A Reading Desk reader picked up Espresso Shot of Charm by G. M. Asmau, a romance about two people who cannot go five minutes without an argument.
Espresso Shot of Charm
by G. M. Asmau
Habiba Muktar and Badr El-Idrissi are a brilliant architectural “power duo” with one shared…
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specialty: driving each other absolutely insane. Habiba builds walls with an architect's discipline. Badr lives to tear hers down, insisting her fiery presence is essential for the office ecosystem to function. Their carefully managed rivalry—one neither of them would ever dare call friendship—shatters when Habiba’s family attempts to force her into a disastrous marriage. One look at her fear was all it took for Badr to make a reckless, unforgettable choice. He marries her first. Suddenly, two rivals who never planned beyond their next argument are husband and wife. Thrown into a marriage built on panic, loyalty, and badly timed heroism, they must navigate the fallout of what they’ve done. As their lives intertwine, the distance they relied on begins to feel far less secure. And if rivalry was the only thing keeping them from crossing lines they were never meant to test, what happens when even that is gone?
Show lessHabibah is a Hausa girl who moved to Canada with her grandfather after she lost her parents. Badr is a Moroccan man whose family has lived in Canada since he was young. They met in school and got on each other's nerves at once.
Years later they work at the same architectural firm. They still argue, they still compete for the biggest clients, and somehow they are always paired on the same projects. Then they end up in a marriage that neither of them saw coming.
Their banter was honestly one of my favorite things about this book.
Our reader enjoyed the arguing and the competition, and enjoyed watching the relationship change slowly underneath it.
What stayed with her most was Habibah's own story. Habibah did not get the love and acceptance she deserved in her own home. In the book she finds that warmth with Badr's family, one step at a time. Our reader singled out the bond Habibah builds with her mother-in-law and sister-in-law.
The office side of the story got a mention too. The two of them try to keep the marriage a secret at work, and it does not stay a secret.
Short verdict: A fun, emotional romance with banter to remember, a love story that grows slowly, and family dynamics that warmed our reader's heart. Five stars from her.
This review came through Sọna's Reading Desk programme, where readers can get a book in exchange for an honest review. Thank you, Oyiza (@oyizareads on Instagram), for this one.
If you like this kind of story, there are more on the romantic comedy page.
