On paper, Karmen Lee’s upcoming romance The Relationship Mechanic, the second in her Peach Blossom series, has so much that I love in sapphic romances. I’m a big fan of small town romances and plots that promise anything but a slow burn alongside plenty of emotional gut punches. And, oh goddess, did it deliver everything I wanted and then some.
Full disclosure: I have not read the first book in the series, The 7-10 Split, so my impressions of characters that appear in both are solely based on this book.
Jessica Miller is on her way to visit her friend Grace in the small Georgia town of Peach Blossom when her rental car breaks down on the side of the highway. Lucky for her, she’s rescued by the town’s mechanic, the beautiful Lavenia “Vini” Williams. Both women are instantly attracted to one another but know that they she shouldn’t get involved. Vini is only interested in a long-term romance, and Jessica is only visiting for a few weeks and is terrified of long-term commitment. Add to it the fact that Vini is the youngest sister of Grace’s girlfriend Ava, and it’s obvious that anything more than a friendship should be off-limits. Still, their chemistry is undeniable, and they soon find themselves entangled in a no-strings attached relationship with plenty of steamy days and nights together. When strings start becoming attached and their relationship deepens into more than sexual attraction, though, these two women will have to figure out if they can be the home they’ve always needed.
For starters, I fell in love with Jessica and Vini as individual characters as well as a romantic pairing. I found myself feeling sympathetic to Jessica’s constant need for movement and her reluctance to commit to relationships. She’s never truly felt like she has a home and that pain is evident throughout. Vini is a sweetheart who truly loves her hometown and will do anything for her friends and family. Plus, there’s just something about a young woman excelling in a male-dominated field that I love. Jessica and Vini’s chemistry was absolutely crackling from their first interaction onwards. I loved reading every single one of their flirty and playful back and forths as they kept each other on their toes.
The side characters were also phenomenal in this one. There’s Grace, Jessica’s best friend, and Dani and Ava, Vini’s older sisters. Each one of them had their moment to shine and really helped push the narrative along in important ways. They also felt like they had their own arcs alongside our main characters that directly impacted the main story. With Ava, I spent most of the story not really liking her (for reasons that will make sense when you read the book), but by the end I understood her and her reasons for doing what she did. Special shout-outs also have to go to Vini’s dad and Jessica’s mom. Both only appear a couple of times, yet they steal the scenes they’re in with their parental humor and wisdom. Altogether, the Miller and Williams clans are a fun group of people from whom I would absolutely accept an invitation to Thanksgiving dinner.
The story also really worked for me. The pacing felt just right, letting the reader enjoy the humor and spicy sweetness of Jessica and Vini’s secret relationship all while planting little hints that there is more to it than just sex. Karmen Lee also does a great job of letting these hints get larger and larger as the story progresses, all while having both characters play dumb about their feelings out of fear. When everything blows up in the two women’s faces (as they so often do), it feels both earned and appropriate with just the right amount of heartbreak, making for quite the happy ending.
The spice in The Relationship Mechanic was also fantastic. Not only were there a lot of sex scenes to enjoy, but each one felt unique to the moment that our love birds were in. None of them felt unnecessary or gave the impression that Karmen was putting them there just for the sake of having more sex in her book. What also helped make these scenes so good was the dialogue between Jessica and Vini. Their flirting when fully clothed was hot enough, but the way they talked to and about each other when the clothes came off was on another level and I ate it up.
The last thing I want to point out about The Relationship Mechanic is how much I love seeing another queer romance set in the deep South that does not play into negative stereotypes. Yes, there are many places in the South, including places in my home state and the state in which I currently reside, in which it is not safe to be an out queer person. At the same time, there are also lots of places where people are loving and accepting of who you are no matter what. I love that Karmen Lee has given us a place like that in Peach Blossom. I definitely will be returning there again and again.
Overall, The Relationship Mechanic is a wonderful romance filled with relatable and loveable characters, a plot that will make you swoon, cry, then swoon again, and some delicious spice. If you’re a fan of steamy small town romances, flirtatious banter, and fun characters who take forever to realize what is right in front of them, then you will fall in love with this book. I know I have.
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