Sure, lesbians love to bring a U-Haul on the second date. But what happens when the U-Haul crashes?
For Amelia Stone, it’s a literal question as much as a figurative one. When plans to move in with her girlfriend go sideways, she’s left with more questions about their future than answers. It doesn’t help that she’s spending far more time with the paramedic who came to her rescue than the woman she’s supposed to be in love with.
When Finn Douglas responds to a routine traffic accident, the last thing she’s looking for is love. But something about Amelia pulls her in. The more time they spend together, the more it feels like Amelia might be the one. If only Amelia didn’t have her life all planned out with a woman who isn’t Finn.
Jaime Clevenger lives with family in Colorado. Most days are spent working as a veterinarian. Writing is a side gig but also a true love. Hobbies include swimming, karate, dreaming about beach vacations, and convincing random strangers to share their life story. Bonus points are given if they include a good romance—whether or not there’s a happy ending.
3.50 Stars. I thought this was cute, but I didn’t love this as much as my fellow friends and reviewers did. I’m not sure if this had anything to do with the fact that I haven’t read book one, A Convenient Arrangement, yet. I wasn’t big on that book’s premise of cuffing, as it’s such a hetro term and as we saw from this book we already have U-hauling down, so I skipped it. I thought I would be okay since these books came out in the same month and were actually paraquels –stories that run at a similar time- and not a normal sequel. But now I have to wonder if I’m missing a bit of something because while I thought this was a sweet romance, it wasn’t all there for me. I do love the fact that two authors got together to write these stories and that two different publishers did too. To see two publishing houses working together like this is pretty special, and as a book fan I hope we will see it again. I’m already thinking of some of the other possible Bella/BSB author parings and it’s blowing my mind a bit:)
I thought the premise was a cute idea and I loved that it took the U-hauling joke to a new level. While I wasn’t in love with the two main characters, I did like them both and thought they made a sweet couple. Nana, ended up stealing the story and the scenes with her were easily some of my favorites. I was not crazy about the secondary characters, including the ones that I now realize are the staring characters in A Convenient Arrangement, so that was another sign I think I made the right choice to skip that book.
I’ve made it pretty clear, over the years, that I’m not a fan of miscommunication/no-communication when it comes to the main angsty moments. I was surprised to realize that I didn’t mind so much in this book. While I found myself yelling at the characters to just open their mouths, I didn’t find it so farfetched that these two would not be good communicators and I didn’t mind how the angst was handled. In fact, I was kind of happy when the big angst moment happened because I thought the book was starting to drag a bit and it needed something to keep me turning the pages.
While I didn’t have any really big issues, I had enough little ones that just knocked me off the path of loving this story. This first issue is an odd one, but if affected my reading so I have to mention it. I found these characters to talk about sex a ridiculous amount of time. I don’t mean the number of sex scenes, I mean the characters actually talking about sex. Amelia, ended up being the worst because every time she talked to Finn, she would bring up sex. If Finn got quiet, Amelia decided she must be thinking of sex. If Finn wasn’t eating much, she must be thinking about sex. It started to feel like every conversation they had ended up being about sex. It was too much and got annoying because it stopped them from conversing and connecting at a deeper level. In the end, it was one of the reasons I believed in their no-communication angst because they almost never talked about anything but sex.
The next thing was not really an issue, but I think more like a disappointment. Both characters had interesting jobs, especially with Finn being a paramedic, but we hardly got any time with them in these jobs. In my personal opinion, especially in romance books that really dive into characters’ lives, what a person does for work is important. We spend so much time in life working that I think it is important to get that glimpse of how a character acts at work. Anything work related was so light in this book, that the one time a character has a big important meeting, we don’t really experience why it is important and instead we are just told after the fact. The same thing happens with Finn where we are told after the fact that she does something exciting as a paramedic. Why could we not experience it instead? Had Rey and Clevenger taken out some of the scenes with them talking about sex, and put in some interesting job moments, I think I would have connected to these characters so much more.
