In Out of Love, the second part of Ruth Cardello’s latest duology, Scott must deal with having a very sudden, very powerful twin and the sudden onset of romantic feelings for the daughter of one of his brother’s clients. The end result is charming and romantic, if slightly silly and uncomplicated with insta-lust.

Jesse Rehoboth is a powerful executive with a large family, and he’s startled to learn that he has an identical twin brother who was adopted at birth. Scott Millwood, a simple farmer who enjoys tilling the land and wants to return there posthaste, is equally startled, but a DNA test proves their connection. Jesse’s mother wants Scott to be part of the family and for him to come to know his many aunts, uncles and cousins – and Scott needs Jesse’s help, because an oil baron is trying to force Scott off of his land so he can steal the beans Scott’s been growing to use as a cheap fuel source. Jesse’s solution to this is simple – Scott will lay low in Jesse’s house while Jesse poses as Scott to outdo the oil baron (for Jesse’s side of the swap, see book one, Strictly Business). A bored Scott dresses up in Jesse’s suit and poses as him at the office. Then a pretty lady walks in and his life changes.

Scott finds himself attracted to Monica Bellerwood, the daughter of one of Jesse’s clients, who is in the process of helping build a life-support system for a space station. Unfortunately, Monica thinks Scott is Jesse and is thrown for a loop by Jesse’s sudden display of animal love and simpler values. Will she understand when he explains what he’s done? Or is a relationship between them a non-starter? It’s all easier said than done when an enemy of Jesse’s tries to kill Scott.

Cardello has become well-known for her complicated family tales, and Out of Love is no exception. You have the fun family feelings, you have the angsty love story complicated by stubbornness and lies, and you have tons of intrigue to fascinate yourself with. The book’s weakest point is that Monica and Scott are pretty instantly in love, and much of the conflict is milled from the twin switcheroo, so it’s one of those ‘don’t-blurt-out-the-secret-of-the-show-or-part-of-the plot-falls-apart] books. And the whole plot is pretty silly – Scott ending up being mistaken for Jesse simply because he’s so bored in seclusion he thinks walking around in Jesse’s suit at the office will liven his life up – but I’ve honestly seen sillier plot twists in other romances over time.

The romance is generally spicy but the best part of the book is the genuinely successful assassination plot. Corporate intrigue is hard to write in a fresh way, but Cardello knows how to do this. This isn’t an A-tier book, but it’s still a fairly fun ride.

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