Bella Andre books for me are the quintessential contemporary romance books. They’re light, fluffy, hard to believe, and sweet as toffee that might cause a cavity. Now That I’ve Found You is one of Andre’s better outings but sticks to the same formula. It was perfect for reading while my kids played at the park yesterday but I wasn’t glued to the story.

Now That I’ve Found You is the first in the New York Sullivan family series, but the bazillionth Sullivan book. These are the New York cousins of the San Francisco and Seattle Sullivans. Drake Sullivan is a successful artist taking time away from the chaos of New York City to find his muse again. He’s hiding out at his cottage in Montauk trying to find some motivation to create when he sees a woman crying on the cliffs near his home. Immediately he is drawn to her and the need to paint resurfaces.

Rosa Bouchard is a reality television star. She’s run away to Montauk after naked pictures have been leaked of her to the media. Rosa is understandably distraught and wants to get as far away from her family in Miami as she can. Drake rescues Rosa, she allows him to paint her, and they very quickly fall in love.

What I liked most about Now That I’ve Found You is that it’s very romantic. Bella Andre knows how to write a swoon-worthy hero and Drake is lovely. Drake knows almost immediately that he and Rosa are meant to be and doesn’t really care how that comes about, only that they are together. Rosa was an attractive heroine, her slight hesitation to get Drake involved in her messy life makes sense, she wants to protect the man she is falling in love with. I think too that Andre handles Rosa’s reality tv fame well, I can imagine that any 18yr old could have easily been swept up in the fame and money of instant celebrity. So the reader doesn’t hate Rosa for being an exhibitionist on television, which I think would have been the natural reaction of many readers, myself included.

I also liked the New York Sullivan extended family, especially Drake’s sister Suzanne, and I look forward to reading her book next. I like that Suzanne doesn’t have a traditional female job, most of the Sullivan women and love interests are things like realtors, actresses, and librarians, so it’s nice to see a brilliant computer whiz among them. The home and town of Summer Lake are also truly tempting, I love small town books where the location becomes its own character.

What I didn’t love about Now That I’ve Found You, was just its lack of reality. I know this is a romance novel and there’s some suspended belief but everything just worked out a little too well for Rosa and Drake and there was very little strife between them to add to the story. I’m okay with love at first sight, but every problem Rosa or Drake have in the novel is so easily solved that it was just a little too much at times. And maybe I missed it but how many days on end is Rosa wearing Drake’s clothing? It seems they would have hit a Wal-Mart somewhere along the way!

Bella Andre is best when you’re having a rough day or you’ve read six angsty books in a row and you just need something sweet with a happy ending. Now That I’ve Found You hits all of those points, I give it a B-.

You can purchase Now That I’ve Found You from Amazon by clicking on the cover below.