Teddy Spenser likes his job at Reddyflora. He’s doing fun design work and he likes his co-workers – for the most part. But when there are issues with the design for the product, he has to work with the software engineer to get the product to the point where it’s aesthetically pleasing and also works as intended. That means he has tow with Romeo Blue (can that be his real name?), the engineer at his company.

Talk about opposites. Romeo’s office is white – no pictures, no office supplies or interesting pens/staplers/calendars – anything. Teddy’s cubicle is a mix of eclectic pieces and fabulous coffee cups. They are definitely opposites. But they have got to come up with a solution or the company is sunk. Their boss Lauren has one last opportunity – an investor But it’s going to be up to Teddy and Romeo to convince the investor, a revered style icon, to keep their business afloat.

What starts off as a business trip between two guys who can barely stand each other, ends up as something completely different. Joyce, the rather eccentric investor has devised a set of “tests” for Romeo and Teddy to complete. They have no idea what she is going to test them on nor what the tests entail. They cannot really “prepare” and they are really fish out of water for all of the tests. The one silver lining in their rather dismal execution of the tasks is that they get to know each other. Really know each other. And it turns out they REALLY like what they find. And by the time they return from what they see as their failure of the tests and most likely unemployment, they realize that the one thing they can’t live without is possibly each other. And there are still more twists and turns to the story 🙂

Well this was adorable! I am a big fan of this author and this is something a little different from her than what I normally expect. This book would make a lovely little movie and I would have such fun casting the characters 🙂 Romeo has a lot of hidden depths and the assumptions about him that Teddy makes are understandable. Romeo makes a lot of assumptions about Teddy as well. But when they have to work together, the walls come down and they each reveal a lot more of their real selves. Their public masks come off and it turns out that they are each just vulnerable young guys doing the best that they can. When they share their dreams and aspirations, it turns out that they understand each other a lot more than they ever imagined. I loved both guys families – especially Romeo’s who we see more of. I loved the sort of whacky Joyce character (I can image Meryl Streep playing her in the movie) and her rather unconventional household 😉 There were surprising twists that weren’t outlandish and I just really enjoyed the whole ride. Highly recommended for fans of romantic comedies of opposites attract, overcoming some adversity and workplace romances in particular 🙂

Thank you to Netgalley and the publisher for giving me a free advanced copy of this book to read and review.

With only one POV it was difficult to connect with both MC's as I wasn't a huge fan of the immature voice with which we were riding the story. This author is truly incredible when they get it right (see The Pilgrimage, Brute, Tin Box, Rattlesnake, Speechless...) but sadly, this was not one of their best works. I'm not sure if I could pin it down to just not connecting with the MC's, but there was a general sense that I didn't feel invested, engaged, or in love with the MC's or their story. That being said, there were some sweet and tender moments that really made them enjoyable, I just don't think the story as a whole was my favorite from this author.

Teddy Spenser isn’t ready for love, especially not in Romeo Blue, his coworker and nemesis that he now must spend time with in order to succeed in a high-stakes project at work. But what will their feelings be like after having to spend hours with each other or sharing a hotel room – and bed? And what will happen when they both realize that they are connected in every way?

Teddy Spenser Isn’t Looking For Love was an absolutely adorable romance between Teddy and Romeo. I absolutely had a fun time reading about their enemies to lovers, office romance and the fact that the “there’s only one bed” trope had a part in the book was extremely fun to read.

I gave Teddy Spenser Isn’t Looking For Love 3.5 stars, enjoying Teddy and Romeo’s whirlwind of a romance. I am such a huge fan of enemies to lovers, office romance, and “there’s only one bed” tropes and found this adorable. I think that the writing could have been more developed and how everything was going very fast. The timeline seemed to speed by and I think that’s one of the reasons why I gave it 3.5 stars, simply because it was too fast. And while Teddy and Romeo were adorable together, I simply didn’t find that they had a lot of chemistry together.

