It’s Narelle here. Today I’m sharing with you my book recommendation for Inspy Romance author Toni Shiloh’s latest release, The Trouble With Love. Book 2 in Toni’s Faith & Fortune series, The Truth About Fame, releases next week on July 7, and I can’t wait to read it!
Book Description for The Trouble With Love:
I, Holiday Brown, have it all. A platinum record. Multi-million dollar home in Manhattan that I share with my two best friends. Life is looking fantastic until my roommate’s brother decides to bunk in our guestroom while his house gets renovated.
W. Emmett Bell has always been the bane of my existence. He’s annoying, stubborn, a know it all, and just might be the most gorgeous man I’ve ever laid eyes on. But I refuse to fall for him. But when his sister’s threatened by a stalker, dynamics change. His unwavering faith isn’t quite as self-righteous as I’d always thought, and maybe he has a good side I’ve overlooked all these years.
Or maybe it’s all too much trouble.
The Trouble With Love is the first book in the Christian Chick Lit series: Faith & Fortune.
Narelle’s Thoughts:
I enjoyed reading The Trouble With Love and armchair travelling to summer in New York City. Holiday is not your stereotypical popstar and song writer who parties hard and lives an over-the-top celebrity lifestyle. When she’s not touring, she lives in a lovely townhouse in Manhattan’s Upper East Side with her two long time best friends who also have successful careers. Astoria is a supermodel and Octavia is a ballerina.
Astoria’s brother, Emmett, is a Pulitzer Prize-winning photographer who stays with the girls in their guest room while he’s waiting to move back into his apartment. He’s concerned about his sister’s safety because she has acquired a stalker who’s sending her bizarre and scary gifts. Emmett’s parents hire bodyguards to protect the girls and travel with them. The suspense element in the story is like an undercurrent in the surf. The rip is there, but it doesn’t overpower the developing romance between Holiday and Emmett.
Holiday and Emmett have a fun love-hate relationship going back to their teen years. She crushed on him in high school, and never forgot his legalistic view of Christianity that turned her off both faith and him. At the start of the story Holiday describes her feelings for Emmett.
The feelings he evoked in me were akin to childbirth without the mitigating blessing of a bundle of joy.
The Trouble With Love by Toni Shiloh
Ouch. What did Emmett do to deserve that thought? He’s sweet and patient with Holiday, and his feelings for her run deep. Holiday is a complex character with emotional baggage from her difficult relationship with her famous father. I loved her journey to faith in the story. Holiday believes she’s a good person. Despite having everything the world says should make her happy, deep down she knows it’s not enough, and knows there’s something missing in her life. She’s also not looking for love, and sums up her sentiment in the following words.
The trouble with love was it always smacked you in the face when you least expected it. Metaphorically speaking, of course, because I wasn’t in love.
The Trouble With Love by Toni Shiloh
In the Chick Lit style, the story is written in first person from Holiday’s viewpoint. My reading preference for contemporary romance is third person dual viewpoint for a couple of reasons. I have to really love a character and enjoy being in their head for first person to work for me, and I often become frustrated by not knowing what’s going on in the hero’s head. It takes a talented author with a strong voice to carry me along for the ride in a first person single viewpoint story, and Toni Shiloh delivers a fabulous romance story that I read quickly and couldn’t put down.
I highly recommend The Trouble With Love to contemporary romance readers who like diverse urban Chick Lit romance stories with a strong faith element and a touch of suspense that runs through the series.
A question for you: City vs. Country – Do you prefer reading contemporary romances set in urban settings or rural settings or both? I’d love to hear your thoughts.
A fun loving Aussie girl at heart, Narelle Atkins was born and raised on the beautiful northern beaches in Sydney, Australia. She has settled in Canberra with her husband and children. A lifelong romance reader, she found the perfect genre to write when she discovered inspirational romance. Narelle's contemporary stories of faith and romance are set in Australia and international locations.
I’m happy to read any setting. I just want a great story.
Hi Mary, yes, a great story is what we all want to read. Thanks for commenting. 😊
Hi Narelle. While I enjoy being an armchair traveler, I prefer small town settings. In my seven decades, I was born in Berlin, Germany in the 1980s lived in Chicago and the surrounding area. I have lived in seven Michigan cities of all sizes. I prefer small town setting for a slower quieter life. St. Joseph is the county seat of about 10,000 people. We have everything we need. In my life I have been blessed to travel coast to coast (including NYC) and nine foreign countries, including Tokyo, Japan. Best wishes. Thanks for sharing.
Hi Renate, The slower pace of life and clean air in small towns is very appealing. Thanks for commenting. 😊
I like any setting in contemporary stories! I love small towns, but I also like big cities, or somewhere in between. As long as the story is good, it doesn’t matter where it’s set! This book is in my TBR stack!
Hi Trudy, yes, it’s fun to find great stories in different settings. Thanks for commenting. 😊
And, I meant to add – don’t forget to move Toni’s book to the top of the stack!
I’m so glad you enjoyed your travels to NYC and the journey of Holiday and Emmett’s story. Thanks for sharing your review!
And normally I enjoy small-town settings but I do love a trip into the city every now and again. :)
Hi Toni, You’re very welcome. :) Yes, it’s fun to journey to the city!
I tend to prefer urban settings with mid or large size cities. However, some of my favorite books are set in a small mountain town.
Hi Jessica, yes, mountain settings are fun to read. Thanks for commenting. 😊
I get so excited every time I learn that Toni Shiloh has a new story. I love reading stories in any setting. :-)
Hi Melissa, It’s not long to wait until ‘The Truth about Fame’ releases! Thanks for commenting. 😊
I have recently seen a lot of activity for Toni’s book & read many glowing reviews! I see it’s available on Kindle Unlimited so maybe I need to borrow it :-)
I normally don’t like first person only viewpoint either, an author really has to do a great job with it. I like to know what’s in the other characters minds too, their thoughts, opinions, feelings and etc. But if you enjoyed it Narelle I bet I would too!
As far as story setting, I like small town as opposed to bigger city. I live in a small town (and love it) so I understand all the dynamics that go with it. But I will read anything that’s well written wherever it’s set at, urban, city, dinky town, or even a different country . I love arm chair traveling :-)
Hi Trixi, yes, definitely borrow it in KU soon, and book 2 as well! If I’m looking for an escapist read in a world that’s very different to my real life, I’m often drawn to the small town stories. Thanks for commenting. 😊
Having grown up in a small town, I think I prefer that kind of setting, but I don’t think I would reject a story simply because it is in a different setting. I might not choose it first from my TBR pile, though. :)
When it comes to first person narrative, I agree that it takes a deft hand where relationship stories are concerned. I think it works well in mysteries or thrillers, though, because the sense of the unknown “other” is part of the genre.
Hi Lincoln, I agree, romance is one of the harder genres to write in first person narrative. Thanks for commenting. 😊
Hi everyone, Thanks for all your comments. I’ll be checking back later today to reply to your comments. 😊
I like both settings 😊 and cant wait for the next book to come out!
Hi Kimberly, One advantage I have living in Australia is the Kindle ebooks are released a day earlier than the US. Enjoy reading Toni’s series! Thanks for commenting. 😊
I love rural settings more, but cities are fun, too. As long as a book is well written, it works for me.
Hi Denise, The story quality is also more important to me than the setting. Thanks for commenting. 😊