Novel: Work in Progress by Staci Hart| Goodreads
Release Date: January 24, 2019P
Format: eReader
Source: Advanced Reader Copy
Get it here: Amazon
Synopsis
I never thought my first kiss would be on my wedding day.
But here I stand, clutching a bouquet of pale pink roses behind the doors of a Las Vegas chapel, and at the end of the aisle is the absolute last man I imagined would be waiting for me.
Thomas Bane.
Bestselling author. Notorious bad boy. Savagely handsome, dark as sin, chiseled as stone. And somehow, my soon-to-be husband.
Marry him, and I’ll land my dream job. Save him, and I’ll walk away with everything I’ve ever wanted. All I have to do is remember it’s all for show. None of it is real, no matter how real it feels.
But first, I have to survive the kiss.
And with lips like his, I don’t stand a chance.
My Review
I was kindly provided an Advanced Reader Copy of this book by the publisher in exchange for my honest review of the book. All thoughts and opinions are my own.
I absolutely loved this book. I am a big fan of Staci Hart, the past two books in the Red Lipstick Coalition series have been some of my favorite Rom-Com books of last year. The sneak peek of Work in Progress at the end of Player already had me hooked. I squealed with joy when this bad boy got delivered to my kindle app. However, I know myself too well and had to enforce a strict, “Do not open until the weekend” policy. Thank goodness I did, because I did not put it down all night.
Thomas Bane is the literary world’s bad boy, and my oh my is he handsome. In my mind, he was basically Jason Momoa with Brandon Sanderson’s writing skills. Thomas meets Amelia, the painfully shy bookstagramer/blogger who is our latest member of the Red Lipstick Coalition to get her own story. She has also written scathing reviews of his books. Thomas is fascinated by the woman who can look him in the eye and tell him his heroes absolutely suck, but she still loves his writing. He asks her to help him write better and she readily agrees, who doesn’t want to spend more time with this guy?! Before they can really get to work on Thomas’s book, he gets himself into some trouble and requires some good PR to save his career. Then the hijinks ensue.
I really cannot commend Staci Hart enough on her ability to weave a complicated but immediately entrancing romance, again and again. Not only did I find myself completely invested in the story, but I also could not stop thinking about the characters well after I finished. Amelia is pure innocence and happiness. Readers cannot help to love her, but also relate to her feelings in this book. I loved Thomas so much. He may have been a bad boy, but truly he had a heart of gold. Both characters had their faults, which made them relatable, but you were constantly rooting for them. I also really felt that the ultimately the requisite angst and conflict were well thought out. It was a conflict that could happen in so many relationships and did not feel contrived.
While I do not share the social anxiety that plagues sweet Amelia, I know that there are women around the world that would be able to relate to Amelia. At no point does Amelia’s anxiety come off as a convenient tool. Instead, it is shown as a genuine issue for which she is seeking treatment. Thomas helps her with this anxiety because he is such a comfort for her. She feels comfortable with him, which means that there are fewer anxiety attacks.
Hart offers little peeks into the lives of Rin and Val, the first two girls in the Red Lipstick Coalition to find love. I loved getting to revisit their relationships. On top of that, the relationship these four friends have is the perfect show of women supporting women. Finally, the sneak peek of Katherine’s story (our final Red Lipstick Coalition tale) at the end is truly to die for. I am literally counting the days to its release.
Truly I cannot say enough good words about this book. I don’t know what you’re waiting for… go buy it right now.