You can tell that Teddy and Romeo started to truly enjoy each others company but found that the romantic aspect of their relationship was simply underdeveloped. They just didn’t seem to be super strong as a couple. Rather, their relationship seemed, in my opinion, to fit more as a friendship throughout the book.

Although this was Teddy Spenser Isn’t Looking For Love was fast paced, it was still fun and interesting to read. Thank you again to NetGalley and Carine Adores for inviting me to read Teddy Spenser Isn’t Looking For Love and for providing me an ARC in exchange for an honest review.

This might sound weird, but sometimes “fine” is just what I’m in need of. No big plot twists, no over the top emotions, just a book that does exactly what it says it’ll do. And Teddy Spenser isn’t looking for love gave me exactly that.

The story
Teddy Spenser spends his days selling design ideas to higher-ups, living or dying on each new pitch. Stodgy engineer types like Romeo Blue, his nemesis—if you can call someone who barely talks to you a nemesis—are a necessary evil. A cute necessary evil.

Working together is bad enough, but when their boss puts them both on a new high-stakes project, “working together” suddenly means:
¥ sitting uncomfortably close on the same plane
¥ staying in the same hotel room—with only one bed
¥ spending every waking minute together.

Turns out Mr. Starched Shirt has some hidden depths, and it’s getting harder to ignore the spark Teddy feels with every brush of their hands, with every knowing glance. He might not have been looking for this connection with Romeo, but will he ever be ready to let him go?

The opinion
Here’s the thing: we’ve been trained to consider “fine” as a bit of an ugly word – after all, it’s most commonly used to describe your day, when it’s really been anything but. However. Sometimes, it’s just the best possible word to describe something. If it’s neither particularly great, nor entirely too bad, but just… Somewhere in between. Does what it needs to, but does not exceed expectations. You know the kind?

That’s basically how I felt about Teddy Spenser isn’t looking for love. And, just to be clear: that is, in no way or form, a bad thing. Rather the opposite: on a slow Sunday afternoon, this book gave me exactly what I needed. Sure, there were some issues (it’s promoted as haters-to-lovers, but to what extent can you actually talk about “hate” when two people hardly know each other and even any dislike seems to largely be founded on opinions that don’t have any ground to stand on?)

However, even with the way this book sometimes managed to be both too slow and too quick at the same time (excuse me for not thinking proposals are best done after, like, 2 days)? All together, Teddy Spenser made for a pretty good Sunday afternoon-read!

The rating: 3/5
If you want a book that will feel comforting – comfort food included? Then Teddy Spenser isn’t looking for love is a pretty good bet. A happy ending to complete your lazy Sunday afternoon – surely that’s all you need? (Goodreads, TheStoryGraph)

-Saar

Teddy Spenser is responsible for design and marketing at Reddyflora in Chicago and is teamed up with Romeo Blue, their software engineer, to create a smart vase. Teddy is a free spirit with an effervescent personality while Romeo is über reserved to put it mildly, though he’s beyond gorgeous. They’re struggling to get the design right, have it work perfectly and keep the cost manageable. It’s a tough collaboration for both since their personalities are so different but it’s made even more challenging when they’re sent to Seattle to pitch the company to a new investor. Everything is on the line as without the funding, the company faces layoffs.

The narrator was outstanding in giving voice to Teddy who delivers the only point of view. He’s funny, witty and self deprecating in a healthy way. I’m unsure if I would have captured the true essence of the character in any other format. He made me want to be in his orbit. His evolving relationship is described as enemies to lovers but it is more like perceived rival to trusted ally. Teddy had a misconception about Roman completely based on his looks and quiet persona, thinking he looked down his nose at him; Roman actually craved Teddy’s acceptance and was just socially inept.

