Getting Hot with the Scot

February 18, 2019
An internet jokester butts heads with a vacationing reporter in this fun contemporary. Chicagoan Cassie Crow and four friends are on the girls’ trip of a lifetime, visting Italy, France, the Netherlands, Spain, and the U.K. Cassie’s hoping to have a “fabulous, wanton” fling somewhere along the way. In an Edinburgh castle, Cassie bumps into Logan Reid, a sexy Highlander in a kilt who claims to be a time-traveling romance hero. She doesn’t believe him, but she’s happy to share a scorching kiss with him. Then he reveals he’s a prankster and she’s on camera. Incensed, she refuses to sign a release that would let him use the video in a pitch to get his web show on television. Logan follows her to London, hoping to change her mind, and they begin a steamy affair that gradually becomes a relationship. The lovemaking scenes are electric, but the most revealing moments are outside of bed when Logan and Cassie are laughing with their friends and families. They grow and change together, as Cassie learns to let go of her rigid plans for the future and Logan resolves the pain of his father’s death, but the story never loses its lighthearted tone. This enjoyable tale gently pokes fun at romance clichés while giving romance readers what they’re looking for. Agent: Pamela Harty, Knight Agency.

March 15, 2019
It's nearing the end of Cassie Crow's European vacation with her four best friends, and she has yet to check off one major item on her to-do list: have a thrilling one-night stand with a sexy man. When she encounters kilt-wearing, notorious prankster Logan Reid in Scotland, she feels instant chemistry. A steamy hookup ensues, but real feelings quickly begin to develop on both sides. Can the relationship last when Cassie returns to Chicago and rededicates herself to work, striving to move from pop-culture expert to serious journalist? Johnson's worthwhile and playful debut kicks off a new series. Readers will be pleased that subsequent Sometimes in Love titles are set to appear in the next two months. Although this story has some uneven pacing, it is bursting with humor and heart. The opposite aspects of Cassie and Logan's personalities bring out the best in each other, and their witty banter is charming. Equally enjoyable are their interactions with memorable friends and family. An enthralling fling from a notable new voice in romance.(Reprinted with permission of Booklist, copyright 2019, American Library Association.)