Stevie‘s review of It’s Not a Date by Heather Blackmore
Contemporary Lesbian Romance published by Bold Strokes Books 13 Mar 18
I don’t know a lot about start-ups or venture capital, although I have at least one friend who has done well from the former. Heather Blackmore, however, obviously knows her stuff in that area, and also writes romances that don’t necessarily follow the expected tropes. So I was intrigued to see what she would do with this tale of a developing relationship between a first-time entrepreneur and her mentor, a woman who’s had a great deal of success in both founding and investing in new businesses.
Jennifer Spencer founded her company, Creative Care, in response to her own difficulties finding reliable additional carers for her Nana, who has dementia. Although she has a good team working for her, and has secured sufficient initial funding to develop her app, Jen is now struggling to find additional financial resources or a first wave of potential users in order to continue the project. As if that wasn’t enough, her mentor has to step down from direct involvement with the company due to health issues, and the replacement he suggests turns out to be the woman Jen spent a day and night with the previous year, while attending a conference for women in technology.
Kadrienne Davenport made a lot of money from her first two start-ups and now works in venture capital, although she also works with other entrepreneurs as a mentor whenever she can. A strict timekeeper since childhood, Kade’s unexpected one-day holiday with Jen has been confined to a pleasant memory, and she balks at working with such a spontaneous character on a regular basis. However, both her friend, Jen’s previous mentor, and her long-time personal assistant are convinced the two will make a good match professionally and possibly personally as well.
Wary of letting anyone outside her business see that she has family commitments, which occasionally affect her availability and timekeeping, Jen is reluctant to let Kade know too much about her Nana’s illness and needs. She’s seen too many other women in business belittled because they have to juggle their work and home lives. This leads her to cancel meetings without explanation, something Kade can’t abide, having been blamed for two family tragedies in her childhood, both of which were partially due to her being elsewhere from where she said told her father she would be. When Kade’s estranged father is taken ill, she begins to rethink her priorities and gains a better understanding of what Jen has been coping with.
I loved the contrast between the different work styles and personalities of the two women. Jen is very open to new friendships and new experiences, while Kade, as a result of her youthful traumas, is unwilling to stray from her carefully planned schedules and routines, and fears that if she lets anyone get close to her, she will only end up hurting them – as happened with her family and that of her best friend in the past. Kade’s assistant is adorable. She bears Kade no ill-will for the tragedy that affected her as much as it affected Kade and is determined to see her boss embrace spontaneity and take more risks in her personal life. I loved when she got rewarded for her success in that project too.
All in all, an excellent book that turns lots of office romance tropes around and thoroughly reinvents and re-examines them.
Grade: A
Summary:
Falling in love is the hardest business of all.
Entrepreneur and innovator Kadrienne Davenport gets results. A demanding executive and stickler for punctuality, Kade throws herself into work to avoid hurting anyone, convinced she only causes pain to those she loves.
When Jennifer Spencer meets an incognito Kade at a conference, sparks fly. But when Kade unexpectedly becomes her boss, Jen’s problems multiply. The company she founded is going broke, her grandmother’s dementia is worsening, and her attraction to Kade—her difficult, brilliant, charismatic mentor—is growing.
Kade’s desire to keep things professional between them is in Jen’s best interest. Yet what’s in Kade’s best interest… is Jen.
Read an excerpt.
