Talia Hibbert concludes her Brown Sisters rom-com trilogy, after Chloe and Dani, with the sunny chaotic Eve, so different from her sisters, this is my belated Valentine's read, and I know the author will give us plenty of humour, fun, diverse steamy relationships, not to mention a serious focus on issues, here it is autism. The sassy purple haired and glittery Eve has floundered when it comes to finding her career niche, a litany of failures behind her, such as singing and acting, the latest being that of wedding planner. This is the final straw for Gigi and her parents, worried about her lack of commitment and application to her varied job forays, telling a distraught Eve that they are withdrawing any financial support until she settles into a occupation for the period of a year. This has Eve taking off, finding herself in the small picturesque place of Skybriar in the Lake District in the rain.
She stops at the Castell Cottage Bed and Breakfast, noticing there are interviews for the position of a chef taking place, making the decision to apply. It would be an understatement to say that the owner of the B&B, Jacob Wayne, is not impressed with Eve, although his best friend, Eric Montrose, points out their desperate predicament, they need someone now and that Eve should be offered a trial period to see if she could work out. Before Jacob can tell her, Eve runs him over in her car, leaving him with concussion and serious injuries, such as a broken wrist. Feeling responsible, Eve is left with no choice but to help Jacob, at least until the Pemberton Ginger Festival in which the B&B is participating. To Eve's surprise, she is good at providing the guests with breakfast and afternoon teas, although learning the housekeeping aspects is more of a struggle. The initial antipathy between the rigid, rule bound, controlling Jacob and Eve melts away as they begin to see each other, only for the sexual tensions between them begin to rise to sky high levels.
There is much that could be said to be predictable in the trajectory of the romance and love between Eve and Jacob, but it is Hibbert's vibrant characterisations that make this such a great read, the sweet and touching depictions of the couple's vulnerabilities, the development of their characters, the issue of autism, and their growing sense of coming to terms with their identity as they grapple with a lifetime of being misunderstood. They understand each other, when others cannot, although it is not an obstacle free path to love, their fears and insecurities do not disappear magically, Jacob has been so deeply hurt that he believes no woman could possibly love and want him beyond the short term. If you are looking for a fun, entertaining, appealing and engaging rom-coms, then I can certainly recommend this trilogy featuring Eve, Dani and Chloe. Many thanks to Little, Brown for an ARC.