Somehow, Rashida T. Williams succeeded in making Cupid sexy in Beaus & Arrows!
This book was highly entertaining to read. Rashida has a fresh, humorous, warm voice that resonates through the pages. Cupid has been done so many ways before, but never like this. She created a whole new magic system and dimension to our world and leaves the reader wanting more.
One of the refreshing and unusual things about the book is that it’s from the hero’s perspective. Not once does she break out into other views. I can’t think of any romance I’ve read which is 100% from the male’s POV, yet she pulls this off and makes it seem only natural.
Rashida’s description of the MC’s and the world around them are so strong and well written, grounded in all the senses, that the reader feels like they are right there in the book.
There is a wicked sense of humor and delight in the ridiculous, especially regarding various stages of love. The author uses three other couples for whom the MC, Emory, is responsible for, as Cupid, to help mature in their relationships, to help teach him what love is. Even though he is Cupid, he has never been in love, so he chooses couple based on entertainment value, for himself. To the point that he is being audited by his superiors! Of course this is when everything starts to go wrong.
Emory’s most entertaining client, Blair, is dumped yet again after a year long relationship, which breaks her heart and causes his arrows to become ineffective. There’s nothing else to do but meet her in person and help match her up the old fashioned way. When Emory’s own heart becomes captured by Blair, he realizes quickly how very wrong he has been in playing with love.
I do wish that the climax wasn’t quite so compact. The author spends all the book building toward it, but only the last couple chapters resolving it. There was a sensation of hanging at the end and flipping through the acknowledgments looking for follow up chapters. All the strings were tied! Just so quick! Its a measure of how good the book was, that it’s very difficult to let go at the end.
As you can see, the story is quirky, entertaining, heart warming, with a dash of sexy. It’s an amazingly strong debut book by this author and I very much look forward to her next book. I give it four out of five stars and definitely recommend it.
Thank you to booksirens.com for providing me with a free advanced readers copy in exchange for my honest review.