Cherry Red by Darlene Fredette
One Scoop or Two series
Publisher: The Wild Rose Press
Genre: Romance, Contemporary
Rating: 4 Stars
Reviewed by AstilbeThis summer, ice cream entrepreneur Carly Redd’s only focus is expanding her business—until she’s coerced into attending her ex’s engagement party. Showing up without a date is unthinkable. She reluctantly agrees to be escorted by her brother’s co-worker, although doing so breaks her rule of not dating firefighters.
The daughter of the town’s fire chief should wear a Do Not Touch sign, but firefighter Noah Harding’s interest blazed the moment he saw Carly. Agreeing to be her fake boyfriend is a no-brainer, but convincing Carly to trust him with her heart is harder than extinguishing a fire.
Overstepping the platonic-only rule is as dangerous as fire and ice swirling into a tempting combustion.
Romance isn’t strictly necessary for a good life, but it can certainly make everything sweeter!
Carly was a well-rounded and fascinating protagonist. I was thrilled by the fact that she’d created such a fulfilling life for herself. She was a content, happy human being long before her love interest showed up which is always something I love seeing in romance novels. There’s nothing like meeting a main character who already has plenty going on for herself and knows exactly what she wants.
I did notice a few inconsistencies in Carly and Noah’s communication skills. They did a much better job sharing their thoughts and expressing their needs in the beginning than they did later on in the storyline. As much as I enjoyed the storyline in general, I was a little puzzled by why the communication between them weakened at such a pivotal part of the plot. It seemed like something they could have sorted out much earlier. With that being said, this was a minor criticism of something I’d otherwise heartily recommend.
The romance was handled beautifully. I appreciated the fact that Carly and Noah were given so much time to get to know each other before anything romantic happened between them. That was an excellent choice due to their personalities and backstories that showed why both of them needed to move slowly with any new love interest. It also gave this reader ample opportunity to imagine what it might be like when they crossed the line between a platonic relationship and a romantic one.
This is part of the One Scoop or Two series. It can be read as a standalone work.
Cherry Red was a satisfying and enjoyable read.
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