Kamana Wanalaya by Susan Renee – Review by Desiree Ottinger

Kamana Wanalaya for the Holidays: A Grinchy/Sunshine Holiday Romance by Susan Renee
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

Tenley has a podcast giving advice to people on how to have “practical adult relationships”. She does not believe that love conquers all and has no interest in being swayed in her opinion. Teagan is a self-proclaimed “love guru” and believes that love truly is the most wonderful thing in the world. During an interview, Teagan, AKA TJ Mack, throws down a challenge for Tenley, AKA TJ on Par, to join him for a week-long vacation to Hawaii at the resort Kamana Wanalaya to see if he can change her mind. And if he cannot, he will donate 10K to her podcast. Thinking she’s in for a free tropical vacation and can skate through the week on her own, she accepts! Only once she is there does she find out that it is a couple’s retreat week, they are rooming together, assigned to a table with other couples, AND they are going to be pretending to be a couple! Can she make it through the week pretending to be in love without succumbing to love?

I literally laughed out loud at several points in this book! The situation and story line are very believable, as are all the characters. Throughout the book you get to read Tenley and Teagan’s perspectives but there is also a chapter for each of the other couples sprinkled in there. After the epilogue the author explains that they all have their own books, too! That was fun to find out and I will now be looking into those books. 🙂 I really liked how social media played a role in this plot and not always in a good way.

Also, this is my first time reading this author and I have to say that I genuinely appreciated the author’s note: “This book is a steam-filled romcom! Definitely not a family friendly holiday read for the kids! Please don’t do it lest they be scarred for life!” The humor is right up my alley and I feel like we’d be friends should we ever meet!

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