First-Time Caller by B.K. Borison

A hopeless romantic meets a jaded radio host in this cozy, Sleepless in Seattle-inspired love story from beloved author B.K. Borison.

Aiden Valentine has a secret: he’s fallen out of love with love. And as the host of Baltimore’s romance hotline, that’s a bit of a problem. But when a young girl calls in to the station asking for dating advice for her mom, the interview goes viral, thrusting Aiden and Heartstrings into the limelight.

Lucie Stone thought she was doing just fine. She has a good job; an incredible family; and a smart, slightly devious kid. But when all of Baltimore is suddenly scrutinizing her love life-or lack thereof—she begins to question if she’s as happy as she thought. Maybe a little more romance wouldn’t be such a bad thing.

Everyone wants Lucie to find her happy ending… even the handsome, temperamental man calling the shots. But when sparks start to fly behind the scenes, Lucie must make the final call between the radio-sponsored happily ever after or the man in the headphones next to her.

I love the movie Sleepless in Seattle, so I was very excited to read this book once I found out it’s inspired by the movie! And I loved it. While it felt very long in some places, I so enjoyed my time with these characters. Lucie is one of the coolest heroines I’ve read about in a while. She knows her worth and she knows that she’s created the perfect life for herself. She’s got the cutest daughter, Maya (who I adored), and she’s found more family in Maya’s dad, Grayson, and his husband, Matteo. I love that Lucie and Grayson stayed best friends after discovering they weren’t a love match and that Matteo loves Lucie and Maya just as much as Grayson does. The four of them have the sweetest familial bond, and I want to adopt them all. They live next door to each other, with a gate that links their backyards. They are together all the time, loving each other, supporting each other, and laughing together constantly. Lucie works as a mechanic at an auto shop and works with some of the sweetest father figures, who are all protective of her and have her best interests at heart. She knows she doesn’t need anything else to complete her life, but it would be so nice to have someone to share it with. When Maya phones in to a late-night radio show devoted to love and romance to ask for advice on finding a boyfriend for Lucie, she sets in motion the cutest love story ever. And this love story goes viral. I was riveted right along with the greater population of Baltimore, Maryland as I watched these two lovebirds try to deny that Lucie found her one true love the night Maya called him.

Aiden is very jaded and grumpy and doesn’t believe in love. He hates his job and he’s a loner with a small social circle. Maya charms him (and his boss, Maggie), and before he knows it he’s sharing his tiny booth with Lucie herself as they try to find her “road to love”. His and Lucie’s banter is fantastic. She’s the sunshine to his storm cloud, and he can’t help but give in to her call for a friend. As she goes on crummy dates and is harassed by the public, he realizes more and more how much he cares about her. And he’s not too happy about it at first. lol. But we can all see what’s happening. Everyone listening to them on the air three nights a week can feel the tension and hear the sizzling chemistry these two have together. And it was so much fun watching them figure it out. There’s some speed bumps along the way, and some deeper issues that they need to work through (Aiden in particular), but the romance feels so realistic. I loved watching Aiden’s character develop and change from who he was at the beginning of the book to who he became at the end. B.K. Borison is so good at weaving humor in with more serious issues. It’s a lovely balance, and keeps her stories rooted in reality while also providing the magic that I crave in a romance novel. The spicy scenes were a bit more than I’m used to from this author and, as I said at the beginning, this book was longer than it needed to be. But other than those two things, this was such a great book for me. I’d love to see it adapted for film someday! B.K. Borison is one of my favorite authors, and I’m so happy that the Lovelight series wasn’t a one-hit wonder for me. I can’t wait for her next book!