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A review by cakt1991
The One You Need by Emma Barry
emotional
lighthearted
mysterious
medium-paced
4.0
I received an ARC from the author and am voluntarily posting a review. All opinions are my own.
The One You Need (previously published as Private Politics) is the second in Emma Barry’s Political Persuasions series, and also part of the upcoming simultaneous series reissue. It can be read as a stand-alone.
Generally I enjoyed this one a lot more overall, especially in terms of the romance. The hero being the one in love with the heroine early on is one of my favorite tropes. Liam is the antithesis of so many romance leads in that he isn’t wealthy, and he’s not male-model/Greek-god-gorgeous. He’s a bit awkward in trying to navigate his feelings for Alyse, especially how to act on them. I love how willing he was to support her, regardless of what might happen between them.
And then there’s Alyse. She‘s incredibly smart and dedicated to her job. She’s quite beautiful, but she knows when she can use that to her advantage, and people underestimate her because of her appearance. She also has a lot to figure out about what she wants out of life.
Their partnership felt really authentic, with all the growing pains of a real relationship. There’s the sparks and butterflies, but I also appreciated that they had to figure out intimacy together, and it wasn’t instant fireworks.
After a much more partisan-politics heavy first book, I liked that this one took a different approach, looking at things from a broader perspective, thanks to the different professions of the characters.
One thing that should be noted is an addition of the “Afterward,” one of the major changes Barry has mentioned. It includes discussions of fertility issues and pregnancy, and I appreciated that content notes both in the front matter and on Barry’s website noted this, in order to give readers the heads-up. While I’m not a fan of fertility issues solved with a “miracle” pregnancy, I feel it was handled with sensitivity. However, opinions on the topic will inevitably vary from person to person.
This is an enjoyable read, and one I would recommend to anyone who likes relatively lighthearted contemporary romances, especially with sweet heroes.
The One You Need (previously published as Private Politics) is the second in Emma Barry’s Political Persuasions series, and also part of the upcoming simultaneous series reissue. It can be read as a stand-alone.
Generally I enjoyed this one a lot more overall, especially in terms of the romance. The hero being the one in love with the heroine early on is one of my favorite tropes. Liam is the antithesis of so many romance leads in that he isn’t wealthy, and he’s not male-model/Greek-god-gorgeous. He’s a bit awkward in trying to navigate his feelings for Alyse, especially how to act on them. I love how willing he was to support her, regardless of what might happen between them.
And then there’s Alyse. She‘s incredibly smart and dedicated to her job. She’s quite beautiful, but she knows when she can use that to her advantage, and people underestimate her because of her appearance. She also has a lot to figure out about what she wants out of life.
Their partnership felt really authentic, with all the growing pains of a real relationship. There’s the sparks and butterflies, but I also appreciated that they had to figure out intimacy together, and it wasn’t instant fireworks.
After a much more partisan-politics heavy first book, I liked that this one took a different approach, looking at things from a broader perspective, thanks to the different professions of the characters.
One thing that should be noted is an addition of the “Afterward,” one of the major changes Barry has mentioned. It includes discussions of fertility issues and pregnancy, and I appreciated that content notes both in the front matter and on Barry’s website noted this, in order to give readers the heads-up. While I’m not a fan of fertility issues solved with a “miracle” pregnancy, I feel it was handled with sensitivity. However, opinions on the topic will inevitably vary from person to person.
This is an enjoyable read, and one I would recommend to anyone who likes relatively lighthearted contemporary romances, especially with sweet heroes.