Tangle in the Tropics

I enjoyed returning to the world of “The Race for Riches or Romance” with Tangled in the Tropics. The second chance romance between the main characters leans strongly into a once-in-a-lifetime kind of love. I enjoyed their complicated dynamic and the banter throughout the story.

That said, after really loving the ‘games’ aspect of the first book, I was a bit disappointed by how minimal they felt here. I understand that the focus for the characters shifted beyond the competition itself, but because the games played such a strong role in Crush in the Cascades, this one didn’t quite match the expectations that I had going in.
I also felt this installment leaned more heavy into ‘fluff’ than the first book. While it had its own unique emotional challenges for the characters to work through, the overall tone leaned into a more dreamy, cinematic romance. While I still enjoyed the story, that aspect just wasn't as much to my taste personally, and I don’t think that this one is one I’d find myself reaching for again.

Beyond that, my only negative feedback – and this coming from a long-time paddler – was the mix-up between rowing and paddling. They’re not the same, so those references pulled me out of the story at times. I came across this in the first book as well.

Despite my mixed feelings compared to book one, I still enjoyed the characters, and I’d honestly love to see season 2 retold from Justin’s perspective. It feels like there’s a lot more to his story this season that we got to see, and I’d definitely be interested in reading that version despite already knowing how the season turns out.