Imperfect Timing

by Jessa Harmon

The first installment of the Imperfect Duet.

Part of the Lovestruck Hearts Series.

The last time Desi Palmer laid eyes on Benji Campbell he’d been returning to Scotland just after their friendship had crossed the line into romance. She hasn’t seen him since.

Years later, Desi has her life in order.

She’s finishing her graduate degree, climbing the ladder at her corporate job and preparing to set off on her entrepreneurial journey as soon as the finances are in place. Her office crush is blooming into a legitimate romance and Peter Grayson is everything she needs in her life… on paper, at least.

Benji’s sudden reappearance shakes up her carefully curated world. He is everything Desi doesn’t want in a partner and he’s already broken her heart once. Buried emotions resurface, and Desi learns Benji is no longer the boy she once knew.

Will she play it safe or follow her heart and take a risk for another chance with her first love?

Genres: Romance, Friends To Lovers, Contemporary

174 pages, Kindle Edition

Published April 30, 2021

About the author

Jessa Harmon is a lifetime lover of storytelling. From the first "book" she wrote as a fifth grader in a simple spiral notebook, she knew that she loved writing stories to share with others.

As an author, her passion is bringing to life diverse and genuine characters navigating real relationships. Her contemporary romance novels have heart but they aren't lacking in steam.

When she's not writing she enjoys reading a wide variety of genres, watching feel-good movies, spending time with loved ones, cooking, good wine and good coffee. She unashamedly loves puns, dad jokes and witty memes.

Keep up with Jessa on one of the following platforms!

Website ➜ https://jessaharmon.com

Facebook ➜ https://www.facebook.com/JessaHarmonB...

Instagram ➜ @jessaharmon

Sign up for her newsletter to be the first to discover new releases! ➜ https://jessaharmon.com/newsletter

Reviews

[sarahthebibliomania · Rating 3 out of 5]

3/5
This book was super sweet. It was a cute childhood romance but it was a little too hallmark channel for me. This book was a bit short, so I felt like the romance felt rushed, especially the ending. I also really disliked the heroine and I couldn't exactly tell you what about her made me dislike her but I guess her personality was just annoying and I don't exactly love how she dealt with the Benji and Kira situation but whatever. Overall this was a decent read and I would recommend it to those looking for a sweet and fast romance.

Thank you to BookSirens, the publishers, and the author for giving me this arc in exchange for an honest review.

[Brenda Moser · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is a well written book with strong characters in Desi and Benji. It's a second chance romance with all the feels. The author paints her scenes beautifully and delivers an emotional read. Loved it!!

I voluntarily reviewed an ARC of this book. All opinions in this review are my own and freely given.

[Nathan Woolen · Rating 5 out of 5]

I loved this book. It’s an easy read with great characters. I was jealous of the tight friendships and found myself relating to the self doubt and other emotional battles of Desi. I look forward to reading book 2.

[Yames Bond · Rating 3 out of 5]

3 🍭🍭🍭
Spanish & English Opinion

🇲🇽 Me gustó la historia. Es linda, tiene romance y también momentos de angustia que complementan perfecto.
Sin embargo, hay cosas que no entendí.

Benji está enamorado de Desi… y ¿tiene que salir con una de sus amigas cercanas? No se me hace lógico.
Kira, la “Amiga”, es terrible. Manipuladora, backstabber, calculadora y desleal. ¿Por qué querer a fuerza a alguien con quien una de sus supuestas BFF tuvo un enamoramiento fuerte? Aún 7 años después.. jamás habló con ella claramente. Me pareció pésima. Y jamás reflexionó al respecto, en todo caso se hizo la ofendida.

Esos elementos le restaron puntos para mí.

🇺🇸 The story is cute. It has nice moments, romance and also angsty situations that are a great complement.
However…

Benji is in love with Desi. Ok. Why does he have to pursue something with one of the friends? Even if she’s down with it. Not cool nor logic.

Kira, the “friend” is actually a manipulative backstabber person. She tries to arrange the situation in order for her to get the guy that her friend was in súper love with. Doesn’t matter it was 7 years ago, she didn’t even talk about it with Desi. But she acted all high and mighty and actually played the guilty card. Terrible friend. Who never reflected about her actions btw.

Those elements definitely took points out for me. Still, I like Desi and Benji 💜

[Jaymie | Girlogic Reads · Rating 4 out of 5]

A cute, quick read.

Desi and Benji are childhood sweethearts that have been separated by distance. They have constantly been in each other’s orbits due their parents being close friends.

I feel like Benji was all in from the beginning. He could tell that he wanted her and cared for her. I also loved how he wasn’t scared to show emotion.

Desi I think was a bit confused and a little overly emotional. I found it hard connecting to this character but I think it was due to the immaturity of her.

Jessa Harmon is a new to me author and I think this is a super cute and enjoyable story. The writing was easy to follow and the story did flow nicely. It’s a pretty clean romance with a little bit of steam.

