Talk Bookish to Me by Kate Bromley

Talk Bookish to Me by Kate Bromley

Published by Graydon House ISBN 9781525806438

Trade paperback, $15.99, 320 pages

Give me a funny, sexy novel with books thrown in like Kate Bromley's Talk Bookish to Me, and all of the boxes are ticked for me.

Kara Sullivan is a 32 year-old romance novelist, successful in romance on the page, but not so much in her real life. She is maid of honor for her best friend Cristina, and it is wedding week, which means there is a lot to do.

At a pre-wedding party, Jason the groom is waiting for the arrival of his groomsmen. Kara is astonished when she turns around and comes face-to-face with the man who broke her heart in college- Ryan is one of Jason's best friends from childhood and he is standing in front of her.

Kara hasn't seen Ryan in ten years, and she can't believe he is in the wedding. When Ryan gets kicked out of his hotel because of his high-maintenance bulldog named Duke, Kara offers to let Ryan and Duke stay with her. 

The banter between Kara and Ryan is snappy and often hilarious. I confess to laughing out loud more than once. The sexual tension can be cut with a knife, but Kara is leery about getting involved again with Ryan even as she finds herself attracted to him. On the plus side, the writer's block that has been plaguing her as her next deadline approaches seems to alieviated by Ryan being in her apartment.

Bromley knows how to write sexy scenes that will leave you hot and bothered. We also get to read excerpts from Kara's historical romance that in some ways mirror her new relationship with Ryan. If you are a big romance reader, you'll enjoy Kara explaining the genres, subgenres, and tropes of romance novels to Ryan.

The characters are interesting and I loved the New York City setting. Kara's references to specific NYC touchstones- dinner at Butter, brunch at The Smith, the digital lottery for Oklahoma! tickets- give a great sense of place. 

If you're on Instagram, you'll recognize Kara's work as a bookstagrammer, she puts a lot of effort into making her photos look enticing. If you're a dog lover, Duke's antics and Ryan's comprehensive list of  rules for caring for Duke will make you smile. (When did dogs become more involved to care for than children?)

Talk Bookish to Me reminded me of Stephanie Evanovich's novels- sassy and sexy. I loved so much about this book, it's a terrific read for the beach or back deck. I highly recommend it.

Thanks to Harlequin Books for putting me on their Summer 2021 Beach Reads Blog Tour.