THE DANE OF MY EXISTENCE is the second book in Jessica Martin’s Bard's Rest contemporary romance series. I was eager to read this book because I adored the previous book in the series – FOR THE LOVE OF THE BARD. The only thing that had me a little hesitant to start it, was that it seemed to be an enemies-to-lovers story, and those aren’t my favorite. I should have known better. Yes, Portia Barnes and Benjamin Dane, do find themselves on opposite sides in a pretty major way at some point or another, but the storytelling and the amazing characters make trekking through any romance-fueled angst worth it.
Portia Barnes is reluctantly on a sabbatical from her high-pressure cutthroat law firm. She goes back to her Shakespeare infused hometown to hang out with friends and family. Rather than lazing around doing nothing all day, she moves through her community like a legal aiding Snow White. She proves that she is more than the shark persona she presents at work. At the same time Portia is supposed to be chilling out, she encounters an incredibly attractive interloper – commercial developer Ben. From the moment their eyes meet, you know there will be fireworks – both good and bad. I love the way Jessica Martin structures this story. The cliché would be to have the cold businesswoman who has to be thawed out by the hero. Jessica Martin avoids such cliches. I like both main characters immensely and I can understand each’s perspective, but in the evolving relationship, Portia is a little more self-aware at times and quicker to see the bigger picture. Ben is a great guy with a good heart, but he’s often blinded by his emotions. The chemistry between Portia and Ben is on point and the flirting and sexual tension is delicious. The author does a superb job of drawing in the reader and breathing life into her characters and her town.
THE DANE OF MY EXISTENCE is a marvelous story with two characters who work hard to hold onto their happiness they’ve found together. The friends and family in this story added to the richness of the storytelling without cluttering the story and were helpful without being obnoxious. I look forward to reading Jessica Martin’s next book.
When the history and character of her Shakespeare-obsessed hometown is threatened, a powerhouse lawyer goes toe to toe with a commercial developer in a hilarious rom-com from the author of For the Love of the Bard.
Portia Barnes is the youngest managing partner in her law firm’s history, and she and her stilettos are poised to step into the role of her dreams—leading the firm’s new Boston office. But first she’s taking a summer sabbatical in her hometown of Bard’s Rest, New Hampshire, where she discovers something’s rotten in the midst of the town’s annual Shakespeare festival.
Hotshot commercial developer Benjamin Dane is sniffing around Bard’s, and while Portia isn’t necessarily a Shakespeare fanatic like the rest of her family, she’s not about to let him bulldoze the town’s beloved outdoor theater. Yet to Portia’s dismay, Ben proves as skilled as she is when it comes to outworking, outmaneuvering, and one-upping the competition. While she’s never hesitated to wage war against hyper-successful alpha males, Portia is caught off guard by Ben’s openness and lack of arrogance. As her own long-constructed walls start to come down, Portia begins to wonder if he might be more than an archnemesis.
With her heart on the line and the future of the town hanging in the balance, Portia faces an impossible decision—Ben or Bard’s?—unless she finds a way to broker the merger of her life, and ensures the curtain falls on a happy ending for everyone.
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