Kathryn's Inbox

Aussie author Jodi McAlister's latest romantic offering starts strong, with a fast paced--and hilarious--recap of two academic rivals and complete opposites, wealthy Jonah from a competitive academic family and Sadie, who has fought against every possible odd to gain a PhD. As Jonah recaps the seven times they managed a truce, the reader just knows they might make a perfect couple. If only they could let go of their egos, if their families would stop interfering and if employment in the academic world was not quite so fierce. Then, in the midst of it all, the rare perfect employment opportunity comes along. They both have very compelling reasons for wanting it--and Sadie soon works out a way that both can have it. Unfortunately it involves this unlikely pair of enemies getting married. This comes with all kinds of problems. Their families each oppose it, if the university finds out theirs is a fake marriage they'll likely be thrown out and worse still ... Sadie and Jonah are fa...

The third book in the fun and fantastic Marry Me Juliet series turns its attention to the two characters that I just love to hate, Lily Fireball and Producer Murray. Except ... it turns out that Lily Fireball wasn't always a reality television wannabe. Once upon a time she was Lily Ong, a show runner for none other than Marry Me Juliet and the best friend of Murray. Together, they created some remarkable game changing reality television. Then Lily's husband passed away, Lily and Murray caved into their feelings for one another that both had been fighting for years at an extremely inopportune time, and now they are estranged ... until one day Lily walks into Murray's life again as Lily Fireball, a ruthless and manipulative contestant on the series that he has been tasked with producing ... alone. Add to the fact that nothing is going right this season, from covid lockdowns to the fact that the contestants are all finding love in the wrong places, and Murray's life is a...

Here For the Right Reasons was such a hit with me that of course I had to go out and buy Can I Steal You For a Second? More of a companion novel than a sequel, this is told through the eyes of reality show Marry Me, Juliet contestant Mandie Mitchell. She's come on to the show to win the heart of this season's Romeo, Dylan Jayasinghe Mellor, and to get over her manipulative ex who left her heart--and her self esteem--in tatters. But what happens when Mandie finds herself falling for another contestant from the series--tough nurse Dylan Gilchrist, the Juliet who looks set to win Romeo Dylan's heart. This was an entertaining read from start to finish. Mandie is an interesting character, a mechanic who is a real sweetheart, and who just happens to be bisexual. She is not out on the show, which creates some interesting moments of tension--and it seems that she might not be the only bi contestant on the show. Her friendship with Dylan G is handled realistically and with integri...

Here For the Right Reasons offers readers an interesting premise--Cece James has just successfully auditioned and gained a spot on a reality television show, one that is not unlike The Bachelor. Except that she most definitely isn't on the show to find love. And then she gets booted out after the first episode. That would be the end of things except the set has to go into lockdown due to Covid-19 and she cannot leave. And she keeps finding herself getting up close and personal with the leading man. Then it turns out that Dylan Jayasinghe Mellor isn't on the show for the right reasons either.  A friendship soon ensures with each of them trying to turn the situation to their advantage--Cece needs the money that comes with being on the show, and Dylan wants to raise awareness for men's mental health. Together they find a way to get screen time so that Cece can continue to be paid and so that Dylan can talk about the things he finds important. But what happens when Cece--posin...