3.75 rating.

The only reason why it’s not a 4 star rating is because I personally felt the connected on Benji’s side but no so much on Desi’s.

[Bren · Rating 3 out of 5]

This book was so sweet. We follow Desi going through life and love and childhood romance. And what a sweet romance it is. At first, I wasn't sure about this book, It felt more like a Hallmark movie than anything. But the more I read the more invested I was in the story. A few times I managed to tear up because the author did well at making the situations happening to feel so real. The only thing I would have liked to see differently that would have caused me to give more stars was a better wrap-up in the end. It felt just a little rushed. But it makes me look forward to the possibility of more books in the future about Desi. I was very lucky to receive an advanced copy of this book for free for an honest review

[Peggy Hogan · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was a surprisingly good debut novel! I was really impressed by Jessa Harmon's writing style and storytelling, and, even though I'm normally not a big fan of quick reads, this one didn't feel like it was missing anything from the story, so overall, this was a really good book.

Told from the female main character's (Desi) point of view, this book had drama and angst, and all the things I love in a good story. I loved the male main character (Benji), with his Scottish accent, and I really loved Desi and Benji together. I would definitely recommend this one.

I received an advance review copy for free, and I am leaving this review voluntarily.

[Tonisha · Rating 3 out of 5]

“Desi, that boy over there is head over heels for you."

Desi and her blind spot to men, Benji, Peter, and Lincoln. Overall, the book was ok. With it being a published copy the amount of editing errors surprised me. There are a lot of characters in the book. Too many for me to be able to truly follow. Of the fab five I definitely remembered Kira and not for good reason.

Ultimately, Desi has to decide what she truly wants out of life. Thankfully, she has friends and family to help guide her along the way.

I received a free copy of this book for my honest review.

[Katy Hristova · Rating 5 out of 5]

I really enjoyed "Imperfect Timing". I am usually not a huge romance reader, but this book was so tender, kind and painfully human, it drew me in from the very beginning. I felt connected to the main heroine throughout, her struggles were something not too unfamiliar and some of her actions provoked reflections on what relationships are actually about.

I think the reader gets everything they can expect from a romance book here - drama, revenge, tension, heartbreak and most of all- intense all -consuming passion.

[Mylene Williams · Rating 4 out of 5]

I received an advance review copy for free, and I am leaving this review voluntarily.

Just as Desi gets the green light from a man she is interested in for ages- in walks Benji back into her life. Benji her first love from her teenage years- the one that got away. Benji is like the far off storm steadily approaching and reeking destruction in his path before moving on. Will the new shiny Desi, allow her past to dictate her present or will the new attractions put the past to bed finally?

[Nic · Rating 5 out of 5]

I received an advance review copy for free, and I am leaving this review voluntarily. This was a sweet childhood friends to lovers story. The characters had depth and it was well written. I enjoyed this book.

[Tania Trozzo · Rating 5 out of 5]

a must read!

Loved Desi and Benji’s story!! Sweet and so perfectly imperfect! Once I started I couldn’t wait to see what happened! Can’t wait to read the next one!!
P.S. dying to be part of the fab five!

[BookMarkedByHeather · Rating 4 out of 5]

I want to start of thanking Goodreads - and the publisher who sent me a free copy of this book - in return I'll give my honest review!!

CHECK OUT THE LINK BELOW TO MY BLOG FOR A MORE DETAILED REIVEW!
https://heatherrlynn13.wixsite.com/yo...

And my honest review is I really loved it! The characters, the plot, the romance.... it just was too short. It might have been the authors first book - which is fine but being only 200 pages, everything seemed VERY rushed.

If I also had to pick something I disliked about the book itself is I hated that the main character acted/played dumb about the attraction between the two. Honestly she played dumb to a lot of things in general and it's just very frustrating to read.

If there was more details of the in between, more moments between the two main characters... this book would be a huge success! I would love to read more by this author and see if the books hit me the same!

[Carmen · Rating 3 out of 5]

Sweet second chance romance.

[Sarah Faeth Sanders · Rating 5 out of 5]

Sweet and satisfying

A quick read with lovable characters, a sweet and sultry romance, and a bit of drama for good measure. Loved it!

[J · Rating 4 out of 5]

A sweet and sometimes steamy second chance romance. This is Desi and Benji's story. Growing up together as friends during summer months, childhood friendship turn into more but mis communication leads to 7 years apart… when Benji comes back and turns Desi's world upside down and all round. I love the story line and flow, the main characters are strong albeit with some communication issues. I didn't like Kiera's role but otherwise loved the fab five friends.

I received an advance review copy for free, and I am leaving this review voluntarily.

[Sigrid · Rating 3 out of 5]

A lovely childhood romance.

Because it is a short book, for me the whole book felt a bit rushed. Because of this you do nog completely connect with the main character, Desi. She is sweet, however her decisions/choices and her thoughts about these plans in the book are not explained so it makes her a bit snobbish and short sided. Especially with the Peter and Kyra situation.

