I loved the first in this series, and #2 didn't disappoint. I think I loved it even more. I was sucked in from the get-go, and while Johnny's obsession with his former girlfriend was irritating, the relationship between him and introverted Verity was a delight to watch unfold. I also thought the secondary characters were good and contributed to the story in believable ways, rather than just being filler or background noise. And of course, all the references and nods to Pride & Prejudice didn't hurt. ( )

{Second of 4 Lonely Hearts Bookshop series. Romance, London, chick lit, low steam} (2017)

This is the second story about the staff at the ‘Happy Ever After' bookshop in Bloomsbury and picks up Verity Love’s story a few weeks after the end of The Little Bookshop of Lonely Hearts. Verity, who is such an introvert that she has to physically decompress for half an hour after work, has an imaginary boyfriend that she's concocted with sister, Merry. He is, supposedly, an oceanographer and his work keeps him conveniently absent so that Very has an excuse for not taking him to events or not going at all - but now she is wondering whether to get rid of him.

Whichever way you looked at it, Peter Hardy was a prime catch, a paragon of boyfriendly virtue, and Verity Love, though she was a vicar’s daughter and meant to lead by example, was going to have to kill him off at the first opportunity.

Then she runs into Johnny True in an awkward situation at her favourite restaurant and they decide to be each other's plus-one for the summer season of parties and weddings so as to get well meaning friends and inquisitive relatives off their backs especially since Very's eldest sister will be getting married at the end of the summer.

But then ...
(yes, of course they fall in love. It says so in the title.)

I liked this one better than the first. It was nice to see some of the man's life rather than seeing all the events happening in the lady's space. The bedroom scenes are mainly off screen which, I feel, makes the romance sweeter. In both books, though, the female protagonist doesn’t see the attraction and then clicks a bit suddenly - even though we can see them falling in love.

I thought I was a serious introvert but Very, the middle girl of five sisters, has it much worse than I do so it affects her physically and she has coping mechanisms. She is a huge Pride and Prejudice fan, often asking herself 'What would Elizabeth Bennet do in this situation?' and each chapter is headed by a Pride and Prejudice quote with even more sprinkled through the chapters, since Very has memorised the book. I'm happy to say I could place them all :0)

I loved the Love family (Our Vicar, Our Vicar's Wife and their brood of five-plus-everyone-else. And pets.); I wouldn’t mind seeing them get their own series! *hint to author*

May 2021
3.5****

Bonus question:
Do the villages ‘Lambton‘ and ‘Lower Meryton‘ ring any bells for P&P aficionados?

https://youtu.be/EI45qyPQJqA - In case you've forgotten the words to 'Agadoo' ( )

Verity Love is a textbook introvert living in a world full of extroverts who seem convinced that what she really needs in her life is a man. Verity, however, has sworn off romance unless it appears between a book cover (particularly her favourite book, Pride and Prejudice) and is content as the manager of her friend's romance novel specialty bookshop with her small circle of friends and her very loud cat, Strumpet. To keep her friends at bay, she's created a fictional boyfriend but when a confluence of events occur she meets Johnny who is intrigued by the whole fake partner idea and suggests he and Verity be each other's dates for a slew of events they have that summer. Will fake romance turn into something more?

A Cinderella's slipper of a novel that fit me perfectly. I could thoroughly relate to Verity's introvert ways, I loved the constant nods to P&P that were cute but not too much, and fake dating is one of my favourite romance tropes. Plus adorable cat. Highly recommended. ( )

A delightful book-themed romance, albeit with a somewhat insufferable love interest.

Verity - introvert, middle of five sisters, vicar's daughter, bookseller and now self-proclaimed spinster - has a very useful fake boyfriend which helps her get out of blind dates and set ups by friends. When she gets into a tricky situation and is forced to introduced a complete stranger as her boyfriend, life gets a lot more complicated for Verity... but maybe a real live fake boyfriend could have his uses over the busy social months of the summer...

A fun read. ( )

Verity Love has a pretend boyfriend, just to keep her friends off her back. When she meets Johnny, he finds it a perfect opportunity to pair up for the same purpose since they both have a lot of events to attend this summer. It all works pretty well, mostly, until it doesn't anymore.
Johnny is a sweetheart but clueless, determined to devote himself to the woman he once loved who married his best friend, even though it's obvious she's stringing him along. Once Verity realizes her own feelings for Johnny have changed, it turns into a big mess.
This is the second book in the series and I'm plowing through them in sheer delight now that I've found another author to love. Verity is wonderful, wanting to live in Jane Austen's world and gradually being brought kicking and screaming into the present. Johnny is a nice guy, too nice, but a good complement for Verity. All the other characters from the first book appear again as well as Verity's family who are hilarious.
I recommend this book (the entire series) to readers who like funny romances set in contemporary England with occasional dashes of seriousness. ( )