Item: Until Now (Strangers, #1)
Author: drizzleandhurricanebooks

I’ve been turning more and more to adult contemporary romance, lately and it’s been such a fun journey! I’m thrilled to tell you all about Until Now today, an adult contemporary romance debut by the lovely Jensen Parker. Let’s see what I thought of this book in my review, shall we? 🙂

Until Now (Strangers, #1) by Jensen Parker
on August 1, 2023
Genres: adult, contemporary, romance
Format: ARC
Source: Author
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NINA VILLA NEEDS A BOYFRIEND - A FAKE BOYFRIEND.ENTER NICK DAVIS.Nina Villa told her mother she's bringing her new boyfriend to Haven for family vacation. The problem? She doesn't have a new boyfriend. But, what are you supposed to do when your mother invites your ex-boyfriend's family to the summer house? Now everyone is eager to meet the man who has managed to capture the attention of the workaholic Nina.Her best friend says she should hire someone. They do it in the movies, right? It could be fun in a no strings attached kind of way.Nick Davis seems like the perfect fit considering he doesn't like her, so cutting ties at the end of the summer will be easy, right? Nina makes Nick an offer: pretend to be her boyfriend for the summer in exchange for more money than he's ever seen in his life. It's an offer he can't refuse - the money could help pay off his brother's tuition and maybe send his dad on a vacation for once.Little do either of them know, this simple favor is going to have big consequences. And neither is prepared for when feelings begin to grow and the truth about who Nick really is comes to light.
Until Now is a fake dating, second chance, spicy contemporary romance with a smidge of enemies to lovers! It is the first in the Strangers series.
UNTIL NOW is a fake dating, second chance, spicy contemporary romance with a smidge of enemies to lovers! It is the first in the Strangers series.

I received this book for free from Author in exchange for an honest review. This does not affect my opinion of the book or the content of my review.

☂️ TRIGGER WARNINGS: (click to reveal)

drinking, mention of cheating, mention of murder and blood, heart attack (off-page), hospital, cheating, mother’s death from cancer (in the past), death of a family member, grief.

There are no spoilers in this review.

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I ENJOYED…

☂️

Davina was such a great main character to follow. She’s headstrong, driven and the definition of girl-boss, if you ask me. I loved her confidence, sometimes was annoyed by her being just so damn stubborn, but honestly, I liked her for it, as, well. She was such a flawed, complex, interesting character to follow, I really enjoyed following her point of view and hoped for the best, for her, the whole time.
Obviously, I need to take a (long) moment to talk about the romance. This is a romance, after all! It’s a slow-burning, fake-dating & second chance kind of romance. I just loved the inclusion of so many excellent tropes (sharing one bed, kissing in the rain, my heart). Slowly but surely, the tension between the characters rise until finally, they give in. I really loved the whole build-up and the obvious passion between these characters. No spoilers here, but also please note that this is an adult romance with spicy, spicy scenes ! Definitely well-written 🌶🌶
One of my favorite things about UNTIL NOW is how, while it focuses on the romance, also leaves a big space for family relationships. The relationships between Davina and her family, especially her mother, are complex and definitely not straight-forward. They’re laced with drama and secrets. I loved uncovering them.

Another great thing about UNTIL NOW were the settings. From New York City to Winchester to the wild mountain trails, I really enjoyed following the characters in these different places and especially loved how the main character’s love for hiking shone through the story, as well.
There was absolutely no time to get bored with this contemporary romance, really. The story has a lot of twists and turns and drama. Little by little, we get to peel the layers of these characters, their past, their histories. I kept on turning the pages, curious to see what would happen next and where would the story go!

OVERALL

☂️

If you’re looking for an entertaining adult romance with fake-dating, second-chance and spice, I recommend Until Now. I’ll be looking forward to whatever the author writes, next!