Book Review: Earning It by E.F. Dodd
The Details
Media Type: Ebook
Title: Earning It
Author(s): E.F. Dodd
Publisher: Sugar Beaver Books
Pages/Length: Paperback; 322
Release Date: August 23, 2022
Source: Publisher/Netgalley
Add it on: Goodreads | Amazon |
Regan “Rae” Murphy has zero interest in romance and even less in love. One heartbreak in her life was quite enough, and she has no desire to get wrapped up in the sticky tendrils of love again. She thought she’d left all those messy feelings and entanglements in her past when she moved to Charlotte from Charleston, especially the devastatingly handsome portion of that past, who was wearing nothing but a towel when she walked out on him. His betrayal was the reason she left and is the reason she keeps her heart safely tucked away. But when her best friend, Kez, asks Rae to be her maid of honor, Rae reluctantly puts aside her own feelings about forever.
Love is in the air on Kez’s wedding day, and it smacks Rae right in the face when her ex, Van, appears-and he looks just as good in a tux as he did in a towel. For Kez’s sake, Rae agrees to bury the hatchet somewhere other than between Van’s shoulder blades. He makes it his mission to get Rae to hear him out-something she refused to do before she left him. The pull to listen is strong as the hope she’d buried deep within her starts to rattle its way free. Maybe everything between them hadn’t been one giant, intricate lie. But to get the chance to show Rae what they had was real, Van’s going to have to earn it.
The Review
What a delightful romp! A perfect amount of tension, sexiness, and teasing. If you’ve every been part of a wedding you know how much time and energy goes into the big day. While Rae is in full Maid of Honor mode making sure Kez has a perfect wedding day, her ex casually wanders in unexpectedly and her whole world turns upside-down.
I loved the whole wedding/honeymoon setting as it allows for a lot of leeway and time to build the relationship between the characters. I do find it a tiny bit farfetched that the Maid of Honor and Best Man did not know about each other at all during the whole wedding process. With all of the events, planning, and time that goes into a wedding it seems a bit silly that their names never came up. Regardless, throwing two scathing exes together at the last minute definitely added to the drama of the day.
Rae is understandably guarded when it comes to Van. His deceit upended her entire life 5 years ago and she finally feels stable. Unfortunately she never dealt with her feelings for Donovan and now she has to spend a week in paradise with the man who broke her heart and let her walk away. Van is determined to make it up to Rae and finds every opportunity he can to show her he can be trusted.
There’s great tension, funny quips, an impromptu drag show, and all kinds of hilarious shenanigans to be had. This was a fun read with a enough conflict to not be overly sweet. I definitely recommend this to romance lovers who enjoy snarky women and second chance love stories.
E.F. Dodd: A fan of all things Halloween, but terrified of scary movies. Lover of fresh flowers, with the notable exception of carnations. Don’t expect a woman to be flattered by the same flowers you paid $1.00 for back in junior high on Valentine’s Day. I’m a true romantic, which is to say I find flaws unexpectedly beautiful and think life is at its best during the in between moments you don’t find on FaceBook or Instagram. I’m lucky enough to share my life with someone who agrees reclaimed is better than new, antiques always trump contemporary and it’s a close call who should be saved first from a burning building – us, or our English Bulldog.
