Writing convincing love stories with non-typical characters is tricky. Radley more than measures up to the challenge with this truly heartwarming romance.
Heather Bailey is the manger of Silver Arches a high-end mall in London. She's been in this position for seven years and in the company for nineteen. Retail is not quite the same as it used to be and The Arches Group is feeling the impact. As a strategic move, The Arches Group has got an investor, Intrex, headed by the redoubtable Leo Flynn. Heather is uncertain about what this could mean for her and for her beloved centre but continues her work with the same dedication that she's always had.
Leo Flynn has an unsettling penchant for dropping in to Heather's office without warning, but Heather quickly learns to deal with this without either cowing down, letting it affect her work day or being rude. But what surprises her is when Leo Flynn tells her to find a job for his daughter, Scarlett, with just a cryptic comment that Scarlett is difficult.
Heather overthinks the reasons why the daughter of her new boss would be a part of her team but has to comply. Scarlett arrives in Silver Arches and as per Leo's diktat, she is placed in Facilities. The going is not good. However, there is something about Scarlett that intrigues Heather. With a background in the army, Heather decides to shift Scarlett to Security.
Slowly and painstakingly, Heather starts unravelling the mystery that Scarlett is.
The world of Silver Arches that Radley builds is entirely convincing. There are a number of character peopling this book and all of them are completely believable.
Heather and Scarlett are wonderfully written and detailed. Radley has achieve success in writing Scarlett on the autism spectrum and maintaining the trajectory without slipping. Heather's attraction and sensitivity towards Scarlett are beautiful. The only slightly weird thing is that despite being a textbook model of autism, no one except Scarlett herself recognises this about her. The only person who suspects it is Scarlett's stepmother.
Being in a long term relationship with someone on the spectrum wouldn't be easy, but the way Radley has written the relationship between Heather and Scarlett with so many small but important exchanges of mutual respect and accommodation, makes us firmly believe that theirs is going to be happily ever after.
This is a real touching romance.
⭐⭐⭐☆
