Third time’s the charm

Oh, goodness, this was so adorable.

Penny Popplestone loves her local coffee shop. She works from home, and part of her daily routine is making the trek to the shop for a measure of human interaction. She’s bright and friendly with everyone, even hot-but-surly barista Caleb who seems immune to her charm. It’s a bit of a surprise when Caleb reaches out in sympathy after Penny discovers that her boyfriend is cheating on her (by bringing the other woman to the coffee shop!).

Penny decides the solution to cheating boyfriends is to pursue a no-strings-attached relationship. Caleb’s lack of interest in forming relationships makes him a great target for her affections. Only maybe Caleb isn’t quite as uninterested as Penny thinks he is.

Any regular romance reader will accurately anticipate how the story will unfold. Fans of Lucy Parker’s London Celebrities series will enjoy this book populated by characters who are Actual Adults who talk about their feelings. (Where it doesn’t happen, it’s character-appropriate rather than poor writing.) Nix also avoids the tired romance trope of the catty rival for the hero’s affections. Penny has a supportive group of female friends in her knitting group.*

This is the third in Nix’s series about heroines in STEM-adjacent professions. While I enjoyed the first two, this was by far my favorite. Nix has gotten better with each installment, and I recommend it wholeheartedly. It’s a fairly quick read, but I think it’ll be a regular re-read for me.

*Given that I recently ranted about another romance author’s penchant for twee STEM-oriented heroines who like pop culture, it’s perhaps a bit on-the-nose to mention the ladies who knit. Sorry not sorry?