Don’t you love discovering a new-to-you author, especially when their books turn out to be SO your jam?! One of my top reasons for following fave authors on social media is they often promote other writers I’m not yet familiar with. When they give shout-outs to new authors, all the better.
I can’t remember from whom I discovered Annah Conwell and her Sweet Peach series, but it was definitely from another author I follow on Instagram. Annah’s debut novel, The Love Audit, was well-promoted and highly reviewed. I have to confess, I am probably the only female on the planet who doesn’t love the trend of illustrated romance novel covers. But the beautiful pink cover of The Love Audit (TLA) called to me. And once I started reading TLA, I realized the illustrator nailed the main characters.
The Love Audit
The Love Audit is a grumpy-sunshine, enemies-to-lovers, workplace romcom. The story was great and the characters, absolutely delightful. Charlotte (Lottie) Parker is sunny, sweet, and sassy. She’s smart and strong but struggles with people pleasing and worries too much what others think of her. She has a wild and fun personality but works hard to temper it around everyone but those who know her best.
Callum is a total cinnamon roll – a bit crusty on the outside but sweet and gooey at his core. He is driven and focused at work because he has a lot riding on his business success – mainly security for his mom – and he sees Charlotte as someone who can derail his plans. He has a wall around his heart from past hurts but is drawn to Charlotte like a moth to a flame.
Charlotte and Callum’s flirty banter and fiery sparring were top-notch. I loved the way the tension built between them up until their fantastic first kiss. Their forced-proximity situation provided a lot of opportunity for slow-burn chemistry, especially during their company’s hilarious Rest Week activities.
Conwell wrote the characters so well, their flaws and insecurities felt authentic and relatable. Both Charlotte and Callum grew over the story, their changes ringing true. All of the side characters in TLA were well done.
I also loved the found family Lottie had with her closest girlfriends, Grace, Sophie, and MJ. Lottie’s roommates/girl squad were each interesting and unique, but they somehow worked together, their friendships reading as genuine. Each of the books in Conwell’s Sweet Peach series features one of the roommates, and I look forward to each friends’ story.
TLA was funny, like laugh-out-loud-several-times funny. This novel is billed as a “closed door romcom” or a “clean romcom” but there are a few sweet faith elements, as well, that feel so natural. If you’re looking for a clean, swoony romcom, give The Love Audit a try!
One More Song
The second book in the series, One More Song (OMS), is a second-chance, best friend’s brother story. OMS features the journey between Charlotte’s brother Wyatt and her best friend, Grace, both introduced in TLA. Grace is a high school English teacher and quiet, introverted book lover. Wyatt is a country music sensation, having left Sweet Oak and Grace behind five years ago to chase stardom. Grace, already struggling with father abandonment issues, has never forgiven Wyatt for unceremoniously dumping her when she thought he would instead ask her to go to Nashville with him.
The two are thrown together as members of Charlotte and Callum’s wedding party. To make matters worse, Charlotte has asked the two to collaborate on an original song for their first wedding dance. Tension, hurt, healing, and longing ensue as Wyatt works hard to earn Grace’s forgiveness and trust while all she wants to do is protect her heart. The story is interspersed with flashbacks from the summer of Grace and Wyatt’s sweet romance.
As an aside, I also loved the cover of this book: the lovely blue hue, the bookshelf, the cowboy boots! Sigh. Conwell’s novels are really helping the illustrated cover trend grow on me.
While I think I liked The Love Audit slightly more, I really enjoyed One More Song. Wyatt’s earnest pursuit of Grace through big and small gestures is so endearing, his pining for her, sweet. Subtle undercurrents of faith were interwoven as natural parts of the characters. Elements of OMS I adored most:
- Second-chance romance (one of my fave tropes)
- Country music star (country music makes me swoon)
- Victorian house remodel (so romantic)
- Songwriting collaboration (it’s easy to see how they connected through music so deeply in the first place)
- Turret library (and alllll the mentions of books throughout the novel)
- Continuation of the found family/sisterhood between Grace, Lottie, Sophie, and MJ (sister-friends are the best)
- Set-up for Sophie and Bennet’s friends-to-lovers story (I am already rooting hard for Bennet to escape the friend zone)
- Hints of Zara and Brad’s story in novella, Out of Office (Zara and Brad work with Callum and Charlotte)
All in all, OMS is another winner from Annah Conwell. I definitely recommend checking out her Sweet Peach series. Speaking of this series…
Out of Office
TODAY, Annah Conwell released a free bonus novella from the Sweet Peach series to her newsletter subscribers (whom she calls Book Babes). Squee! I love a good free novella, especially when it’s part of a series I’m totally into. I also appreciate when endearing side characters get a little love. Out of Office features Zara and Brad’s forced-proximity, coworkers-to-lovers, he-falls-first, road trip story. Whew! Lots to pack into a novella, but I am here for it!
What are your favorite romcom tropes? Have you read any of the Sweet Peach series? Who are your favorite romcom authors? What romcoms would you recommend?