Homecoming King by Penny Reid
Hello Books Lovers,
today I’m talking about Penny Reid’s latest publication and I thank Butterfly PR for the digital arc. They gave me a chance to read in advance this title and I couldn’t be happier, it was like a breath of fresh air.
Homecoming King is the first book of a singularly self-concluding trilogy, so each volume will have its characters, love stories and different pasts, but at the same time the characters are connected by having attended the same high school, and probably one of the starring in both sequels was introduced in Homecoming King.
The protagonists of this volume will be Abby, a bartender in a Texas town, a DIY lover with a shop on Etsy, married at 18 and divorced after a few months and now, at 30, in debt due to her ex .
And Rex, football star, philanthropist, super sexy and Abby’s old school friend – elementary, middle and high school. Abby was a stalker towards Rex back then, she followed him everywhere, she had a crush, and contrary to what she thinks, Rex had noticed her, although maybe not in the same way she had noticed him.
I’ll tell you the truth, I started reading this book without even reading the plot. I was in the mood for a romance and started it, ditching my other ongoing readings – the best choice I could ever make. I was struck to discover the presence of a very interesting trope that I have perhaps read only once before, that of “fake marriages”.
Because yes, Abby and Rex will pretend to be married. She never stopped having a crush on him, and he, after walking into her bar drunk and awakening in Abby’s apartment to find that she had only been looking after him being drunk, Rex realizes that Abby is the person. perfect with which to undertake this farce.
The real reason Rex wants to pretend to get married is that all the girls he’s dated ended up marrying his friends. All. And now he just wants to have some media stability to get on with his life.
Abby accepts because as I said before, she has a lot of debt to pay off, and the money Rex offers could be very useful. Besides, she might have a chance to spend more time with Rex “TW” Mcmurtry, get to know him better, and help him out. Because she, like him, have promised themselves not to have more dates with anyone, since nothing good comes out of it.
He kissed the back of my hand, and I kissed his cheek. He kissed my cheek and I kissed his neck. He kissed my neck, while standing behind me – his warm, solid front pressed to my back, an arm wrapped around my middle, and hand on my stomach – and I excused myself to the bathroom and did deep breathing exercises.
“You underestimate how much I need you.”
You have probably already understood how the situation will evolve. I don’t want to spoil the finale. But exactly what you expect will happen when two people pretend to marry and spend a lot of time together, all aided by the fact that one of them has an epic crush on the other.
Homecoming King is a very funny story, light and smooth, and sexy, yes very sexy. To be read at all costs. I hope it will soon be translated into Italian. In recent times, Always Publishing has brought Penny Reid’s books to Italy, we hope they will continue with this new trilogy as well.
Speaking of the downsides, I would have expected some kind of twist. The usual unexpected, especially given the entry of Abby’s ex-husband, I would have expected more interference from him. Instead, aside from Abby and Rex who kept repelling-attracting each other, the story between the two went pretty smooth. Maybe this was the only thing I didn’t like. After all, on every page I expected that suspenseful scene, which in reality never arrived.
