A Girl Named Harper

by Kara Jefferies

Very Risk Taken Leads to a Love Worth Fighting for.

In the fast-paced world of auto sales, Harper Atwood has always had to fight twice as hard to prove herself. As a woman navigating the male-dominated industry, she's determined to overcome her dysfunctional past and the fear of judgment that has haunted her since childhood. Fresh out of a tumultuous marriage, Harper focuses on building a new life and career.

But fate has other plans when Harper discovers a stranger named Gabe in her apartment, a chance encounter that soon unravels into a twist of destiny. Little does she know, Gabe is not just a random face – he's her new co-worker. Charming, outgoing, and adored by everyone, Gabe is the polar opposite of Harper, who guards her privacy with fierce determination, trusting only her cousin and one close friend.

In this compelling romance novel, join Harper on her journey of self-discovery and healing as she grapples with her past, navigates the complexities of workplace relationships, and discovers that, sometimes, the heart knows what the mind refuses to admit. Will Harper finally let go of her fears and open herself up to the possibility of love, or will the shadows of her past continue to dictate her future?

Genres: Romance, Fiction, Contemporary

162 pages, Kindle Edition

Published May 15, 2024

About the author

Hello, I’m Kara! I write realistic Contemporary Romance novels with main characters you can’t help but fall in love with and enough family drama to keep you reading.

When I’m not writing, you can find me with my husband chasing the sun on a beach somewhere. I was born and raised in Southern California but now live in Texas with our three dogs and daughter.

I’m an avid runner and love coffee and all things beauty.

Reviews

[Ericka · Rating 4 out of 5]

3.75 stars rounded up! This book was cute!! It has an astronomical amount of similarities to my own life and I found that fun to see all the parallels!

I thought it was a cute love story and enjoyed this read!

[Thais • tata.lifepages • · Rating 4 out of 5]

You guys know I can’t resist a boy-obsessed romance 🔥 This is a steamy workplace romance that you can read in a day or two!

This romance is a slow burn spicy read about a young woman, Harper, with a traumatic past, who is starting fresh after a recent divorce. She get her own place and also starts at a new job in a car dealership. What she didn’t expect, is that the mysterious tattooed stranger that found her passed out in her car would be working there also. 👀

Gabe is tall, dark & tattooed 😍 utterly handsome and everyone loves him. Except Harper, who can’t stand this arrogant & persistent sales manager. To Gabe, Harper is an obsession. The more she pushes him away the more that he wants her. I absolutely loved Gabe he’s a bit crazy obsessed and I’m all here for it! Harper was a bit more difficult for me to connect to. Due to her dysfunctional childhood she’s used to closing herself off from people (she only has one other friend besides her cousin, Xavier.) i absolutely adored the side characters, they make the book and even more uplifting and fun experience 😍

What to expect:
✨ rivals to lovers
✨workplace romance
✨ he falls first
✨ he’s obsessed
✨ trauma healing
✨ slow burn

Thank you to the author for gifting me a copy for review!

[Lindsey · Rating 4 out of 5]

Harper is hard to love, but he falls for her

I’d love to hear more of her back story

[Brittany Devereaux · Rating 3 out of 5]

I won this ebook on a Goodreads giveaway. It’s pretty short, at just over 150 pages, so parts of the story do feel rushed. I’m not sure how that can be avoided with a short book though. Definitely a cute, quick read.

[Melissa (Nissa_the.bookworm) · Rating 4 out of 5]

𝐑𝐄𝐀𝐃 𝐓𝐇𝐈𝐒 𝐈𝐅 𝐘𝐎𝐔
🔥 are looking for a slow burn romance
📖 want a short and fast paced read
♥️ like when the MMC falls first
😡 love enemies to lovers

• 𝐖𝐇𝐀𝐓 𝐈𝐓’𝐒 𝐀𝐁𝐎𝐔𝐓

In the fast-paced world of auto sales, where Harper Atwood is determined to prove herself in a male-dominated industry. Fresh from a tumultuous marriage and battling the shadows of a dysfunctional past, Harper is fiercely focused on building a new life and career.

