An entertaining, mysterious, and spicy read about a budding relationship and the family drama that could change everything
Nina’s about to take a business trip to Brussels to conduct research for her boss’s new book. A famous author and close family friend, Henry, is not only her employer but also her dad’s closest friend. As a favor, he’s asked Nina to conduct interviews at a brasserie called Au Coin with one requirement: keep her identity and whereabouts private, for safety reasons.
With the full expectation that she would simply conduct interviews and sample the finest chocolates Brussels has to offer, Nina finds this request silly. Nina is known for vowing off men to the point where her close friend, James, says, “She won’t even register hot people.” Of course she’ll keep her identity hidden; she has no one to truly share it with since dating is a chore.
Henry’s kids, who Nina views as her closest friends and also her family—James, Olivia, and Alice—still encourage her to at least keep her options open to the possibility of meeting an attractive man, if it lends itself. And lend itself it does.
As soon as Nina walks into a café to meet her interviewees, she sees Ben sitting at a table, and it’s as if a force hits her: “Their eyes locked. Time stood still.” Instantly, she feels as if she knows him. With ginger hair and blue eyes that feel like they “see straight through her,” she’s mesmerized…and a bit confused. How could she know him when they’re from completely different countries? She’s twenty-eight years old from the UK with a French mother and Ben’s an American, sent to Brussels on a business trip with a similar request from his boss to hide his identity.
To bypass the difficulty of not knowing each other’s real names, they create pet names—Gretchen for Nina, and any name Nina thinks of on a whim for Ben—and begin to connect over the truths they can share, such as their love for chocolate and delicious food.
Within a few hours of meeting each other, Nina asks if Ben would like to venture into the city to sample chocolate. Over bites of the most delicious chocolate, sparks fly and Ben thinks, “The velvety chocolate filling was so delicious that he immediately associated it with sex. It made him horny as hell.” Between the amazing chocolate and their intense chemistry, Nina and Ben can’t get enough of each other. They can’t sleep or work; they can only think of the other.
When Ben drops Nina off at her hotel that first night, he admits, “I don’t do one-night stands.” Instead, he gently lifts her onto a step and says, “What I would like to do, spontaneously and truly, is kiss you.” In reply, “She said nothing but gently pressed a kiss against his lips. Tasting, touching, breathing him in. He whispered, ‘More?’ She nodded. ‘Yes. More.’”
More is exactly what happens as the trip continues and their intimacy builds with the ever-looming deadline of their departure in the back of their minds. Yet, just as the two prepare to fly to their separate locations, their phones ping with texts, showing that they’re on the same flights heading to the same destination. Such luck couldn’t be real, could it? Could they possibly have the chance to continue their relationship? That would be their wildest dream.
As soon as they land, an unexpected twist of events challenges their relationship: Henry has a secret, one that involves both of them.
Throughout the novel, enough tension—non-sexual and sexual—is built between the two characters to encourage reading until the end. The sex scenes show both respect and longing between the two that creates true anticipation and excitement. For instance, Ben lovingly gives Nina control in their sexual intimacy, which allows her to experience deeper pleasure, making those scenes much more intense and satisfying. Even more, enough coincidences occur for there to be tension and conflict that readers will want to figure out.
For example, at the beginning, one questions how they could end up on the same plane, and once that secret is revealed, another secret comes to be, and then another. This tension creates wonder: will their relationship survive the twists and turns? Will their chemistry outlive the practical hardships they face as a couple in a world that’s full of fame and fortune? These questions drive the plot.
Description boxes about each character feel a bit unnecessary, and some repetitiveness gets in the way, pulling the reader occasionally out of the story. The reason for those boxes is difficult to follow; they often repeat what’s already in the story. Moreover, Ben and Nina are asked several times throughout the text to rehash how they met, and the same happens when discussing Ben’s mother and her choice to raise him on her own. Restating these stories throughout the piece creates a repetitive feeling, which causes the narrative to slow down.
However, the family dynamics are refreshing, especially between Nina, her father, and her father’s close friend, Henry. It’s lovely to read about a platonic friendship between two men who take each other’s kids under their wings, as if they’re their own. Even more, the sibling relationship between James, Olivia, Alice, and Nina shows how a healthy family relationship can work, even when jealousy or grief mix in. The work they’ve put into creating a lack of animosity in their group—which is explained toward the middle of the book—adds a depth to their sibling relationship that is heartwarming.
This is a fun literary read with an extra umph of spice and mystery. Readers will enjoy putting puzzle pieces together about their family secrets while also being entertained with sex and humor.
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