This is a tale of love overcoming incredible odds. As well as a tragic comedy of errors – which the main character points out herself. And all of this is wrapped up in a unique romance story.

About the Book

Perfect for fans of Emily Giffin and Taylor Jenkins Reid, The Palace at Dusk explores the complexity of love in an illicit office romance.

Harvard-educated corporate attorney Jasmine “Jae” Phillips promised herself that she wouldn’t date anyone at the office. She’s too focused on the job, and her meh dating history can be summed up with a shrug. Then came Brad Summers.

When Jae’s colleague Brad enters her office—boyish and handsome with his tousled hair and sparkling green-gold eyes—and asks if she’d like to grab a drink, she’s flattered. Their conversation makes her feel alive, fascinating, and fun, and the lonely Jae can’t help but bask in Brad’s attention. Soon Jae is breaking her never-date-at-the-office rule. And when she later discovers that Brad has a wife and child, she finds herself breaking a much more serious rule.

After Jae spends years in love with a man who isn’t hers and jeopardizes her career in the process, a series of unexpected developments shake her awake and force her to confront the cost—and the future—of their affair. She needs to make a choice, but love stories are rarely black and white, and the right path isn’t so clear. With her head and her heart pulling her in opposite directions, Jae must somehow chart a course between them in order to find her happily ever after.

My Thoughts

The use of infidelity as a storyline is a controversial trope that some love and some hate. Ms. Terry uses it here to to explore other deeper issues like insecurity, our ability to lie to ourselves, and the double/higher standards that society holds women to. She sets this drama-filled, heart-wrenching love story against the backdrop of a big law firm, adding intrigue and secrecy. At first, Jae and Brad have to hide from their colleagues. Then, she finds out he’s married. She wants to do the right thing. But the heart wants what it wants.

I don’t read or watch many courtroom or legal stories, so it was interesting to see this ambitious young woman climb the ladder while dealing with these other huge personal issues. In some ways, this seemed the perfect romantic setup for her, leaving her free to have a relationship without too much pressure and free to really be married to her work. As a young professional woman, this is a big problem. We have to do it all – be 100 perfect at everything. The best mom, employee, wife, etc. So in some ways, maybe Jae had it figured out. But hearts don’t listen to practical things like that.

The story that Terry has weaved is messy and complicated. Jae and Brad’s decisions left a bad taste in my mouth, and I didn’t enjoy the ending. It was a happy ending, but not the one I rooted for. I didn’t feel like Jae and Brad grew as characters, but that might be an unpopular opinion. But that’s how real life is sometimes. We don’t like how it turns out, and Ms. Terry has written a realistic, messy, human book. I also really didn’t like Maya, or how Brad’s wife was treated in the narrative. However, both of those situations were realistic in life.

My favorite character in the book was Matt. I adored him. I’m too old for book boyfriends, but if I wasn’t, he’d be the one I picked. He reminds me of my husband.

To me, this book really showed the dangers of isolating yourself and focusing too much on work instead of building a community. Considering that’s something I have been guilty of in the past, I felt like it was a bit of a “Christmas Carol” type warning. I’m not sure if that’s what the author was going for, but I still appreciated it as such. I appreciate when romance is just a fun ride, but I also really appreciate that romance can have social commentary embedded within its pages. That’s not just for the sci-fi and fantasy folks! And I’ve noticed an uptick of that lately.

All of that is about the characters and the story. The writing was great. Ms. Terry weaved an amazing story, even if it was extremely frustrating to me, and her writing and storytelling were great.

I appreciate the author and Love Books Tours for including me in this tour.

Who’s It For?

If you enjoy stories of love overcoming all odds and don’t mind the cheating trope, this is a story for you.

Content Warnings: Adult Situations, Adult Language, Infidelity, Pregnancy, Pregnancy Loss, Mental Illness, Spouse/Domestic Betrayal, Eating Disorders. This is not necessarily a full list of potential triggers.

Question of the Day

Have you ever had an office/workplace romance?

Question for the Author

What inspired your story?

About the Author

Angela Terry is an attorney who formerly practiced intellectual property law at large firms in Chicago and San Francisco. She is also a Chicago Marathon legacy runner and races to raise money for PAWS Chicago—the Midwest’s largest no-kill shelter. She resides in San Francisco with her husband and two cats, and enjoys throwing novel-themed dinner parties for her women’s fiction book club.

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