Be More Octopus
An artist, a professor, a summer by the sea and a portrait that changes everything
Is accidentally hitting an attractive professor with a vacuum cleaner a good way to start a romance? Em doesn’t think so, and she’s not looking for love anyway.
After discovering her fiancé’s been cheating on her, Em leaves her dull call centre job, packs up her art supplies, and heads to North Devon to start afresh. But when charming Professor Jack Carver arrives for a holiday, what effect will he have on her plans?
Book 1 in the Dashford Comedies series
Tropes and themes
- Romantic comedy
- Friends to lovers
- Slow burn
- Small town romance
- Seaside setting
- Low spice
Publication date:
12 June 2023
Paperback
Kindle
Kindle Unlimited
What readers have said
“A lovely, light read with lots of twists and turns to keep me page turning until the end. I was invested in the two main characters and cared what happened to them. A very entertaining story, and I look forward to reading the next one.”
“I really enjoyed this British rom com. It has a twisty-turny plot that kept me intrigued. I couldn’t put the book down!”
“A light and readable RomCom with lots of fun. Beautifully written, and very evocative of the Devon coast. Lots of believable and sympathetic characters as well as the usual baddies.”
Read an excerpt from Be More Octopus
Em heard a buzzing sound. She checked her phone. Nothing. It must have been someone else's. She went back to looking out the window as the bus slowly made its way into Birmingham city centre through the morning rush hour traffic.
The buzzing sound happened again. It was definitely close by. She looked down and spotted a splash of claret and blue plastic in the crack between the seats: Connor's phone with its distinctive Aston Villa cover. It must have fallen out of his pocket when he got off the bus a couple of stops ago.
Em picked it up. There was a text message notification on the screen. Should she unlock it to check what it was? Connor had given her his passcode months ago when they'd been waiting for an Uber. Desperate to relieve himself of some of the ten pints of beer he'd downed that evening, he'd left his phone with Em so she could track the car while he disappeared behind a hedge.
The text could be from the manager of their wedding venue. He'd promised to come back to Connor about squeezing in four extra guests for their wedding breakfast. But it was unlikely to be him this early in the morning. It was probably Connor getting someone else to text his phone to find out where it was.
Either way, she ought to check. Em tapped in the six-digit code. The message appeared:
The hearts were worrying. The sender's name simply said 'A'. Odd, but obviously someone Connor knew.
Em clicked on the notification. No other texts, just that one. A's contact details didn't give any clues either - only the mobile number and the single-letter name.
The phone buzzed again - another text from A.
Em did as she was told. There was plenty to read there. So much that Em missed her stop.