book-review – Sandy Barker

I love a good love triangle. I love reading them and watching them, and I love writing them, especially the romcom version.

Where the non-comedic love triangle will often explore deeper, darker themes of heartbreak, loss and forever wondering ‘what if?’ – not just for the person who is left alone, but also for the person who makes the choice – the romcom version allows a ‘lighter touch’, finding the humour in the situation.

In The One That I Want, book 3 in the Ever After Agency series, I had a great time exploring the love triangle trope, especially as for some time our heroine, Greta, has yet to meet one of the love interests. He’s Greta’s first match with the matchmaking agency and it’s terrific fun (for us) when she develops an attraction to a man she’s never met, based solely on a biography and a photo. With her imagination running wild, her bestie questions whether he can live up to the version of him she’s created inside her mind.

Cover of The One That I Want
A man and a woman stand in front of a window; London in the background; both are holding takeaway coffee cups

Another aspect of love triangles I enjoyed exploring was the complexity of making the ‘right’ decision – the one that will have readers cheering our heroine on and shouting, ‘Yes!’

Wanting to make the right decision comes with a hefty dose of conflict, as well as to-and-froing between the two love interests. And even when Greta decides which man she wants – in true romcom fashion – the path to finding love becomes even trickier, making for an even juicier read.

For those who loved Season 2 of Bridgerton (or the book it was based on, The Viscount Who Loved Me), Anthony’s internal conflict – him wanting to make the ‘right’ decision – was a battle between duty and desire. This battle was compelling – often comedic, but also leading to some of the sexiest (but not raciest) scenes of the season.

I also enjoy when the love triangle leads to the main character’s growth and development, with both love interests bringing out something special in the main character. As readers and viewers, we see this play out in one of my favourite romcom series, Bridget Jones’s Diary.

There’s Daniel Cleaver, the sexy bad boy who awakens Bridget’s sexuality, sassiness and grit – a downturn in their relationship prompts her to quit her ho-hum job and get into television. And, of course, Mark D’Arcy is the curmudgeon, who despite all outward appearances tells Bridget he likes her ‘just the way you are’ (swoon). Bridget is transformed by her relationships by both men, gaining both confidence and self-acceptance.

And if you haven’t seen the latest movie, Mad About the Boy, there’s a whole new love triangle. It’s also BRILLIANT by the way.

In The One That I Want, Greta becomes much more self-aware about what she does – and doesn’t – want from a relationship, largely from her interactions with both love interests.

I hope you enjoy reading Greta’s romantic escapades and I’m sure you will love who she eventually chooses. I did.

I am delighted to welcome Anna to Off the Beaten Track, We’ve been connected on social media for several years and got to meet in person at a recent Romance Writers of Australia meet-up and she was so much fun to hang out with. And now to our catch-up…

Welcome Anna. Tell us what inspired you to write Alice and the Impossible Game?

The travel bug – for me, it’s chronic! A constant itch. I’m making that sound painful, but actually IMHO there’s nothing better than visiting somewhere new and experiencing life and culture away from my ‘ordinary’. I’m fortunate to have lived in a lot of amazing countries (Fiji, Kiribati, Sri Lanka, Nepal, Indonesia, Germany, France, Australia) and visited a whole lot more, so perhaps it’s not surprising that traveling and holidays are going to feature my stories. Plus, I’d already written my novella, Alice in Wanderlust (the prequel to Alice and the Impossible Game) pre-Covid as part of my Passport to Love series. During the pandemic writing and reading became even more important to me as they were my only means of escape when we were stuck in lockdown. The only problem was that there was a lot of angst in my first draft – not exactly romcom – so although I knew I wanted to write a road-trip romance, I had to throw it out and start again. The writing process has taken longer than ideal, but I can’t wait to share it with everyone on 1^st March 2024, and sometimes the most challenging journeys reap the greatest rewards, don’t you think?

When did you start writing seriously?