I enjoyed how these two transitioned first into a friendship, then as workmates committed to seeing the other succeed and then step into a romance. Despite the stereotypes they were wrapped in, I liked these two and their repartee (I wanted to be Teddy’s friend and take Roman under my wing). I only wish they’d been given less predictable backgrounds because they ended up being so much more than that. Otherwise, they made me laugh and root for their relationship. Even though I often say this, listening to this story made it a much more pleasurable reading experience. 3.5 stars

Not my cup of tea. I usually like the hate to love trope but this one felt unnecessary. Teddy was a super annoying main character to follow and I didn't really want to root for him. Romeo was also a little too perfect. This was just lacking for me. Plus the plot was so unrealistic and absurd---which I could overlook if I liked the characters more but that wasn't the case. Pass.

I received an ARC of this book via Netgalley in exchange for an honest review.

And there only is one bed.

Sue me but I like that trope if I am in the mood for a very predictable and sweet story. Throw in some enemies-to-lovers and I’m probably hooked.

Here though?

I honestly can’t even tell you if this book was fast-paced or slow-paced.

I got into it fine, but the further I read the harder it was to stay focused. At the same time the relationship and its development just slammed into my face so I wasn’t able to get into it. I’m not even sure if I am able to call it “development” because even Teddy tells you:

"And second, True Love can happen very fast."
Kindle pos. 3161

And I’m just like, nope. Not getting it. I need my development to feel the love and I need showing not telling.

Overall the whole setup felt a little bit over the top? But in a good way. If I ignore the “romance” I can honestly tell you I was amused by Teddy Spenser Isn’t Looking For Love. Problem is, the romance kinda is the main theme of this book so… there isn’t a whole lot left if you ignore it. At least I really enjoyed Romeo.

I was really excited about Teddy Spencer Isn’t Looking for Love. Only one bed?? Yes please! Unfortunately I think I overhyped this one in my head and it didn’t work as well as I hoped. I found the characters felt a little too young. DNF

I think this was a perfectly safe romance but wasn’t groundbreaking by any means. Perfectly nice and enjoyable read.

Omg this m/m romance is just precious, steamy, and amazing.

Read it now!

I want to be best friends with Teddy! I want to be styled by Teddy!

This forced proximity, one bed, funny dates is just a big yes for me!

Thank you HARLEQUIN - Carina Press for an advanced copy for my sassy thoughts.

This was a really cute read! It’s kind of enemies to friends to lovers, though enemies is a pretty strong word. Really, Teddy and Romeo work together but they both have wrong impressions of the other. When they are pushed together on a work project, spending all that time together makes them realize they actually like each other a lot. There’s a woman who might invest in the company they work for and she puts Teddy and Romeo through a few tests before she agrees or not. Yeah…it’s kind of messed up. If this was real life, I would hope that nobody would do that to a person. It’s a great way for the two to get closer in the book though. This is a relatively low-heat romance too, if that’s more your speed!

Dear Kim Fielding,

Teddy Spenser works for a Chicago-based company called Reddyflora which is manufacturing a “smart vase”. He’s in charge of the design and Romeo Blue, a co-worker, is the software engineer in charge of the “smart” part of the device. This is the company’s first product and money is very tight. They’re trying hard to keep the production costs in spec so that they ca make a profit but when Teddy sees Romeo’s requirements for the software he is in despair. The entire aesthetic will be off. Worse, the costs are too high. The two men are tasked to work together urgently to come up with a solution that will meet the budget and also look good.

Teddy has a number of preconceived notions about Romeo but they’re mostly misinformed. Their boss, Lauren, tells them they have a potential investor and stresses to them the important of pleasing said investor to assure the company will survive – and then, they are sent to Seattle to meet with Joyce Alexander, the lady with the money. Teddy is beside himself; Joyce Alexander is a fashion guru, an icon of style and someone whom Teddy has long admired. Teddy enjoys his job but his dream is to run a vintage clothing and more store and help people style themselves and their homes. Joyce is just about the epitome of his aspirations when it comes to design and style.

When Teddy and Romeo make it to Seattle they discover there has been a mix up in the hotel booking and not only is there only one room – there’s (dun dun dunnnnn!) only one bed! (Oh noes!).