However I am a sucker for these short romance Books and was able to read through this with ease, looking forward to the next book in this series!

I received an advance review copy for free, and I am leaving this review voluntarily.

[Bookishdays · Rating 4 out of 5]

I loved this sweet second change romance. Desi is a young girl with a promising career and she is now starting to date Peter, a handsome co-worker, but at the same time, her childhood friend Benji is visiting from Scotland and he is staying in Desi's house, what makes things a little too complicated.

Desi is funny and Benji has a sexy accent and together they are the cutest couple. The chemistry between them is intense and steamy too!

I also liked Desi's group of friends, they are like the friends in "sexy and city", always ready to discuss their problems over brunch.

This was a light and a very romantic read and I highly recommended it.

I received an advance review copy for free, and I am leaving this review voluntarily.

[Tali · Rating 3 out of 5]

Really sweet childhood friends to lovers with a tiny bit of angst. I look forward to more from this author.

[MN Book Lady · Rating 5 out of 5]

Benji and Desi have been friends forever as their parents are best friends as well. And while they were teenagers, Desi developed a crush on Benji that culminated at eighteen with her losing her virginity with him.

Flash forward to today, when Desi is just about to graduate with her Master's Degree. It's been seven years since she's seen Benji as well and her parents just informed her Benji was coming for the summer to help open a restaurant for his employer. And staying with them. But Desi has just accepted a date with a coworker and one of her best friends also seems to be very interested in Benji as well. But neither says anything as their friendship picks up where they left off. But these two have chemistry and it's not long before they get back together again.

But Benji's home in Scotland and he's leaving once the summer's over (again). Can they make it work?

Benji and Desi get their happy ending in this stand-alone book in a series.

I really liked Desi's friends and how they seemed to support her in whatever she was doing. I do have to wonder if the one friend who got together with Benji behind her back was still a good friend back to Desi as she seemed to be to her, or if their friendship ever recovered. And while we got Desi's parent's reaction, I wonder how Benji's parents took the news.

I received an advance review copy for free from Book Sirens and I am leaving this review voluntarily.

[Candice Brusuelas · Rating 3 out of 5]

This short and sweet novel is perfect for those of you who love men who have condoms handy, huggy people, steaming mugs of tea, and reading characters with a Scottish accent aloud. In all seriousness, this book had strong main characters and a lot of women supporting women (with one pointed exception). Desi is a smart and sometimes-insecure woman who is moving onto what she hopes is a new chapter in her life. Peter, her initial love interest, doesn't get the credit he deserves, because he's got potential, but we don't really notice him much, just as Desi doesn't notice him much after a certain Scottsman comes back into her life - and in close quarters! The sex scenes are hot and intense in an otherwise cozy and heartwarming story. Romance isn't really my genre of choice, but I found myself compelled to keep turning the pages late at night to get to the bottom of Desi's complicated man-problem. My main complaint is that everyone gets along almost too well. There's just enough conflict to keep it going, but it felt like there was not enough here to make it feel like a hard choice for Desi. Also, it kind of skipped over the hard stuff at the end when they DID have a serious problem to figure out, but they kind of just made out instead of talking about it. You assume everything works out, but, come on, Benji, this was your own fault for not communicating. I guess when you're a hot Scott, you do what you want.

[Elvira · Rating 5 out of 5]

I loved this storyline the connection between the characters was very well done from beginning to the end. The flow of the storyline flowed easily throughout the pages.

I received a copy and am voluntarily leaving my honest review.

[Maja · Rating 5 out of 5]

This was my first read from this author. I absolutely loved the first person point of view which is a deal breaker for me. The story had a good flow and I will definitely be reading more from this author in the future.
I received an advance review copy for free, and I am leaving this review voluntarily.

[Rachel Brown · Rating 5 out of 5]

I absolutely adored this book! It's the perfect balance of sweet and spicy. Desi and Benji are a wonderful couple and I got swept up into their romance rather quickly.

I read mostly historical and fantasy romance, so this book was a pleasant surprise and has inspired me to read more contemporary romance!

[Susan Burlew · Rating 5 out of 5]

Heartwarming love story. Desi and Benji were both likeable and their second chance at love was an enjoyable read. Highly recommend!!!

[Foxx Kincaid · Rating 5 out of 5]

Wow, she was a first-time author! I enjoyed the book from start to finish. I would definitely read her work again.

[Erica Bartsch · Rating 4 out of 5]

I was hooked by these characters and their story! I couldn't put this book down, and I'll definitely pick up the next in the series!

[Ashley · Rating 4 out of 5]

cute and quirky

While I normally prefer a much spicier story, this story of star crossed lovers was adorable. Desi and Benji were so relatable and their banter was top notch. Lots of men in Desi’s life but overall a good plot and adorable HEA.