"Elise Brandeis has never won a Pulitzer—and she never will. At least not while she’s delivering sandwiches at the Gotham Times, instead of working there as an actual reporter. Her only shot at seeing her byline in print is to prove to the no nonsense managing editor that she has a nose for news. And she’s got just the story to grab her elusive attention. Right after she delivers this turkey on ciabatta. Chasing down leads brings Elise to Roosevelt Island, but just when the trail of clues begins to take shape, she gets stuck. Literally. On a cable car with three strangers who couldn’t be more different. An uptight rugby coach, a construction worker and a former adult film star she pretends not to recognize a little too well. At first, Elise wants nothing more than to be rescued ASAP. An hour later, everything has changed. By pure happenstance, four separate journeys have collided in an intense, meaningful way. Suddenly, disentangling their lives feels more impossible than winning that Pulitzer. Good thing Elise is too busy proving herself at work to consider three boyfriends. Nobody has time for that--even if they make giving in feel oh so right. But three heads are better than one and these loners will teach themselves to work together to win Elise over forever…And more importantly, keep their dirty socks off her floor." (Description of Happenstance by Tessa Bailey was taken from Tessa Bailey's website).
Happenstance by Tessa Bailey is a reverse harem featuring a sports romance, an “enemies to lovers” romance, and a golden retriever boyfriend. It invokes the “touch her and you die” trope and a bit of the “I hate everyone but you” trope. Happenstance deals with a ton of themes and topics such as politics, power and corruption, fear of commitment, family and found families, love and heartbreak or loss, companionship, convention versus rebellion, empowerment, loneliness and isolation, appearance versus reality, and mental health. I would recommend Happenstance to fans of reverse harems, Tessa Bailey’s other novels, and steamy romance books. In my opinion, since this book is very spicy, Happenstance is not suitable for readers under 18. Happenstance was unique and different from any other book I’ve read in the past (even other reverse harems). The only other reverse harems I’ve read were paranormal romances (Court of the Vampire Queen by Katee Robert and the Dark Artifices series by Cassandra Clare); since there are typically different societal norms in fantasy worlds, I personally felt like these reverse harem romances seemed less shocking and less unconventional (to myself as well as the other characters). In my opinion, the 3 males’ intense reactions and instant connections to Elise were reminiscent of a mating bond; like those found in paranormal romance novels such as the A Court of Thorns and Roses series by Sarah J. Maas or the Ice Planet Barbarians series by Ruby Dixon. But again, to me, even though I love books about fated mates, this unyielding mate-like connection might have been more probable in a fantasy novel. Furthermore, I was surprised that there wasn’t a lot of hesitation, jealousy, or awkwardness between the 3 men; in my opinion, this seemed rather unlikely and unrealistic. I also personally didn’t like the fact that the main character Elise, who was initially quite reluctant to start a relationship with any of the men, seemed to be almost pressured into starting the quad relationship by her roommate, her boss, and the 3 men (who were almost relentless in their pursuit of Elise). Due to the main character, Elise’s, dabble in investigative journalism, there were some unexpected instances of political scandal, danger, and kidnapping included in this book, which I appreciated as I felt that they added more excitement to the story. I also enjoyed the fact that, even though the spicy elements seemed to be at the forefront of this book, Bailey still included some emotional elements; like how the members of the “tram fam” helped each other to overcome fears or obstacles in their lives including divorce, family conflicts, and past exploitation. Overall, even though it was a tad unrealistic, I thought that Happenstance was an engaging and enjoyable read that would be perfect for fans of steamy romances! Tessa Bailey is one of my fave romance authors and I can’t wait to read her next novel, Secretly Yours, when it releases in early 2023.
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