March 1, 2025
The bestselling author of Iris Kelly Doesn't Date returns with a small-town romance featuring Ramona Riley, whose dreams have been shelved, and nepo baby Dylan Monroe. They once kissed, but that was years ago. Now, Dylan is back in their hometown to film the big-budget rom-com in which she's starring. Dylan is also hoping to prove that she can still relate to "regular folks," so she reconnects with Ramona. Prepub Alert.
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Starred review from May 1, 2025
Ramona Riley has never fully given up her dream of becoming a Hollywood costume designer, even after she dropped out of fashion school at 18 to help care for her younger sister following a family tragedy. When actress Dylan Monroe shows up to make a movie in Ramona's little New Hampshire tourist town, Ramona doesn't dare hope her dreams might come true. Dylan carries scars from a chaotic childhood, raised by two drug-addicted mega rock stars. When Ramona and Dylan keep finding themselves thrown together, sparks fly, and they don't want to be apart. But what Ramona knows and Dylan doesn't realize is that the two met one summer when they were kids and shared each other's first kiss. Complicating real feelings with the messy surreality of Hollywood, this book sets up the misunderstandings and obstacles to Ramona and Dylan's relationship only to expertly knock them down. The book is steamy while also being a sweet and sensitive look at the complex feelings of the characters, exploring how difficult it can be to trust others when you don't trust yourself. It's a fantastic start to Herring Blake's (Iris Kelly Doesn't Date, 2023) Clover Lake queer-romcom series.
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