I love it when a book surprises me and Accidentally in Love by Belinda Missen did just that. I read the first few chapters of the book, expecting it to be a typical romance, but it sprang a change on me and I loved it. I enjoy the enemies to lovers trope and this book did just that. I loved Katherine and Kit and loved the witty banter between them.

Katherine is down on her luck, she missed on a promotion and has an undefined relationship with John. On paper John seems like the perfect character for a romance novel, but Missen flips it upside down. After an embarrassing night, Katherine decides she has had enough of John and London and is going to leave it, and John behind and start her own art gallery back home. Katherine is a well written character, she is witty and goes with her gut a lot of the time. She is a totally relatable character, and someone I could imagine myself being friends with. I liked that she is not a perfect character, which makes it so much more relatable.

Enter Christopher, aka Kit, and a lovey enemies to lovers romance happens. Christopher is an artist that her father knows and he and Katherine do not start off on a good footing. He also comes with his own baggage. Christopher is such an honest and blunt character that you just want to love.

I found this book laugh out loud funny and really enjoyed reading these two as characters. I love how Katherine never gives up and takes her lumps too. My favourite part of the book was how Missen wrote all the different relationships in the book, and how you could see how genuine they are. The only problem I had was how quick they went from hating each other, to being okay with each other, and I found the wrap up a little fast. I really enjoyed this book and found it a light easy read.

I received a copy of this from NetGalley and the publisher for an open and honest review. All opinions are 100% mine.

I enjoyed the Art Gallery story line and found this different from all other romance books I have previously read (giving us all a cheeky little look into the Art Gallery World). Overall a great enemies to lovers romance. I found the beginning a little steady but slowly became invested in the couple's relationship to need to see how it ended. I really enjoyed the ups and downs between Katherine and Lainey's relationship.

Many thanks to NetGalley and HQ Digital for this ARC in exchange for my honest review

A fun, enemies to lovers romantic comedy! Perfect for anyone who enjoys this genre or is looking to experiment outside of their comfort zone. A slow build featuring fantastic relationship building between the two main characters. There is just enough tension and movement through the plot to keep the reader engaged without feeling rushed. Thank you NetGalley for allowing me to review this ARC.

Katie's had enough! She's had enough of being passed over at work, of her love interest John being clueless, and generally of everything in London. SO, she takes herself to Sheffield, where she opens her own galley. And meets Kit. Kit's an artist with attitude and these two have amazingly fun repartee as Katie works to get him to show at her galley. This is a friends to lovers rom com (well, they aren't friends at first but you know what I mean) but it's also about Katie taking charge of her life. It's a fun light read. Thanks to netgalley for the ARC. This will make you smile.

I've been in the mood for simple rom-coms recently, I think it's a sign of the times we are living in at the moment, that I need something light and diversionary.

This book fit the bill perfectly. It covers the story of Katharine who is passed over for promotion at work for the third time and realises that she's had enough of the London art world and decides to relocate to Sheffield to open her own art gallery. She leaves behind her on/off relationship and never really looks back.

Of course every rom-com needs it's romantic hero, which is where Christopher / Kit comes in, a moody, cantankerous artist who Katharine is determined to work with. It's more of a love / hate relationship story and includes an emotional rollercoaster and a couple of red herrings as they realise their feelings for each other.

Overall this is a great book, written with good pace and full of likeable characters. There is more emotion than comedy, each of the characters with their own issues to work through. I really enjoyed it, and it was just the ticket for me at the moment.

“A beautifully and realistically written laugh-out-loud romance."

Katherine’s ideal world in London comes crashing down when she is passed up for promotion, and she quits to show her discontent. A couple of days later, she breaks up with her not really boyfriend, John, for his utter lack of respect for her and her work. A visit to her Dad’s house in Sheffield and Katherine realizes what she’s been missing all along. Kit, aka Christopher.

I loved the chemistry between Kit and Katie. There wasn’t just passion and lust; there was mutual respect, understanding for each other’s work, and a mature outlook. The effortless writing was complemented with intelligent humor, and I was entertained thoroughly. Katie had her flaws, but who doesn’t, and she knew what they were and worked on it. That’s my favorite part when it comes to female leads.
In most romance novels I’ve read, the leads when they separate just keep missing each other and sulking and doing nothing about it. I wonder why they don't talk to each other about their issues. But here, Belinda Missen has kept things so real when she makes Katherine decide to talk about the issues arising with Christopher and her best friend, Lainey. I loved that so much. Why can’t all authors follow suit and make woman characters practical?

I loved the book's pace, although Kit did not have a significant appearance until well into the middle of the story, I loved every buildup that led to him. I kept turning pages and frankly only realized I read 300 pages so quickly when I sat down to write this review.
Books like these make me glad I review because, without that, the opportunity to read this book would never have come my way. In short, I loved Accidentally in Love immensely.
Other than a couple errors, I found no other editing mistakes, these too, did not hinder my reading experience in any way.

