Two people find love in the embers of their painful pasts in this slow-burn romance from Wall Street Journal and #1 Amazon bestselling author Winter Renshaw.
For me, family is a curse. My father and brother made my life hell. My mother’s untimely death still keeps me up at night. Now that my brother, Donovan, has been killed in an accident, I can forget the past.
The last remnant is the childhood home I’ve inherited—and which I intend to burn to the ground. The only obstacle? Anneliese Nielsen, Donovan’s fiancée.
Donovan left her destitute, and selling this run-down house is her only chance to recoup her losses. I shouldn’t care, but…maybe it’s her eyes when she sees me. I look strikingly like my brother, a man she loved despite everything.
So we strike a deal. We’ll renovate the house together, but she’ll have to convince me to sell—or up in flames it goes.
But the more time we spend in the house, the more its terrible history threatens to come out.
And even more dangerous, the harder I start to fall for Anneliese.
MY REVIEW
“If my life was a story, you’d be the plot twist.”
Love and Kerosene is one contemporary romance that I didn’t see coming. From damaged characters to an intriguing plot, this story will captivate and intrigue readers right until the end.
Anneliese was living the dream until the sudden passing of her fiance. Her eyes have been opened to disappointing secrets and hits that never seem to stop coming. The latest hit, discovering that her dead fiance not only has a brother she’s never heard about but learns that the home she’s been renovating belongs to him. For Anneliese and Donovan, what started off as hate at first sight, quickly turns into more…
Overall, I thought this book was a good read. I was really intrigued by the premise of this story and was excited to see this author’s take on the “falling for your dead exes brother” trope. The sparks between Anneliese and Donovan were instant. I enjoyed their love/hate relationship and the entertaining banter it brought along with it. I think this story offered some good mystery and I enjoyed the unraveling of secrets and the past.
However, despite the instant sparks between our two main characters, their story is a definite slow burn. Don’t get me wrong, I love a good build-up/anticipation as much as the next person, but this was a little much for me. And as much as I enjoyed these characters and their story, I found some parts of their story to be lacking; like it just needed to be fleshed out a little more and not rushed.
Despite my issues with this book, I did find it to be an enjoyable read. The story wasn’t over the top or overly dramatic. I think the author delivered when it came to the angst and romance, I was just left wanting more from the characters and their story.
*I was provided an ARC copy of this book via NetGalley, in exchange for an honest review*
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