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The Real Thing
192 pages
A nostalgic, angsty plunge into vintage romance where big-city glamour meets the delicious tension of falling for an intimidating boss.
What it feels like
Reading this vintage romance feels like stepping into a time capsule of classic romantic tropes and mid-century glamour. The narrative moves at a brisk, engaging clip, sweeping the reader from a cozy, predictable provincial life straight into the sharp, sophisticated edge of London's fashion publishing world. The atmosphere is steeped in delicious, yearning angst as the heroine navigates her own deep-seated insecurities while surrounded by intimidatingly worldly rivals. It is a story built on the simmering, high-stakes tension of a workplace power imbalance, where every glance from the demanding boss feels charged with hidden meaning. Fans of old-school category romance will devour this earnest, emotionally heightened tale of a fish out of water finding her footing and unexpected passion in the big city.
- Mood
- yearning
- glamorous
- tense
- Tone
- earnest
- dramatic
- romantic
- melodramatic
- Pace
- brisk
- Themes
- workplace power dynamics · fish out of water · overcoming insecurity · big city allure · unrequited pining
- The writing
- Emotionally heightened and straightforward, heavily focused on the heroine's internal anxieties and the simmering tension of her interactions.
- The arc
- The protagonist moves from comfortable complacency into a whirlwind of insecurity and yearning before finally finding passionate reassurance.
- Who it's for
- Readers who love the nostalgic, angsty thrill of vintage category romances featuring innocent heroines and demanding, sophisticated bosses.
Content notes
- dated gender dynamics
- workplace power imbalance
About the book
H1650 Cleone Aston had always thought she was happy and contented enough, with her pleasant job as a reporter on a local newspaper, and marriage to her boy-friend Ivor in due course — until she was offered, out of the blue, the job of editor on a fashion magazine. It would mean a move to London, a lot more money, an exciting life among exciting, sophisticated people — and a lot of challenge. But the biggest challenge of all, Cleone soon found, was her new boss — Ellis Firse. It was not long before thoughts of Ivor faded fast, to be replaced by an overwhelming love for Ellis. But why should Ellis think of her at all, except as a rather recalcitrant employee? How could she ever hope to compete with the other girls in his life — the Karins and Annabelles and Marias who had so much more to offer him.
Description from Open Library.
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