Environmentalism
[insert green thumb pun that isn't viscerally disturbing]
In the following collection of books, we have romantic pairings where one of the characters is not only passionate about the environment, but has made it their career (or hopes to, at least). It’s not a career/subject matter that comes up a lot, at least in the books I’ve read, so I thought it was worth collecting my favorites in this subgenre into a single post!
The Belle and the Beard by Kate Canterbary. Jasper-Anne Cleary is in hiding after humiliating herself on the national news (she’s in politics, she said some true but inadvisable stuff about her boss, it got picked up by her mic), and the furthest place she can find is the little cottage her aunt left her that, as it turns out, is falling apart, and probably was even if she’d come right away after inheriting (which she very much didn’t). After an uncomfortable introduction to her new neighbor, the bearded, bisexual grump that is Linden Santillian who thinks she’s a really bad burglar, she decides the best way to distract herself from her own failings is to fix up this crumbling cottage until the rest of the political world moves on from her scandal.
Also, baking truly inedible things because she refuses to be in debt to the beast next door but also cannot bake to save her life.
This book is filled with some of my favorite micro tropes- stubborn women who martyr themselves rather than give up their pride (Jasper stays in the house for quite a while despite it being lowkey a biohazard, because Linden says she won’t last one night), gruff woodsmen who love nature (Linden’s a tree guy, he speaks for the trees, hot Lorax daddy, etc etc), women who are so used to being used that they refuse to be in someone’s debt, socially or otherwise, political scandals stemming from truth-telling, home DIY/renovations, a reluctant houseguest invitation… truly, this book has it all.
Rating: 4/5
How hot? 🔥🔥🔥🔥🔥
Bear With Me Now by Katie Shepard. Teagan van Zijl is at the end of his rope, not that he’ll ever admit it. And the only reason he’s at this woo woo wilderness therapy retreat is because his younger sister, who he feels responsible for, needs it. The fact that he’s so overworked that he was hospitalized for his anxiety is irrelevant. He’s fine. He doesn’t need help.
That is, until he’s on a solo hike and almost dies in a bear attack, only to be rescued by the retreat’s handywoman Darcy Albano. She’s had a rough few years as well- her ex stole her car, her parents ruined her credit score, and to top it off, when she came to this wilderness retreat she thought she’d be a guide, but got stuck as a handywoman instead. She loves nature, has secret ambitions towards being more directly involved with it, and Teagan becomes her project through which she gets to share her love of the outdoor world with someone, because she assumes (since he’s at the retreat) he’s struggling to remain sober.
When the retreat comes to an end, unwilling to give up their burgeoning connection (and wanting to rescue Darcy from people who aren’t helping her get what she needs), Teagan hires Darcy as his sober companion when he returns to NYC and his “real” life.
I wanted to like this book, which was charming and funny and really well done from a mental health representation perspective, a lot more than I did, and I think I can credit that specifically to the length of the deception. Darcy is so earnest and hard-working and does all this research to support Teagan’s sober journey when, of course, sobriety is not Teagan’s issue, and he lets her do all that work and even hires her to continue doing it because he can’t admit he has anxiety. Do I believe a man, especially one in Teagan’s position (professionally, within his family, etc), would pretend that such a “girly” mental health crisis wasn’t happening to them? Sure. But good lord, the deception lasts SO LONG that you’re like… please let’s move on. New plot please. Because it makes most of the interactions between the characters only half-effective, because they aggressively aren’t on the same page. And for something I consider fairly low stakes. The woman thinks you’re a substance abuser! She already knows something’s wrong! Correcting her on the actual crisis doesn’t lose you any ground! I wanted to SHAKE him, and it made Darcy, sweet and earnest as she is, seem like an idiot when she doesn’t deserve that characterization.
That said, it was a strong debut and I’m definitely curious what comes next from this author!
Rating: 3.75/5
How hot? 🔥🔥🔥
The Engagement Game by Jenny Holiday. Marcus is from an old money family and is feeling the pressure more than usual- his family is insisting he stop fucking around and join their family business and settle down with a perfectly WASPY wife. He doesn’t want to do any of this, and has the perfect way to get them to back off- Rose Verma, who works at an environmentalism charity and is the poster child for the conservative meme “this is the future liberals want.” Because of shenanigans and a little blackmail, Marcus convinces/tricks Rose to be his fake fiance to get his meddling family off his back, in exchange for supporting her nonprofit.
I thought this was a really solid look at the dysfunction within the nonprofit space (which is almost identical to the start up space, an industry I know intimately unfortunately), a showcasing of class and economic divides even in contemporary America, and a fun fake engagement set up which you know I’m a sucker for.
Rating: 4.25/5
How hot? 🔥🔥🔥🔥
Next week, I’ll be recommending books with some solid mutual pining at the core!
What should I be reading next? Let me know in the comments!