Love Literary Style by Karen Gillespie (4.5 stars)

About Love Literary Style

Paperback: 280 pages
Henery Press

They say opposites attract, and what could be more opposite than a stuffy literary writer falling in love with a self-published romance writer?

Meet novelist Aaron Mite. He lives in a flea-infested rented alcove, and his girlfriend Emma, a combative bookstore owner, has just dumped him. He meets Laurie Lee at a writers’ colony and mistakenly believes her to be a renowned writer of important fiction. When he discovers she’s a self-published romance author, he’s already fallen in love with her.

Aaron thinks genre fiction is an affront to the fiction-writing craft. He likes to quotes the essayist, Arthur Krystal who claims literary fiction “melts the frozen sea inside of us.” Ironically Aaron doesn’t seem to realize that, despite his lofty literary aspirations, he’s emotionally frozen, due, in part, to a childhood tragedy. The vivacious Laurie, lover of flamingo-patterned attire and all things hot pink, is the one person who might be capable of melting him.

Their relationship is initially made in literary heaven but when Aaron loses his contract with a prestigious press, and Laurie’s novel is optioned by a major film studio, the differences in their literary sensibilities and temperaments drive them apart.

In a clumsy attempt to win Laurie back, Aaron employs the tropes of romance novels. Too late. She’s already taken up with Ross, a prolific author of Nicholas Sparks-like love stories. Initially Laurie is more comfortable with the slick and superficial Ross, but circumstances force her to go deeper with her writing and confront a painful past. Maybe Aaron and Laurie have more in common than they imagined.

In the tradition of the Rosie Project, Love Literary Style is a sparkling romantic comedy which pokes fun at the divide between so-called low and high brow fiction.

“Witty and smart, entertaining and lyrical, in Love Literary Style author Karin Gillespie explores all facets of love and language through her evocative characters and charmingly delicious plot. Aaron and Laurie’s story is the intellectual’s romantic comedy, an uproariously winning tale that is sure to delight a wide range of readers, but particularly those who desire a book with heart.” —Laura Spinella, bestselling author of Ghost Gifts, #1 Kindle Bestseller 

READ an excerpt at Karin’s website, HERE.

Purchase Links 

Amazon | Barnes & Noble  

Review

Indie romance author meets literary snob. A relationship that doesn't make sense on papyrus (okay, you'll appreciate this reference once you read the book), yet they are drawn to each other. Can two such opposing forces come together to write their own love story?

Total honesty here... a few pages in, I convinced myself I wasn't going to like this book, its concept, or the main character, Aaron. But sometimes I'm just wrong, and that's why I never give up that quickly. It didn't take long before he grew on me (and Laura I liked from the get-go), and I wanted these characters to rub off on each other. 

Through charming scenes and slowly revealed internal struggles, I slipped further and further into their world, leaving behind my preconceived notions. Then, before I knew it, I loved not only the main romance, but also the unexpected emotional relationships outside of just Laura and Aaron. 

What started as a predictable romance turned into something unexpected--a deeper and more engrossing story about love and acceptance. I highly recommend.

Rating: 4.5 stars

About Karin Gillespie 

Karin Gillespie is the author of the national bestselling Bottom Dollar Girls series, 2016 Georgia Author of the Year, Co-author for Jill Connor Browne’s novel Sweet Potato Queen’s First Big Ass Novel. Her latest novel Love Literary Style was inspired by a New York Times article called “Masters in Chick Lit” that went viral and was shared by literary luminaries like Elizabeth Gilbert and Anne Rice. 

She’s written for the Washington Postand Writer Magazine and is book columnist and humor columnist for the Augusta Chronicle and Augusta Magazine respectively. She received a Georgia Author of the Year Award in 2016. 

Connect with Karin 
Website | Facebook | Twitter

Thanks to TLC for my review copy.

Note: I received a complimentary copy for review purposes. A positive review was not requested or guaranteed; the opinions expressed are my own. 

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