10 things that never happened

Hall spins off his fan favorite Boyfriend Material with a droll enemies to lovers rom-com that offers a fresh take on the amnesia trope. When Sam Becker, manager of the struggling Sheffield, England, branch of bed and bath retailer Splashes & Snuggles, is summoned to London by the chain's owner, prickly profit-driven Jonathan Forest, he knows he's going to be fired. He's not expecting Jonathan to announce that he's axing all of Sam's employees as well. In the ensuing confrontation, Sam falls into a display shower and passes out. The harried ER doctor misdiagnoses him with amnesia and insists that Jonathan should look after him for a fortnight. Sam runs with it, pretending he doesn't remember any part of his tense relationship with Jonathan, let alone being fired, and hatching a plan to use this new status quo to soften Jonathan up. As they spend more time together, however, Sam realizes that he might not mind Jonathan's prickliness as much as he thought. The plotting is rom-com gold, Hall's typical wit is on display, and the eclectic supporting cast charms, but the heroes themselves feel ever so slightly underdeveloped. Still, fans of grumpy/sunshine romances will eat this up. Agent: Courtney Miller-Callihan, Handspun Literary. (Oct.)

Prolific and wildly successful Hall's (A Lady for a Duke) latest romantic comedy is the first in the "Material World" series, a spin-off of his popular "London Calling" series. Sam, the reluctant manager of the Sheffield branch of a home goods store, inadvertently claims to have amnesia after a shower door falls on him during an argument with his grumpy boss, Jonathan. Hoping to stop Jonathan from making drastic staffing cuts at store his during the Christmas season, Sam moves into Jonathan's house for two weeks of concussion monitoring. Falling in love is difficult when one man is fibbing and the other is concerned about being sued, but the two men end up with a happily-ever-after, following a few roadblocks. Narrator Will Watt superbly handles English accents from Liverpool, Sheffield, and London and delivers the novel's comedy with perfect timing. It's generally lighthearted, but Hall creates realistic backgrounds for secondary characters that involve economic downturns and complicated familial relationships. VERDICT Watt voices difficult conversations with sincerity and emotion, and listeners will breeze through this entertaining and excellent audio production. Recommend to fans of romantic comedies.--Sarah Hill