Each connected novella in this fun, fresh Rom-Com anthology follows a different woman from a group of NYC friends whose plans to escape the summer heat with a fabulous girls-only weekend suddenly lose steam when an unexpected blackout cuts off power to all of Manhattan. But while the lights are out, enemies become lovers, acquaintances find they have more in common than a pack of matches, and the city really heats up! There's nothing like summer in Manhattan. The days are long and the nights are even longer. But when the lights go out in the city, fireworks explode... Night at the Museum by Lori Wilde Art restorer Ria Preston knows a thing or two about beauty. And when she discovers her neighborhood crush, gregarious Wall Street advisor Vic Albright, is stuck overnight in the Metropolitan Museum of Art with her, she can't resist taking him on a very private tour... Lights Out by Priscilla Oliveras Back in high school, Vanessa Ríos and Mateo Garza were theater troupe rivals. Now Mateo’s a rising Broadway star and Vanessa’s his most scathing critic. Cue a plot twist straight out of central casting: the two end up alone in his New York City apartment during the blackout, setting the stage for what could be their second act romance . . . Mind Games by Sarah Skilton What happens in college stays in college--unless you never get over it. In fact, Alison has been waiting to take her revenge on Nick, once the hottest guy on campus, now the hottest guy on the rising magician's circuit. But her plans to sabotage his first show are upended by the power outage. That's when the real magic happens...
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3.5 Rounded to 3
When I saw this cover and title, I was hoping for a fun summer Rom-Com. I have been itching to read one for a while now so this seemed perfect. I didn't realize this was actually 3 novellas, one for each of the friends in the group. I don't mind novellas at all and think they can be a lot of fun so this was what I have come to expected when reading one.
Overall, Summer in the City was quick and okay read. I was disappointed, however, because I expected some sort of summer type scene. This didn't have that at all. It occurs during summer but that's about it.
As to the novellas themselves, each occurs over a 24hr period during a blackout. In that sense, the steamy scenes felt rushed and forced and took away from the underlying stories, for me anyway. I would have loved more interaction and banter between the different couples vs. such a focus on the sex.
I did enjoy the writing, for each author, and would probably have loved these more if they were longer and the characters and situations fleshed out more.
I sincerely appreciate Kensington Books for providing me with a review copy. All opinions expressed herein are mine and mine alone.