Wrong (Cafe Series) – book review

Wrong
by Jana Aston
Release Date: October 7, 2015
Book #1 in the Cafe series
Number of Pages: 266
Contemporary Romance
Ages 16 and up
CW: dub-con, fertility issues
——————–
I have a history of picking the wrong guy. Gay? Player? Momma’s boy? Check, check and check.

Now I can’t stop fantasizing about one of the customers at the coffee shop I work at between classes. It’s just a harmless crush, right? It’s not like I ever see this guy outside of the coffee shop. It’s not like I’m going to see him while attempting to get birth control at the student clinic. While wearing a paper gown. While sitting on an exam table. Because he’s the doctor. Shoot. Me.

But what if, for once, the man I’ve had the dirtiest, most scandalous fantasies about turned out to be everything but wrong?

---

This is a new-to-me author and, it turns out, this was her first book. For that, I’ll have to say it was excellent. There were some pacing issues, but nothing too disruptive to the flow. The story is from Sophie’s POV for all but one chapter, making it hard to get to know Luke at times. But it turns out that is what this story needs.

Sophie is in her last year of undergrad and working at a coffee shop, salivating over a customer who comes in every Tuesday. It’s just a fantasy. He’s older, doesn’t engage in conversation with her, and she assumes he doesn’t even notice her at all. But Luke does notice her, which becomes apparent when she goes to her first gynecology appointment and he’s her doctor, making them both rather uncomfortable.

Throughout the story, I was left guessing about Luke’s feelings. After meeting his parents, it’s obvious that he isn’t exactly comfortable with opening up to others. But still, he’s a bit of a puzzle. There is great chemistry and there’s no secret that he is physically attracted to Sophie, but is she just a plaything? It doesn’t seem so, but there are many times he doesn’t treat Sophie as an equal. And while Luke is older than Sophie, he’s not old enough to be her father.

There were times I wish I would have been in on conversations the characters had, other than when Sophie was upset about something. When given a look into the day-to-day of this couple, that’s when I felt Luke did care deeply for Sophie. To her credit, Sophie usually stood up for herself when Luke was treating her unfairly. Well, she didn’t always stand up for herself as much as leave the situation. Which can be construed as childish, but since Luke wasn’t big on sharing his feelings she might as well have been talking to a door if she had tried to hash it out with him at times.

Overall, I enjoyed this book. It moves quickly, is super steamy, and Luke turns out to be a man Sophie can rely on…even if he goes about things in an odd way. I read this book because the next book in the series, Right, was recommended as a good grumpy older brother’s friend romance. You know me and my need to read from the beginning of a series. I know that book must be Everyly’s book and I’m glad the recommendation is from a solid source since I found that character to be quite the stalker in this book. I’ll trust my source hasn’t led me astray.

3.5 stars