TLDR: This was a perfectly sweet romance, but I didn’t love it like most other reviewers have. I’m not sure if it is because I missed out on the paraquel of A Convenient Arrangement, or maybe because I’m fighting off a reading slump. I thought the book started really well, but then it slowed down for me as it became much more about sex and less about getting to know the characters. Even if I don’t know them on a deeper level, good writing made sure that the mains were likeable and that the character of Nana was one of the best parts of the book. It was a cute story, that is very readable, but it was missing something extra for me. I would suggest reading other reviews since a lot of people really enjoyed this one. I hope we will get more Bella and Bold Strokes Books author crossover stories because the possibilities really are endless and very exciting.
This book is part of A Mile High City Romance series but it's not a sequel. The timeline actually runs parallel to the earlier book of the series (A Convenient Arrangement) but the focus is on Amelia and Finn this time. Honestly, I had been looking forward to this as I already liked Amelia and Finn's chemistry in the first book. I just didn't expect the second book to come out only a month later so that's a pleasant surprise.
We know from the earlier book that Finn is the paramedic who attended to Amelia's road traffic accident and while they are attracted to each other, Amelia is already attached. I thought this book would be a slow-burn but I guessed wrong. We didn't have to wait that long for Amelia to ditch her six-week old relationship with Veronica, who is unequivocally wrong for her. So that's a plus point in my book. And the authors didn't cross the lines of cheating, so that's a bonus. Amelia and Finn were perfect at the start, but when we look deeper, both characters aren't as perfect as they seem to be and their relationship isn't perfect either. They didn't know what they wanted and they misunderstood each other at times, but I like how they worked through it all and ended up being perfect for each other.
This series has been great. The authors have a good collaboration going on and I really hope to see them produce stories together more often.
I received an ARC from Bella Books through Netgalley in exchange for an honest review.
Love, Accidentally is a cute premise relying on the old second date U-Haul joke. Amelia Stone is afraid her life is passing her by without having a wife, a house and especially children. After meeting a woman who has the same goals as her, Amelia and Veronica decide to move in together. While driving her rented truck over to her girlfriend’s loft Amelia is involved in a serious accident. Finn Douglas is a paramedic with a heart of gold. She is not looking for a relationship yet she finds herself attracted to Amelia as she tends to her medical needs. This romance has a high cuteness factor because of the wonderfully crafted character of Nana, Amelia’s eighty six year old grandmother. Nana plays a pivotal role in manoeuvring Finn constantly in front of Amelia. And she is a hoot! Clevenger and Rey have hit their collaborative writing stride with this novel. The story is full of twists and turns and the sex scenes sizzle. The only drawback for me is the use of lack of communication to float the plot in the last third of the book. Love, Accidentally is an entertaining read. Amelia and Finn are charismatic characters who easily draw you into the story. And once you are in you will happily stay to the end.
I received an advance review copy from NetGalley and I am leaving my review voluntarily.
Who doesn’t like a U-Haul joke! I really enjoyed reading this book. This is the second book in the “A Mile High City Romance” series, by Rey and Clevenger and once again they show how compatible their writing is. It is also great to see that this is not only a collaboration between writers, but also between publishers. This story runs in parallel with the first book “A Convenient Arrangement”. Personally, I liked “Love, Accidentally” a little better, but both are well written.
Back to the U-Haul. When Amelia decides to move in with her girlfriend of six weeks and crashes her U-Haul truck, she quickly discovers that she may have made a mistake deciding to move in so quick. What’s more, the paramedic (Finn) that came to the rescue on the U-Haul crash site appears to be much more the partner she wanted all along. Their insecurities felt very real. Amelia rather quickly realizes that her current girlfriend is a complete mismatch, but this experience stops her from rushing into a relationship with Finn, no matter how perfect she may be. It’s hard not to like Finn, she’s friendly and caring, but she has some choices of her own to make. I enjoyed how they both reevaluate what they want from life.
Some of the best parts of the book are the antics of Amelia’s nana. She strikes up a friendship with Finn and is set on “helping” Finn and Amelia see the light. She’s funny and a force to be reckoned with. Furthermore, in the first book I complained a bit about the fade to black sex scenes. These authors write good chemistry and I wanted this to have some follow-up. This book restored my faith in them writing some spicy scenes.
All in all, this is a happy feelgood book, which I easily recommend. I hope Clevenger and Rey will write a book together again in the future.
