Review – What I’m Looking For by Karen Grey

Posted September 8, 2020 by Carole in 2020 New Release Challenge, Book Reviews / 7 Comments

What I’m Looking For by Karen Grey
Series: Boston Classics #1
Publisher: Home Cooked Books
Publication Date: June 23, 2020
Date Read: August 11, 2020
Length:  262 pages
Source: Author
★★★★☆

Recipe for a Boston Classic Cocktail: one part finance geek, one part starving actor, two shots of stubborn and a healthy squeeze of passion. Shake well and serve in a vintage glass.

When Kate Bishop walks into Boston’s famous Bull and Finch pub, all she’s looking for is one guy from her investment firm that she can trust to have her back—a tall order. With a salesman at her side, maybe stage fright won’t paralyze her completely when she presents her meticulously prepared research to clients. And maybe she can save her job.

Romance is the last thing on her to-do list, but a meet-cute with a Shakespeare-quoting bartender has her speculating on the value of diversifying her life portfolio.

Will Talbot is not a fan of the slick financiers who cram into his bar after each day’s closing bell. With their calls for Harvey Wallbangers and their Hermès ties, they’re all the same.

Except for a certain beautiful, buttoned-up brunette with fire in her eyes and a storm in her heart. They’re totally wrong for each other. He should be focusing on his upcoming audition, not coaching Kate on how to act like she’s a bona fide member of the Gordon Gekko club.

Problem is, they can’t seem to stay away from each other.

The course of true love never did run smooth, but in this 1980’s sweet-and-sexy rom-com, returns on love can’t be measured on the S&P 500.

My Review

I liked this book quite a lot.  When I found out about this book, I just couldn’t resist the chance to read it.  A romance set in the ’80s really appealed to me on a lot of different levels.  I really grew up in the ’80s so I was pretty eager to catch a glimpse of some of the things I remember from that era.  I ended up having a very nice time with the story and am really happy that I stumbled upon this story.

Kate and Will were both great characters and I really liked the way that they clicked with each other.  Kate is incredibly smart and successful in her career.  She works in finance and holds a position that is usually thought of as male territory so she has a rather hard time fitting in at work.  Will is a Shakesperian actor who also moonlights as a bartender.  They meet when she needs a bit of help at the bar and they are drawn to each other.

I really liked watching their relationship progress over the course of the story.  Kate was not afraid to ask for what she wanted.  There were a lot of obstacles to their relationship but it was nice to see them work to overcome them.  Will wasn’t sure that they were a good fit but he couldn’t help but want to be near her as often as possible.  They had fantastic chemistry together and I felt like they were just meant to be.

As I said, I grew up in the ’80s so there was a bit of nostalgia in this story for me.  I do remember having entire conversations back and forth via answering machines through the ’80s and well into the ’90s.  I also remember when car phones were gaining in popularity.  Unfortunately, I also remember the increased prevalence of the sexist attitude that we see in this book from some of Kate’s co-workers.

I would recommend this book to fans of romance.  I thought that Will and Kate were both fantastic characters and I had a great time with their story.  I wouldn’t hesitate to read more of Karen Grey’s work in the future.

I received a digital review copy of this book from the author.

About the Author

KAREN GREY is the pen name for award-winning narrator Karen White. A stage, screen and radio drama actor in Boston, New York and Los Angeles in the late 20th century, she started recording books in 1999. Now back in her home state of North Carolina, she shares a home with her family and (probably) too many pets, where she continues to narrate audiobooks as well as make up stories.

Author Links: Website | Goodreads | Facebook | Twitter | Instagram

7 responses to “Review – What I’m Looking For by Karen Grey

  1. I listened to this one on audio and really enjoyed it too. I'm a little older so I was almost of this age. I had a car phone by the mid80s. They were $$$$$. I needed it for work. Fantastic review!

    Anne – Books of My Heart

  2. I loved the 80s. It was total excess and insanity and odd clothes. This sounds fun, and I don't think I have read too many romances with such a financial focus

  3. I loved this one too! I also love listening to this author who is also a narrator, she is one of my favorites and was excited to see her writing her own books!