The romantic storyline is super cute and enjoyable, but the plot revolving around the eccentric woman who devises multiple senseless tests to decide whether or not to invest in their company required a little too much suspension of disbelief.

This is my review of the NetGalley Harlequin/Carina Press ARC:

Delightful! Complex, inclusive, diverse, real-world meets rich-bizarre, and yes, I expect no less from Kim Fielding, but this one's above-average even for her. Our MC is a fully 3D character, his love interest is delightful, and you should add this gem to your pre-order list right now.

This was adorable!
Both Teddy and Romeo get off on the wrong foot when they meet. But now they are co-workers and are forced to work in close quarters to prepare for the launch of a new product.
Can the resist the intense chemistry brewing between them despite their initial hatred to eachother?
This was a sweet enemies to lovers, opposites attract romance.
I loved the slowburn, hot romance.
This one is definitely going on my re-read pile for sure.

I have to admit, I don't read a lot of contemporary romance novels, mostly because I find the historical ones much more interesting - they either demonstrate the author's research abilities (or, more amusingly at time, lack of them) or the setting itself ends up acting as an additional character. Without that, to be honest, sometimes romance novels fall a bit flat for me and this is one of those where that definitely happens.

The basic premise is that our title character is a designer working for a company that hopes to give the world the Next Big Thing, if the world really needs a flower vase with added computer facility? He's every gay stereotype known to humanity in a lot of ways, fastidious about his clothing and bitchy towards his co-workers - in particular, one co-worker, the weirdly named Romeo Blue (which I had a sneaking suspicion was a name only chosen to satisfy a later throwaway joke). Romeo himself is a bit of a cliche, a nerd who doesn't realise how attractive he could be if dressed more excitingly, who's just waiting for someone to take that ugly duckling and turn him into a swan.

Yes, it's that kind of romance novel, one where people who apparently dislike each other for no apparent reason end up together. In this case, they do it through a business trip to the other side of the country, a case of 'there was only one bed' and a number of ridiculous challenges set by a would-be investor. Naturally, part way through, Teddy realises that his plans to put his career first and find romance later are going to be scuppered and there's an uncomfortable (for me) degree of licking involved in the intimacy that ensues.

All in all, this was a book I probably wouldn't have finished if I hadn't needed to review it, a bit two-dimensional all round for my tastes and nothing that would convince me to give up my beloved historicals any time soon.

I received a free copy of this book from the publisher via Netgalley, in exchange for an honest review.

I have to say I love enemies to lovers romance books. This was absolutely adorable. Teddy, a marketing guy has to team up with his co worker Romeo who does the coding of their new product. Unfortunately they didn’t start off friendly based on wrong assumptions. They both figured out along the way how wrong they were about each other through the crazy tasks assigned to them which was hilarious. The location of Seattle and Chicago was amazing, I loved the food, museums, and landmarks mentioned in the book.
What I especially loved about this story was that Teddy not trying to find love could find it unknowingly in a sweet way. Joyce was a hoot, and somehow I found her interesting. Even though I’m sure that wasn’t supposed to be the case. Overall, please read this book. You won’t be disappointed!

I received this Arc from the publisher and Netgalley in exchange for my honest review. Thank you!!

***Special thanks to HARLEQUIN - Carina Press and NetGalley for providing me with a free copy in exchange for an honest review***

This is honestly a good, fun, pandemic (uugghh) read. I really love the characters and their relationships. This book gives me vibes that are very similar to the book "Boyfriend Material" (except withough the darker themes that were presented in the book, so really just the unlikely relationship of opposites part).

I was overjoyed by how happy this book is and it really made my day. This is a book of "enemies" to lovers done RIGHT I was not at all worried that this relationship was toxic. In addition, this was a great example of a book that does not use homophobia as a plot point, which is SUPER refreshing.

I would HIGHLY recommend reading this as you are cooped up in your house over a long weekend, a trip to the beach, vacation, etc., it's just really fun and will put you in a good mood.

Teddy works as a designer for a smartvase company, and is paired with Romeo, one of the engineers. They’re only supposed to be collaborating on a prototype that is both aesthetically pleasing and fully functional, but then they are sent on a business trip to Seattle where they have to share a hotel room.