I received an ARC from the publisher via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.
Review of Love, Accidentally by Jaime Clevenger and Aurora Rey, audiobook narrated by Abby Craden
After listening and enjoying A Convenient Arrangement, book one in the series, I didn’t hesitate to get the second one, this time narrated by Abby Craden. I’m glad I did because I enjoyed this one even more.
When Amelia Stone crashes her U-Haul on her way to move in with her girlfriend, she is rescued by handsome paramedic Finn Douglas. A tentative friendship starts between them and a growing attraction makes Amelia wonder if her interrupted move wasn’t a huge mistake…
This is a very interesting collaboration between Bella Books author Jaime Clevenger and Bold Strokes Books author Aurora Rey. The first book in the Mile High City series by these authors, A Convenient Arrangement, was published by Bold Strokes Books in November 2021 and this one was released by Bella Books a month later. Both novels intertwine in time and there are some references to the other story in each book but there are no spoilers and the books can be read in any order. I found that this was a very clever way to present a series.
I’ve listened to book one and thought that the introduction of cuffing (dating during the months of winter to keep warm when it’s dark and cold, only to dump the temporary partner when springtime arrives) was an original plot idea. Love, Accidentally deals with a very well-known lesbian practice: the U-Haul (two women who move in together very soon after they start dating). But this book incorporates a cool twist: a traffic accident occurs during the moving process effectively stopping it, acting as a meet-cue between the main characters, and forcing one of them to rethink her current relationship with her girlfriend (I’m not spoiling anything as this happens at the very beginning of the novel).
Both authors write butch/femme romances and I found that their styles are very compatible. In this novel, the seduction is built very well, there is a bit of instant attraction but it doesn’t feel forced. As it normally happens in a romance where one person is involved with someone else, the relationship starts as a budding friendship and the romance is slow burn. However, there is a lot of lusting and repressed desires that build up the heat factor of the story. The temptation of the forbidden works really well here as a source of excitement and angst.
Both characters are well fleshed out and their chemistry is sizzling despite their efforts to ignore it. The introduction of Amelia’s grandma as a hilarious matchmaker introduces a much-needed lightness among all the angst. I found that Amelia’s girlfriend was a bit one-dimensional character but it didn’t really bother me that much. The sex scenes were varied and super hot, something that I come to expect from both authors. I wouldn’t complain if they decide to write more books in this series, just saying…
Abby Craden narrated this installment which in my opinion was an improvement from book one. All the voices were distinctive and her performance of the range of emotions involved was, as usual, spot on. If you are looking for a hot, angsty, and emotional romance, this one is for you. 4.5 stars.
Length: 8 hrs, 4 minutes
Unlike book one, this audiobook is available on Scribd
“Love, Accidentally” is the second in a two-book collaboration between Jaime Clevenger and Aurora Rey. This isn’t a typical series as the storylines in the books are concurrent, so it doesn’t matter which order you read them in.
Amelia Stone is moving in with her girlfriend of six weeks. However, she crashes her U-haul (literally and figuratively) on the way to her new apartment and meets paramedic, Finn Douglas.
The first half of this was great. I liked both Amelia and Finn well enough and thought they had nice chemistry. While the story isn’t exactly heavy, it has some heavier moments with Amelia dealing with a relationship she realizes she may have rushed into with a person who is all wrong for her. Amelia’s nana, Edith, is also introduced and she’s a clear scene stealer. She allows for some lighter moments when she goes into business with Finn making pot brownies that had me laughing.
Unfortunately, the second half wasn’t nearly as good for me. Once the two get together intimately it seems their relationship kind of stays in stasis where they’re either having sex or talking about having sex and it got boring after a while.
Amelia and Finn both come with baggage and there’s a lot of miscommunication/lack of communication. I understood each of their reasoning but it frustrated me that they didn’t seem to want to rock the boat so anytime a conversation was started, it would somehow get turned into another sexy discussion. I like my romances to have more of an emotional depth and it was harder for me to believe in this one when their main connection was sexual.
Saying all that, this wasn’t a bad read. It was frustrating for me with the communication issues and I would’ve preferred more substance over all the sex scenes. I think others will enjoy and get more out of this than I did. I recommend this if you’re looking for a lighter read set around the holiday season.
