Between You and Me

CONTEMPORARY ROMANCE

Title: Between You and Me
Author: Lynn Turner
Publication date: 09/20/2017
Kindle Unlimited: No
Cliffhanger: No

This is a tough book to rate, folks. It has a ton of GREAT stuff going for it. So, I suppose I’ll just start there. Here’s what I loved:

• I love that this is a multicultural romance, and a romance with a disabled hero, and neither the fact that it’s a multicultural romance or the fact that the hero’s disabled is a conflict in the story. That was refreshing.
  
• ​This is a well-written story. The descriptions of New Orleans were so vivid I felt like I was there, sitting on a balcony, eating a beignet while watching these characters romp through the city. ​

• ​The plot was interesting. You don’t see too many romances set in the world of medical device development. It was pretty cool.

But my reading experience wasn’t all puppies, kittens, and unicorns pooping rainbows. Here’s what irked me a little:

• There wasn’t really much of a conflict in the story. I didn’t really see any good reason why Finn and Emmi shouldn’t be together right from the beginning.
• Instalove. I tolerate instalove in paranormal romance, especially shifter romance. But in regular contemporary romance, I have little time for it. Hate to sound like a bitter old lady, but love at first sight—while not impossible—is crazy rare.
• I couldn’t figure out the point of the whole plotline with Emmi’s boss. His attraction to her was way too one-sided for an effective love triangle, and the whole thing really only served to make Emmi uncomfortable and feel like an asshole for rebuffing him. It didn’t really add any tension to the story, either. All it really did was left me wondering why he even existed in the book.
• Maybe I’m wrong, but both people on the cover look pretty white. If the book is being marketed as a multicultural romance, why are there two white people on the cover? (Note: I in no way blame the author for this. I realize that when the book isn’t self-published, the author loses pretty much all control of things like the cover and how the book is placed in categories on Amazon. I only mention this in the hopes that maybe the publisher will do a better job with future books for this author.)

But all that being said, I think this was a strong debut effort from a talented lady. (I’m a tough critic, so a 3 from me for a debut novel is a pretty solid rating.) I think future books will be even stronger, and I look forward to great things from this author.   

Full disclosure: We received an ARC from the author in exchange for an honest review.  

Does this book contribute to or help crush the romance stigma?
Well, it doesn’t crush the myth, but it’s well-written enough to avoid contributing to the stigma.   

Other reading suggestions
For super unique romance with a disabled hero, check out Hart Broken, by Annie Arcane. And for other great reads about deliciously imperfect heroes and heroines, check out this list.

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