‘Wow! I adore this book and Belinda Missen is an author I will be reading more from . . . Love, love, love!’
Perfect for fans of Mhairi McFarlane, Laura Jane Williams and Josie Silver.
In the space of a week, Katharine Patterson has quit her job, decided to move back home, and broken up with the guy she thought was the one.
No big deal.
Because Katharine has a plan. She’s going to open her … deal.
Because Katharine has a plan. She’s going to open her own art gallery, just like she’s always wanted. What she’s not going to do is worry about boyfriends.
Then she meets Kit, a handsome and talented local artist. He might be the most stubborn person Katharine has ever met. He might also make her feel like no one ever has before.
And Katharine might be about to fall accidentally in love
Readers are raving about Accidentally in Love!
‘Cute, mouth watering, deliciously sweet and heartwarming book gives you enough positive energy to get through your hell of a week! And I enjoyed every second of it!’
‘If you like well-written LOL books with feisty female leads then this is for you… A highly satisfactory 5 star read.’
‘A refreshing, sweet rom-com… I was in the mood for a great pick-me-up read and this really hit the spot.’
‘My first book by this author, and what a find!’
‘I LOVED the story line… This was a read that I told myself I would stop but ended up reading the whole book in one sitting. Such a fun romance!‘
‘Filled with witty humor, well-crafted dialogue, and tender emotional moments, Accidentally in Love is the perfect bookish escape.’
‘I loved the chemistry between Kit and Katie……Sharp and witty dialogue between leads always wins my heart.’
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Favorite Quotes:
…she looks like the poster child for corporate office perfection, whereas I’m sure I left the office looking like the love child of Beetlejuice and Alice Cooper.
‘Go easy on the old boy… He thought Kit would be right up your alley.’ ‘Let me be very clear… He’s not going anywhere near my alley.’
… there’s a teensy bit of smug satisfaction that comes from knowing he’s stuffed up so badly. Who am I kidding? The schadenfreude is a strawberry milkshake, and I’m so very thirsty.
‘Can I tell you a secret?’ He leans in and fixes me with such a look I’m certain he’s about to unload nuclear codes on me.
Everyone has those mornings where something simply doesn’t feel right… It’s more a charge in the air. That’s how I feel right now, life slipping off-kilter as I step into the bridal shop. A bell above the door tingles to alert the God of mischief that it’s time to suit up.
My Review:
I always enjoy delving into Belinda Missen’s books as every one of them that I’ve had the pleasure of perusing as been lively, fun, cleverly amusing, and delightfully irreverent, and this one was no exception. And in addition to all that, it was also highly entertaining and thoughtfully perceptive. There was a brilliant and well-honed balance of humor, interpersonal conflict, family issues, witty banter, romance, personal loss, deep friendship, angst, and unabiding familial supportiveness. The storylines were teeming with uniquely flawed and oddly compelling characters full of unusual quirks that provided unexpected levity as well as additional creative story elements.
I smirked and snickered my way through this engaging tale and picked up a bit of artsy knowledge along the way as well as a new addition to my Brit Wordlist with lurgy, which Mr. Google told me is British slang for ‘A fictitious, highly infectious disease; often used in the phrase “the dreaded lurgi”, sometimes as a reference to flu-like symptoms.’ I recall suffering several reoccurring bouts of lurgy in high school – an excellent cover story for my perpetual truancy.
After quitting her job in a fit of righteous rage when an unqualified man is promoted instead of her to the position she’d earned, art curator Kate Patterson is in no mood to be set up with a grumpy artist who apparently is only interested in using her for her gallery connections. Especially since she’s pretty sure her sort-of-not-really-relationship with lawyer John has absolutely no future in it.
While there’s a solid romance in here, this honestly reads more like a coming-of-age story, except Kate is most definitely already of age at 35. What she’s doing is finally stepping up to exert control over her own life, rather than passively drifting along. She takes the bull by the horns not only with her career, but in her love life and with her family and even her friends… one of the most true-to-life parts of the book which really hit me hard was Kate’s realisation that friendships evolve and change with time and people who have been huge parts of our lives for a long time might not have the same role going forward. The hard truth which Kate has to accept is that despite thinking of herself as a thoroughly modern woman, she has in fact been something of a doormat, and it’s past time she got mad at the people who’ve been only too happy to wipe their feet on her.