I received an ARC from Bella Books via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.
Love Accidentally (A Mile High City Romance #2) by Jaime Clevenger and Aurora Rey, is a wonderful romantic collaboration by two exceptional authors. This is the second book in the series, but unlike most, these stories do not have to be read in order. Both novels take place at the same time, just to two different couples who are connected through friendship. In each story, the “non-main couple” are secondary characters. I really like this concept.
I already met Amelia Stone and Finn Douglas when I read A Convenient Arrangement, the first novel in this series. I’ve been looking forward to reading their story ever since. I love how this book starts off with the ultimate lesbian meme, a U-Haul truck which then ends up in an accident with a dump truck. This is how Finn meets Amelia, since Finn is the paramedic that treats Amelia at the scene. It truly is a great story starter.
This is a friends-to-lovers romance. When the two meet, Amelia supposedly already has a girlfriend, and Finn is definitely not looking for one. The two decide that they can only be friends, but friends don’t normally have this much chemistry between them. This creates a good bit of conflict and much of the minor angst in the tale.
The pace of this story is good, the characters are well-developed, and the sex scenes are steamy. This is a great, uplifting story to read, and I highly recommend it. In fact, read both novels in whatever order you want.
I received an ARC from NetGalley and Bella Books for an honest review.
Love, Accidentally, a collaboration between Jaime Clevenger and Aurora Rey is the second book in the Mile High City Romance. I didn’t read the first one but had no problem enjoying the story. If there were any people involved from book 1 it went straight over my head ;-)
Amelia Stone crashes her U-haul on her way to move in with her girlfriend of six weeks (yeah, you heard that right). Paramedic Finn Douglas comes to her rescue and the two strike up a friendship. Big factor in this is Amelia’s pot brownie baking nana Edith. It is obvious from the get go that girlfriend Veronica is a tool. It takes a bit for Amelia to discover it too, and when she does the way is clear for her to focus on what is happening between her and Finn. Is this a re-bound? Is it just fabulous sex and nothing more? Or could this be the real thing.
Clevenger means plenty of explicit happenings and you will not be disappointed. A nice romance with the obligatory non-communication angst.
I chose for the audio book version on Scribd because of Abby Craden’s solid narration. Duh!
First book of the year! It was a good read. The couple was cute. I like how they met at the start and the interaction.
Though after things happened, and they got together, their sex life happened alots, a bit too much to me i think? No time to breathe at all 😐. And the miscommunication, despite they said they will talk to each other and all, there were still things they kept to themselves. Though I kind of understand why. And it is just part of the angst of the book.
All in all, i like the book and Nana of course. I'm her fan!
'A convenient arrangement' is the first book in this series, 'Love, Accidentally' even tho still very good, it didn't keep me engrossed as the second book did, I much more enjoyed the first book. I've read so many stories that are themed on a 'u-haul' storyline, it gets pretty hard to come up with something different, I was hoping this one might be different That's not to say that 'Love, Accidentally' isn't any good, because it is. I think I just need a change from similar stories. The characters are all very likeable and there is very much a 'spark' between them.
It's a good, readable story... I've given it a 3.9
This was a wonderfully paced, engaging read that kept me hooked from start to finish. Finn and Amelia's chemistry was evident, and their communication (for the most part) felt genuine, leading to a strong, believable romance that unfolded naturally. The addition of Amelia’s grandmother, Edith, brought some brilliant humor to the story—especially the scene with the Bunsen burner, which had me laughing out loud. Overall, a charming and heartfelt book with just the right mix of romance, angst and comedy.
This is the accompanying instalment of A Convenient Arrangement in the Mile High City Romance series. I say accompanying because the events in this book take place around the exact same time.
Once again we need to give credit to Bella and BSB for letting the authors cooperate on this series and splitting the books between the two publisher. I feel like Bella did get the better book with this one.
