ALL THE FEELS

When a volatile actor is assigned a guarded therapist to keep him in line, each discovers there’s more to the other than meets the eye.

Alex Woodroe, star of popular TV drama Gods of the Gates, is filming the final season of the show—and he despises the evolution of his character, Cupid. He's seething with frustration, not only because the showrunner is inept and tactless, but also because Cupid’s arc forces him to relive memories of trauma in his own past. When Alex’s resentment erupts in a bar fight, the show appoints Lauren Clegg to steer him away from trouble and negative publicity. Lauren, emerging from a decadelong stint as an ER therapist, has a finely honed sense of duty and morality and a long track record of maintaining professional distance from her patients. Despite her resolve to remain unaffected by him, Lauren finds herself admiring and empathizing with Alex. But before they can acknowledge their mutual attraction, trouble finds him again, causing Lauren to lose her job. While she must decide if she wants Alex in her life more than she wants to keep him away from controversy, Alex needs to face his demons before he can make a future with Lauren. The second installment in Dade’s Spoiler Alert series weaves in sharp wit and dry humor even as it tugs at the reader's heartstrings with its exploration of the far-reaching repercussions of trauma. Alex’s full-throated conviviality bounces productively off Lauren’s cautious reserve, bringing out different sides of both their personalities. Alex’s and Lauren’s attitudes toward their own bodies also evolve beautifully as their relationship deepens. As engaging as the two are when they're together, Alex’s penchant for fan fiction and Lauren’s dynamic with her best friend help them emerge as well-rounded characters individually. Dade's ironic awareness of popular romance tropes adds another layer of interest and fun.

A consistently entertaining and often insightful romance.