REVIEW: Going Against Type by Sharon Black

In Going Against Type by Sharon Black, writing her own column has been Charlotte ‘Charlie’ Regan’s dream as a journalist and it has now finally come true. Unfortunately, she’s writing under the pen name, Side Swipe, while a journalist from another paper picks her stories apart to make her writing sound like a joke. To make matters worse, her friend is determined to match-make for her. Yet, the man her friend has chosen seems to be the biggest flirt ever. How can Charlie trust such a man, especially once she learns what he does for a living and that he has a secret that could turn her against him?

”So as an experiment, do you think we’ll work?” Derry said, interrupting her thoughts.
“Um, will what work?”
He shot her an arrogant smile. “Fiona’s matchmaking attempt. Either Cupid will be on target or we’ll end up throwing bread rolls at each other.”
Charlotte gritted her teeth. “I’m a crack shot with a bread roll.”

This was a really interesting read right from the beginning, as the heroine is working for a company that’s sports column is reported by more men than women. She really surprised me as a heroine. She’s hard-working and determined to do her best to show how good her writing is, and her need to succeed was what made this story fast-paced. Does she win over the other writer’s approval? Does she keep her column when it seems things go wrong for her at the paper she works for?

As for the dialogue, it was entertaining due to Charlotte and her rival’s columns. They’re both very good writers with a difference in opinion. Where the heroine has certain beliefs when it comes to reporting about sports and the lives sport-stars lead, her rival isn’t afraid to tell her she’s wrong through the paper he works for. I found the column from the hero’s point-of-view to be a bit harsh at times, but it made for fun reading, especially when the two journalists finally come face-to-face.

I really liked both the main characters. The heroine is strong, brave, independent and quite stubborn. She’s determined not to fall for the hero, especially since the first time they met he was with a gorgeous woman that seems like a bit of a stalker. However, he’s charming and persistent, enough that it becomes harder and harder to resist him. Moreover, she’s hard-working and really good at her job. She’ll do anything for a story, even if it means entering places she shouldn’t enter and taking on people that could put her job in jeopardy. While the hero, he’s charming, confident, tenacious and also very good at his job. I felt sorry for him when their growing relationship turned sour for a while, because I thought the heroine over-reacted by not allowing him to explain.

Overall, I did enjoy this story, even though I wasn’t very impressed by the way this story ended. What brings Charlotte and the hero back together at the charity event she’s helped with made me laugh, yet the happy for now ending left me frustrated, because no two characters deserved a happy ever after ending more than Charlotte and the hero. I would recommend Going Against Type, if you enjoy the enemies to lovers trope.

Book Info:

Publication: September 23rd, 2014 | Tigeraaer Publishing |

Some would say Charlotte ‘Charlie’ Regan has it all. Beautiful, smart, athletic, and a great job working as a journalist – in the almost exclusively male sports department. But Charlotte is not quite so sure as she seem. Recently split from her overbearing boyfriend, she escapes for weekends surfing in the Atlantic, and spends her free nights watching sports, roaring at the TV.

Derry Cullinane is a fashion writer, gossip columnist, and sophisticated man-about-town – The go-to guy for any woman seeking expert advice on what fabulous outfit to wear for any given occasion. He’s also tall, dark, good looking . . . and straight! So what’s the snag? He has a track record of dating glamorous, vain, and shallow women.

Charlie gets an opportunity to write a new column under the pen name Side Swipe, but soon is drawn into a war of words and wit with a rival paper’s columnist, The Squire, and their verbal fireworks get readers and editors talking. Yet neither Charlie nor Derry knows just who the opponent is.

When Charlotte and Derry meet at the Races, the attraction is instant. As their relationship develops, so much more proves at stake than protecting their alter egos. But a blunder puts Charlotte’s job in jeopardy just as Derry’s past makes front page, and Charlotte begins to doubt her feelings. When Side Swipe and The Squire are finally forced to reveal themselves, will they revert to type – or confound everyone’s expectations?