I've never read Julia London's contemporary works before, but I'm a huge fan of the historic series about the Cabot sisters. I'll be honest, SUDDENLY IN LOVE didn't work for me as much as her historical ones do. I never really connected with Mia and Brennan, and Mia's cousin (around whom much of the story revolves in odd ways) infuriated me so much I rolled my eyes each time she was on the page.

The basic premise of the book is one based on deception. Brennan is a world famous rock god who is hiding out in his mother's beach house to recover from some epicly poor choices he's made. Mia is an artist who has retreated to her small hometown and ends up getting a job helping to renovate said beach house. There's insta-hate, which turns to lust, which turns to something resembling love and along the way, Brennan never chooses to really be honest about that piece of his life with Mia until his hand is forced.

I know some readers are completely fine with that trope, I am simply not one of them. I can accept slowly revealing pieces of yourself to your new partner because trust takes time to build, but this kind of secret is so huge and will obviously come out at some point that it feels unnecessarily hurtful to me.

London's writing is still fantastic, and even though I didn't particularly enjoy these two folks, I did enjoy how she wrote them. I'd recommend SUDDENLY IN LOVE for people who like contemporaries set in quirky small towns.

Book Summary

Mia Lassiter is thrilled to finally put her artistic skills to use working for her aunt’s interior design shop in her hometown of East Beach. While renovating an old mansion overlooking stunning Lake Haven, she encounters a scruffy but attractive man named Brennan—the owner’s son. She doesn’t realize this sexy recluse is actually Everett Alden, the world-famous rock star in hiding who’s nursing his own artistic and personal crises.

As their personalities clash, tension simmers between the struggling artist and jaded musician, and their time spent alone together in the gorgeous old house only serves to turn up the heat. Soon, Mia and Brennan’s creative passions boil over to inspire passions of another kind…

But reality comes crashing in when Mia’s celeb-obsessed cousin discovers Brennan’s true identity—and reveals it to the world. As paparazzi swarm the mansion, Brennan is thrust back into his rock star lifestyle. Will Mia lose her soul mate just when she’s finally found him? Can their love survive the glaring spotlight?