Sunny, striking, and satisfied with her life in paradise, Theodosia Sullivan sees no need for marriage. She does, however, relish serving as matchmaker for everyone who crosses her path. As the manager of her family’s surf shop in Hanalei Bay, that includes locals and tourists alike.
One person she won’t be playing Cupid for is the equally happy bachelorette down the street. Baker Kini ʻŌpūnui has been the owner of Queen’s Sweet Shop since her parents passed away and her younger brother married Theo’s older sister and moved to Oahu. Kini’s ready smile, haupia shortbread, and lilikoi malasadas are staples of Hanalei’s main street.
However, Theo’s matchmaking machinations and social scheming soon become less charming—even hazardous—to everyone involved. And when she fails to heed Kini’s warnings about her meddling, she may be more successful than she ever intended. Theo has to face the prospect of Kini ending up with someone else, just as she realizes she’s loved Kini all along.
What I thought about If I Loved You Less
I have mixed emotions when it comes to “retelling” stories.
It helps a lot if you’ve read the source material, and if you haven’t,
the “retelling” isn’t very meaningful. So there you go. In this case, I
have not read Jane Austen’s Emma and that was okay. For me, that just
made If I Loved You Less fresh, interesting and I didn’t spend any brain
cells on comparing this to the original material. That’s why exactly
why I liked if I Loved You Less.
The story is set in Hawaii, which I don’t often see as a main location, and I loved the way Tamsen Parker included the culture of the islands in this tale. Right from the start this story felt original to me. Theodosia Sullivan runs a surf shop and teaches tourists how to surf. Everyone loves her, and she returns that love by playing matchmaker. She’s pretty good at it, or so it seems to Theo who has a high opinion of her own skills. She can be annoying. One of Theo’s favorite people is Kini, the town baker. There’s a fourteen year age gap between Theo and Kini, making Theo look to Kini for support and guidance at times, and Theo doesn’t realize at first that the way she feels about Kini is more than just about being supportive.
I loved that this book left a lot to the imagination when it came to sex and because of that other emotions besides desire took center stage. I also appreciated the sexual fluidity of this title.
Overall, an entertaining read.
An ARC was provided for review.
The story is set in Hawaii, which I don’t often see as a main location, and I loved the way Tamsen Parker included the culture of the islands in this tale. Right from the start this story felt original to me. Theodosia Sullivan runs a surf shop and teaches tourists how to surf. Everyone loves her, and she returns that love by playing matchmaker. She’s pretty good at it, or so it seems to Theo who has a high opinion of her own skills. She can be annoying. One of Theo’s favorite people is Kini, the town baker. There’s a fourteen year age gap between Theo and Kini, making Theo look to Kini for support and guidance at times, and Theo doesn’t realize at first that the way she feels about Kini is more than just about being supportive.
I loved that this book left a lot to the imagination when it came to sex and because of that other emotions besides desire took center stage. I also appreciated the sexual fluidity of this title.
Overall, an entertaining read.
An ARC was provided for review.
About Tamsen Parker
Tamsen Parker is a stay-at-home mom by day, USA Today bestselling erotic romance writer by naptime. She lives with her family outside of Boston, where she tweets too much, sleeps too little and is always in the middle of a book. Aside from good food, sweet rieslings and gin cocktails, she has a fondness for monograms and subway maps. She should really start drinking coffee.
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