To talk about the negatives, the first and last thing that pops up in my mind is Katherine's name. I am truly sick of all the Katherines and Elizabeths in romance novels. Think of new names, please authors. These common names make the characters forgettable for me.

Sharp and witty dialogue between leads always wins my heart.

Romance buffs must read this; those looking for steamy passionate scenes will be disappointed. Read it for the creative story-telling, witty dialogue, and laugh-out-loud moments that’ll have you smile when you turn the last page. Happily-ever-after story fans, here’s another one for you.
Thank you Netgalley and HQ Digital for the reviewing opportunity.

Happy reading!

This was a fun, mostly light read that I thoroughly enjoyed. It made me laugh in several places as well as had me holding back tears in others. The main character definitely had her fair share of angst, but was a very likeable character. I would recommend this book to anyone who enjoys a good romantic comedy.

Accidentally in Love is much more than an enemies-to-lovers rom-com. It explores one young woman’s journey from being an employee passed over for promotion to being the owner of her own art gallery. The inside look at the art world and what goes into opening an art gallery were very interesting. Another theme was family - moving back to her hometown of Sheffield versus staying in London. I loved her family members: Dad, brother Adam, and stepmother Fiona. Her love interests were very different: John the London lawyer and Kit/Christopher, the Sheffield artist. I did think the switch from enemies to lovers with Kit was a bit abrupt, as was the ending. I enjoyed the banter between Kit and Katharine and I loved that they could relate over art and that it was more than just a physical attraction.

I love rom com reads and enjoy both the high brow and low brow kind. This one started with an interesting concept, but kind of dragged for me and then felt super rushed in trying to wrap up the story. I think this book might find lovers from other, but I wasn't the biggest fan.

I thoroughly enjoyed this book, really funny at times and it was just a fun easy read. Perfect for anyone who loves a slow burning enemy-to-lovers romance. Katherine is such a strong character and I love how she takes no bs and follows her dreams even when everything in her life seems to be falling apart. Makes you appreciate that if you want something so bad and work hard at it then anything is possible so never give up on your dreams!
I will definitely be checking out more of Belinda
Missen’s work. Thank you so much for allowing me an advanced copy.

Thank you netgalley for providing this ARC in exchange for an honest review.
This was a decent slow burn romance that slowly builds up to heartwarming story. Kat decides to open her own gallery after quitting her job and wants to feature Kit’s art work. Of course he refuses and inadvertently begins a complicated dance with Kat. This is in no way a romantic comedy more of a temperate artsy love story much more emotional than comedic.
Nonetheless worth the read.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for a digital ARC in exchange for an honest review

I went into this book anticipating a really light hearted fluffy romance, and it delivered.

Overall I really enjoyed how this story developed, it is the perfect cheese fest if you’re after a nice easy read. The cover is gorgeous and is something I’m instantly drawn to in romance. Our main character Katherine overcame multiple obstacles during the course of the story and I was really rooting for her and her gallery opening. I also loved the depiction of her relationship with her brother and step-mum, as someone who has both of those in her life I think it showed how complex these relationships can be and added a lovely family element to the story.

I would add that there’s a slight trigger warning for death and grief as Katherine and Kit both lost people very close to them and discussed this in conversation. Although these were tough topics to discuss I felt it was done well and added to story, adding complexity to the characters without making them martyrs.

I had two issues with this book though – one the romance was ridiculously fast. While I can appreciate a whirlwind romance, Katherine and Kit went from effectively despising each other to getting engaged within a month. With the trauma both of them have experienced in the past with bereavement, grief and fuckboys I was quite surprised that both of them took the relationship so easily. That being said, it was incredibly sweet and I did enjoy their happy ending (think the proposal was a bit much but that’s me)

The second was the relationship Katherine had with her best friend, Lainey. Lainey is the worst friend ever, is incredibly selfish and demanding and when they have a big fight she calls Katherine to tell her all the terrible things she’s done. Does she apologise when they make up? No. I found this very strange especially as the MC comes across as really strong and no nonsense. This to me is super problematic and is the reason I gave the book 3 stars instead of 4 unfortunately.

If you’re after a feel good book this is perfect, it just fell a little bit flat for me with the friendships and the very fast paced romance.

Katharine is sick of being passed over again and again for promotions at work, so she leaves the comfort of her stable job in London to open her own art gallery. And there's a hot local artist she's looking to feature. And I mean hot as in popular AND hot as in physically.

I love Katharine's supportive family, especially her relationship with her step-mom. I am also so glad to see an ambitious woman portrayed going after her dreams in this novel. I especially loved the Mr. Darcy vibes I was getting from Kit.

Accidentally in Love is a little bit of a boy-meets-girl, modern day fairytale.

The characters were likeable and had a detailed backstory to them. This made them relatable and kept me wizzing through the pages to see if it was a 'happily ever after' ending, just like any good fairytale. And also, just like any good fairytale, there are 'villians' to add a little bit of spice to the mix.

All in all, this was an enjoyable, light-hearted read which gave me a bit of a break from my normal heavy reading.

