Ali’s only wish is to figure out what to do with his life. After years of going from job to job, he stumbles into the small town of Grimford, seeking the help of an old friend to find his place in the world.

Jasmine wishes her father would realize she is no longer a little girl. She has helped him run his restaurant for most of her life, and she knows it’s time for her to step into a more active role.

Thanks to a fake resume, Ali finds himself in the job Jasmine wants. His wish has come true, while she wishes he’d just go away.

When they start to work together on the restaurant’s music festival, they discover a connection that runs deeper than music. But Ali feels like a fraud, hiding his secret identity from the people in his workplace.

If Jasmine finds out he’s lied his way into their dream job, will she be able to forgive him? Or will the happiness he’s finally found all go up in smoke? 

Titles in the Grimford series include: Until the Storm Passes ~ False Notes ~ Drawn Home ~ Grant Me This ~

This is a clean, sweet romance with either closed doors or fade to black, or only kissing.

Title:  False Notes
Series:  Grimford #2
Author:  Elizabeth Doherty
Published:  December 22, 2018
My Rating:  4 stars

False Notes is the second title in the Grimford series,  a fun sort of retelling of the Aladdin fairy tale, and gives us Jasmine’s and Ali’s tumultuous romance.

I enjoyed False Notes by Elizabeth Doherty.  It’s a cute, engaging story of a young man, Ali, who doesn’t really seem to know how to function in the real world.  His track record of holding down a job isn’t, well, the greatest.  He traveled to a small town after reading a friend’s post, hoping that he might find another job or at least a new place to start fresh.  What he landed in was far more than he expected, with a convoluted story to get him the perfect job, a lovely young lady to pine over, and some intense intrigue.

Jasmine has spent her entire life as part of her family’s restaurant.  She wants desperately to do more there, to unleash more of her ideas, yet her father still sees her as a little princess who can’t possibly carry on his and his deceased wife’s vision for the restaurant.  She’s more than capable of additional responsibilities, like the annual music festival that the town and her family’s establishment are rather famous for.  But even after a heart scare, her father just won’t budge, instead hiring an outsider, Ali, who she doesn’t trust one bit, for “her” dream job.

I had fun with Jasmine and Ali as they worked their way through her animosity toward him, set up the festival, and faced down a very determined adversary.  There’s humor, an adorable golden retriever, little flashes that reminded me of the original Aladdin tale, and some backstabbing before her father realizes that his little girl is all grown up and quite capable of anything she sets her mind to.  The romance is light and sweet, with family dynamics and a stranger being dropped into the mix, which combined to make a fun, engaging, enjoyable time.

*I received an e-ARC of this novel from the author or the author’s team via Booksprout, and I sincerely thank them for their trust. It is my choice to leave a review giving my personal opinion about this book.*

This title is available at Amazon (affiliate link)