Series: Twist of Fate #2
Rating: ⭐⭐⭐
Steam: 🔥🔥🔥
Release Date: September 13th, 2022
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CW: character with ovarian cysts and fertility struggles
Palmer has wanted Malia from the first moment he saw her. A challenging, sexy career woman who knows what she wants. It’s just not him. Not yet, anyway. This is Palmer’s chance to win her heart.
As fate throws them together, Malia unravels the layers of the man she thought she knew and, against the odds, finds herself falling in love. Palmer’s falling too. If only they can convince each other what they share…a belief in a happy ever after.
There were so many things going for this book that should have worked for me, but I struggled through it. And I entirely believe that this is a ‘me’ problem and might be a book enjoyed by others. It took me a really long time to warm up to the characters. Even though Palmer came out and said that he was putting on an act to rile up Malia, it still made me not like or trust him for a good portion of the book. I really liked what we got of Malia in the first book, but I liked her a little less in this one. I admired her drive and passion and her tough as nails attitude, but there was something about her that didn’t work for me and I can’t even put into words what it was.
Their relationship felt very forced, and that’s where I started to struggle. I like a man who is persistent as much as the next person, but I think Palmer was a little too persistent and at times it felt like he was forcing Malia to be with him without much choice. And when they did start dating, it didn’t have the oomph that I expected. It continued to feel like they were both obligated to follow through and were doing this because they didn’t have a choice. And if you know me well enough, you know I’m a sucker for a good fake dating plot. But this one just didn’t work.
I did love all of the time we spent with the friends and I liked the inclusion of Malia’s struggle with her fertility. I even liked seeing Palmer with his family and his sisters. I loved the topic of charity and giving back and seeing the other sides of these characters. Like in the first book, I was not a fan of the whole Emma/Mike plotline, that took up a lot of room in this book that I think I would have been okay without.
On the whole, an okay read. There was something missing, I just can’t tell you what it was.
Thanks to Montlake & NetGalley for generously providing me with an advance copy. I am voluntarily leaving an honest review.
anna reads here 