Lesbians U-Haul around the second date, or say goes the saying. Amelia is driving the U-Haul to her girlfriend’s place when a dump track drive into her. She needs to be extracted from the vehicle and Finn is the paramedic on the scene. Finn finds Amelia’s ramblings adorable and can’t help but be interested and invested in her. Amelia has a girlfriend, Victoria. We hear more about her than we see of her, even after a pretty serious accident, that should tell you enough about this character. Finn is pretty much perfect, supportive, good looking, helpful and with her head on straight. Both women are fighting their attraction and connection, mostly because Amelia can’t get out of their way.
A lot of the times when there is a character like Finn, who is pretty much perfect they annoy me. Somehow Rey and Clevenger were able to write this character in a way that just has me going oooh that’s cute and sweet. Now why I find this book better than the other one, for one it’s the characters and secondly I like how they get together. I like how Finn bonds with Edith (Amelia’s grandma), how supportive she is and I like Amelia’s ramblings, I even like her getting in her own way. Oh and mostly there aren’t any annoying secondary characters as there were in A Convenient Arrangement. Both books have there strengths and overal I think the authors did an amazing job on this series. Where I sometimes struggle with books written by them individually, these co-authored ones hit the right spot. Solid 4 star read.
*ARC received in exchange for a voluntary and honest review*
3.75 Stars - Cute and steamy romance with basically with a perfect masc paramedic and a fem who realizes just in time that she is about to end up with the wrong woman. They have an intense sexual connection that almost derails them, but they finally are able to communicate their feelings and we get a very nice HEA. Very enjoyable listen.
Love, Accidentally is a part of the Mile High City Romance series. A collaboration between Jamie Clevenger and Aurora Rey. The main characters in this one, Finn and Amelia are featured in a much lesser capacity in A Convenient Arrangement, which is the story of Jess and Cody.
Amelia Stone is moving in with her girlfriend, Veronica, after only six weeks of dating. On move in day Veronica is in New York because it's more important to network with Amelia's mother than to help her girlfriend move. While driving the UHaul, Amelia is hit by a dump truck. Paramedic Finn Douglas arrives on the scene and gets Amelia and her cat out safely.
Finn finds Amelia adorable as she's telling her how cute she is and how if she didn't have Veronica she would totally date her. Finn visits her in the hospital where she encounters Amelia's Nana. Nana promptly invites Finn to dinner as a thank you for caring for her granddaughter and taking the cat to the vet. Nana is not on team Veronica but instantly like Finn and recognizes the mutual attraction between her daughter and the kind paramedic.
Amelia definitely should not be thinking about Finn but after she gives her a ride home from the hospital and shares dinner with her and her Nana, it's impossible for her not to have thoughts. She begins to see how much different Finn is from Veronica. Where Veronica is pretentious and self absorbed, Finn is thoughtful and generous. She visits hospice patients on her off days and Nana decides she's going to make pot brownies for the patients that Finn can deliver. It's not just to be nice, it's Nana's way to keep Finn coming back so that Amelia will eventually realize who she should be dating.
I really love these two characters. Finn is pretty much perfect. She's there for Amelia more than her girlfriend, even when they don't know each other. She is weary of relationships because she was cheated on by her girlfriend, who she thought she would marry. She may not be looking for a relationship but she wants Amelia, she just doesn't want to be her rebound. Finn also adores Edith, Amelia's Nana, almost as much as she adores Amelia and that alone does it for me. It doesn't hurt that Finn is also a hot butch with a great bod and an absolute heart of gold. So, yeah, I'm in love with Finn!
When we first meet Amelia she has some issues she needs to address. Like why she's moving in with a woman she hardly knows who is a lot like her self absorbed mother. Amelia's mom is a former soap star turned roundtable women's talk show host. She's never been there for Amelia. Her Nana has been the constant source of love in her life. Nana is quick to point out that Amelia is rushing into moving in with Veronica but Amelia isn't having any of it. Luckily, a dump truck, dumps her plans of a future that would have ended in heartbreak and is responsible for delivering a yummy paramedic to her rescue. It takes Amelia a while to get out of her own way but she gets there eventually.
I hope we get more collaborations from Aurora Rey and Jamie Clevenger. The characters were charming, Nana was an absolute rock star and made me think of my own Gram, who always thought I could do no wrong, even when presented with evidence to the contrary. This is a light-hearted read that I highly recommend. It will bring a smile to your face.
