Kathryn Freeman Archives - Proud Book Reviews

February 13, 2023February 14, 2023

Nobody Puts RomComs in the Corner – Kathryn Freeman

This book contains:

Reference to cheating
Suggested familial financial extortion/violence.

Sally is the romance loving, café owner with a room to let after her younger sister has moved into her boyfriend’s place. Her life is all about romance. Romance movies of all kinds, a café themed on love and creating early love experiences for other couples and wanting to find her own perfect match.

Harry on the other hand is a total love cynic. He’s a builder by trade whose parent’s marriage has been falling apart more and more since his dad retired. While he never had a loving home growing up, what he’s experiencing as their marriage deteriorates solidifies his belief that love doesn’t exist.

Thanks to Sally’s sister moving out and the debt she needs to repay, she’s forcing to let her sister’s old room out. A friend of a friend puts Harry in touch with Sally because he’s in desperate need of renting a room on a short-term basis.

As they live together, they learn more about each other, most prominently, their difference of opinion about love. One night after a few drinks, they re-create the famous lift scene from Dirty Dancing, and overnight become a Tik Tok sensation.

As the name suggests, this fun love story is basically a rom com the whole way through. While I don’t think I’ve seen EVERY movie they recreated or referenced, I’ve seen most and I loved reading about their adaptations.

I had such a fun time reading this. I think pretty much every time I picked this up, I found myself giggling and laughing at what they were up to.

And in amongst all those funny moments, Harry is beating the gender stereotypes in his industry as a builder. I won’t say how, because that might spoil the surprise, but it was so nice for this to be popped into the story in such a natural way.

Overall, a hugely fun book that is quite inclusive in such a natural way that I kinda wish more authors could do.

Continue to find out about the author.

Author Bio

For as long as I can remember, I’ve always wanted to write a book. It may have had something to do with my obsession with reading romance. Real life interfered and I headed off in a different direction – into the world of science, becoming a pharmacist before joining the pharmaceutical industry. I did end up writing, but it was about disease and medicines. Decades later, I’m finally doing what I always wanted to do.

With a husband who asks every Valentine’s Day whether he has to buy a card (yes, he does), all the romance in my life is in my head. Then again, his unstinting support of my career change proves love isn’t always about hearts and flowers – and heroes come in many disguises.

May 30, 2022June 6, 2022

The Italian Job – Kathryn Freeman

This book contains:

References to and small descriptions of cheating
Descriptions of going to jail and why
Vivid description of a serious car accident and saving the occupants lives.

Anna is a chef who’s made a great career for herself, until her partner who’s also the head chef and son of the owners of the restaurant she works are cheats on her and she’s forced to quit. She’s determined, passionate and highly resilient despite what life throws her way.

Jake is an ex-con firefighter who’s struggling to find work and respect thanks to the influence of the man who’s responsible for getting him arrested. He’s loyal to a fault and protects his family and loved ones regardless of the personal consequences he needs to suffer.

Anna has just left her cheating ex and she’s looking for a new job when she comes across an add for a caretaker for a castle on Lake Como. Only catch is that they’re looking for a couple and won’t negotiate on taking on just her. Meanwhile, Jake is struggling to find work since getting out of jail, thoroughly depressed and worried he’ll need to move back in with his mum if he can’t find something soon.

Cue, Anna decides to ask Jake to pretend to be her boyfriend so they can both get away to Lake Como for a year to try and turn their lives around after the same man has ruined them both.

I found this one really interesting. While there were times where I felt it was a bit “meh”, overall, I really enjoyed it!

Thinking back, the “meh” times were the important background establishing slower moments that while critical to the story overall, in the moment just felt boring to me. But I think that had more to do with pace and style of the books I’d read immediately prior to this one more than anything lacking in Kathryn’s writing.

Even though you KNOW something is going to happen to try and derail their relationship, I still found myself heartbroken, frustrated and pissed off on their behalf for everything that kept getting in the way of them having a real go at a real relationship.

And of course, the ending was exactly what I was hoping it’d be! What more could you ask for from a contemporary romance with the fake fiancé trope?

Continue to read further down to find out about the author and any extra giveaways available.

Author Bio

Dream job. Dream house. Fake fiancé.

A year in a gorgeous Italian castle…

When Anna Roberts’ life implodes, an online search leads her to an ad for the ultimate dream job – management of a gorgeous castle on the shores of Lake Como, accommodation included. The only catch? Anna can’t do it alone…

…With the last man on earth she’d choose!

The castle owners will only accept a couple as caretakers, which means Anna needs a man on her arm at the interview. Enter her neighbour, Jake Tucker. Though Anna and Jake have never seen eye-to-eye, Jake’s had a rough few years and an escape to Italy sounds ideal. Yet, when they get the job and jet off, Anna and Jake face an unexpected challenge. Pretending to be a couple is difficult … but pretending the tension simmering between them doesn’t exist is quickly proving impossible!