Up until that point I was able to go with it well enough. Sure it’s a little unlikely but I’ve gone along with far less likely setups before – and let’s face it, only one bed is often worth it. But I did get a little squinty-eyed when Teddy and Romeo meet Joyce, to find that she doesn’t really want to hear their pitch, but rather has a series of “tests” for them to complete over the next three days so she can assess how well they work together – something that will (somehow) help her decide whether or not to invest her money. It was a bit too much for me. I didn’t really understand why even an eccentric rich old white woman would do any of these things and I didn’t really understand what she expected or wanted to achieve out of them.

However, putting that aside (and it is a big ask I admit) it did force Teddy and Romeo into close proximity and it did force them to work as a team. And, as they did so, Teddy realises just how much of a gem Romeo is. For his part, Romeo has had a crush on Teddy for ages and it is not long before the two men are making use of that one bed in a not-just-for-sleeping way. (The book is not terribly explicit; there is on page sex but it’s fairly low heat – I’d rate it about a 3-4/10 on a heat scale where 10 is scorching and 1 is a chaste kiss at the end.)

The romance itself is sweet and fairly conflict-free. I did like the low-angst of it and the way the two men, once they started opening up to one another, actually were honest and open and vulnerable enough to reap all the rewards of a healthy relationship. It’s all super-fast but I did believe in them. The epilogue, set two years later, helped me there.

I liked Teddy and I adored Romeo. I enjoyed the way you showed Teddy how his misconceptions were wrong – that there was a perfectly reasonable explanation for the things he had previously considered negative about Romeo and actually they were not at all terrible. I loved how Teddy helped Romeo find his own sense of style. I loved Romeo’s family too and I liked the various representations, presented in the book too. I still don’t understand exactly what Joyce was trying to achieve though.

Grade: B-

Regards,
Kaetrin

Teddy and Romeo, I liked the names, the book? uhhgghhh
I love Kim Fielding, have been reading her books for a while now and have enjoyed a fair amount of her work.
I expected so much from this book, enemies to lovers, a bit of angst drama drama yada yada. You know, the full caboodle. Things were not as such Teddy seemed a little to quick to cast assumptions and his inner monologue went on and on for me at times. Some bits felt a little forced as well.
Even though the relationship is a bit of of an insta-love, these two have been in each other's orbit for a while, denying their feelings and jumping to conclusions. Everything I would typically love is mentioned in this book, I just couldn't connect emotionally to any real part of it. 3 stars because it is a rom-com, it is Kim Fielding and Teddy and Romeo were kinda cute.

I wanted to like this, and I didn’t hate it. It just seemed “too easy,” and I don’t think I like romances that are too easy. I kept waiting for something else to happen, and spoiler: nothing ever did.

I found this book and the characters rather annoying and read super young. I couldn't figure out why I should like Teddy Spenser or root for him at all?

So. many. tropes.
So. much. cute.
I absolutely loved this.
Teddy and Romeo were an absolute joy to follow around for the duration of a book and I loved their dynamics. Even back when Teddy insisted they were enemies.
Their banter was so funny and the premise of this book was absolute bonkers but oh gods I loved them. I am all here for eccentric old ladies who let's two guys with lots of chemistry spring through HOOPS (which I am convinced, she did for her own entertainment).
I had a marvellous time reading this and I hope to soon read more by Kim Fielding!

I really, really wanted to love this book. The representation is awesome! Some of the situations were pretty out there, but luckily the humor was definitely on point, and I did enjoy that this was a feel good story. The problem for me was the pacing. It was a little hard to get into, then I was intrigued, and then the end was a little abrupt. I think it had a lot of potential, but just fell a little short for me.

I have started to read this one 6 different times. Each time I end up annoyed by Teddy's internal dialogue and put it down. I am calling it quits now.
DNF

A quirky romance novel about two clashing personalities finding their way to first tolerance then love.

The writing style didn't quite jive with me, but the characters and setting kept me reading. And in the end, it is a lovely romance novel with a guaranteed HEA, and I enjoyed reading it.