Gina Rae Mitchell

Rash and Rationality by Ellen Mint | Happily Ever Austen, Book 2 | Character Interview | Book Review

Rash and Rationality is a modern gender-swapped friends-to-lovers Sense & Sensibility, set in a cozy bookshop.

 

Rash & Rationality by Ellen Mint
Series: Happily Ever Austen #2
Published by Totally Bound Publishing on 07/28/2020
Genres: Contempoary Romance, Fiction
Format: eBook
Pages: 192

Love is a lot closer and more complicated than Marty ever dreamed.

Marty Dashwood is a true romantic. Hearts, chocolates, kisses on the hand—the whole nine yards. His killjoy brother Eldon doesn’t believe in love at first sight, but one day Marty will have the perfect meet-cute, she’ll fall helplessly in love with him, and they’ll live happily ever after.

Brandy’s worked with Marty for almost two years. He’s the best friend she could ever have hoped for after the accident that took her husband. So she should be happy that Marty finally found what he’d always wanted, right?

So why does it feel like every time she sees Marty with the ‘Social-Media Angel’ he rescued from a mugger, a piece breaks off her heart? How can she explain any of this to him before she loses her best friend forever?

Rash and Rationality is a modern gender-swapped friends-to-lovers Sense & Sensibility, set in a cozy bookshop

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Source: Received from the author or publisher for review.

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Book 2 Book 1

This book is also available on Barnes & Noble, iTunes, Kobo, and from the Publisher.

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Meet Marty, our hero from Rash & Rationality

Here are some fun questions to help us know your hero.

It’s late, he’s bored. What does he do?

Marty will scroll through unending pictures of cute animals and send the best ones to his friend Brandy. He really loves coatimundi.

What kind of food would he impulse buy if hungry?

 Flaming Hot Cheetos. He washes like a surgeon before surgery to keep the red tint off his fingers.

Describe the kind of clothes he prefers to wear.

 Comfortable but Marty knows how to clean up. He’s the type to break out his nice pants, shoes, and a button-up shirt for a date. Though he spends a lot of time in his green polo for the bookstore he works at.

Does he know how to fix things?

 It no doubt surprises most to learn that Marty can follow directions. He attached a bike rack to his car all on his own so he could give lifts to his friend Brandy. It didn’t fall off once.

He tried to do something and it went badly. Tell us about it.

 In college, Marty would take it upon himself to deliver little notes of encouragement to various girls. Sometimes he’d even drop off a rose if she was struggling. One boyfriend took that really badly and rearranged his nose for him. Marty stopped being the Don Juan of the dorms after that.

How does he act around children he doesn’t know?

 Total clown. One of the favorite parts of his job in a bookstore is being able to get a kid the perfect book, usually, one their parents think is too silly or scary. In the book, Marty waves around a bunch of sparklers to the delight of his second nieces and nephews.

What is he like first thing in the morning?

 Barely cognizant of his existence. He has a long-standing daily appointment with the coffee shop where he gets the biggest, sweetest caffeinated drink. He also always gets an extra donut to bring to Brandy. Sleeping in isn’t an option due to his straight-nosed brother Eldon.

Can he use chopsticks?

 He thinks he can.

Does he drink coffee? If so, how does he take it? If not, what does he drink instead?

 Take coffee, add milk and sugar. Keep adding sugar. A bit more. Top off with honey and cream.

What apps would he have on his phone?

 Sheep Wars, Duolingo, Spotify, Instagram — has only three followers,

Android or iPhone?

 Android, and four or five years old. Working in an independent bookstore doesn’t leave him flush with cash.

Beard or clean-shaven?

 Clean-shaven. Best Marty can grow is a patchy mustache.

Earrings/piercings/tattoos or unadorned skin?

 His mamá would kill him if he ever put a needle to his skin.

Personal vehicle or public transport?

 Marty’s got his own car but he’s not above taking a bus or two.

Recycle or toss?

 Recycle, though usually into a silly front display for the bookstore.

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My thoughts on Rash and Rationality by Ellen Mint:

Rash & Rationality was a quick, fun read. I enjoyed the antics of Marty and felt the pain Brandy was dealing with after the death of her husband.

It was a refreshing spin to have the male character be the over-the-top romantic, with the female leery of moving forward. The secondary characters evoked lots of emotion as well, such as dislike, instant hate, craving to know more, etc. I hope there are more books to come about these characters, as so many deserve a book of their own.

The picturesque settings make this book special. A story set in a bookstore is a dream for a book reviewer. Marty’s dating setups and Mama’s birthday party stand out, but every scene is well-done.

With shorter books, I have a hard time writing a lengthier review without giving away too much plot. Let’s just say this book is well worth your time to read.

I highly recommend Rash & Rationality to lovers of Jane Austen, fun romantic fiction, fun, quirky heroes, and friends to lovers stories.

Steam level: 3/5

Thank you to Ellen Mint for inviting me to review Rash & Rationality. The above is my honest, unbiased opinion.

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Rash and Rationality by Ellen Mint

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Rash and Rationality by Ellen Mint

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Book 2 Book 1

This book is also available on Barnes & Noble, iTunes, Kobo, and from the Publisher.

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Similar reviews:

Ellie Everlasting by Isabel Scheck

Sugar by Kimberly Stuart

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I also share many of my reviews on the following websites:

Lovely Audiobook’s Monthly Link-up (Not limited to audiobooks)

The Inspire Me Monday Link Party

Inspire Me Monday with Anita Ojeda

Grammy’s Grid Unlimited Monthly Link Party