I went into modern romance Here for the Wrong Reasons by Annabel Paulsen and Lydia Wang with some trepidation. First, it's yet another romance set on a reality TV show. Second, it is jointly written, which is the next thing to being written by committee. Third, we are told on the first page that the Bachelor (er, Romantic) is the show's "first Ashkenazi Jewish Romantic." What does this even mean? That the show has already had a Sephardic bachelor? Or a Mizrahi bachelor? Nobody talks like this. And, it's never a plot point. Josh has no conversations with any of the contestants (none of whom appear to be Jewish of any variety) about what their religious differences might mean for a relationship. Or whether anyone believes in God. Or in what religion they will raise their children. When the main characters meet Josh's family there is no discussion of religion. Josh doesn't wear a yarmulke. He doesn't keep the sabbath. He doesn't keep kosher. So what exactly is the point here?
That said, once I got over these hurdles, the book is charming. Heroine Krystin is a literal rodeo queen -- like, she's been crowned the rodeo queen of Montana (or maybe Wyoming? A square state), and we see how hard she works on her riding skills, which I appreciate. At the beginning of the book she has not realized she is a lesbian, although on some deeply subconscious level she may know it, and she has come on the show to find true love.
Heroine Lauren is a closeted lesbian. She is an influencer. She has come on the show to increase her follower count. (Weird glitch in the matrix: At the beginning of the book she is a moderately successful influencer -- and we are told she has around 40,000 followers. That seems pretty damn low to me. But what do I know? I hover around 4,500 on Twitter, of which at least ten are real people and not bots.)
Anyhoo, they meet, they mud wrestle, Krystin saves Lauren from a runaway horse, kissy kissy, HEA. The plot is slight but the book is engagingly written, and I enjoyed it.
Note from Jasmine Gold: As the name of this blog indicates, I write erotica. Check out my dark, dystopian novel about naked sex slaves, Mindgames. Your darkest fantasies, with a phenomenal plot and characters you will come to think of as beloved friends. Available on Kindle and Kindle Unlimited and in paperback. Or read my book of short stories about hot, consensual sex, The Mature Woman's Guide to Desire, available on Kindle and Kindle Unlimited.
