Fated by Carly Phillips
Penguin Group
December 2012
Format: Netgalley ARC e-book
First line: Kate Andrews loved a man in uniform.
Synopsis from Goodreads: New York Times
bestselling author Carly Phillips presents a never-before-published
novella set in a quaint upstate New York town—where Serendipity’s finest
show exactly what they’re made of…
Kate Andews is the original
rebound girl. But she has had enough and has vowed to never be someone’s
second choice again. Unfortunately, her undeniably intense desire for
Nick Mancini is testing her best laid plans because Kate has carried a
torch for Nick since high school– but she’s always been permanently in
the friend zone.
Lately, Nick has definitely noticed Kate.
Unfortunately he can’t get her to take him seriously. He knows he’s made
some stupid moves in the past but he’s determined to get Kate to act on
their obvious and mutual attraction. However Kate’s stubborn and she’s
been hurt before, which means Nick will have to pull out all the stops
in order to convince her he’s not the same boy she used to know, and
she’s not second best… she’s everything.
My thoughts: One of the reasons why I love Carly Phillips is that her books always make me smile – give me a good romance, a little steam, and some likeable characters and I’m happy. Make it about characters we’ve already met and want more of and it’s even better. Fated is just that. A short story that chronologically takes place between Kismit (another short story) and Destiny. But, it could also be read as a stand-alone since it mainly focuses on Kate and Nick.
Nick has been asking Kate out for months and she has repeatedly turned him down. He used to date her best friend Faith years ago and when Faith recently moved back to Serendipity, Nick asked Faith out again. Feeling like she’s now the rebound girl, something she’s felt most of her life, Kate stays away from Nick even though secretly she’s got the hots for him. Leave it to a best friend to cook up a plan with Nick to get Kate to see reason.
This was a sweet love story – very short, but very enjoyable nonetheless – and it’s whetted my appetite for more Serendipity books. I cannot wait to get my hands on the next book, Perfect Fit, which is the first of the Serendipity’s Finest series…just like Kate thinks in the beginning of the book, I love men in uniforms, too – especially the hunky ones that Carly Phillips creates.
(I received an ARC e-copy provided by the publisher through NetGalley)
Books in this series:
- Serendipity
- 1.5 – Kismit (e-book novella)
- 1.75 – Fated (e-book novella)
- Destiny
- Karma
- Perfect Fit – due out Dec 31, 2012
