If you love a small town, second chance, sweet romance then look no further than Ann Whynot’s Checking You Out. This delightful novel is in the Smarty Pants Romance universe created by Penny Reid and it is a lovely edition. Whynot’s writing is conversational and accessible, quickly drawing the reader into the characters and world. This novel is well paced with a nice build up of chemistry between the hero and heroine that leads into a sweetly sensual romance. This is my first novel by Ann Whynot and I am definitely excited to continue exploring her work.
This romance is between Lois and Norman, who were long distance gaming buddies who had a budding romance in their teens with the plans to move to New York together for college and work. But when life tears they apart they never get the chance to truly mean in person until a handful of years later in a small town in Tennessee. Lois is now a single mother to a brilliant 6 year old daughter and working as a custodian in the library and Norman runs a computer repair and building business with his best friend, and he has just relocated to the same town Lois lives.
I really enjoy that Ann Whynot has created strong secondary characters that are friends and found family for the hero and heroine. I always love when there is a nice layer of support for both characters because it creates a healthy outlook on things. Lois is such a fun and strong character, she loves her daughter to the moon and back and will always put her first. Norman is also delightful, warm hearted and understands that being with Lois means being with her daughter. I think Ann Whynot makes a really smart decision to set this during the Christmas season and having Lois’s daughter be on vacation with her father and his partner for the majority of this novel. This gives the chance for a romantic relationship and understanding to develop between Lois and Norman. Their relationship is sweet and open, I love that they make the decision to be open and honest with each other and I love that they take time to fully move into a physical relationship because this creates a foundation for them to build a life together.
Definitely a delightful must read in the smarty pants world. I love getting a more fleshed out town the surrounds Penny Reid’s Winston Brothers and look forward to the next. Ann Whynot is definitely an author to check out if you have not had the chance to read her before!
Thank you so much to Smarty Pants Romance for an eARC, all thoughts and opinions are my own.