans of enemies-to-lovers stories should check this one out.
My Rating: 3 Stubborn Hearts . . .
Cross My Heart . . . xxx
Sandra
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