seriously romantic: wait with me by amy daws

if you've been following amy daws' instagram, you'd know about this book—where the idea originated and how it came to be. and it's funny and cute and all that funny and cute is evident in the pages of wait with me. kate is a romance writer who has found her writer's block is cured in the waiting room of her local tire depot.

after bringing her friends and families' cars in for service she decides to just unobtrusively take up residence in the customer care center and enjoy the complimentary coffee and cookies for as long as she can. except for all that kate thinks she's boring old kate smith, the truth is she is the furthest thing from unobtrusive. when mechanic miles literally runs into her, he can't get her out of his mind.

burned by a drama llama of an ex, miles isn't looking for a relationship. kate, partly because she's used to hiding behind her writer persona, introduces herself to him under her pseudonym, mercedes. somehow she manages to keep him from discovering her true identity for a large chunk of the novel. in any case, the sparks fly between them from the get-go. but it's not until kate corners miles at her party after he reacts jealously to seeing her with her best friend that things really heat up between them.

as mercedes, kate is trying to be bolder, and so she agrees to a friends with benefits deal with miles, even as they find themselves connecting often. kate comes up with crazy reasons to meet him for "book research" and miles is happy to be with her. but keeping her identity a secret, and not being fully honest about her ex-boyfriend, has them barreling toward some major drama.

and miles hates drama. as much as he lets himself get caught up in it. he hates how it makes him feel. out of control. emotional. hurt.

usually in romance novels, it's required that a grand gesture happen and solve all the hero and heroine's problems. i don't always love this trope. but i also appreciate when the trope is turned on its head. i love what amy daws did here. it hit all the right emotional buttons, but also showed us how much these two characters really care about each other. and when you can really buy into the romance, you know you've got a good one.

**wait with me will publish on april 5, 2018 (or possibly earlier). i received an advance reader copy courtesy of amy daws in exchange for my honest review.