Her path takes an unexpected turn when she encounters Gabe—a charming stranger—in her apartment. Unbeknownst to her, Gabe is not just a random face but her new coworker.

Gabe, adored by everyone and effortlessly outgoing, is the popular opposite of Harper, who guards her privacy with iron determination. Despite her initial resistance, Harper feels a growing connection with Gabe, leading to a compelling workplace romance.

As Gabe attempts to break through Harper's walls, he finds himself irresistibly drawn to the enigmatic woman, blurring the line between professionalism and passion.

• 𝐌𝐘 𝐓𝐇𝐎𝐔𝐆𝐇𝐓𝐒

This was a really quick read full of love, lust, and healing. I enjoyed the fast pacing of this story, along with the tropes. One of my favorites is when he falls first, so I knew this was the one for me. Harper is a bit of a complex character because of her trauma background, so it was harder for me to relate to her, but Gabe, on the other hand, was the opposite. I liked the quick but tidy ending, and can’t wait to read more from this author in the future!

[nicoles_book_corner · Rating 5 out of 5]

𐙚˙⋆.˚ ᡣ𐭩 A Girl Named Harper 𐙚˙⋆.˚ ᡣ𐭩

Where to start!? Tropes Maybe!?

𐙚 Workplace Romance
𐙚 He Falls First
𐙚 Slow Burn
𐙚 Boy Obsessed
𐙚 Spicy

Thank you @karajefferiesbooks for such a pretty PR Box, l was so in love the moment l saw all the goodies you had in it. (If you missed the pretty box, just scroll a few posts down and you’ll see it )

As always l simply adore a box that was put love in it and this one had all of the love. A pretty letter, fluffy socks, a candle that smelled sooooooo good etc!!!

Now to the most important thing, the book⋅˚₊‧ 𐙚 ‧₊˚

I love a good slow burn, now add in a workplace romance, all the angst, the chemistry and the tension had me bubbling with excitement and anticipation.

@karajefferiesbooks writing is just perfect, the way she creates her characters, weaves her stories and draws out many emotions from you is unworldly.

Truthfully l didn’t know what l was getting into because this was my first read from her, but NO MA’AM I wasn’t dissatisfied or disappointed at all in fact l want more.

More of this beautiful love story, more of @karajefferiesbooks writing and def more of her incredible stories!!!

This book deserves ♾️🌟

So do yourself a favor and grab your copy!!!

[Jill Jemmett · Rating 4 out of 5]

Harper Atwood has had to overcome a tough childhood and a troubled marriage to become the woman she is today. When she moves into her first apartment on her own, she’s rescued by Gabe after falling asleep in her car. This unusual meet cute is disrupted when Harper gets mad at Gabe for staying in her apartment. Then she starts a new job at a car dealership, and discovers Gabe works there too. Harper can’t escape him, as they keep ending up in the same places. Gabe wants to be with Harper, but she’s reluctant to let anyone inside her life. Harper must overcome her fears to open herself up to a potential love story with Gabe.

This story was so fast paced. It was a quick read, at under 200 pages. The romance felt like a whirlwind. A lot of this book was emotional, when Harper talked about her struggles throughout her childhood. There were also a couple of spicy scenes. I liked that the epilogue showed Harper and Gabe many years in the future, so we can see how their lives turned out.

A Girl Named Harper is an emotional romance.

Thank you Kara Jefferies and Bookinfluencers.com for providing a copy of this book as part of a paid campaign.

