ON A NIGHT LIKE THIS – Lindsey Kelk
Harper Collins
ISBN: 9780008496753
January 18, 2022
Romantic Comedy

England & Mediterranean Sea – Present Day

Fran Cooper’s life is in a rut. Her boyfriend is selfish and wants her to do what he wants to do and not what Fran wants. She works for a temp agency and her latest assignment means that she will be gone for several days. But does her boyfriend care? No, he refuses to discuss it with her. So, after waking up and finding him gone, Fran heads to the assignment, where she learns that she will be a temporary assistant to a well-known singer—and it requires that she accompany the singer on the trip to a remote Italian island where the glitziest of parties is being held. Sounds like fun, but it’s the start of a nightmare for Fran.

Fran is supposed to keep an eye on the demanding celebrity singer, such as to make sure she doesn’t drink too much, but that’s hard to do when expensive champagne is flowing freely. She does develop a sort of friendship with her charge, but at the same time, the job isn’t easy. After they drop anchor in the harbor of the Italian island, Fran goes ashore to get a special request from the singer. But while she’s gone, the yacht leaves—without her! After contacting her boss in London, Fran learns that she can “take over” the suite that had been reserved for the celebrity. Fran plans to hide out until a makeup artist comes and convinces her to crash the ball. Fran becomes like Cinderella at a ball and her secret should be safe, until she meets Evan…

Fran has a night to remember in ON A NIGHT LIKE THIS by Lindsey Kelk. While she enjoys her work as a temp, it would be nice to have a steady job in a field she enjoys—if she can figure out what that should be. Her boyfriend/fiancé would rather she get a mundane job, such as teaching. He is rather controlling and refuses to listen to her. He avoids talking to her by disappearing, which is what he did that morning she left. Fran has spent most of their years together appeasing him, so now she has a chance to do what she wants to do.

At first, the job, which is on an expensive yacht, is fun, even if the celebrity is hard to please. But soon, they forge a friendship, though Fran still must give in to keep things going smoothly between them. But the morning the yacht drops anchor in the bay, hell breaks loose when the celebrity must have a special soft drink. After Fran is left stranded, she finally reaches her contact in London, who advises her to stay there until a certain time the next day, upon which the yacht will be back to pick her up. The one thing Fran must not do is to tell anyone that the celebrity singer is not coming. What happens next is Fran sneaking into the ball—and meeting the charming Evan, a man she had run into earlier that day. They hit it off, though Fran can’t forget that she is somewhat engaged. I say “somewhat engaged” because she is by now wondering if it’s time to end that. And when the hour arrives where she must go, she leaves Evan sleeping…

ON A NIGHT LIKE THIS is an intriguing tale, though it takes halfway through the book before Fran meets Evan. Is this a romance or a tale about a woman’s journey? A bit of both. Fran is an engaging character and one that readers will root for. Will she find a happily-ever-after or will she return to her fiancé? Will she find a career she enjoys? Be sure to grab a copy of ON A NIGHT LIKE THIS to find out the answers.

Patti Fischer