Teddy Spenser Isn't Looking for Love

By: Kim Fielding

Narrated by: Daniel Henning

“A fizzy, fun, and full-of-heart romcom.” —Booklist

Some people search their whole lives to find love. He just wants to avoid it.

Teddy Spenser spends his days selling design ideas to higher-ups, living or dying on each new pitch. Stodgy engineer types like Romeo Blue, his nemesis—if you can call someone who barely talks to you a nemesis—are a necessary evil. A cute necessary evil.

Working together is bad enough, but when their boss puts them both on a new high-stakes project, “working together” suddenly means:

• sitting uncomfortably close on the same plane
• staying in the same hotel room—with only one bed
• spending every waking minute together.

Turns out Mr. Starched Shirt has some hidden depths, and it’s getting harder to ignore the spark Teddy feels with every brush of their hands, with every knowing glance. He might not have been looking for this connection with Romeo, but will he ever be ready to let him go?

Carina Adores is home to romantic love stories where LGBTQ+ characters find their happily-ever-afters.

Kind of weird premise, but entertaining.

This was kind of a weird set up, with the whole "Smart Vase" being the catalyst for the story. And the idea that a backer would make these two guys complete tasks- I could maybe see that with a different kind of story, but for a retail product it was just kind of odd.

I ended up liking the story a little more than I expected, although it's not a favorite and won't be a repeat listen. Teddy wasn't the easiest character to like at the beginning, although he grew on me as the book went along. He had a lot of preconceived notions about Romeo which were off-putting to start, but I'm happy with the way things turned around. I wouldn't say this was quite an enemies-to-lovers trope, since that feeling was pretty much all one-sided on Teddy's end- it was more of a forced proximity kind of romance. Once they started to spend time together it was good to see Teddy realize Romeo wasn't quite how he imagined. It was a definite case of insta-love, which I actually didn't mind too much, but it was just a little too syrupy sweet, especially at the end.


I enjoyed Daniel Henning's narration. I think his performance of Teddy was very good, which helped endear me to the character by the end of the book.

Good story. Good narration.

This story was mostly from Teddy's perspective, but I was constantly empathizing with Romeo. I picked this book up because I wanted to see how a romance between marketing and engineering could possibly work.

I hate to admit this, but sometimes the engineer stereotypes are real. Sigh. I still don't know what kitten heels are and I refuse to google it. Yes, we do have three older versions of the same technology based device lying around. I am currently sitting next to three laptops that are at least five years apart in antiquity....

The story was sweet and romantic. The Seattle setting was masterfully constructed in a way I rarely see. The city is more than just downtown and Starbucks. Overall a very entertaining read and a good listen.