Content warnings: alcoholism (off page), abuse (off page), infidelity (off page)

[Taylor Hathcock · Rating 3 out of 5]

I don't know when I will learn that when the summary of the book is almost as long as the actual book I am going to be disappointed. The book has characters in their mid to late 20s but I swear most of the time it felt like was reading a YA novel with the way they acted. The book reads really awkward in my opinion it's very disjointed. I don't think that it even really felt like a romance. The majority of the book is Harper talking about how she wants to break the cycle of her family... and then being upset and recreating those behaviors. I also didn't like most of the side characters it felt like the sole purpose of them was to remind Harper of how horrible she is. It's literally all they seemed to do. The book jumps around in time and when it does it feels like the dynamic between Harper and Gabe is even more forced.

When the book starts it seems like it is going to be this really cute and happy story full of funny moments. It wasn't. It honestly was very trauma forward. Harper is damaged and hates herself and therefore all the things she sees in Gabe that remind her of herself she hates. The relationship between these two really didn't make any sense. It came out of nowhere and so did the big blow up bound to take place in all romance novels. I honestly was just incredibly disappointed with this one. However, it is a quick and short romance read. I saw a lot of people talking about how spicy it was, it isn't. Like most of the book the scenes suffer from the rushed and awkward feeling of the pacing.

[World Of · Rating 5 out of 5]

The narrative follows Harper Atwood's poignant journey as she navigates a challenging upbringing and a tumultuous marriage to become the woman she is today. After falling asleep in her car while moving into her first apartment, she is rescued by Gabe. Soon after, she starts working at a car dealership and finds that Gabe is her colleague. They keep bumping into each other, making it hard for Harper to escape him. Despite Gabe's desire to be with her, she remains reluctant to let anyone into her life.

The story delves into Harper’s inner strength and battle against societal judgments. To embrace a potential love story, Harper must confront her fears. Gabe, adored by everyone and effortlessly sociable, stands in stark contrast to Harper, who fiercely protects her privacy. Despite her reluctance, Harper finds herself developing a deepening connection with Gabe, paving the way for a captivating workplace romance.

Kara’s writing is both gripping and evocative, painting the vivid scenes of Judgemental society. The chemistry between Harper and Gabe adds a layer of romance that complements the high-stakes plot.

[Sherilyn Reyes · Rating 3 out of 5]

✨𝗤𝘂𝗶𝗰𝗸 𝗧𝗮𝗸𝗲𝘀✨
• Alpha Male
• mental health rep
• dysfunctional family
• coworkers
• she doesn’t want to like him
• dual POV
🌶️🌶️🌶️🌶️

✨ 𝗥𝗘𝗩𝗜𝗘𝗪 ✨
This story was being super close to no plot all smut but there was a quick storyline with an FMC that has a lot of backstory issues. The MMC didn’t have a huge backstory but he is 100% Alpha Male jealous man. There’s an equal amount of plot and spice to make this a quick fun read. Harper’s issues got on my nerves but that is the point; she has you screaming to stop being stubborn.

[Skye Lemar · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book won't have you reaching for the tissues, but it will rip your heart a tiny little bit. love that we get the closure in the end; just felt a little rushed but with a short book rushed is needed so nothing too wrong with that. Can't wait to find more of her longer work I think it will be amazing

[Núria · Rating 2 out of 5]

Very poorly written. I felt like I was reading a story written by a teenager.
This is my first book from this author, and it will likely be my last one.

[McKenna Steadman · Rating 2 out of 5]

⭐️⭐️✨

[Ashley Miller · Rating 2 out of 5]

It was rather boring the author gave me the book as a favor for a review. I felt like I was reading YA and it didn’t give me any reason to stay interested needed a lot of work

[McKinlee · Rating 2 out of 5]

Maybe it was just the version I received, but there were many typos and grammatical errors that took me out of the story. I also couldn't get invested to these characters.

[Danae Southerland · Rating 4 out of 5]

I won this book through a Goodreads Giveaway. It was a good, quick, and easy read with relatable characters.

[Tonya DeVito · Rating 3 out of 5]

Cute book. A little graphic.