Romance Book Review: Accidentally in Love | Danielle Jackson | Buxom Boudoir #2

A no-strings-attached summer romance set in Chicago? This was an obvious choice for me as a Chicago girlie myself! A breezy read that may not be ground breaking but featured some fresh aspects to diversity in romance that I think make it worth a read.

About the Book

Details

This is the second book in the Buxom Boudoir series by Danielle Jackson. The first book, The Accidental Pinup was published in 2022 and Accidentally in Love exists in the same world of characters.

Summary | Goodreads

When Sam is stuck sharing the streets for Chicago’s summer festivals with a man she can’t stand, she’ll find it’s often a bumpy road that leads to love….

As office manager of the city’s leading luxury boudoir and pinup photography studio, lovable grump Samantha Sawyer has everything under control. With an eventful summer season on the horizon, Sam is balancing a hectic workload while preparing the Buxom Boudoir “Photobus,” a vintage coach bus converted into a mobile photobooth and meeting space, to make the rounds at Chicago’s bustling summer street festival roster. Sam’s busy schedule makes avoiding the difficult parts of her life much easier, but there’s one person who can see right through her to-do lists and icy façade, really see her.

A lot has changed in the last year for Russell Montgomery. Years of odd jobs and couch surfing around the country had left him scrambling, but after reconnecting with his brother, Reid (and coming as close to settling down as he’s ever been), Russ now works at a hot local restaurant. Russ has been welcomed into his newly engaged brother’s circle of friends—all except a close friend and coworker of Reid’s fiancée, an intriguingly stormy woman named Sam.

Luckily, Sam is certain that the chaos of her calendar will ensure their distance, and she won’t have to deal with Russ or his irritating, handsome smile. But when Russ is charged with the launch of a restaurant food truck for the festival circuit, the sizzling Chicago heat is no match for the fire between them….

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My Review

I loved the setting in Chicago and I thought it was fun that this was about two people who are in the same broader friend group as the duo from the first book in this series. This can definitely work as a standalone since each is its own story.

Sam is kind of an interesting and unique character for a romance novel, since she doesn’t fit the typical mold for a heroine of this type of book. She was recently diagnosed with Grave’s disease, which is an autoimmune condition that effects the thyroid and ultimately led to her having it removed.

This condition has left Sam scarred and heavier than before, and she’s still adjusting to her new, plus-sized body that looks different from how she saw herself before. Particularly as a former Burlesque dancer, where her body was part of her career. I thought it was interesting to see a leading lady going through these sorts of struggles that many women face with their bodies and particularly this very challenging disease.

Sam is completely burnt out and running on fumes between her health struggles and trying to grow her business. She continues to run into Russ while working the street festival circuit. Russ has been pretty adrift—couch-surfing through life and working odd jobs around the country before settling back in Chicago and getting a job at a hot local restaurant. Russ is definitely on a journey of seeking stability in life.

The friend group was fun to revisit from the previous book. I liked Sam’s story and seeing those aspects of diversity represented in this genre. I also thought Russ and his brother Reid had a nice growth arc in their narrative.

The romance itself was fairly average as far as these books go. I wanted to see a bit more depth because the set up would have leant to it, particularly with both Sam and Russ being at such pivotal points in their lives and really going through transition periods. This made them attracted to a no-strings-attached fling scenario, but I think more could have been done to really explore the tension both as individuals and as a duo. In general their love story was more mild than I expected it to be.

That all said this is definitely worth a read. I appreciate what Danielle Jackson has done to push the diversity boundaries in romance. I would actually love for a character like Sam to get a more swoon-worthy story because she is so different from the typical lead in romance books.

Thank you to Berkley for my copy. Opinions are my own.

About the Author | Danielle Jackson

Danielle Jackson is a contemporary romance author, avid reader, lackluster-yet-mighty crafter, and accomplished TV binge-watcher.

Danielle has had the unique experience of working on almost every side of the book business—as a publicist at a publisher, an editorial manager of a book review website, an events coordinator at an independent bookstore, and now, an author. When she’s not writing, Danielle co-hosts a pop culture podcast, moderates and participates on industry panels, and hosts a romance book club.

Danielle lives in Chicagoland with her very own romance hero husband, darling daughter, and two tempestuous cats. Follow her on Twitter and Instagram, @DJacksonBooks.