Review: Romancing the Fashionista

Disclaimer:  K.M. Jackson and I both write for Heroes & Heartbreakers.  We're Twitter friends and when we run into each other at conferences we chit-chat.

Romancing the Fashionista by K.M. Jackson fits my definition for a Chocolate Chip Cookie read.  It's on the shorter side (it's a novella) with a light, fun plot featuring likeable characters.  It didn't change my life but I had fun reading it - which given my reading mood for the past year (short answer: the pits) is practically a #1 With A Bullet recommendation from me.

Nothing good ever comes from mixing margaritas with social media - which big shot Manhattan fashion editor, Melinda Mitchell has just learned the hard way.  A girl's night in with her BFF Lexi has led to Mellie starting a Facebook page - which inevitably has led to all her old high school frenemies tagging her in unflattering photos.  Two words: Hammer pants and crimped hair (::shudder::).  Another unexpected development?  A friend request from Nolan Parker, former high school football star, now a plastic surgeon working with Doctors Without Borders and Mellie's secret former crush.  What she doesn't realize?  He had a secret crush on her as well - and oh look!  The Facebook Debacle has happened just in time for a high school reunion where Mellie and Nolan will reconnect live and in person.  Ooh la la!

I'm a sucker for reunion plots and Jackson writes an engaging one.  The novella length does lead to a few instances of "info-dumping" but otherwise the writing is crisp, smooth and I settled right in to the story.  Mellie is a driven career woman (who stays driven throughout the whole story - thankyouverymuch) and past hurts have led to her calling all the shots in her personal life for fear of being taken for a ride ever again.  A past relationship that went really sour did leave her with a daughter, Bailey, whom she adores - but let's just say the fallout was rather unpleasant.  So keeping her personal life limited to casual hook-ups with pretty boy toys is about as deep as she goes.  Nolan, while very pretty, is not the casual hook-up sort.  This is a man in every sense of the word, he's all business, and he's making reconnecting Mellie priority number one.

I like Nolan, I like Mellie, I like the friendship she has with Lexi, and daughter Bailey stays mostly off page so no worries about Cutesy Plot Moppet Syndrome.  The high school reunion provides the suitable shenanigans you would expect and once our couple hits the sheets is when everything hits the fan.  Mellie panics and Nolan feels like he's landed back at square one.  This would be where the bump in the road hits the story - as the more Nolan exhibits himself to be Mr. Wonderful (seriously, this is the guy you want to take home to Mom five minutes after you meet him) the more unreasonable Mellie comes off.  I wanted to smack her upside the head and tell her to "Snap out of it!"  There's also a tacked on scene regarding daughter Bailey at the end that just felt weird and out of place.  It does tie up the happy ending, but it's rather extreme.

However, minor quibbles.  There were some minor bumps in execution for me, but I largely enjoyed this.  It was light and fun.  It's the sort of book that is tailor-made to be read on your lunch breaks at work and I was engaged to the point where I want to see where Jackson takes this series next.  Please Lord, dare I hope for a Lexi and Ian romance?

Final Grade = B