Porter, Katie

Funny, honest, relatable, and smart, this audiobook will enhance any library’s political science or memoir collection.

These characters have depth, the sex scenes are hot, and the reader will root for this pair to work out their differences and allow themselves to get past their emotional scars and be vulnerable. Coauthors Carrie Lofty and Lorelei Brown bring back many of the characters from previous books in the series (e.g., Double Down; Inside Bet) for brief but welcome appearances.

Porter ("Vegas Top Guns" series) uses Lead and Follow to kick off her new series. While the book is certainly packed with steamy and graphic sex scenes—including a handful of threesomes—the plot never quite finds solid footing to help ground the characters in the conflict. These people contradict each other and themselves regularly, making the communication issues between Lizzie and Dima understandable but also problematic for the reader. In addition, the inclusion of Paul the bartender is one note, making his impact on the developments between our lovers seem inflated. While the romance is still hot, the muddled conflict works against the cohesion of the book.

The writing team of Katie Porter (Lorelie Brown and Carrie Lofty) offers a complex gift, portraying the rebuilding of a damaged relationship against the backdrop of English holiday spirit. While some raw sex scenes and emotional banter may be too frank for some, readers who enjoy two strong personalities engaged in rediscovering love will find this book intriguing.