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Katherine Center is now one of my auto-read authors. New book this summer? I add it immediately to the library holds, or buy it on Kindle if I’m a bit impatient. Her stories are full of warmth, sweet romance, and people you want to hang out with.
In The Love Haters, Katie is nursing her wounds a year after her fiancé broke up with her. She’s a video producer and is also facing being downsized at her company. So when her co-worker asks her to take his place profiling a Coast Guard rescue swimmer who is also internet famous for saving Jennifer Aniston’s dog, Katie takes the opportunity. The high-profile nature of the gig should make her look better to the boss who is making the cuts.
Cole tells her that his brother, Tom “Hutch” Hutcheson, doesn’t talk much, avoids the spotlight, and is a “love hater.” And the two of them don’t get along.
But when Katie arrives in Key West, she doesn’t find a tough situation. (The only — big — problem is that she lied about being able to swim!) She meets the brothers’ Aunt Rue, who is simply a wonderful woman, and finds that Tom is not only gorgeous but friendly and chatty with her. Huh.
Of course, various issues pop up and Katie must navigate not just super-fast swim lessons, but lies told by other people, a major self-image problem, and even a hurricane. But her experience brings her face to face with her own insecurities amidst the support of some lovely people. And romance, of course, will ensue despite the “love hating” predicted.
The Love Haters isn’t Center’s best book, or my favorite, but it’s still a perfectly satisfying romance with no “spice” in sight. Aunt Rue and her friends are delightful and truly colorful. Tom is basically perfect, and a hero, but that doesn’t make him unrelatable or unreal. He is a nice complement to Katie. The book talks about internalized impossible ideals about how we should look. It’s a long pep talk about thinking differently about image. Sure, one novel won’t change any of our battered body images, but it’s certainly nice to read positive messages throughout.
Fun and sweet, a great summer romance pick.
Rated: Moderate. Profanity includes 2 uses of strong language, around 30 instances of moderate profanity, 40 uses of mild language, and 30 instances of the name of Deity in vain. Sexual content is minimal; characters kiss; they are in a bed together (with a dog between them); some references to sex. No scenes, even closed-door.
Click here to purchase your copy of The Love Haters on Amazon.
