Review: Fun Romance
Rating: 4 out of 5
Date: 07 14, 2014
Joe and Drea have one week in Buenos Aires as reward for getting the marketing contract. Unfortunately a mix-up at the hotel means one room and one bed. The two friends figure that they can suck it up for one night. But then they wake up in each other’s arms, seconds away from taking their relationship to the next level. They decide to follow through on that impulse, vowing that they’ll forget the fling when they go home. But then Joe falls hard for Drea. Can he convince her that what happens in Buenos Aires doesn’t have to stay there?I really liked the awkwardness between Joe and Drea when they try to discuss their relationship. It was realistic. I would have been pretty suspicious if either Drea or Joe admitted to having feelings for the other right away. I would’ve wondered why neither of them acted on them before heading to Argentina. I especially liked the situations where one misinterpreted what the other was saying. It not only made things more awkward, but it also made the person responding struggle with a response.The setting in Buenos Aires was both positive and a negative. Setting the story in a foreign country, especially in South America, let Drea and Joe feel comfortable separating their friendship at home from this new romantic relationship. It also gave them the sense that the romance stayed in Argentina. I really liked that aspect of the setting.But I didn’t get the feeling that the author had ever been to Buenos Aires. While visiting a setting before writing about it isn’t necessary, convincing the reader that the author didn’t just flip through a guidebook is important. The setting was too superficial for me. I struggled to get lost in the setting and to believe that I was reading about Buenos Aires. All of the activities that Joe and Drea did seemed like they were either found in a tourist guide book or looked up online. That bothered me. It really took me out of the story.I’d recommend One Night in Buenos Aires to a reader looking for a short romance that doesn’t shy away from the awkwardness of friends becoming lovers.Rating: 4/5One Night in Buenos Aires by Amanda K. Byrne is published as an eBook by Engtangled Publishing.**I received an advanced copy of this book in return for an unbiased review.