✒️ 🖌️ 📓 💗 Love Lettering 💗 📓 🖌️ ✒️ (2020) - Book Review

MY REVIEW

Paperback: 320 pages

Publisher: Kensington (December 31, 2019)

Language: English

ISBN-10: 1496725174

ISBN-13: 978-1496725172

“In this warm and witty romance from acclaimed author Kate Clayborn, one little word puts a woman’s business—and her heart—in jeopardy . . .
 
Meg Mackworth’s hand-lettering skill has made her famous as the Planner of Park Slope, designing custom journals for her New York City clientele. She has another skill too: reading signs that other people miss. Knowing the upcoming marriage of Reid Sutherland and his polished fiancée was doomed to fail is one thing, but weaving a secret word of warning into their wedding program is another. Meg may have thought no one would spot it, but she hadn’t counted on sharp-eyed, pattern-obsessed Reid.
 
A year later, Reid has tracked Meg down to find out how she knew that his meticulously planned future was about to implode. But with a looming deadline and a bad case of creative block, Meg doesn’t have time for Reid’s questions—unless he can help her find her missing inspiration. As they gradually open up to each other, both try to ignore a deepening connection between them. But the signs are there—irresistible, indisputable, urging Meg to heed the messages Reid is sending her, before it’s too late . . . .”

["Love Lettering" - Kate Clayborn (Prize Package from Kensington Books)]

This was a prize I won in a Facebook contest from the publisher. Leaving a positive review, or any kind of review, was not required or requested. All words are my own.

The first completed read of 2020 is a “new-to-me” author – Kate Clayborn.

“Love Lettering” is a contemporary romance set in New York.

Meg Mackworth is a “custom designer”. She uses her hand-lettering skills to design calendars, planners, journals – those things – for her clients. But, she sometimes works in a message into the designs.

One client was the fiancée of Reid Sutherland who had gone to Meg to design their wedding program.  

A year after his canceled wedding, he seeks Meg out to ask her how she knew the wedding would’ve been a M-I-S-T-A-K-E. She knows and sees “signs” that others would miss. She didn’t know how he saw the “sign” – but being that he is obsessed with patterns and numbers – he did. He wants to know how she knew. She hasn’t done it with too many clients, but it is a “habit” of hers.

Meg’s best friend Sibby is drifting away from her, Meg is also suffering from creative block, which isn’t good with a deadline looming ahead of her. And, Reid is thinking about leaving New York.

She then decides to show him the “signs” she saw when she first moved there. They begin to gradually open up to each other while Meg is working with a childhood idol, Lark Tannen-Fisher, which can help Meg get a job she’s always wanted.

Despite the “charm” of the premise, I found it a tense read – it was hard to get into it and stay with it. There were a LOT of references to fonts and math. It felt like the novel was trying too hard to be charming. I could only read “sans serif” so many times. I don’t even have *that* font in my Word fonts, so I was a bit lost with the reference.

Meg is, to me, always comparing things to “fonts”, even “feelings” and the way people talk. While it is her livelihood, it felt almost forced and pushy. I didn’t know there was a calling for “hand-lettering” artists. So, it was hard to relate to the character.

The story is told only from her POV shifting from her interactions to people. There was no secondary or third POV which makes the book more of a monologue.

The secondary character – Reid Sutherland, started as unlikeable and I waffled back and forth between liking him and disliking him. He detested New York, and Meg seemed to be forcing New York on him. But, there were a few moments where I felt sorry for him.

He seemed like a flat character and there was little about him that made him interesting.

By about chapter eleven (11), plot starts to pick up. Though, it wasn’t until chapter 18 where the “drama” began. Considering this book had 22 chapters with an epilogue, it wasn’t a long drama and certainly more of a “blurb”.

Even adding in a scandal with Reid’s boss and work was not enough for me to really give this even a four-star rating. At best, it was a three. While the “drama” slightly explained Reid’s character, it would’ve been better to have introduced that story-line in the beginning or middle and work around it.

What also was a bit much for me – his secret drawing Meg into the spotlight because of the “MISTAKE”. That could’ve ended her career.

And, when Meg was approached to use that for “good things” by the company she’d wanted to work for – she turned it down. She was being given a “second chance” even after a disaster.

As far as their “romance” – they were a mismatched pair, and their romance seemed a bit forced to me. Nerdy guy hooks up with a creative girl from a questionable background; who also has issues.

The other characters: Sibby (Sybil), Meg’s friend and roommate, is only seen from Meg’s POV. It would’ve been interesting to see Sibby from her own side or others. The Sibby friendship was strained – and to cut to the heart of it – jealousy over the fact that Meg has adopted New York as a home and has started her own business while Sibby is still struggling.

There were other minor characters as well: Lark, a former child star; Cecilia and Lachelle who work with Meg. They were “support” characters without much background.

The story does have a “happy ever-after ending” though, as most romance novels do.

Now for the bad parts:

** The language is questionable as there are quite a few “f” bombs tossed about in the novel. It isn’t loaded with them though; however some readers might object to the language.

** There are also two chapters with some sex scenes. In the past I’ve heard and read worse – they are not explicit per se, but the author does go into quite an extensive detail.

For those who like cleaner reads with no foul language and no descriptive love scenes, I wouldn’t recommend the book.

If this type of romance novel doesn’t bother you – then it might be worth a quick trip to the library to find it.

I didn’t exactly dislike it, but I didn’t enjoy it either. 

Overall rating: ⭐⭐½

2 ⭐⭐/5 ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐– Goodreads (“It was Okay”)

3 ⭐⭐⭐/5 ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐– Bookbub (“Okay”)

ABOUT THE AUTHOR

Double RITA® nominee Kate Clayborn lives in Virginia, where spends her days reading and talking about all kinds of great books. Kate loves to hear from and connect with readers – follow her on Twitter, on Instagram, and on Facebook. Visit her at kateclayborn.com to sign up for her newsletter.