Giveaway – Win a paperback copy of The Italian Job by Kathryn Freeman (open internationally)

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*Terms and Conditions –Worldwide entries welcome. Please enter using the Rafflecopter box below. The winner will be selected at random via Rafflecopter from all valid entries and will be notified by Twitter and/or email. If no response is received within 7 days then Rachel’s Random Resources reserves the right to select an alternative winner. Open to all entrants aged 18 or over. Any personal data given as part of the competition entry is used for this purpose only and will not be shared with third parties, with the exception of the winners’ information. This will passed to the giveaway organiser and used only for fulfilment of the prize, after which time Rachel’s Random Resources will delete the data. I am not responsible for despatch or delivery of the prize.

November 29, 2021November 21, 2021

Strictly Come Dating – Kathryn Freeman

This book contains:

References to cheating spouse
References to a severe health problem
Death of a parent.

Maggie is a 37 year old GP with two young girls — Penny and Tabby — and an ex who barely even calls to speak to Penny and Tabby. She’s locked herself down to her life revolving around ensuring Penny and Tabby have everything that she wished she’d had growing up. Being as organised as she is, it means everything fits to a schedule and she doesn’t do spontaneous things.

Seb is 27 and has returned home from Australia to help care for his dad as he recovers from a heart attack. He’s the carefree, no roots, go with the flow king of guy who is everything Maggie can’t stand.

Seb has returned home and is staying with his sister when he comes home one Saturday night to find his sisters and their friends all watching Strictly Come Dancing. He’s immediately drawn to Maggie and finds ways to insert himself into her life. Whether it’s helping Penny with homework, emergency childcare or making sure she has a suitable dance partner, he’s there.

Meanwhile, Maggie is fighting with every instinct in her body to keep away from Seb. He’s charming and always ready to be there, but he’s 10 years younger. While she fights with the public perception of her being with a much younger man, not to mention how it’ll impact her daughters, Seb keeps fighting his way in.

I don’t know why it’s taken me so long to read this!

I got this off NetGalley what feels like a year ago an I’ve FINALLY had time to read it. I’m sure I read some good reviews at the time so I’m kicking myself that I left this so long coz I loved it!

It was so much fun to read, and because Kathryn spread the romance out over like 6 months, it didn’t feel rushed. It felt organic and real which made it all the better.

The little steps they both took, the challenges they faced together, the respect they had for one another the whole time was amazing. Even when they had their moments, they reacted like I think most of us would, but then found ways to reconnect, communicate and move forwards.

And the epilogue! OMG!

I couldn’t have asked for a better ending. It just felt perfect for every character.

March 16, 2020February 1, 2021

The New Guy – Kathryn Freeman

Welcome back everyone, after a few reviews for books in a series we’re back to a standalone contemporary romance set in London.

One of they key differences between this book and many other romances I read is that the woman is the one in a position of power in the relationship. Not only is it Sam that instigates a conversation with Ryan initially. She’s the one that sets out how their relationship plays out after that.

Throughout the book we read how Ryan is feeling, and it’s strangely insecure. Being a girl, I don’t know if many guys feel like this in relationships, but it was great to have such a strong male lead who was also so in touch with his emotions and what he wants from a relationship. While also being honest with himself about how he truly feels rather than trying to hide behind walls.

In many ways I respect what Sam has achieved and sympathise with what she’s had to go through thanks to Damien. Yet I also think she was a little silly to get involved with someone she worked with. Something my dad always told me growing up was to never get involved with someone I worked with because society always makes the woman out to be worse off.

At the same time, if you’re falling for someone that hard why should you have to deny your heart?

And then my logical business brain switches on being like “aren’t there laws against this in England?” coz I know there are here in Australia. Even for small businesses like Sam’s.

The way Kathryn wrote about both Ryan and Sam’s emotional turmoil and their insecurities kept me enraptured the whole way through. I kept wondering when they’d finally talk openly and honestly, what would happen after they’d done that? Would Ryan keep working for Sam? If he did, how would their relationship end up?

Rather than trying to sort through that minefield I think Kathryn did the right thing for the story and left it on a high. But also open for the reader to decide how they want their love story to play out. Does it end up a fully open office romance? Does it go down in flames? Is it a fairy-tale ending?

Who knows? You get to pick what you want!

Thank you for reading and I hope you enjoyed this review, on Friday I’ll be reviewing Jennifer Macaire’s final Alexander book, The Eternal Banquet. Continue to read further down to find out about the author.

Author Bio

A former pharmacist, I’m now a medical writer who also writes romance. Some days a racing heart is a medical condition, others it’s the reaction to a hunky hero.

With a husband who asks every Valentine’s Day whether he has to buy a card (yes, he does), any romance is all in my head. Then again, his unstinting support of my career change proves love isn’t always about hearts and flowers – and heroes come in many disguises.