BOOK REVIEW: On the Corner of Love and Hate by Nina Bocci @ninabocci @gallerybooks #onthecornerofloveandhate #contemporaryromance

An enemies-to-lovers contemporary romance set in the political world of a mayoral election. Fun, light, and heart-warming!

About the Book

For fans of Christina Lauren and Lauren Layne comes a delightfully sassy and sexy romance about a campaign manager who reluctantly works with the local Lothario to help revamp his image for the upcoming mayoral elections, only to discover that he’s hiding something that can turn both their lives upside down.

What’s a campaign manager’s worst nightmare? A smooth-talking charmer who’s never met a scandal that he didn’t like.

When Emmanuelle Peroni’s father—and mayor of her town—asks her to help rehab Cooper Endicott’s image, she’s horrified. Cooper drives her crazy in every way possible. But he’s also her father’s protégé, and she can’t say no to him without him finding out the reason why: Cooper and her have a messy past. So Emmanuelle reluctantly launches her father’s grand plan to get this Casanova someone to settle down with and help him lose his lothario reputation.

Cooper Endicott wanted to run for Mayor, but he never wanted the drama that went with it. Now that he’s on the political hamster wheel, the other candidates are digging up everything from his past. Even though he’s doing all the right things, his colorful love life is the sticking point for many of the conservative voters. He wants to win, badly, and he knows that if he wants any chance of getting a vote from the female population, he needs to change his image. The only problem? He might just be falling in love with the one person he promised not to pursue: the Mayor’s off-limits daughter.

Reflection

Personally I find enemies-to-lovers to be the most fun type of romance to read, because I love that tension when the main characters think they are at odds, but I just know something is brewing between them! I also love when they realize they are attracted to one another, and that they challenge one another to be a better version of themselves. This was no exception!

Emma is the daughter to the Mayor of Hope Lake (which is an adorable town nestled between a lake and a mountain that I definitely wanted to move to) and she works for the local government for the town that is so important to her and her family. Cooper is her former best friend from childhood, and now the current thorn in her side at work. And let’s not let Cooper off the hook for what exactly turned their friendship to a battle ground.

Emma ignores Cooper at work for the most part, until the day that her father asks her to assist with Coopers run for Mayor and help him improve his image. Cooper should be a lock for Mayor, having grown up as the son of the current Governor, but Cooper has a bit of a play-boy image to contend with, and Emma’s father thinks she is the one to help fix that.

The chemistry between Emma and Cooper is evident from page one, but of course these two have quite a few hurdles to overcome before they acknowledge it. Their best friends Nick and Henry and some other quirky townspeople will help push them along, since Emma in particular is not interested in discussing what led to their falling out. Filled with snarky banter and fantastic characters, this one was easy to lose myself in for a few hours! I am excited to read more about some of the other characters from the town in future books.

This is also quite timely since the mayoral election is front and center in the book, and there is a consistent message of the importance of voting and getting involved, especially in local politics.

Full of small town charm, humorous dialogue, and heart-warming moments—this is sure to a be a great escape read!

Thank you to Gallery Books for my copy. Opinions are my own.