An entertaining and low-angst romance

Monica McCallan’s stories are like warm hugs to the soul, they are normally low-angst, steamy, funny, and sweet, all in a well-written package. However, I have to admit that it took me ages to engage with Charm City as I couldn’t connect with one of the mains. So much so that I left it for a while and then picked it up again a few weeks later. I’m happy that I did because I ended up enjoying it.

Taylor Tate is an owner of an events company that needs its next event to go well without a hitch. Carson Smith is the manager of the Second Chances Bar where the Valentine’s Week event is held. The problem is, Carson believes the event is a gimmick to take advantage of single people. But as the week goes by, both women realise that there is a growing attraction that connects them beyond the Valentine’s Week success goal.

This is an opposites-attract Valentine novella set in Baltimore (also known as “Charm City”). The mains relationship doesn’t start well, to say the least, but they slowly connect through their common goal of making Valentine’s events a hit. Each day of the week there’s a different event planned with the corresponding cocktail for it. I loved how the author added some of these cocktails recipes, one even including Fernet Branca, a bitter Italian liquor drank widely in my home country (Argentina). So kudos for that!

Lori Prince reads all of McCallan’s catalogue and she’s the ideal narrator for this author. She does a great job to express Carson sarcasm and Taylor’s sweetness and the banter between them is epic. If you are looking for an entertaining, fun, and low-angst romance, this one is for you. 4 stars.

Length: 5 hrs and 30 mins