Accidentally in Love is a lovely warm and feel good romcom and the perfect poolside summer read. The writing is good and the author has developed some great characters, all of whom are engaging and realistic. I loved the family dynamics, the wonderful relationship Katharine has with her family and the way they all support each other.

Some of the more romantic scenes are depicted really well, particularly the scene in the darkroom with all the simmering sexual tension! Although I enjoyed the progression of the romance between Kit and Katherine, I felt Kit initially came across as downright rude and I can’t believe Katharine put up with the way he spoke to her. He did, however, redeem himself and I grew to like his character as the story progressed. As a lover of art and drawing, I thoroughly enjoyed reading about all the art references, Katherine’s job as art curator and Kit’s art school, and I loved the connection their relationship had through art.

The end felt a little rushed and it all seemed to escalate rather quickly, unfurling it over another chapter would have lessened the seemingly hurried pace.

A quick and easy read if you want a quick fix, with a good story line, great characters and a cosy romance.

Thank you to the publisher via Netgalley for the opportunity to read this book in exchange for an honest review.

Thank you Netgalley, HQ and Belinda Missen for gifting me an advance copy of this book in exchange for my honest review!
After being passed up for a promotion at work for the third time, Katherine knows it’s time to move on. She breaks up with her “are they, aren’t they” guy and decides that moving home is the best way to see her dreams of opening her own gallery a reality. There she meets Christopher, a local artist and friend of her fathers. He runs a local art school which brings them together.
This starts as an enemies to lovers plot line. Christopher gives fresh and funny banter that keeps the chemistry going between the two characters, but his hot and cold attitude got old fast. I think he was crazy immature for being in his thirties and some of the things he got himself into had me rolling my eyes. Their romance throughout the book was pretty tame and this could be classified as a clean romance! I think maybe if we’d seen their story play out a little longer I would’ve felt a connection between them, but I just feel like we didn’t quite have enough info to really fall for these characters!

An enemies to lovers story that didn't quite mark that tally for me with characters that you may or may not be indifferent to depending on your preferences for MCs.
The start of it is catching but as it moves on with Katharine and Christopher a.k.a Kit, it fell flat and predictable.

I voluntarily read and reviewed an advanced copy of this book received from the publisher via NetGalley. All thoughts and opinions are my own.

A cute romance which is exactly what i need sometimes to feel refreshed and dive back into reading so thank you Belinda Missen for making this wonderful romance. The only negative part was that the book seemed a little slow i feel like it took me forever just to get through one page with that being said I did not connect well with the characters either. It almost felt like the author tried to do an enemies to lovers type novel and i dont feel like that worked well for her, had she just stuck with the happy hallmark romance i believe i would have liked the book more.

Accidentally in Love by Belinda Missen is a story about Katharine, a longtime gallery curator at a fine arts gallery in London, who was completely fed up about being passed over for a promotion and was on an undefined relationship with a lawyer. She then leaves London to return back to her hometown to fulfill her artistic dreams, and possibly find the person she’ll spend her life with.

Katharine is very relatable. Sets aside passion for something that will pay the bills, but still holds out hope that one day she’ll be given the opportunity to show the world her talents. But not too far that she forgets about it. She instead took a curator job, which is still a dream job for her. And yet somehow, the time she spent learning and working for her craft, it simply was not enough.

This novel is definitely written for a millennial audience. Why, you ask? Calligraphy, photography, and drinking – the trifecta of millennial hobbies. Plus, the never-ending career frustrations and failed relationships.

It’s been a while since I’ve read a chill novel. It’s definitely a breath of fresh air. Katharine is a wonderful character and I haven’t really laughed while reading a book the entire year. When she checks out Kit, I suddenly burst out laughing because that definitely isn’t something I usually read in books. Which now I think I’ve been reading the wrong ones.

The title clearly says it’s a romantic novel. But that’s not what I got 80 pages in, and I’m not saying like that is a bad thing. What I’m saying is, Ms. Missen prioritized Katharine’s career realizations over her romantic interests. And that is exactly what I like about this novel. It’s more about Katharine’s success than her finding a suitable partner. Sure, finding a person you’d spend your life with is important, but not as important as having a career and being your own person. Katharine is the type of person I aspire to be.

Ah, Ms. Missen. Thank you for this wonderful book. Thank you for writing Katharine as a strong woman who knows what she wants, what she’s worth, and isn’t afraid to ask for what she deserves.

I enjoyed this book for the most part. The writing was solid, the characters are interesting, and I do love stories set in the UK.

My biggest problem was that it seemed a little unbalanced. The beginning is a slow build-up between the two main characters, and I had no issue with that. It was then that the "dark moment" happened and suddenly it's a week later and things are rushed to a happy conclusion.

But I could easily imagine the setting, having visited London and the surrounding countryside a time or two. And I loved how Katharine handled her new lease on life. How many of us have wanted to look at our bosses and do the very same thing?

I look forward to more from this author in future.