Miranda in Retrograde by Lauren Layne
Product details
Web ID: 19876493Following your heart
I will admit, Layne is hit or miss for me. I love her premises, but her characters don’t always resonate. This is not one of those times. I loved Miranda and Archer and their easy interactions. The astronomy angle is fresh, though it won’t be for everyone. Overall a fun read for a summer afternoon.
Recommends this product
Customer review from barnesandnoble.com
3.75stars-inviting and imaginative
3.75stars-MIRANDA IN RETROGRADE by Lauren Layne is a contemporary, adult, romance story line focusing on thirty-one year old physics professor Dr. Miranda Reed, and artist Simon Archer. Told from first person perspective (Miranda) MIRANDA IN RETROGRADE follow Dr. Miranda Reed in the aftermath of not making tenure, and taking a year’s sabbatical to follow her horoscope, using astrology and the signs to show her the way. Without a place to live, Miranda sets up shop in her Aunt Lillian’s house where she will meet the neighbor, artist Simon Archer, the man with whom Miranda will fall in love but along the way, Miranda continues to take advise from the stars, and her relationship with Archer is threatened by her inability to follow her heart. What ensues is the tempestuous but growing relationship between Archer and Miranda, and the potential fall-out when betrayal threatens our heroine’s future. The world building focuses on Miranda Reed as she follows her astrological chart to the point of obsession. Everything she does bounces back to the stars, and in this, she may miss the important events and people who call to her heart. The relationship between Miranda and Archer begins as neighbors but Miranda refuses to bend on her need to follow the signs, and narrowly mises the opportunity to fall in love. Believing she has already met the man of her future, Miranda pushes away the man with whom she is falling in love. There are no $ex scenes. We are introduced to Miranda’s friend Daphne, and Miranda’s aunt Lillian; her brothers Brian and Jamie as well as their parents; love interest Christian Hughes, his daughter Kylee, and Archer’s ex Alyssa. MIRANDA IN RETROGRADE is a sweet yet quiet romance; a story of hope and fears, of expectations and friendships. The premise is inviting and imaginative ; the romance is subtle; the characters are animated and sassy.
Customer review from barnesandnoble.com
fun, sweet, heartwarming and romantic
Miranda in Retrograde by Lauren Layne is a sweet standalone novel. I am a big fan of Lauren Layne, as she always has wonderful romantic stories. We meet, Dr. Miranda Reed, who is a very successful PhD astrophysics professor, and to her surprise, she is denied tenure to the university, even though all her students love her. Miranda decides to take a sabbatical, and is encouraged by her BFF, to do something out of her comfort zone; and she chooses looking into Astrology. She decides to try and follow her horoscope rather than the logical life she has always lived. Miranda moves into her aunt’s loft, while the aunt goes away for the summer. Miranda meets her aunt’s next-door neighbor, Archer, who is a well-known private artist, who refuses to show her his paintings, and though in time, they become friends. Miranda slowly gets used to Archer’s grumpy ways; as learning more about her astrological suggestions, will open her up to other surprising things. Miranda and Archer have a slow-burn romance, that for the most part, was just a witty banter that led to a fun and hilarious friendship. Miranda began to actively date Christian, as she was helping train his daughter, into learning more of astrology; but over time, she begins to know that Christian was a good friend, but no real romantic relationship. I really did like Archer and Miranda, as they had a fantastic relationship, even though both of them weren’t ready to open up to a possible relationship. I thought that Archer had begun to have feelings for Miranda, but thought she was only interested in Christian. Miranda in Retrograde was a fun, sweet, heartwarming and romantic story, filled with love. Archer and Miranda were great together as friends, and eventually falling in love. I did love them together. I also liked the wonderful secondary characters, such as Aunt Lillian, her BFF Daphne, and even Christian and his daughter were very good. I loved the ending, as Miranda will find a terrific new career, and the wonderful love between her and Archer. Miranda in Retrograde was so very well written by Lauren Layne.
Recommends this product
Customer review from barnesandnoble.com
Entertaining book
This was an entertaining, well-written book. It was fun, sweet and kept me reading. I wanted to find out what was going to happen. I enjoyed this book and will look for more books by this author.
Customer review from barnesandnoble.com
Emotional, intriguing unexpected romance
I wasn't sure I would finish Miranda in Retrograde before release. I should have known better. I started reading the story and found myself devouring the words. I couldn't put it down. I was rewarded for my devotion with a fantastic ending. I closed the book and just sat in the afterglow of the story. The story called to the geek in me. Miranda is a brilliant professor, making a name for her university with TV appearances. My word, she was even Jeopardy star numerous times. Towards the end of the school year she finds herself unexpectedly in limbo, not know what she would be doing in the future. Miranda takes a year sabbatical in an attempt to find herself. Her search is full of drama. Her reliability on a non-science had me giggling. Her lack of confidence in life could be her downfall but it made for really great reading. I was completely hooked. The slow build romance was a wonderful bonus. At times Miranda seemed so lost, something I can identify with. A high IQ doesn't mean you can master life. Thankfully she has friends and a new neighbor that can pick her. That Ah-Ha moment for her had me happy dancing. The happily ever after was perfection.
