A sunshine American bookstore whisperer clashes with the grumpy British owner of the shop she's trying to save in this winning opposites-attract romance for book lovers.
He has a struggling bookshop. She has a knack for bringing bookstores back to life. As soon as she walks into his store, all bets are off…
Mari Cole's whole life is her dream job: rescuing and revitalizing indie bookstores. Friendship? Love? No thanks. After a hard childhood, she doesn't want to get too close to anyone. Besides, books have never let Mari down the way people have.Then she gets the offer of a lifetime: rescuing Ross & Co. Once the most prestigious independent booksellers in London, the store is a shadow of its former self and needs an expert outsider to turn things around. But the offer turns out to be a double-edged sword: Leo Ross, the store's new owner, is as cold and hostile as the British winter.
For as long as he can remember, Leo Ross has known his future is becoming the next generation to run Ross and Co. He's sacrificed almost everything he cares about, but the bookshop is still failing on his watch, and now there's an obnoxiously cheerful American woman convinced that she's going to magically make everything better. Leo's life is difficult and messy enough as it is, and he doesn't want her help.
When Mari and Leo are forced to work closely together to bring the store back to life, Leo's icy surface thaws to reveal the passionate man underneath. As the cold winter gives way to the possibility of new beginnings, Mari begins to see that true love could be even better in real life than in the pages of a book. Can they put their pasts aside and learn to let love in? SARAH CHAMBERLAIN is a writer, editor, and cookbook translator whose articles have appeared in VICE, The Guardian (UK), Food52, and McSweeney's Internet Tendency. When she's not writing witty, sexy contemporary romance, she enjoys making dinner for her friends and family, watching Cary Grant movies, and setting records as an amateur competitive powerlifter. Originally from Northern California, she lives in London.
Praise for Sarah Chamberlain:
"The Slowest Burn will steal your heart with its perfect chemistry and the totally satisfying ending, and it will stay with you for its subtle exploration of family and friendship. This is a truly thoughtful, rich love story." - Annabel Monaghan, bestselling author of Same Time Next Summer and Summer Romance.
"In The Slowest Burn, Chamberlain serves up a romance as sharp as it is sweet. Fans of Emily Henry will devour this delectable story of love lost and found." - Cecilia Rabess, author of Everything's Fine
"The Slowest Burn is a five course feast of longing, banter, gourmet cooking, heaps of spice, and a cherry on top happily ever after. I devoured this fake dating, celebrity chef romance and can't wait to read more from Chamberlain." - Erin La Rosa, author of For Butter or Worse and Plot Twist
"Chamberlain's heartfelt opposites attract debut introduces two beautifully flawed characters ... Their attraction is intense and mutual, but are they ready for a real relationship? Chamberlain makes finding the answer to that question an emotional roller-coaster ride. Readers won't be able to get enough." - Publishers Weekly
"The Slowest Burn is a truly delicious love story. Quick-witted, warm hearted and with beautifully drawn characters I was rooting for the whole way through, I didn't want it to end." - Laura Kay, author of Making It and Wild Things
"A tasty opposites-attract romance." - 7x7
