Love at First by Kate Clayborn
Pages: 320
Published by Kensington Books
Release Date: February 23 2021
Genres: Contemporary Romance, Romance
Source: Publisher
Format Read: ARC, eBook
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Sixteen years ago, a teenaged Will Sterling saw—or rather, heard—the girl of his dreams. Standing beneath an apartment building balcony, he shared a perfect moment with a lovely, warm-voiced stranger. It’s a memory that’s never faded, though he’s put so much of his past behind him. Now an unexpected inheritance has brought Will back to that same address, where he plans to offload his new property and get back to his regular life as an overworked doctor. Instead, he encounters a woman, two balconies above, who’s uncannily familiar . . .
No matter how surprised Nora Clarke is by her reaction to handsome, curious Will, or the whispered pre-dawn conversations they share, she won’t let his plans ruin her quirky, close-knit building. Bound by her loyalty to her adored grandmother, she sets out to foil his efforts with a little light sabotage. But beneath the surface of their feud is an undeniable connection. A balcony, a star-crossed couple, a fateful meeting—maybe it’s the kind of story that can't work out in the end. Or maybe, it’s the perfect second chance . . .
I received this book for free from Publisher in exchange for an honest review. This does not affect my opinion of the book or the content of my review.
Will, a sexy bespectacled doctor with some control issues inherits an apartment unit from his estranged uncle. Nora, a long time resident and the unofficial speaker for the building and it’s occupants, is not cool with his plans for his new digs. Nora and the building’s other tenants (a goofy lot consisting of only 65+ year olds) set off to sabotage Will’s renovation efforts in the hopes that he won’t sell it to a stranger. Hilarity, maybe a lil’ romance and a whole lot of soul searching ensures.
Okay, so I really enjoy a forced proximity romance, almost as much as I enjoy a grumpy hero or a tragic back story. So Love at First really did it for me!
Honestly, I was surprised, based off of the cover of Love at First at how many emotions this book pulled out of me (I know, “don’t judge a book by it’s cover- whatever).
This was the first time that I have read a book in which both the hero and the heroine are overcoming grief and past traumas while somehow still managing to be supremely funny. Kate Clayborn has a way of injecting humor into her writing that provides comedic relief, that I really appreciated. So, be prepared both laugh and cry, a lot while reading this one!
The reader can really feel the kinship between the residents living in the building, because relationships between the characters were all so engaging and believable. That feeling of family between the main characters and the secondary characters really makes you feel ooey gooey inside. Much like oatmeal, that full feeling really sticks with you.
THE CHEMISTRY BETWEEN WILL AND NORA THOUGH, oof. Through the roof! Love at First is a slowwwwwwwwwwww burn. But man oh man is that slow burn worth it!! It takes some time to get there, but when they do! Holy guacamole is it hot! *cough cough chapter twelve cough*
I can say with confidence that this book contains one of my FAVORITE confessions of love, ever.
Overall this book was a fun read and I give it 4 stars!
Emily is a coffee loving, cat snuggling, hairstylist and book-a-holic.
Having always been a voracious reader and devouring books at a breakneck speed, joining the bookish and blogging community seemed like a natural next step. She loves giving recommendations to friends and family and then very gently (and not forcefully at all) asking for their opinions after they complete each chapter.
Her reviews tend to be goofy, a little sweary, on the more impassioned side and maybe sometimes a little self deprecating.
Emily typically enjoys reading almost every genre, including (but not limited to) monster romance, literary fiction, rom-com, contemporary, LGBTQ+, low/urban fantasy, paranormal, dystopian, sci-fi, gothic romance or basically any book that will make her cry.