Me: Babe! You’ve got to read this book. It’s a Melissa Brayden.
My wife: Is she the one that wrote that series in New York and—
Me: Absolutely the same one. This one is called Back To September.
My wife: Like back to the future.
Me: Honey…
My wife: Sorry. What’s it about?
Me: Okay. Well, it says here in the blurb that Hannah Shephard likes her life, her—
My wife: Babe…
Me: Right. Um…right. So, there’s two women. Hannah is a book shop owner. She’s totally fine with her shop although it’s losing money, her single life, her friends although they keep trying to set her up, her sister, her—
My wife: I get it. Hannah’s got it all sorted out, or so she thinks.
Me: Well, okay, sure. So along comes Parker Bristow who’s a world famous romance novelist—
My wife: Are romance novelists world famous?
Me: Melissa Brayden is.
My wife: Really? I wouldn’t know her if I walked into a pole.
Me: I would walk into a pole if I saw her. I told her that on Facebook once—
My wife: What?
Me: Nothing. So, Parker comes to the book shop that Hannah owns and they hit it off straight away.
My wife: Like…hit it off? Or hit it?
Me: Both, but mostly the second one. Fireworks and all that.
My wife: Okay, so standard lesfic stuff.
Me: But no! It’s not. Imagine…um…imagine...oh! Okay, imagine some romance stories being like a steak and three veg meal.
My wife: Okay…
Me: That meal’s got everything you need. It’s right in front of you. You might find a surprise recalcitrant pea under a carrot circle, but generally you know what you’re eating.
My wife: …
Me: Hear me out. Remember when we went to that sushi place, and they lit the entree on fire.
My wife: Yep. Freakiest thing I—
Me: So, with this novel, Melissa Brayden gives us flaming sushi at the very beginning. Then it’s a super amazing gourmet dinner, full of complexity and layers, with contrasting flavours, because Parker has some major trust issues—
My wife: Is that a spoiler?
Me: No! Maybe. Um. Anyway, there’s love and wonderful romance and it’s like…
My wife: The most perfect dessert in the end, just right for after terrifying flaming sushi and a gourmet meal.
Me: Yes! With layers that make sense.
My wife: Gotta have sensible layers.
Me: Are you going to read it? It’s wonderful.
My wife: Probably. I’m still working my way through--Is Melissa Brayden the one that wrote this animal shelter series?
Me: No, that’s Georgia Beers.