What If You and Me by Roni Loren occurs in the same "world" as Yes and I Love You. I loved this book so much! I originally read this as an e-arc from Net Galley, but I quickly purchased a copy when this book was released.
Format: Net Galley Advanced Reader Copy
Genre: Contemporary Romance
Page Length: 320 pages
Publisher: Sourcebooks Casablanca (July 6, 2021)
Star Rating: ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
Mr. Darcy‘s Rating: “You have bewitched me, body and soul.”
A Chasing Mr. Darcy Review
Here’s a summary from GoodReads: The world can be a scary place. At least, that's what Andi Lockley's anxiety wants her to believe. It doesn't help that she narrowly escaped a dangerous man years ago, or that every relationship since has been colored with that lingering fear. But things are better now―she's channeling everything into her career as a horror novelist and true crime podcaster, and her next book may be the breakthrough she needs. If only her grumpy new neighbor would stop stomping around at all hours of the night. Former firefighter Hill Dawson can't sleep. After losing part of his leg in a rescue gone wrong, he's now stuck in limbo. He needs to figure out what he's supposed to do with his life, and he can't let himself get distracted by the pretty redhead next door. But when someone breaks into Andi's place, Hill can't stop himself from rushing in to play the hero. Soon, a tentative bond forms between the unlikely pair. But what starts out as a neighborly exchange quickly turns into the chance for so much more...if Andi can learn to put aside her fear and trust in herself―and love―again.
I was head over heels for Hollyn and Jasper in Yes and I Love You, so Roni Loren had a high bar to jump to impress me with What If You and Me...and she cleared that bar with room to spare!
This story just touched my soul. I identified so much with Andi and her need to feel safe in her home. I can't begin to understand the trauma that Andi underwent to get to this point, but I do understand feeling scared living alone, putting little "traps" in place as noisemakers, etc, so help yourself feel safe. Andi's character just spoke to me, and I loved her so much. Even though she had undergone some terrible things in her past, she was vivacious, fun, and thirsty for life! She wanted to experience things, and sometimes the fear swallowed her up whole so she couldn't. Yes, yes, yes...I get that! It's so hard to want to experience the fullness of life only to have a nagging fear pull you back from the precipice each time you are close. Andi lived with that fear every day, and she had to learn to conquer it. Her insecurities were unique in a contemporary romance novel, and I thought Roni Loren struck the nuances perfect of Andi's character.
And Hill...be still my beating heart over hunky former firefighter Hill. Roni Loren wrote such a tender, vulnerable, wonderfully insecure man that now I don't know what to do with myself. Hill has real emotions, and he feels them deeply. Sure, he keeps them bottled up sometimes just like any man, but he also craves to be vulnerable with someone. The only problem is vulnerability is a trigger for him now. After injuring himself on the job and losing his career as he knew it, Hill's girlfriend also dumped him. He feels like the last person he was intimate with rejected him because of his injury, and he can't get over that. Enter Andi, a vivacious bundle of energy who is exactly what Hill needs in his life. Andi pushes him but she also embraces him for who he is, and of course she finds him unbelievably sexy. Hill needs that, more than he realizes, and soon the infatuation/like he feels for Andi turns towards love...but he needs a bit of a push to get there.
I love Andi and Hill as a couple. Andi is described as a bit younger than Hill, but I think that is a tool to emphasize his "hardened to life" attitude and Andi's "veracity for life" to be honest. The balance they give each other is perfection. Plus, Roni Loren has a gift for writing a story that is the perfect balance of connection, sweetness, and steam...because boy oh boy the steam in this book will almost set the pages ablaze. I honestly blushed at some parts because it was just that damn sexy.
If you like sweet stories full of steam and memorable characters (and duh, who doesn't??), pick up What If You and Me. You will not be sorry.
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