Christopher was charming (once he got over his initial grumpiness) and some of the banter between him and Kate was genuinely hilarious. I did feel that the romance could have used a little more focus, particularly at the end of the story which felt a bit rushed. Four stars for an enjoyable read.
Disclaimer: I received a review copy of this title via NetGalley and Rachel’s Random Resources.
Title: Great story about someone independent and strong!
Content:
This novel was slow but picked up speed in the second half. It is a funny novel with witty remarks from both parties. A great fun novel to read.
I wrote this voluntary review in exchange for an ARC copy.
3.5 stars, While I did find this book funny in parts I didn’t find it laugh out loud funny, the humor and chemistry did pick up in the second half of the book. I would put this in more of a cute funny love story than hilarious read. Katherine quits her job and moves home to open a gallery, oh and broke up with her boyfriend, Coming home isn’t as easy as she hopes, putting together a gallery is a lot of work especially if a certain local artist prove elusive. Christopher has no idea what to make of the city girl coming home to the country, fun banter ensues. Many ups and downs, chasing and catching and running, turned off phones drama all in the passionate art world. Good read.
….I feel as if it’s him who’s seeing me for the first time.’
Belinda’s work just gets better and better. This book is brilliant, and honestly, I think it may just be my favourite of all of her works so far!
It’s got her witty humour, the classy banter between characters that she has perfected, along with a rather ‘hawt’ moment that makes you want to install your own darkroom in your house, stat! (Yes, I dabble in photography – don’t judge me!)
As always for me, being able to picture the characters, feel their emotions and visualise everything that is happening as I read through a book is really important to me, and this one does not let me down at all.
I loved that this didn’t just focus on the attraction between the two main characters, too. We follow each of their personal growth changes, and those of people close to them. There were so many other things like close family dynamics, friendships, belonging to a community, having faith in one’s own abilities, and following a dream.
And we can’t forget the art!!
It is unputdownable, and I couldn’t wipe the smile off of my face while I read it. I giggle snorted at some points, laughed out loud at others, and thoroughly enjoyed the ride.
Bring on the next one….
This book had a slower start for me and took a little bit to get used to the writing style, but once I got into it I enjoyed the story. The beginning lays good groundwork for the characters and their backstories.
I enjoyed Katherine’s character and how close she is with her family, but also how she grows and realizes she deserves more from the people in her life, whether in her job, relationships, or friendships. She isn’t flawless, but she is funny, honest, and has a great heart. I also warmed up to Kit who has a grumpy exterior but means well and is just afraid to open up.
I appreciated the slow build between Katherine and Kit and loved their connection and banter once they moved past their initial reservations about one another. The ending wrapped up a bit too quickly for me, but overall I really enjoyed this one.
The romance is on the light side but there’s good character growth so I recommend it for contemporary romance / women’s fiction fans.
SUCH a great read! I enjoyed the characters, the story, the fantastic banter! Was sad to put it down!
Accidentally in Love is such a fun and heart-warming romantic comedy. Katherine moves back home after quitting her job and breaking up with her boyfriend. Determined to start her own art gallery, Katherine puts everything she has into her new business endeavor. Then, she meets Kit, a local artist and can’t deny the chemistry. Neither want a relationship, but they can they resist falling accidentally in love?
I love the protagonist Katherine! She’s so determined and driven once she makes a decision. As Katherine starts over, both in her professional and personal life, she learns so much about herself. She realizes what is important to her, what she is worth, and who is really important to her.
One of my favorite aspects of the story is the wonderful cast of characters. Katherine’s family and Kit are wonderfully developed and interesting. I love Katherine’s relationship with her brother and their unwavering support of each other. Katherine’s relationship with her dad and step-mom is also lovely. They are good people and a loving and fun family, and I enjoyed reading about all of their shenanigans!
I also liked the enemies-to-lovers romance between Katherine and Kit. From the start, you can tell they have a lot of chemistry. They remind me a bit of Darcy and Elizabeth when they first meet in Pride and Prejudice. They are both so prideful and have preconceived ideas about each other, which results in some interesting and fiery conversations. I loved watching Katherine and Kit grow closer and bond over their shared love of art.
The story also delves into some deeper issues like inequities in the workplace, growing and changing relationships, and break-ups, all of which are handled with honesty and realism. Who hasn’t dealt with a bridezilla friend or a break-up? The messages and characters throughout the story are very relatable.
Accidentally in Love is a great romantic comedy that will appeal to readers who like contemporary romances with well-developed characters, witty banter, and HEAs.