Review: 'Your Room or Mine?' by Charlotte Phillips (2013)

1 cheating ex, 3 bottles of white wine, an emergency pep talk from the girls… and this seemed like a good idea at the time:

Izzy Shaw’s Getting-Over-Him Action List

1. eBay his entire collection of football memorabilia and spend all profits on treating myself to fabulous new wardrobe.
2. Turn plans for ‘Loved-Up Mini-Break’ at exclusive boutique hotel into a weekend of spa pampering, me-time and shopping at Harvey Nics.
3. Don’t get even, get even better. Have one night stand with drop-dead gorgeous stranger – Mr Tall, Dark & Handsome in the hotel lobby is just what I need!

Your room or mine? Go on Izzy…

Several weeks ago HarperCollins announced a new exciting range of romance fiction: HarperImpulse. Since then, the lovely team has set up their own website (check it out at http://www.harperimpulseromance.com/) and they have signed their first authors, including Charlotte Phillips... Exciting times! I had seen the cover for Charlotte’s short story ‘Your Room or Mine?’ flying past on Twitter several times, and was quite curious what the Harper Impulse authors would be like. So, when I won a free e-copy of ‘Your Room or Mine?’ (thanks to the lovely ladies at HarperImpulse!), I couldn’t wait to sit down and get stuck in the story.

Izzy Shaw needs all the wine and chocolate she can get. Just a few weeks ago she was happy in love with her boyfriend Joe, secretly dreaming of a proposal and decorating their future family home. Imagine the shock when she found out Joe was busy with a slightly different kind of ‘business’ during his business trips than Izzy thought. After a pep talk from her best friends, Izzy decides to not act like the victim and she makes use of the surprise romantic mini-break she had planned for her and Joe. Never mind the Romantic Getaway Package, including the His & Her massages and romantic dinner... Just when Izzy decides this hotel visit might not have been the best idea ever, she bumps into handsome, dark-haired business man Oliver Forbes. It’s clear from the start that Oliver is flirting with her and up for a night of passion, no strings attached. But good girl Izzy couldn’t possibly do a thing like that... Or could she?

I warmed to Izzy from the first few pages of the story. I thought she was really strong for going on this romantic hotel mini-break without her boyfriend. And I couldn’t help but feel for her when the hotel staff gave her that pitiful look, while going on about the ‘his & her’ massages and romantic dinner package. Thank god for Oliver! The instant chemistry between him and Izzy almost sparked off the pages, and I knew Izzy wouldn’t be able to stay away from him (honestly, she would have been crazy if she had!). Even after their first night together, I wanted to read on to see whether this would turn into more than just a one-night-stand, and I was secretly hoping for a big Oliver & Izzy get-together before the ending of the story... However, that is of course something I am not going to give away in this review!

I was pleasantly surprised by Charlotte Phillips’ short story. I usually only read full-length novels, but I really enjoyed this because of the lovely characters and the fast-paced plot. Next to that, I’m not too big a fan of erotic fiction, but this was definitely more ‘romance’ with a sexy twist to it. I even found myself wishing there had been more pages... In my opinion, Oliver and Izzy deserve a full-length novel! ‘Your Room or Mine?’ is a romantic, sexy, fun read, which many contemporary women will enjoy and relate to. I can’t wait to read Charlotte Phillips’ next story/novel and I’ll keep my fingers crossed for more Izzy and Oliver in the future!

Rating:8,0/10