- #1
This is a rare treat. The author does a wonderful job with the romance. So many stories go to annoying extremes. Either the relationship is so dry and unexciting that you'll end up wondering why they even bothered. Or it will be so over the top - exhaustively poetic, hyperbolically romantic, or so melodramatic that it puts soaps to shame. And in my opinion simply having heated kissing or s*x scenes doesn't make for a believable romance. Don't get me wrong. Those are definitely the icing on the cake, but if we don't see the steps leading up to that... it just feels contrived. Or at the least you wonder if over 50% of these characters are s*x crazed and have no capacity for having an actual loving relationship.Well, I'll admit sometimes that's just what the doctor ordered. But it's refreshing to see a couple that is sweet on each other, unafraid to express their feelings, and occasionally have disagreements. Certainly it's still very rose colored, but it's sitting at maybe a 5, instead of cranked up to 11. A level mortals or dysfunctional normal people might achieve if they're lucky?I'll also mention it does a good job with the setting/exposition without feeling like a slog.