The New Guy (The Kathryn Freeman Romcom Collection, #1)

by Kathryn Freeman

‘Amazing chemistry and a hero you’ll fall in love with’ Julie Caplin

Sam Huxton doesn’t do one-night stands, especially not with men she’s just met! But the hot guy at the bar was hard to resist and one night is all they share – no names, no numbers, just some much needed fun…

Until the same guy walks into Sam’s life the next day as her new employee. Sam never mixes business with pleasure and makes it clear an office fling with Ryan is off-limits. But after-hours…one thing can lead to another. Can Sam trust her heart and her business with the new guy?

Readers can’t get enough of The New Guy:

‘Seriously love this twist on an office romance’ Christina Parker, Netgalley

‘Their chemistry was off the charts’Mad Mom Life

‘Better than most rom coms I’ve watched and read!’ Jennifer Arnold, Netgalley

‘Reads like the perfect rom-com movie’ Sinead, Librarian

‘Very sexy and very sweet’ Morgan Shulman, Goodreads

‘Warmed my heart and read like a movie…What a beautiful sweet surprise this was’ Kelsey Peterson, Goodreads

‘You have yourself a page turning, don’t want it to end story, in essence an absolutely cracking read!’ Margaret Harris, Netgalley

‘A gorgeously sweet romance!’ From Rachael Claire

‘It's got laugh out loud moments, heart wrenching moments but most important that feel good factor’ Chantiece Bates, Goodreads

• ISBN13: 9780008365813
• Publish Date: 13 March 2020
• Publish Status: Active
• Publish Country: GB
• Publisher: HarperCollins Publishers
• Imprint: HarperCollins Publishers Ltd
• Edition: Digital original
• Format: eBook (EPUB)
• Pages: 432
• Language: English
• URL: http://harpercollins.co.uk

Reviews

[Emma (SCR)]

This review was originally posted on Star Crossed Reviews I received this book for free from Netgalley in exchange for an honest review. This does not affect my opinion of the book or the content of my review.Thank you to Rachel for letting me take part in this tour and to One More Chapter for my copy of this book via Netgalley. The premise of this book sounded fun and we all can do with a bit of fun these days so I requested a copy.

Sam or Sunshine Sam as she becomes known is such an easy character like. She's fun, light and passionate. Sam has been through some really rough times in the last 18 months.

Sam and Ryan had such intense chemistry but at first, cannot stand each other. This was great to read. The back and forth banter and with all that undercurrent of tension! OH, it was so GOOD!

The characters felt realistic and the story was an easy read. I flew through the book within a day or two. As well as being a romcom this book does deal with some serious issues of alcoholism and domestic violence. Kathryn explores the fall out of these but in a very sensitive way.

I really enjoyed this book and I look forward to reading more of Kathryn's books in the future.

[Lynn]

A rom-com with a one-night stand and new employee! It's my introduction to a new for me author too. 

Sam Huxton has a shock when she returns to her office and meets the new guy, Ryan Black. Employed on her behalf by a trusted employee and friend, his job is to fix a problem within a new phone app they're developing at her company Privacy Solutions. Therefore it's a shock for everyone when they realise Sam had a one-night stand during her time away and it was with the new guy! It's awkward, but they agree to keep their distance from each other. That's until they can't bear to be apart.

What lacked for me is Sam's ability to come across as a convincing CEO at Privacy Solutions. I can understand her wanting to build a company with an enticing working environment, but the fact she's too close and friendly with all the staff took away the edge she should have had when making tough decisions. I liked Ryan Black because he's an underdog, looking to improve his current situation. He's flawed, but has good intentions… if only he could keep his temper under control. As a pair, the protagonists are mismatched but somehow manage to meander their way out of tricky situations. There's plenty to humorous dialogue and sizzling chemistry but not enough to convince me they are the real deal.

The highlights are the exchanges between Ryan and Lucas Baker. They're two very different men but find a common link to forge a friendship built on trust and respect. You'd not ordinarily expect to find this pair within the same company so it's admirable they look past their differences and focus on what's important.

The story finishes with a happy ending for Sam and Ryan although, if this couple lived in the real world, I don't feel confident their relationship would last a lifetime.

Overall, it's a soundly written novel full of details and paced to keep a reader invested within the narrative. The story didn't hit the spot for me, however, I enjoyed Ms Freeman's writing style and will definitely pick up and read another of her novels.

3.5 stars

***arc generously received courtesy of One More Chapter via NetGalley***