Not That Kind of Guy

March 16, 2020
Christopher’s uneven follow-up to Not the Girl You Marry begins by cleverly flipping the typical office romance script, but a mid-book trip to Vegas sends the plot off the rails. When perfectionist attorney Bridget Nolan’s relationship collapses, she throws herself into her work, only to be assigned a distractingly handsome intern. The hyperprivileged Matt Kido has always been sheltered by his parents’ wealth, but he’s instantly smitten with his stunning new boss and eager to impress. Though Bridget refuses to acknowledge their chemistry while they work together, their dynamic takes a jarring turn when she accepts Matt’s offer to escort her to her brother’s Las Vegas wedding after his internship ends. There, inevitably, they get blackout drunk and wake up married. As they wait for the divorce to go through, they use their new relationship status to mess with Matt’s cartoonishly judgmental parents and “stick it” to Bridget’s one-note jerk of an ex. But the more time they spend together, the deeper they fall for each other. Christopher balances the melodrama and moments of raw emotion with an upbeat tone and honest communication between Matt and Bridget. Readers who can look past the contrived setup will find this a fun, if lopsided, romance. Agent: Courtney Miller-Callihan, Handspun Literary.

March 15, 2020
A romantic comedy with plot elements from The Proposal and Crazy Rich Asians. Bridget Nolan, an assistant state's attorney in Chicago, is "supersmart, no bullshit, and hard as nails." Raised by her South Side Irish dad and older brothers after her mom abandoned the family, she is totally focused on prosecuting sexual assault cases and crimes against children. She reluctantly agrees to take on Chicago law student Matt Kido as a summer intern only because his connections might secure her a fellowship that would pay her student loans. Matt's family is politically connected (his grandfather was a senator from Hawaii) and wealthy, which is why they are shocked when he turns down a cushy associate position to intern with the state. Matt is more keen to avoid his cheating ex and defy his parents' expectations than to be a public servant, but one look at Bridget and he's smitten. The attraction is mutual, so when the internship ends, Bridget invites Matt to her brother's wedding in Vegas, the better to show up her jerk of an ex-boyfriend, who will also be there. They end up getting drunk and married, having sex, and then deciding to stay together to piss off their relatives until the state of Illinois allows them to divorce. Along the way, they banter, have sex, and fall in love, which scares Bridget: "If she couldn't make the necessary compromises for [her ex], who had grown up the same way she had, what hope did she have with someone like Matt? Matt lived in a whole other stratosphere." While Bridget's ballsy prosecutor persona is described rather than illustrated, she and her family are, on balance, fully developed characters, and readers of Not the Girl You Marry (2019), the first book in the series, will find their return very welcome. Except for his infatuation with Bridget, Matt is underdeveloped, and his ambivalent feelings about his family's wealth wear somewhat thin. His disapproving Japanese American mother and blonde, rich, pouty ex-girlfriend are caricatures. Plenty of humor and a great heroine are pluses in this unevenly paced romance.

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April 10, 2020

After finally dumping her one and only boyfriend, State Attorney Bridget Nolan isn't thrilled she's feeling sparks for Matt Kido. Not only is Matt too young for her, he's also her intern and the son of the woman in charge of whether Bridget will receive a grant to help her legal work with victims of sexual assault and harassment in the workplace. Matt and Bridget keep it professional in the office, but all bets are off when the internship ends and Bridget needs a date for a coed Las Vegas bachelor party. A trip full of simmering tension ends in an accidental wedding. VERDICT Readers who enjoy strong and prickly heroines such as Rhiannon from Alisha Rai's The Right Swipe will root for Bridget as she works through her fears and desires without ever compromising herself or her beliefs.--Elizabeth Gabriel, Milwaukee P.L.

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