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Title: The Honey Don’t List
Author: Christina Lauren
Sub-genre: Contemporary
Trope(s): Enemies to friends to lovers
So Christina Lauren are an auto-buy for me. They are one of the authors who really got me back into reading contemporary romance, and some of their backlist titles are among my all-time faves (in particular Roomies and Dark Wild Night). If I could have their career, I would die a happy woman. All that being said, I have felt semi-lukewarm about some of their more recent releases. I liked Unhoneymooners and Twice in a Blue Moon, but I wouldn’t say I loved either of them. And while I really enjoyed this one while reading it, I can’t say it’s one that’s going to stick with me the way some of their others have.
Carey is a personal assistant to Melly, who is basically Joanna Gaines. Melly and her husband Rust started out with a furniture store, which led to an interior design business, which led to a TV show and books and products and lots and lots of money. The two are embarking on a book tour for their marriage self-help book. Problem is, they actually can’t stand each other. Carey and Rust’s assistant James find him banging another woman, and get roped into accompanying them on the tour to keep them in line. Carey and James are sort of enemies in that Carey takes a lot of pride in being an assistant and James think he is too good for the position (he was hired to be an engineer on the show, not act as Rust’s gopher), but mostly they just don’t know each other. But while trapped on a tour bus with a feuding couple selling their perfect marriage to their legions of fans, they become each other’s safe place, which slowly morphs into a genuine friendship. Which morphs into a genuine love interest. Along with dealing with their troublesome bosses, they also each have some issues they need to handle, and everything blows up–literally–revealing the truth about Melly and Rust, and the truth about Carey and James. But of course, they work it out in the end, and live happily ever after.
Probably the best thing about this book was the escapism. It was easy and entertaining and almost soap opera like in the drama level. It was a one sitting read for me, and for a couple of hours it kept my mind off current events, which was great. I liked Carey. I thought the way some of her health and dependency issues were handled was great. There was lots of therapy talk, which I fully support. James was a good hero. A little nerdy, which I’m into.
But overall, the whole thing was tepid. One of the best things about CLo’s older books is the intense sexual tension, and the very gratifying pay off of said tension (read: old books have a lot of hot sex in them). They seem to be straying away from that, which is fine, but I am definitely noticing the absence and feeling it in not a good way. I don’t need twenty sex scenes per book, but I need something. And more than that, I want to feel the pining and the longing the couple has for each other, and that was missing for me here. I also thought the dark moment and grovel were a little weak. On the one hand, the way Carey and James resolved their issues felt very realistic. There was no grand gesture, it all kind of worked itself out with maturity and communication. Which is great in real life, but maybe not so much in a romance novel. I just wanted a little more passion.
Not mad I read it, but I don’t see myself going back to this one again and again like I have with some of their others.
Overall Rating: 4 stars