cover image Legally Charming: Ever After, Book 1

Legally Charming: Ever After, Book 1

Lauren Smith. Lauren Smith, $17.99 trade paper (372p) ISBN 978-0-9974237-2-3

A grad student and lawyer find passion in Smith’s predictable first entry in her Ever After series. Instead of going home after her friend’s Halloween party, Felicity Hart decides to spend the night, which surprises her friend’s boyfriend’s roommate, Jared Redmond, who comes home to find Felicity asleep in his bed, still wearing her costume. After Jared gives her clothes to sleep in, they decide to platonically share his bed. At breakfast, the attraction between them sizzles, and, when Felicity leaves without her costume, Jared decides to return it, wanting to see if the sparks between them are still there. In the way of their courtship is Felicity’s desire to move to Los Angeles and Jared’s desire to become a partner at his law firm. Felicity is also afraid of falling in love with someone who she feels is too different from her. Unfortunately, this is where the story stumbles; most of their problems would be resolved by basic communication. It doesn’t help that Smith (An Earl by Any Other Name) sprinkles a healthy dose of clichés throughout the plot. Felicity and Jared have good chemistry, but the book has little else to offer. (BookLife)