ARC received from Bella Books via NetGalley for an honest review
Everything was different with Amelia. She wanted to take all the risks.
3.5 stars. A really sweet and enjoyable romance! A woman u-hauling her way into a very new relationship crashes the truck, breaks her leg, and meets a very charming paramedic who throws a wrench into her plans. The book follows Amelia and Finn through their growing attraction, Amelia dealing with her not-quite-suitable girlfriend, and Finn dealing with her own reluctance about entering into a relationship in this way. Their romance is sweet and steamy and just what I needed.
I feel like I say this about all the books I read from Clevenger and Rey, whether individually or collaborative, but even though the writing isn't super intricate or beautiful, I always have such a good time with their books. I love the characters and I love the settings and I love the plots. Finn was so charming, Amelia was so sweet, and it didn't take much for me to start rooting for them wholeheartedly. And I mean, I have to say, there wasn't anything spectacular or profound in this, but they were just so cute, and I was smiling all the way through. It made me happy. Since the premise of the book is based on like, the common trope of lesbians moving in with each other super quickly, and it's the mistake that Amelia is in the middle of making with her girlfriend at the start of the book, I do wish there had been a little more emphasis on the fact that Finn and Amelia did take time to becomes friends before anything more happened? Just a bit more development on the whole would have been nice.
Listened to the audiobook as read by Abby Craden, which is a huge part of why I enjoyed this, I think. A good audiobook can really make up for plain/simple writing, and I just loved her voice as always. But the characters themselves were just so good, and even if this isn't a new favourite, I liked it so much.
I spent a lovely few hours with a book which is a parallel story to the authors' "A Convenient Arrangement." This book, on the other hand, might be read as a standalone. It introduces us to the stories of characters who appear in the "A Convenient Arrangement.". It is nice to get to know them better.
I am glad the two very talented ladies, Jaime Clevenger and Aurora Rey, decided to depict a joyful story of Finn and Amelia, based on the U-haul joke. One of them gets attached too easily, and the other one, just the opposite, chooses engaged women to avoid commitment. It is a lot of fun to clean up the mess it makes.
While the previous novel I have read this year has a lot of talk about emotional turns, this one emphasizes the anxiety of the situation when the MCs miss a few words of explanation. The reader is fully aware of both characters' motives. In reality, however, it is all too frequent to prioritize one's own pride over the common goal.
I recommend this book to fans of both authors as well as anyone who are interested in learning more about their work. Just keep in mind that there are a few tiny bdsm elements.
ARC received via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.
This is the second in the pair of stories that take place in parallel by Clevenger and Rey. I enjoyed this, but not as much as A Convenient Arrangement.
This features Amelia, who is in a car accident on her way to U-Haul with her girlfriend Veronica, an aspiring actress and Finn, the paramedic who helps Amelia during the crash. Amelia and Veronica are not well suited, which is obvious to everyone but Amelia, and Finn seems perfect for her, but Finn has been burned by her ex, and Amelia is attached so the two agree to just be friends.
The supporting characters include Amelia’s grandmother, Edith, who is a hoot and the best character in the book by far. Jess and Cody from Convenient Arrangement also feature in a few scenes. Amelia’s GF/ex and her mother also feature, with Finn’s family (mostly her parents and one sister) also appearing, but none of these characters are overly fleshed out. I was a bit worried about how much t8me wou” be spent on Amelia and Veronica, b7t fortunately this doesn’t last long.
Both MCs are lovely and I liked the chemistry and their early interactions were sweet and flirty but once they actually got together the miscommunications just kept piling up. Most of their issues could have been solved by just having an actual conversation instead of not talking or putting conversations off. I found the second half a bit of a slog because of this. The end was sweet enough and I liked these two together but I’d have preferred it if they acted more like adults. 3 stars.
A few weeks back I read A Convenient Arrangement, the first in the A Mile High City Romance series. Love, Accidentally is the second in the series, with the timeline being in parallel to A Convenient Arrangement. There's a few snippets of Cody and Jess, but this could definitely be read as a standalone.
I really enjoyed this book, and what I felt was missing in the first I felt was strong in this novel. For instance, the intimacy scenes had a lot more spice in them, which I found missing in the first.