Seriously? Most of the time, I try NOT to write ‘seriously’ or at least not to take myself and my writing too seriously. If I did, I think I’d shut down and not write anything. Long story short – my dad was a published author and although I aspired to write from a young age, I didn’t think it was possible to become a published author. I knew how hard it had been for him. However, I’ve always loved to write even when it was a hobby and just for me. When my husband and I made the big leap and moved to Australia ten years ago, I decided to give NANOWRIMO (National Novel Writing Month – when writers attempt to bang out 50k words in a month) a crack. I successfully wrote my first 50k (of drivel) which I thankfully then lost after lending a friend my laptop which she accidentally wiped – talk about a blessing in disguise. But it showed me I could write more than just a bad first chapter. After that, I think the event which changed my perspective about becoming a published author was attending the Romance Writers of Australia Conference in 2016 and realising that I was no different to anybody else and my dreams were possible if I just stuck with them.

What do you love most about being an author?

The awesome writing community in Australia – there is so much strength and succour to be gained from the support and friendship of fellow authors. As I mentioned previously, I also love the escapism of writing: all the stress and responsibilities of real life fall away because I get so wrapped up in my creative world. I love that feeling…Unfortunately, my family don’t love and are long-suffering about the very late and often cremated dinners I create…

What are you working on now?

Final editing of Alice and the Impossible Game. A super exciting Christmas anthology project with 12 other AMAZING romcom authors for next year, but my lips are sealed and stapled for now. And also a new contemporary celebrity-collides- with- smalltown series called Rush to Stardom…

Nothing like juggling multiple balls to keep you on your toes!

What do you hope readers will take away from Alice and the Impossible Game?

Well, my author tagline is love, laughter and happy ever after, so those things are what I always try to bring to the page. But for this book in particular, the notion that nothing is impossible (within reason, of course – I’m never going to be a ballerina!). If you believe in yourself and commit whole-heartedly to your goals and aspirations, you’ll be amazed by what you can accomplish. That doesn’t mean we get everything we want in life, but if we keep believing and keep working hard, we get a whole lot more than if we lose faith in ourselves and give up. Who was it that said, The harder I work the luckier I get? They were bang on.

I couldn’t agree more, Anna. And I cannot wait for Alice in Wanderlust (great title, by the way) and that anthology!

More about Anna

Born in Fiji, Anna has spent most of her life trotting round the globe living in some far flung places such as the islands of Kiribati, Kathmandu in Nepal, Sri Lanka and Indonesia. Anna served as an officer in the British army for seven years, including four operational military tours in war-torn Bosnia and living in Edinburgh Castle. Anna’s love of adventure, romance and humor blaze a trail through her stories. Nowadays, when she’s not writing or reading, Anna enjoys a quiet(ish!) life teaching English and humanities to secondary school students, swimming, hanging out at the local yacht club, and sampling the many delicious wines of the beautiful Mornington Peninsula where she lives. What you probably don’t know and don’t want to know…Anna is a wannabe cowgirl and line-dancing tragic. It’s a work in progress…

Follow Anna

Instagram | Facebook | Tiktok

About Alice and the Impossible Game

Alice’s gap year travel plans in Australia are scuppered on New Year’s Eve when her identical twin sister, Tilly, (aka Twister) bails and returns to the UK without apology or explanation. In a supreme effort to get Tilly back on board (and to find out why on earth she left), Alice reluctantly agrees to Tilly’s Impossible Game. But Alice never counted on Guy, the hot lead singer of Aussie band, RiffRaff, being part of the package.

Guy’s not interested in any sort of commitments other than his musical career and the future of his band, RIffRaff…oh, and his next musical gig which happens to be at his brother’s wedding. As well as being a key member of RiffRaff, Tilly had promised to be his plus one…Now she’s gone missing, he needs to find a substitute and fast.

Alice is in a fix. Travelling alone and compelled to follow the rules of her sister’s Six Impossible Things Game her life is spiraling out of control.

Guy needs a fix. A bandaid for his band and his fragile ego and a hostile-as-hell wedding situation…

But the Impossible Game looks like it might just play HAVOC with both of their best laid plans. And the only thing you should believe¾there is likely to be some collateral damage…

Pre-order Alice and the Impossible Game

Amazon US | Amazon AU | Amazon CA | Amazon UK

And catch up on the prequel, Alice in Wanderlust, now!

Thank you so much for joining us, Anna!

Tag: book-review

Loving a Good Love Triangle