Oh, and there’s only one bed.

The business trip is…unconventional and Teddy and Romeo have to work together because the future of their company is at stake. The last thing either of them expect to find is unresolved sexual tension, or that they’ll be giving in to these new feelings.

I loved every minute of this book. I took a peek as soon as I started reading my ARC, and I couldn’t put it down. Teddy is such an endearing protagonist, and his sweet and slightly offbeat personality hooked me from the first scene.

I especially enjoyed Teddy’s fashion sense. He dresses very well, but his designer wardrobe is all vintage pieces sourced from thrift stores. One of my favorite scenes was when Teddy took Romeo shopping for new clothes when their business trip got extended.

I’ve talked a lot about Teddy, but that’s because unlike the majority of romances, this book is single-perspective. We only ever hear Teddy’s side of the story, but that helps preserve some of Romeo’s mystique. Needless to say, he’s not as inflexible and stodgy as Teddy thinks he is. Plus, he’s wicked smart and extremely practical, all useful skills when being partnered with someone more artistic.

This book had me laughing throughout. I never knew what was going to happen next, and it seemed like even when the two men were trying their best to work together, they were always foiled. But of course, the most important thing is that they learned to appreciate each other.

I would absolutely recommend Teddy Spenser Isn’t Looking for Love. Teddy is one of the most hilarious protagonists I’ve encountered in all my romance reading. This is a perfect example of the “opposites attract” trope. I am looking forward to reading more from Fielding in the future.

I received a copy of this book from Carina Press/NetGalley.

This book was AMAZING! I. absolutely adored this book This will be one of my favorite in 2020.

I love the just one bed trope, the escape room, the setting in Chicago/Seattle. This was so much fun.

I interviewed Kim for the show.

Teddy is a designer and Romeo is a programmer; they are coworkers developing a smart vase for a flower company. They start off not knowing/ trusting each other but after a business trip sharing a bed (naturally) and engaging in team building activities they fall in love.
This was my first Kim Fielding book and I enjoyed it. There wasn’t much to it, not a lot of character development or conflict between the couple-and I would have liked Romeo’s POV as well. But they were cute together and the story was pleasant and sometimes that’s enough

This quick, fast-paced romance read was absolutely adorable, chock full of enemies to lovers, business trip with a shared hotel room, and opposites attract tropes that made it just delightful to complete. Here, Teddy Spenser and his work rival Romeo Blue are assigned to collaborate on a big work project that could save the fate of the company, which is a tech startup in Chicago. Teddy is quite cynical about love at first, but cannot deny that Romeo is dapper. This book is full of funny, relatable language that makes Teddy such an authentic, engaging protagonist. The men are complete opposites, yet both seem to have been pining for the other a bit. But, it isn't until their work trip in Seattle where they discover each other's true selves, mind, body, and soul. This read is so quick and engaging, which is so easy to get sucked into. The writing is witty and sharp in this slow-burn love story. It's just so freaking adorable, like audibly squeal-worthy.

I would highly recommend this book to anyone looking for a sweet, fun lgbt+ story. Here is a short, quick list of reasons to convince you to read this book:

* Fun and lovable main character who goes through some nice character development
* A man of color as the love interest, and he's super lovable so you'll be rooting for him!
* Enemies to lovers trope done right (read: no manipulation or toxic dynamics, just hilarious misguided pettiness)
* We have to share a room and there is only one bed!
* A happy and light story with nicely paced events and some really sweet moments
* Beautiful writing style and spot on humor. There were some laughing out loud moments for me.
* Diverse characters
* Did I mention how lovable the MC is?!
* Exactly the type of book that plucks you from reality into a funny, lovely story that helps you escape the world for a few blissful hours

And now for a proper review if you're not sold yet:

This week I was desperate for an escape from reality, and was seeking out a nice lgbt+ book to read. I specifically asked my friends about happy, light queer books but no title really caught my attention until the universe sent Teddy Spenser Isn't Looking for Love my way. I'm honestly so thankful to Netgalley for allowing me to get an ARC of this book, because it was delightful. It is not often that a book smashes my expectations, but this one absolutely did. I went in bracing myself for perhaps another queer book that either employs unnecessary drama and homophobia for shock value, or feels like a parody of what queer love actually is. Instead, I found a story that unfolded beautifully, at the right pace, and treated its characters well.

