In Love with Romance

This was a funny read, not exactly what I'd expected.

Imogen is a waitress at some diner in the UK. Her dream is to get a job with the same company her dad used to work for. Her cooking skills are for the most part okay, except for her pastries. She's busy trying to figure out what to do with her life, thought the truth is she spends most of her time trying to keep her brother out of trouble, and now she's worried about her mom's emotional health.

Her brother bought a restaurant in Corfu, Greece and her mom and sister in law look to Imogen to help talk him out this deal. Apparently HIS mental health isn't all that great. Ever since an accident at work, Harry, seems not to be good at making decisions--especially when he's depressed.

Hoping to persuade him to sell the restaurant, she follows him to Corfu. They find the restaurant needs a lot of work, and when Panos offers to buy it from her she almost gives in but then seeing how happy her brother, Harry, is she declines to tell Harry about the offer and decides to help him get it cleaned and ready to open again.

Panos is from Corfu but let when he was young, and is now a millionaire. Corfu brings sad memories and he wants nothing to do with it. Instead. His pride makes him want to buy all the restaurants at the beachfront and his plan is to convert it into a party area.

He bumps heads with Imogen when she discovers what he wants to do, and she won't let Panos get to Harry. Panos grandma, family, and friends join her efforts, which doesn't bode well with Panos.

Panos likes Imogen but has inner demons to find. He does t think he's capable of love. Imogen is divorced, and the last thing she's looking for is a man, but spending time with Panos is tempting her.

Again this was an entertaining read, a little too long for the type of story if you ask me. The chemistry between Panos and Imogen felt forced. I didn't feel it, not even when they danced the dance of love. Then, the one other thing that bothered me was that all of this happens within two weeks, though it seems longer. Panos has just broken up with a woman, who he's left in Crete, and once he gets together with Imogen and have sex, there's no reference to safe sex. Hello? It's a contemporary romance. There's such a thing as safe sex even if it's fiction.

And...I guess what bothered me the most was Imogen finally gets a chance to make her dream come true. She gets an email from the hotel chain she wants work for. It is true her family is now in Greece, and she's got no one in the UK, and she's fallen in love. But why would anyone consider giving up a dream career just to be with a man you've just met?

Again, this was a fun read--except for those tidbits.