I discovered Rebecca only a couple of months ago thanks to a fortuitous recommendation on a FB reading group. I am so surprised that she is not yet widely recognised as one of the best romance authors out there and I will never stop recommending her books.
Rebecca clearly must have a good deal of experience in the corporate world because all of her books are office romance and they are DONE BLOODY RIGHT. She nails the environment and work dynamics and the sub-plots are so sensible and well written that I cannot help but think that these stories could be real and actually inspired by real life stories. So this covers her books’ settings. They are perfect.
Then she does enemies to lovers like a boss. This is probably my most favorite trope ever. And the best thing about her take on it is that her characters evolve with the story, they are layered and multi-faceted and their personal development and growth is a living and breathing thing throughout the book. Yet, while they grow up, challenge themselves breaking the mold (mould? Dammit English Language, y u so weird!?) and box they have been put or put themselves in, they remain true to themselves. In none of her books I found a FC or MC that did something so entirely out of character that I felt cheated or weirded out. Her characters evolve by remaining truthful and i SO appreciate it. I have grown tired of plot-twists, groveling or grand gestures that go totally against someone’s personality.
She also writes kickass female characters. They are brilliant and smart and intelligent and self-possessed and they don’t give me embarrassment by proxy - you know, that feeling you get when you read or see something very awkward and embarrassing and cringe on behalf of the character? That. You don’t get it with Rebecca’s books, not because her FC characters are perfect - they are far from it but they GROW - but because they have self respect, another quality that is disappearing way too frequently in romance novels. All her FCs put themselves on the line, they challenge themselves and what they know to be their reality. They take risks and roll with the punches. I ADMIRE Rebecca’s FCs.
Finally her MCs. None of them are perfect, AT ALL. They match the FCs’ faults and flaws one to one and they are mature, complex and vulnerable. I so love a male character that isn’t perfect as opposed to an imperfect FCs. In this book, the MC (Art) might have dethroned every other male character in recent history. He is wonderful in his imperfections, in his humanity (i loved that he came too early in one scene, he was so real!) and in the way he supports and encourages Ella. His love is one of the best I have read in a long time and the fact that these two have so much history made me melt even further.
The only flaw in this book is that I would have loved to read more memories about their verbal sparring and fights when they were younger.
Beside this, this book is bloody perfect. Well done Rebecca!
I received a free copy of this book via Booksprout and am voluntarily leaving a review.