Meg Mackworth’s hand-lettering skill has made her famous as the Planner of Park Slope, designing beautiful custom journals for New York City’s elite. She has another skill too: reading signs that other people miss. Like the time she sat across from Reid Sutherland and his gorgeous fiancée, and knew their upcoming marriage was doomed to fail. Weaving a secret word into their wedding program was a little unprofessional, but she was sure no one else would spot it. She hadn’t counted on sharp-eyed, pattern-obsessed Reid . . .

A year later, Reid has tracked Meg down to find out—before he leaves New York for good—how she knew that his meticulously planned future was about to implode. But with a looming deadline, a fractured friendship, and a bad case of creative block, Meg doesn’t have time for Reid’s questions—unless he can help her find her missing inspiration. As they gradually open up to each other about their lives, work, and regrets, both try to ignore the fact that their unlikely connection is growing deeper. But the signs are there—irresistible, indisputable, urging Meg to heed the messages Reid is sending her, before it’s too late . . .

Oh, my — Reid Sutherland might just be my new favorite romantic hero (he’s right up there with Silas from The Husband Tree, Levi from Fangirl, and Owen from Things You Save in a Fire). I adore quirky heroes, but he’s not just quirky — he’s direct. Love me a direct man!

This is my first novel by Kate Clayborn, and I really enjoyed it. I completely relate to the passion that Meg and Reid have for letters and numbers — I have a similar affinity for books and office supplies. And I loved watching the tension and growth between them as they faced their issues instead of avoiding them or covering them up.

My one main beef with the story was Meg’s overthinking — I would forget what the characters were talking about as Meg thought about so many things after every line of dialogue. There were a few occasions of, “Who cares?” and “Get on with it already!” One was in the first chapter, so if you feel like the first chapter drags, I encourage you to keep reading. The characters are wonderful and their situations are relatable, and the chemistry between Meg and Reid is an unexpected, slow-starting fire.

I really enjoyed this book and will have to try some more Kate Clayborn novels.

R-rated for language and sex. Get your copy here!