Amelia and Finn have great chemistry together, and it was a joy to read their story. It's a fun premise to start with - Amelia crashing the uhaul she's driving whilst uhauling with her very new girlfriend. Finn is the paramedic that treats her at the scene, and the two begin to get to know each other with the help of Amelia's nana.
I think I found this a stronger read than the first in the series because the relationship development between Amelia and Finn was solid. We're along for the ride of the two of them getting to know each other, crushing on each other but being thwarted by Amelia's status of being in a relationship. Once they do get the green light, the chemistry has been building for so long it's only natural that it's so strong between them that it comes across on the page.
I will admit that I was frustrated by the conflict caused by lack of communication at the end of the novel. I think its over-used, especially in lesfic and I'd love to see less of it going forward. The non-communication between Amelia and Finn felt unrealistic and also unnecessary, as they'd already had enough angst to push the story along without this thrown in too.
Regardless, I thought it was a great read by these two authors.
Many thanks to Netgalley and Bella Books for a copy of this novel. ARC provided in exchange for an honest review.
I had pretty high expectations of this book after absolutely loving A Convenient Arrangement. I don't always love reading books in a series where there are cameos from previous couples but I loved Jess and Cody so much that it didn't seem like a bad thing.
What ended up happening is that I struggled to finish the book. First, I couldn't get over the fact that during sex scenes, Finn's body wasn't discussed or described. She merely had a chest. We got to know about Amelia's body but why not give Finn the same attention. And there was mostly sex happening between them. I enjoy sex scenes but honestly, I skimmed them toward the end. It was a combination of not caring much anymore and just too much of the same thing.
But the biggest thing that killed the book for me was that it seemed that the entire premise was built upon one of my biggest pet peeves in wlw ficiton: angst and tension based completely on lack of communication. It drives me crazy and makes it really difficult to feel anything but frustration and disappointment in the characters.
And the way Amelia handles her relationships with her mom and her ex? It felt unbelievable to me and just one more thing to add to the frustration.
I'm sure this book with hit the sweet spot for other readers but, for me, it was a big miss.
I do thank the publisher for giving me the chance to read the second in the series.
Sweet story. Amelia belives she has found her love and she takes the Uhaul route. Unfortunately that leads to an accident and self reflection. In turn, she meets Finn and so many emotional uncertainties along the way but love conquers.
One of those reads perfect on a cold hot chocolate time.
I received an ARC copy of this book from the Publisher via Netgalley and voluntarily leaving my review.
Amelia is in a serious accident while driving to her girlfriend Veronica where paramedic Finn is there to help her. Amelia has her life plan with Veronica but she can’t help being attractive to Finn who never really wanted to be in a relationship but finds herself drawn to Amelia.
Amelia and Finn grow closer I like the fact this wasn’t a unfaithful story both MCs take their time with each other despite not sometimes communicate well. I like we got a glimpse of Jess and Cody my favorite character was Amelia Nana she hilarious and she made the story more enjoyable.
Sweet with a U-haul-ful of steam This was quite a fun book to read in an afternoon. This book is part of a series by Jaime Clevenger and Aurora Rey. I really enjoyed the first book and this second one is a wonderful follow-up.
We are introduced to Amelia and Finn in the first book but they don’t get much prime time in that obviously so it’s a delight to have these characters fleshed out and get their own story. Both MCs are quite adorable and their banter is light and full of humor. Both characters are wary of insta relationships and that naturally becomes the driver for all the angst that they have to face. A few friendly appearances by characters in the first book make their way into this as well. However I think it’s Edith who steals the show with her acerbic wit and general “nana-ness”.
The writing is fantastic and I’m in awe of how seamless the writing is even when penned by two different authors. There is lots of steam, even more than the first book I think and the importance of being true and comfortable with yourself is a recurring theme which I really liked. Highly recommended 5 stars!
Thank you Bella Books and NetGalley for providing an ARC in exchange for an honest review.
3.5 rounded up. I didn't enjoy this one quite as much as A Convenient Arrangement as it seemed to drag a bit in the 2nd half of the book and became more about the sex than the MCs connection, but it was still a sweet romance that I enjoyed (especially grandma Edith) and of course Abby Craden did a great job with the narration.