Recommends this product
Customer review from barnesandnoble.com
Cute
When I started this book, I knew that I wasn't going to like the astrology part of it and I was right. I found myself skipping over the daily horoscopes with an eyeroll. But everything else about this book was super cute and I loved the fact that it was clean for the most part. I don't want to be reading the f- word every other word and I appreciate that. I thought the romance was cute and I loved the way they got together. If you are looking for a sweet romance with a side of astrology, then you will love this book. I received a complimentary copy of this book from NetGalley. All opinions are my own.
Customer review from barnesandnoble.com
A delightful rom-com!
If Lauren Layne writes it, I will read it. There is something about Layne’s writing that perfectly encapsulates the golden age of rom-com movies from the 90s that we all know and love, except in book form. She always nails the emotions and feelings every single time, and I find myself completely devouring her books in record time. Miranda in Retrograde delivers a beautiful slowburn romance between a renowned astronomer at a crossroads in her life who is trying something new by putting her faith in astrology to guide her and the grumpy artist next door who she keeps running into at night on the rooftops. Lauren Layne is the queen of contemporary romances in my book, and she gave us the most beautiful emotional slowburn romance between Miranda and Archer! I know some people don’t like slowburns, but I love them as they always deliver big emotions and some heartache along the way, with the best payoff in the end. While this book is low on the spice, it packs all the emotions I want in a romance. I was kicking my feet up in the air with the biggest grin on my face – I was so giddy the entire time I was reading it! The chemistry between Miranda and Archer is there, but it’s a slow simmer as they clash at the beginning, but they form a strong, deep friendship that clearly feels like there is more to it. They both clearly have these deep feelings for each other, and Layne teases the romance so perfectly, giving you the perfect hints of what could be between them if only they both are willing to push aside their own fears and embrace the love that’s in front of them. When the realization of how deep those feelings are, Layne gives us the perfect rom-com movie worthy moment that had me feeling all the things. It’s like their love was written in the stars. Recently, I’ve been struggling with first-person single POV in contemporary romance. I like to know how both characters feel in a romance, and in a first-person, single POV, that can be lacking and hamper the romantic development. However, I did not have that problem at all with this book. Layne did an excellent job giving us Miranda’s internal thoughts and feelings but also showing us how Archer was feeling even though we weren’t in his head. Archer was so far gone for Miranda, and it comes through in such tiny little ways that Miranda, as the narrator, might not fully pick up on, but the reader will, which contributed to why this romance worked so well for me. I also loved how well the romance worked with Miranda’s journey of self-discovery. Since she was a young girl, she’s always been driven to be the best she could be academically, reaching acclaim, and even fame, as an astronomer. But when she’s denied tenure, her whole world and her identity get thrown for a loop. This book is really about her journey toward self-discovery and finding herself and her passion, and letting go of the expectations she and her family have put on her. She’s so uptight and starchy initially, but so much more free and calm by the end. I love how she turned to astrology, something she considered totally fake at the beginning, to guide her. Astrology definitely plays a big role in this book, and I loved how Layne wove it into the story, walking us through each of the astrological signs throughout the year and starting each chapter with Miranda’s horoscope. I’m not a big astrology buff, but it was so fun seeing how the horoscopes would apply to Miranda’s life in ways she wouldn’t expect, and it helped set the chapters up really well. In my opinion, I also loved how the horoscopes also played into the romance, as Miranda would expect one thing based on her interpretation of the horoscope, but the real meaning was only apparent to the readers. And then we have Archer, our grumpy neighbor next door. I loved this man. He was the perfect grumbly grump who also always seemed to be hanging around Miranda, even though he claimed to be annoyed by her. Initially, there were some antagonistic vibes, but their relationship quickly reached a steady rhythm, similar to that in a grump/sunshine romance. I also love that there is a little bit of mystery to Archer. He’s a very famous artist, but he’s a bit protective and secretive over his art. He’s also got some hang-ups from things from a previous high-profile relationship, and I, like Miranda, found myself wanting to know about him. I feel like I could go on and on about this book, as it was so stinking cute! It’s the perfect, light-hearted contemporary romance that will give you all the feels! It’s pure escapism in the best possible way. The romance, the characters, and the astrology worked so well together that I couldn’t help but feel giddy while reading this! I will definitely be adding Miranda in Retrograde to the list of Lauren Layne books I have designated as comfort reads when I want a cute, swoon-worthy romance with heart! Thank you to the Gallery Books/Netgalley for the ARC! All thoughts, ideas, and opinions expressed in this review are my own.
Recommends this product
Customer review from barnesandnoble.com
A beautiful story
Sweet, romantic, and clean are the first things that come to mind when describing this book. This book had me googling my birth chart and creating an interest in reading about astrology. The story is set between New Jersey and New York, although parts of the book also take place in Florida. We get Miranda, a professor whose main love and focus in her life is her career, or so she has convinced herself until the career plan she had elaborated on unfolds unexpectedly. We also meet Archer, a grumpy artist whose main charm comes from his ability to say little and leave you wanting more. This book is comforting, easy to read, and perfect for when you want a story that would allow you to escape reality while also living curiously through someone else's love story. If you love witty banter and love a story that makes you happy for others, this is it! I would have wished that the ending didn't move that fast, but I am not mad about it either. Thank you to Gallery Books, Lauren Layne, and NetGalley for the arc copy!
Recommends this product
Customer review from barnesandnoble.com