There are some traditions in my life that I will always honor: two cups of coffee before existing, putting Christmas decorations up the day after Thanksgiving, rereading Harry Potter in the autumn, watching Doctor Who Christmas specials on Christmas Day with my dad, wax poetic about Rent in front of complete strangers and duck behind trash cans when spotting people from high school.

The most important tradition, however, is buying every single book that Krista and Becca Ritchie release. And then babbling incoherently about it online. In the words of Jane Cobalt, "It seems we are dreadfully tangled, you and I."



How to protect your heart:
Let your bodyguard have it.

Jane Cobalt is an American princess. The loyal and painfully curious twenty-three-year-old has inherited immense pressure to preserve the Cobalt legacy. But for Jane — sex, love, and life have been a series of royal failures.

After a friends-with-benefits ended in disaster, she's sworn to a “no sex” hiatus for, well, eternity — and she has no intention of letting anyone in her bed and definitely not her heart.

Twenty-eight-year-old Thatcher Moretti is painfully professional. As the stern 24/7 bodyguard to Jane, thinking about unbridled sex with his sweet client is a sin. One that he keeps committing.

But the real act is a hard line he’d never cross.

When a family member betrays Jane's trust, the media becomes obsessed with matchmaking the perpetually “single” Jane Cobalt and unwanted attention suddenly compromises her safety.

Thatcher would do anything to protect her, and one solution may level the threats:

Become the fake boyfriend to an American princess.

Entwined together with boiling chemistry, new “professional” parameters, and an oath, unsaid feelings threaten to rise and change everything. 



Tangled Like Us is just as wonderful as I expected it to be. It's no secret that Jane Cobalt is one of my favourites from the Like Us series--how could she not be? She's one of the children of Rose Calloway and Connor Cobalt and we all know they are two of my favourite fictional characters of all time. I've been waiting for what feels like forever to see her story and it certainly did not disappoint!

There's this indescribable quality to the dynamic duo's writing. They never fail to make readers feel as though they know their characters. It's their greatest strength: they still, they always, write in living colour and it's what makes their stories so beloved amongst their fans. I've loved seeing the timeline expand and the families grow.

When I said, a few years back, that these series (Addicted, Calloway Sisters and Like Us) are to my twenties what Harry Potter was to me growing up, I meant it. They truly are. I will seriously always have a soft spot for these characters. Always. They are SO special to me.

But, let's get back on track to the review! Tangled Like Us obviously centers around Jane Cobalt and her blossoming relationship with her bodyguard, Thatcher Moretti. Readers who have been following Maximoff Hale and Farrow Keene's love story in the previous three installments of Like Us will have noticed long ago that something was bound to happen between Jane and Thatcher based on chemistry alone.

Admittedly, I was a little concerned about whether or not I'd like Tangled Like Us.

Not because I don't trust Krista and Becca Ritchie--I do. I was just in a weird place emotionally when it was released, which delayed me reading it. And then there was just a part of me that was like, eh, another bodyguard and client relationship? Thaaanks.

(Insert that Vine clip of a child getting an avocado for Christmas and setting it aside like thaaanks.)

Plus, I'd grown so used and attached to the relationship between Moffy and Farrow, I was like, "Oh, they're not going to top this." Colour me foolish, though, because as always Ritchie Squared knocks it out of the park for their readers. None of their characters and relationships are in a competition against each other. They're all equally wonderful. All of the characters and relationships are vivid and complex.

Much like within Addicted and Calloway Sisters each relationship in the Like Us series is uniquely different but no less warm and fuzzy* inducing. We see Jane and Thatcher go from not-so-subtle attraction, to fake dating, to real hooking up and then witness them settle into a new normal.

Which is a joy that is not without complication.What's life without a little angst, anyways?

*Well, and maybe a little cold shower inducing, but that's neither here nor there. 

Tangled Like Us has a lot of wonderful traits to it. Samantha Calloway (aka, Grandma Calloway, aka Poppy, Lily, Rose and Daisy's mom) is still an uppity snot with no boundaries or sense of reality. The relationship of Jane and Thatcher has a lot of growth as they connect and let their guards down. They literally melt around each other and I love them for it. Not only do they connect on a physical level, one we see from the start, they've got that emotionally charged bond that makes these romances stand out.

Some of my favourite parts of Tangled Like Us happen in passing. They build onto the bigger picture, which I appreciate.

References to Moffy and Farrow's story are only the beginning. Throwbacks to Addicted and Calloway Sisters, the Cobalt Family Dinner (!! ADOPT ME, PLEASE) and more of that incredible familial bond between the three core families. Even further, we see the incorporation of Thatcher's family, as well.  

Tangled Like us relies equally on fleshing out the characters, crafting the romance and sprinkles in a little nostalgia for longtime readers. There are many layers to it.

More positives to note: 

• Thatcher's growth in general. He is not the same, icy bodyguard we were first introduced to. He really does thaw out around Jane. How could you not? Even I'd thaw from being near that little cupcake and her six cats. ALL OF WHICH THATCHER KNOWS THE NAMES OF. Because he is THAT man. Thatcher is attentive as heck, but what else would we expect from a bodyguard? I have decided to stan forever. I loved seeing more of his backstory and his family. YES, PLEASE.
• The reluctant friendship that is brewing between Farrow and Thatcher. END SENTENCE. But for real, I'm here for it. I love that Farrow, Moffy, Thatcher and Jane are now going to be called the seasons. Because I agree 100%.  
• This was without a doubt Jane and Thatcher's story, but we do get to see little moments of Moffy and Farrow.
• The Cobalt Family in general. I love the entire core three families (obviously) but because Rose and Connor are my favourites from the series, their family is kind of everything. Their social media blackout to stick together, their little calls to one another, their undying loyalty and that family dinner? I just adore them. I adore Rose and her gremlins, Connor and his heart, whatever you want to refer to them. I love them all. Ensemble! I'd love to see more of Charlie because after Jane, he is probably my favourite of the Cobalt Gremlins Children.
• Connor telling Jane: "Ne fais pas mes erreurs, mon coeur." (Or: "Don't make my mistakes, my heart.") Jane is that perfect combination of both Connor and Rose, but still fully her own self, and I loved this little moment because Connor saw that part in her. Cobalts see through a lot of things and I don't know this moment just made me super happy?
• Not to continue on my I LOVE THE COBALT FAMILY theme but, Rose and Connor talking at dinner? "You trick me, Richard, and I will roast your heart on an open fire." His grin only grows. "My heart is yours to do with as you please." THEY DESTROY ME, OKAY? 
• Jane Cobalt and her cats. We love a cat lady! 
• Jane, Moffy, Farrow, Luna and Sullivan living together is giving me SO much life. I'm excited to see this bond grow in the future because we already know the Ritchie's write family and friendship so beautifully.
• Daisy, Lily and Rose helping Jane get ready for dinner with Thatcher's family. Squad goals? Family goals? Yep! 
• Did I mention the COBALT FAMILY? 

In short? Tangled Like Us is another stellar release set within this world and I can't wait to see what happens next. Once I got into the story, I couldn't put it down. Romantic, steamy, steady with emotion, life and laughter, Tangled Like Us is everything you want from Krista and Becca Ritchie.

I'm so excited for the next chapter of Jane and Thatcher's story in Sinful Like Us. One thing is certain: I will never not love these families and stories.