The Paradise Problem, By Christina Lauren
Do you need a little laughter in your life? How about some spicy romance? And a beautiful tropical island with gorgeous white sand beaches and an ocean view room? Just to balance it all out, how about a jealous sibling, a nefarious boyfriend and a wedding? Well, have I got the book for you!
The Paradise Problem had me giggling from page one, the wit of these two authors who cowrite their books is absolutely fantastic. Our main character, Anna Green is a smart, creative, sarcastic, ironic, hilarious mess of a young woman whom we get to know right away as she explains how she is not living up to her potential or following her dreams. Next, we meet Liam, her husband who is not really her husband whom she married so they could have access to more affordable family housing while at university. The problem is, Liam wasn’t totally honest with Anna and it turns out that he had his own reason for the marriage. His inheritance depends on it. His sister is getting married and now his folks are demanding to meet the wife they’ve never seen. And thus begins the unravelling of Liam’s plans.
I have to admit, I don’t read romance very often. I hadn’t read any books by Christina Lauren before, so I didn’t have any expectations. The plot is solid and engaging and the imagery, especially once the story moves to “paradise” is fabulous, I could smell the ocean and feel the air. I love that in a book! Especially this time of year when Christmas has been packed up, we are awaiting our credit card bills and it’s starting to get cold. The book shifts into a more intense situation when family personalities begin to clash and suspicions arise.
The Paradise Problem will transport you into Liam and Anna’s conundrum, their potential love story and the battle with morality that each has to face. It’s a perfect book for this time of year when we start dreaming of faraway beaches and want to sink into other people’s lives!
Courtney Allen is the manager of the local bookstore, Golden’s Four Points Books.
