You Complicate Me by Isabel Jordan

​CONTEMPORARY ROMANCE/
ROMANTIC COMEDY
​
Publication date: 04/06/2018
Kindle Unlimited: No
Cliffhanger: No

I have a confession to make. I’m a grumpy old lady. (Shocking, right? You never would have guessed it, huh?) And in my capacity as a grumpy old lady, I get cranky when my favorite authors branch out into other genres or categories of romance. I want them to write what I want them to write, darn it! Is that too much to ask?

So, needless to say when I heard that Isabel Jordan—who writes one of my favorite paranormal romance series—was releasing a contemporary romance/romantic comedy, I was a tad out of sorts. (Much muttering and complaining ensued) But because I’m not a completely close-minded grumpy old lady, I decided to give it a shot. And man, am I ever glad I did!

First of all, there are a few things you have to accept going into an Isabel Jordan book. And all of these things happen to be true of her paranormal romance series AND You Complicate Me:

1. There’s snark. Lots of it. Sarcasm is free-flowing. If you’re not a fan of snark, you’ll want to skip this one.
2. There’s cursing and lots of strong personalities. Fans of well-behaved, gentle, quiet characters will need to look elsewhere.
3. There are tons of nerdy pop culture references. Some people like that sort of thing, some don’t. Personally, I love it. The more nerdy pop culture in my reads, the better. But I can see how someone who doesn’t get the jokes might get irked by it. (And those people are probably not fans of this site, honestly, because MY people enjoy nerdy pop culture.)  
4. There are hilarious secondary characters that might seem over-the-top at a quick glance, but I DARE you not to find something relatable about them. (Every family has at least one of these people in it, and if you don’t think you do, you need to consider the fact that it might be YOU)
5. Snort laughter. It’s a real danger. Beware. Don’t read in public.
6. Sexy times are super sexy without falling into the “ew gross” category. (I’m looking at you, Wrong and Lucky Charm.)              

  
All that said, I loved the somewhat alphahole-ish Nick and the snark-mouthed, kind-of-messed-up-but-smart-and-sweet Grace, and by the end of the book, I was super invested in their HEA. I even look forward to seeing grumpy Gage get his own story. (Because as you know, I ADORE grumpy, hot heroes. There’s just something about the grumpy ones...But I digress...)

So, long-story-short, I highly recommend this one to fans of funny, smart, sweet, emotional contemporaries and romantic comedies. And Isabel Jordan, sorry I cussed you out for daring to write something other than paranormal. Bygones.  

Does this book contribute to or help crush the romance stigma?
It’s clean and sober. No rehab needed.

Other reading suggestions
Check out the Harper Hall Investigations series. And readers who like Jill Shalvis and Melanie Harlow will most likely enjoy You Complicate Me, as well. (And vice versa)

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