Maggie Blackbird

Today, I’m hosting author Marianne Arkins latest release One Love for Liv, a romantic comedy. Be sure to read my review. And don’t forget to enter the Raffelcopter giveaway.

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Title: One Love for Liv
Series: N/A
Author: Marianne Arkins
Genre: Romantic Comedy
Release Date: June 27, 2023
Length: 208 pages
Publisher: Self-Published

Liv is out to prove her high society fiancé is cheating on her. Can she do it without breaking a nail—or falling in love with Mike, the mechanic?

Blurb: Olivia “Liv” Leigh, wealthy socialite and spa owner, suspects her fiancé of cheating on her. Drastic steps are required to discover whether appearances are deceiving. And if those steps require a bit of stalking, a change of appearance, a hippo-sized dog named Spike, and sacrificing her manicure to clean house for a sexy-but-sloppy man whose neighbor is determined to break several of the strangest Guinness World Records, why should that be a problem?

Mike Peck, a happily single auto mechanic, is more than content sharing his bachelor pad with piles of laundry, dirty dishes, and a sneaky ferret. But when a half-crazed woman in a bad wig shows up on his doorstep, what’s a nice guy to do?

Why, invite her in, unknowingly help her in her search for the truth and, in the process, fall head over heels with a woman who’s never been less his type.

Goodreads | Books2Read

When Geoff had canceled their lunch date today, the day before he left on a short business trip, she’d grown suspicious. Since their engagement three months ago, they hadn’t gone twenty-four hours without seeing each other—except when Geoff was out of town. He should have been desperate to see her one last time before he left.

Surely there was an explanation for this. And yet, when she’d phoned to discuss it with him, his secretary had indicated he could not be disturbed, was in a meeting all morning and then would be at home, but still unavailable until four o’clock. Didn’t Miss Leigh check her voice mail? She was certain Mr. Quigley had called to cancel their lunch date.

Sure enough, Geoff had called and begged off. He was terribly busy, and something unexpected had arisen. He’d make it up to her when he arrived back in town.

A meeting? That Liv could understand. Life with Daddy had prepared her for small disappointments. Business came first, after all. But as long as she’d known him, Geoff had never left his job at her father’s law office early. Why would he do so today, just to go home? Could it have something to do with the receipt from Lucky Lady Lingerie? Maybe he was meeting the lucky lady herself. If so, she intended to find out.

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I’m not usually one for love triangles, but the mystery aspect (I can’t resist a mystery) coaxed me to read this book.  I wanted to know if Liv’s fiancé was cheating.

Besides the mystery, I must say I adored Liv from the get-go.  She’s not a rich, spoiled snob who sees others as beneath her.  Rather, she’s adorable.  A good, kind-hearted soul who’s spent her life living underneath her father’s thumb.  At least she thinks she’s living under her father’s thumb.  Little does she know, she simply had to stand up for herself, which makes her character arc very special.

As for Mike, he’s a great guy living in a questionable neighbourhood, always ready to lend a helping hand.  You won’t find him at fine restaurants or gala affairs.  He’s all about beer, potato chips, and pizza.

So imagine when these two collide.  And they do.  Liv is convinced her fiancé, Geoff, is cheating on her.  There are too many clues pointing to this at the beginning of the novel.

In some ways, it reminds me of that old-school TV show Three’s Company, with all kinds of shenanigans happening.  The novel is told with humour but never shies away from deep character reflections, as well, which adds great balance so it doesn’t get over the top.

The author’s voice grabbed me from the get-go.  I really enjoyed her writing, and how she let Liv tell the story since Liv’s own voice comes through loud and clear.  The budding romance between Mike and Liv is spot on, with both feeling the spark from the get-go but neither is ready to act on it.  Instead, they form a friendship, while trying to tramp down the sparks flying between them.

There is also a ferret and dog who make Liv their mama.

It’s a fun read about self-growth, trust, and communication because Liv learns how to do this as she gets herself out of one mess after another.  The only part that bummed me out was who wound up with Liv because someone was going to end up hurt.  Maybe the author will give the out-of-luck guy a novel of his own.  I don’t know want to say too much, or I’ll spoil it for others.

I recommend you give this a read.  It’s a well-written piece with wonderful main characters, side characters, and animals with a nice dash of mystery.  Do yourself a favour and get a copy.

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Marianne is originally from California but currently living in the lovely state of Utah with her daughter, two dogs, two cats and one adorable foster hamster. She can’t imagine a world without romance or not having stories rattling around in her brain. There are nights when she dreams a complete story and watches it acted out in her head. Those are the times she wakes up and grabs for a notepad to jot down the important parts – without turning on the light – and hopes it’s coherent in the morning.

She’s a member of the Romance Writers of America and heavily involved and indebted to her group of writing friends.

Follow Marianne: Website | Facebook Profile | Facebook Author Page | Twitter | Goodreads

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