Quick Synopsis

How is Rose Barnes supposed to build the home (and life) of her dreams when her big, burly contractor keeps scowling at her? Readers of Olivia Dade and Lucy Score will love this sexy Southern curvy girl romance.

Publisher’s Synopsis

Rose Barnes has got curves for days―and to Angus Drummond, the big, bearded contractor working on her new house, she’s the perfect thorn in his side. Little does she know Angus is perturbed on a daily basis by his attraction to this cheery, smart-ass woman with her sunshiny enthusiasm, her kindness, and her beautiful body.

Angus feels he has a debt to pay to the world and doesn’t deserve love until he pays it. Best to keep his mind on his work and his hands to himself. But the more Rose sees of Angus’s gruff, honorable thoughtfulness, and the more rusty laughter she surprises from him, the more she wants him too.

As their unlikely friendship becomes love, antagonism turns to partnership, and Rose’s house becomes a home. But Rose is keeping a secret that could blow up everything with Angus, and sure enough, it comes to light at the worst possible time…

Book Review

Curves for Days is a grumpy/sunshine, small town romance novel about two characters who have not always had the easiest lives coming together to be their best selves. Rose is fleeing her past and seeking a new future when her car becomes stuck in a snow storm. A very grumpy man helps her out and points her to the nearest bed and breakfast. After Rose later decides to settle in the town, she hires a contractor recommended by a friend, who unknowingly is her grumpy rescuer.

I am so happy to have stumbled upon this book in Libby. I have not seen it anywhere, but I am always searching for a novel with real, fallible characters, especially those on the curvy or fat side. Not only does Curves for Days have delightful, kindhearted, underdog protagonists with larger bodies, it has a wonderful cast of side characters who you will want to befriend. (As a side note, this is the first book in a series about this town and its extremely lovable residents.)

After a few recent duds, it was refreshing to find myself in the middle of a romance novel with a well-developed storyline and a fully-fledged, thought-out romance. Rosie and Angus first have some animosity between them but eventually develop a friendship that becomes more. And they actually couple up before the book is half over! Not only is this quite satisfying, it also allows readers to enjoy their love for longer and gain a sense of them as a couple. Structuring the plot in this manner also enabled Laura Moher to weave in some serious topics, like PTSD among military veterans and processing sexual trauma, while allowing the characters to grow, recognize their issues, and overcome them.

The one obvious flaw in Curves for Days is the third act conflict. I am generally not a fan of this plot point; however, Moher’s approach really knocked my rating of the book down. While Angus is kind of a jerk in the beginning of the book, he is respectful, no matter how grumpy. Yet, during the conflict, he has a sudden personality change that seemingly appears out of no where. And it veers too far into toxic masculinity for my liking. Not only did I feel utter whiplash at a character I liked suddenly becoming a sexist dick, I felt like the entire conflict was overly contrived. The third act conflict ultimately felt completely unnecessary and uncharacteristic of the protagonists’ typical behavior and communication.

There are a few other elements of Curves for Days that I feel could be dealbreakers for some people. Personally, I really liked Moher’s descriptive and introspective writing style. It was nice to know what was going on in the main characters’ heads and not simply read their actions. While I consider this novel to be largely lighthearted, there is discussion of past trauma as characters work through it. I liked that the characters and the story are nuanced and complex. But I am aware that not everyone feels the same.

Between the characters, the small town charm, and the redeeming storyline, Curves for Days feels like a warm hug of a book. This novel is an entertaining and heartwarming story of two souls in need of love who find it in each other. I definitely recommend it but suggest checking out the content warnings beforehand, if needed.

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