Ruth “Ruthless” Harper is on the verge of becoming managing partner at her all-male consulting firm and she won’t let anything stand in her way. That includes men, relationships, and that dreaded F word, FEELINGS—distractions she eliminated long ago.
After the worst day ever (a near-death experience and a public wedgie, for starters), Ruth realizes she doesn’t want to live and die alone. She puts together a business plan to find the perfect man and dives head first into the murky online dating pool. All she wants is a high-powered executive who understands how important her career is. If only it were that easy.
Problem is most men are intimidated by Ruth’s confidence and shocked by her bluntness. The exception being her landscape designer, Nick, whose cool demeanor and unsolicited dating advice are driving her nuts. He’s the antithesis of the business-oriented man Ruth envisions for herself, so why do all signs keep pointing back to him?
My Review:
OK, I’m gonna call it; I’ve finally found the unicorn. The male author who can write a romance novel and make the heroine believable and funny. Not only that but in Ruth Harper, Rich Amooi has created a genuinely relatable heroine; Ruth is brilliant, successful, driven and beautiful - and a hot mess in her personal life. A professional perfectionist workaholic, she’s 45 and just starting to realize she’s letting life pass her by in her race to the top. Meeting Nick, a landscape gardener who’s deliberately chosen a change of pace after a stress-induced health scare, makes Ruth start to think about slowing down herself and maybe looking for a little romance along the way.
This was such a fun read and Ruth was such a relatable heroine, from the wedgie disaster she suffers right at the start of the book through some viscerally satisfying smackdowns she delivers to men who thought they could best her at her own game. Anyone who’s ever tried online dating will find themselves cringing in all-too-familiar horror at the disastrous dates Ruth finds herself on. I giggled every time Barney showed up to plague Ruth yet again with his delusions of grandeur. Something else I really liked was that Ruth and Nick are both in their mid-forties, a nice change from the usually-much-younger protagonists who are the norm in the genre. These people are mature enough to know what they want, know their own needs and wants and not waste time on dead ends.
A funny, wry, self-deprecating love story for the career woman who wants it all, this was delightful and I’m really looking forward to discovering more by this author. Five stars.
Disclaimer: I received a review copy of this book via Rachel’s Random Resources.
Author Bio – Rich Amooi is a former radio personality and DJ who now writes romantic comedies full-time in San Diego, California. He is happily married to a kiss monster imported from Spain. Rich believes in public displays of affection, silliness, infinite possibilities, donuts, gratitude, laughter, and happily ever after.
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