“The perfect blend of soul crushing angst, laugh out loud wit and heart melting romance.”–Helena Hunting, New York Times bestselling author

From USA Today and #1 Amazon bestselling author L.J. Shen comes a new, contemporary romance with heart-wrenching twists and laugh-out-loud moments. This standalone is like no other by this author. In The Unlikely Event is available now!

Aundi’s Musings…

5 He Kept the Napkin Stars

LJ has created a completely one of a kind romance, that will overwhelm you with all the feelings it conjures, in the most delicious ways. She pulls at each of your emotions like the strings of a guitar, until your left drifting in the song that her words have created, trapped and unwilling to let go. This book is something so different and so wonderful. But filled with all the things that we love about LJ including her dirty and cheeky humor. I could not get enough of this story and I’m sad to see these characters go. This is definitely going to be a book I will reread again and again. 

The first flakes of snow fall around us. On my nose. Eyelashes. Shoulders. A storm is brewing inside my snow globe.

One of the things I love most about LJ are the imperfections she gives her characters; it makes them so much more relatable. And Mal and Rory are no different. They are both broken in their own ways due to their individual circumstances. But from the moment they meet it’s as if they were destined to be. Their connection is instant and so incredibly strong, it doesn’t feel forced it just is. They are two completely different people from two different worlds who found each other due to circumstances beyond their control. 

This guy can move me without touching me, and touch me without laying a finger on me. His grandfather was right. He’s trouble. 

I love that they must fight to be together. Relationships are hard and they are messy. People make mistakes and things happen that you can’t be control. But it’s what you do with those experiences that define who you are. And it’s the relationship cultivated out of those same experiences that shows how strong your love is. Mal and Rory’s love is not easy it’s messy and raw. LJ brings out all the angst with their story. But that just makes you want them to figure it out that much more. 

“Well, I’m a pacifist, so don’t worry about me. I’ll never kill you.” 

“You already have.”

My heart broke for each of them for completely separate reasons. But the brokenness of them is what endeared me to them. Their individual struggles and the unwillingness to truly let go of the other make your heart soar. LJ makes you fall in love with them as individuals and then as the couple you so desperately want them to become.

The familiar chill turns hot again, and I know he is my lighter. Ready to set me on fire with a flick of his fingers.

This book is unlike anything LJ has written but on the same token has her signature all over it. I’ve never read anything quite like this story and I don’t think I will. This book will fill the void of finding something a little different to read. It’s one of the best second chance romances I’ve ever read, and I’m not usually a fan of second chance romances. I was completely consumed from the prologue all the way until the very last sentence. I am utterly obsessed with this new world that LJ has created. 

ARC review

Sarah’s Musings…

5 SHAKE MY SNOW GLOBE CROWNS

So different, and yet uniquely L.J. Shen! I absolutely loved this new world and characters. IN THE UNLIKELY EVENT is going to shake up your snowglobe.

What I love most about any L.J. Shen book is that her characters are flawed, maybe a bit broken or jaded from the hand they have been dealt, but what I also love about her characters is that they find love. Always. The love is in someone whole or some just or more broken than they are. But her stories show me that love is out there for everyone, and ITUE exemplifies this in so many ways.

Mal and Rory are everything we love about a young romance – the epic, whirlwind love. Through them we feel the incorruptible purity of romance and the pure innocence of love. The serendipitous nature of their initial meeting has all the swoon-worthy moments readers die over.

The Mal and Rory we meet as adults have become a bit jaded because it’s life. Things happen. We make assumptions. We cast people as villains. We make excuses for those we love. We make mistakes. All of these things shape who we are and the futures we carve out for ourselves. What is epically romantic about it all is that these two are still drawn to each other, that through the muck of life, their hearts and souls still call to each other.

In the Unlikely Event, though, is something special. I don’t know if it is the setting or the way they meet or the fact that these two still find each other, but there is something that sits in your soul, that has you feeling bereft when you read the final line because it’s over. There is something unique and witty and funny and romantic that grips onto your heart and doesn’t let go. And as with any Shen novel, there are lasting themes that relate to the way we love the resonates in not just my heart but my mind. And that is magical in and of itself.

In the Unlikely Event is different. It is. Will you find all the signature things fans love about her books? Absolutely. LJ’s stamp is all over this book, but it is something different in the romance world right now. I know I’ve never read a story like it, and I don’t think I will for some time.

BETA read

Tricia’s Musings…

3 crazy CROWNS

Well, Ms Shen wasn’t lying when she said she was writing one crazy, out of character book. In the Unlikely Event is certainly different and rather odd and to be honest, it wasn’t really my cup of tea.

There were certain parts I really enjoyed, the first chapters from the past especially. I loved the intensity of Rory and Mal’s first meeting, the humor and their banter, as well as the first hint that things were not quite what they seemed to be. I also really liked the many points of view, even though most of them were quirky and somewhat silly, nevertheless they did make me laugh.

The lack of communication, or miscommunication, is where the story lost me I’m afraid. It’s one of the things I find particularly frustrating in a book and it made it difficult for me to connect to this couple. Unfortunately, this, together with some rather manipulative behaviour, drove the plot for the majority of the book and created angst where, for me, it really wasn’t necessary. There was too much going on and, in my opinion, too many pointless secrets kept and lies told, lies which were believed based on rather flimsy evidence. We got so close to a reveal on a number of occasions before a deliberate distraction had us veering off in another direction, and it made me want to scream. Although I felt as though the story settled down towards the end, sadly for me it was too late as by that point, I really didn’t care for any of the characters.

Each to their own as they say and although this book was not for me, I do hope that many other readers will enjoy In the Unlikely Event.

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