Kudos to the authors for delivering two books, in a contemporanous timeline, and releasing them less than a month apart. This is part of A Mile High City Romance series and the other book is A Convenient Arrangement (which I gave 5 stars). I actually went back and scanned through the first book to see how often the two MC's in this book are featured.
Amelia Stone works for the city, and sounding like a lesbian joke, is u-hauling her things to her new girlfriend's apartment when she is in a traffic accident. First on the scene is paramedic Finn Douglas. And surprisingly Finn is more concerned about Amelia than her out of town girlfriend. Finn takes care of her cat and visits her in the hospital. She even accepts a thank you dinner invite from Amelia's grandmother and starts a friendship there. There is instant attraction but Amelia must first deal with her current relationship and Finn doesn't want to be the rebound person.
This is fun, light on the angst, big on the attraction sizzle. And the authors manage to do it without having Amelia be unfaithful. I ranked the first book slightly higher only because I got frustrated with the miscommunication between the two especially as talking is one of the things they do well. But that is just storyline preference. Part of me would have enjoyed some comeuppance for Veronica, but she isn't a villain. These are the kind of romances I truly enjoy. They leave me smiling and happy. Thank you NetGalley and Bella Books for an eARC in exchange for an honest review.
I really enjoyed this. It's got a remarkably amusing set-up hidden in a joke: Amelia gets into an accident while she's driving a U-Haul to move in with her girlfriend, a girlfriend she hadn't been dating that long.
With her cat.
The paramedic, Finn, who responds helps her stay calm throughout the realization of a badly broken leg/foot, and through the stay in the hospital and heading home to live with her grandmother for a while—because her girlfriend doesn't even come back from New York to help her, and lives at the top of a three-storey building with only stairs.
What follows is sparks, attraction, both women realizing Amelia has to figure out what she might want with her original girlfriend (which doesn't take too long, happily, given said first girlfriend is quite literally just the worst, but in a way Amelia has to admit is a great deal her own fault), and then deciding how honest to be with each other about their developing feelings for each other.
I would be remiss in not mentioning the spice here, because holy-heck these women spark, spark well, spark often, and Rey and Clevenger deliver. I totally bought their connection from step one, and then when they got to bed with each other, it shifted them both into a vulnerability that really worked well. They let sex take the front-seat, rather than thinking much through, and letting themselves get caught up in their own heads.
That brings me to the only bump for me in this otherwise really enjoyable audiobook—they don't use their words, and then use the wrong words, then both misinterpret each others words. It's all in-character, it's a Romance staple, it's 100% done well, and it's also just a traditional part of romance that I often struggle with. I don't like when characters don't speak like adults. I really, really found Amelia frustrating on this level (and to a lesser degree, Finn), but like I said, it all lands perfectly within character, and it's a quirk of my reading enjoyment, not a condemnation of the book. I will always prefer external crisis moments to internal-between-the-characters issues (especially ones they literally just need to talk out).
One other tiny quibble: I've done serious physiotherapy (albeit my arm, rather than leg). I have had a broken leg, too, and blown a knee. While I can't say that Amelia doesn't mention having pain or fatigue a few times in the book (while she's in her cast, most specifically), thereafter we are told she's got physiotherapy to face down—but then we never see her go to a single appointment, nor any side-effects from doing so. Physiotherapy is exhausting and painful. But Amelia is back at work and doing her thing, having great (and often athletic/upright) sex, and never even mentions pain pills after her cast comes off. I get that recovery isn't romantic, but it felt like a set-up—physiotherapy was going to be a big deal post-removal of her cast—that just got dropped, and since I've been there, it struck me as an odd choice. I also like "caretaking" as a love language, so it felt like a missed opportunity.
I really like this concept: two books, written together by two incredible authors, not running as sequels but actually at the same time, and each book starring a pair from within a small set of friends.
Love, Accidentally is a friends-to-lovers romance while A Convenient Arrangement is a fake relationship romance. Both are very well worth reading, can be read in any order and are butch/femme pairings. The writing is top-notch, as you'd expect from Jaime Clevenger and Aurora Rey. It's amazing that I could not tell in either book who was responsible for what, but that made both books even more fun to read.