The Gossip (New Wave Newsroom, #2)

by Jenny Holiday

[Lynn]

Before reading The Fixer, the first book in this New Wave Newsroom series, I was a bit apprehensive because of the covers for each title. Now that I've read the first two books, I can see how clearly they fit the personality of each female protagonist.

Dawn Hathaway's plans sensationally backfire when she's caught trying to illegally acquire alcohol for an upcoming party hosted by the Delta Chi Fraternity. With a $50 fine and missing out on getting into the Alpha Phi Sorority, she decides to reinvent herself as a gossip columnist for the campus newspaper. When a story she writes ends with a death, she needs help and the cop who's had her on his protective radar since their first run-in is more than happy to comply.

Arturo Perez loves his job as a community police officer at Allenhurst. Yet, lives with the guilt of not living up to his father's expectations...moving back home to join Boston PD. When he meets Dawn Hathaway, he knows deep down, he needs to put his plans on hold and stay in his current role. When a family emergency occurs, he decides to implement his plans but doesn't expect the local gossip columnist to make him see his predicament from an entirely different angle.

This time around, I know the song this novella is based on "Total Eclipse Of The Heart" and equally love all the references to 1980's...Erik Estrada and LEG WARMERS! Both the protagonists have daddy issues and are equally complex as they try to make life changing decisions which make them happy rather than pleasing other people. There's no sugar coating the serious issues the plot throws up however the novella maintains a fun and entertaining vibe. A lot packed into the pages and the author does a magnificent job by showing palpable character development.

You don't have to read the series in order, but be warned...once you've read one, you'll want to read the others.

***arc received courtesy of the publisher via Barclay PR***