Sam's Reading: A Work in Progress

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The Love Experiment (Stubborn Hearts)

The Love Experiment (Stubborn Hearts) - Ainslie Paton I could break this up into thirds, I think: the first third was rough and choppy, and didn't build the enemies-to-lovers effectively for me. It's not that I couldn't sense the chemistry, I wasn't sure I cared at that point
Then, the 2nd third came.
We're a crash course in chemical attraction. we're lab rats let loose and juiced up on conversation. We're as ill-advised as we're inevitable. And I thought YES.

There is wonderful banter throughout, and Derelie may not appear tough, but she is tough- and love develops quickly thanks to the intimacy of the 36 questions/idea they need to work together when Jack would unexpectedly answer or Derelie would begin to piece his puzzle together despite his answers. But the 2nd third - the falling in love part was quite lovely.
She was curled on her side, with one hand under the pillow. He could see a bare shoulder. He could see a different kind of future in the shape of her, one where neither of them were alone...
At this stage they were open and honest, fumbling through the relationship together.

And (roughly) the final third, while it was still incredibly readable, somehow fizzled for me. A little tension from how to handle their relationship in public (at work), a little tension from Jack needing to get his story, a little tension from the slow death of journalism, a teensy bit of relationship tension. Though it meant to, this part just didn't end on a high note for me. I had my big buzz from the middle third, and it's not that I didn't care about the other stuff, I did, it's just that the source of the tension felt a little out of place.

3.5 overall.

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