Rook to King by Carina Taylor

Rook to King by Carina Taylor is a cute romance story set within a cat-and-mouse mystery adventure.

Available on Kindle Unlimited.

My Overview

Bodie King is an art collector and con man. Gracen Winthrop is the store manager and authenticator of an antiques shop. Both are in search of the missing pieces of the Bennetto chess set, which is rumored to contain a treasure map. Bodie is used to letting his charm get him whatever he wants. Gracen is clever and stubborn. Initially, they’re working against each other. Soon, they realize they’re better off working together … and off they go to Florence. The problem? He doesn’t trust her, and is suspicious of Gracen being The Rook’s girlfriend.

Overall, this is a cat-and-mouse adventure with a dose of romance and danger. It’s a slow burn romance with a few plot twists that kept me engaged throughout. I didn’t find the characters as likable or interesting as I’d hoped. While I enjoyed the banter between Bodie and Gracen, I didn’t care for their behaviors. A big plus for me was the mystery and setting in Florence, Italy. The vivid descriptions took me back to my own trip to that beautiful city years ago.

This book is a companion story to World’s Worst Boyfriend, which I haven’t read. Rook to King is Sullivan/Bodie’s story, and it reads fine as a stand-alone. Based on the synopsis of World’s Worst Boyfriend, I’m thinking I’ll give it a try.

My Recommendation

This is a cute story, and found it to be a quick read. If you enjoy clean romance novels with fun banter and a dose of family secrets, I think you’ll enjoy this one too.

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