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esme_bonner 's review for:
Love At First Fright
by Nadia El-Fassi
emotional
funny
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
Love at First Fright opens with a warning, it's a book that's going to get kinky, and wants its readers to proceed in that full knowledge. This is a warning I appreciate. Too many romance dip a stealthy toe into kink, but do not centre it, do not attempt to integrate conversations about consent, or boundaries, into the text. El-Fassi has broken with tradition, this is a confident, well-conceived, cosy, and uplifting romance, which also approaches kink with respectful, verbalised, assuredness. As someone that would not claim to exist in those circles, I found this neither unpalatable, nor scary, I felt El-Fassi gave me to information I needed to appreciate this as a spice-forward romance, without feeling like I'd entered an unfamiliar world. In short, she circumvented any discomfort, and exemplified how sexy consent could be.
The second of El-Fassi's cosy magical-realist romances, Love at First Fright follows Rosemary, whose ghost-seeing abilities have undoubtedly prepared her for a life as one of horrors great scream-queens. With her bestseller optioned, and the shiny new title of Executive Producer on her CV, Rosemary is more determined than ever to succeed. There's just one little problem. Well, big problem. Hulking, muscle-bound, unbelievably sexy problem. Ellis, the Hollywood action hero they've cast as her meek historical protagonist, a man with shirtless scenes written into his contract, and the kind of rippling abs which look best baby-oiled. Ellis might be hot as all get-out, but he's all wrong for the movie. Right? And he's definitely all wrong for Rosemary, after all, whose type is completely gorgeous, thoughtful, funny, playful, dog-loving, flower-growing, dominant millionaires?... shit. With their hearts on the line, and heat building between them, can the scream-queen and her Hollywood heartthrob make things work? Or will this all become just another horror movie?
Humorous, and sufficiently romantic, El-Fassi has penned another very readable romance novel, with memorable characters, and a dash of magic. Her subplots are brilliantly executed, and her side-characters stand-out for all the right reasons. This looses some points, for me, because of the occasional confusion in how physical interactions seem to take place. It was hard to understand, in places, how something could happen without limbs getting tangled, or furniture vanishing, and, as I have noticed is a bit of recurring issue in romance novels, no real thought seems to have been given to how the height difference of characters might impact the logistics of certain... activities. That being said, this was ultimately enjoyable!
3.5 stars.
The second of El-Fassi's cosy magical-realist romances, Love at First Fright follows Rosemary, whose ghost-seeing abilities have undoubtedly prepared her for a life as one of horrors great scream-queens. With her bestseller optioned, and the shiny new title of Executive Producer on her CV, Rosemary is more determined than ever to succeed. There's just one little problem. Well, big problem. Hulking, muscle-bound, unbelievably sexy problem. Ellis, the Hollywood action hero they've cast as her meek historical protagonist, a man with shirtless scenes written into his contract, and the kind of rippling abs which look best baby-oiled. Ellis might be hot as all get-out, but he's all wrong for the movie. Right? And he's definitely all wrong for Rosemary, after all, whose type is completely gorgeous, thoughtful, funny, playful, dog-loving, flower-growing, dominant millionaires?... shit. With their hearts on the line, and heat building between them, can the scream-queen and her Hollywood heartthrob make things work? Or will this all become just another horror movie?
Humorous, and sufficiently romantic, El-Fassi has penned another very readable romance novel, with memorable characters, and a dash of magic. Her subplots are brilliantly executed, and her side-characters stand-out for all the right reasons. This looses some points, for me, because of the occasional confusion in how physical interactions seem to take place. It was hard to understand, in places, how something could happen without limbs getting tangled, or furniture vanishing, and, as I have noticed is a bit of recurring issue in romance novels, no real thought seems to have been given to how the height difference of characters might impact the logistics of certain... activities. That being said, this was ultimately enjoyable!
3.5 stars.