The main characters in this book were lovable and genuine, and were allowed to learn and develop throughout the book. There wasn't any needless drama -something I truly appreciate- or moments that make the reader feel betrayed by the author, but the book still held tension where it needed to and resolved it nicely later on in the story.

Teddy Spenser and Romeo Blue were such fun characters to follow. I really adored both of them from early chapter and loved their dynamic. Most of all I loved the moments when they were still "enemies" where one of them would unknowingly show how good they would be for each other. And every time Teddy went on and on about Romeo's smile or something equally cheesy, I melted a little bit inside. This next bit is slightly spoiler-y, so skip it if you want to; I also adored that Romeo loved his family so much and talked about them often, and that we then got to meet them briefly. I only wish we spent more time with them and got a closer look at that dynamic!

All in all this book was such a breath of fresh air, and I can't wait to buy a copy of it as soon as it comes out.

A beautiful, lighthearted read that is suitable to pick up at any time!

Teddy Spenser Isn’t Looking for Love is a delightful whirlwind, filled with some of my favorite tropes: enemies to lovers, bed sharing, office romance, hurt/comfort, height differences, to say the least. Teddy spends the majority of his time working in design and marketing for Reddyflora, where they’re gearing up to launch a new smart vase. While Teddy’s good at his job, his talents lie elsewhere -- his creative eye, huge love for fashion, and talent for thrifting are largely underused. But a job’s a job, and he likes it just fine, especially his coworkers -- All of them aside from Romeo Blue, that is.

Romeo Blue is Reddyflora’s only software engineer, and Teddy’s unofficial nemesis. At first glance, the two of them are complete opposites. But with the future of Reddyflora on the line, Teddy and Romeo must set their differences aside, and work together on redesigning the smart vase in preparation for an investor meeting that could very well save Reddyflora, and their jobs.

When their boss, Lauren, is unable to attend the meeting in Seattle, she sends Teddy and Romeo in her place to Seattle, where they meet their potential investor: Joyce Alexander. As a doyenne, fashion goddess, and trendsetter, Joyce is used to getting what she wants, and says she’ll invest on one condition - that Teddy and Romeo pass her three tests, which are supposed to measure three different qualities, unbeknownst to them. The more time the two of them spend together, the more Teddy realizes his judgments of Romeo were incorrect after all. Can the two of them set their differences aside, pass Joyce’s trials, save Reddyflora, all while managing their developing feelings, and sharing a hotel bed?

I found Teddy Spenser Isn’t Looking for Love to be such an easy read. As mentioned earlier, I’m a sucker for tropes, and Teddy Spenser Isn’t Looking for Love just checked all of them right off. The romance was believable, and don’t even get me started on the pining. The yearning. The slow burn. The build up was really well written, and I thoroughly enjoyed reading how their feelings developed for one another. Watching Teddy and Romeo go from enemies to … I wouldn’t say friends, but allies, and then to lovers, was a true joy. I loved watching them get to know each other better, and to see Teddy realize how all his previous assumptions had been completely off-base.

As a main character, I found Teddy to be hilarious. His snap judgment, and witty comments reminded me a little of David from Schitt’s Creek - although I might just be watching too much Schitt’s lately. And as a love interest, I found Romeo to be charming, and had some depth to him. It was easy to see how the two of them had fallen for each other, and why. I especially enjoyed reading about the trials that Joyce had them go through.

As someone who lives in Seattle, I always love reading books that are set here, and seeing how other people view my city. I think it’s fun to play tourist in your own hometown, and reading Teddy Spenser Isn’t Looking for Love made me long for the day where I’ll get to leave my house, post-pandemic, and get to do all the touristy things. Just like Teddy, I love traveling, and I can’t wait for the day where I can do that again.

Overall, I’d give Teddy Spenser Isn’t Looking for Love four stars, and would highly recommend it to anyone looking for an easy romantic read filled with trope