On the Corner of Love and Hate is as charming and complicated as the small town in which Nina Bocci sets it. Cooper and Emma have been friends since childhood but their relationship took a turn in college. Since they both moved back home to Hope Lake, they've been working together at the Community Development Office, but nothing is as it used to be. They're forced to see each other every day, but they don't work together well, never mind spending time together outside of work. When Cooper decides to run for mayor to replace Emma's retiring father, matters get messier. Is Emma Cooper's old friend, contentious coworker, campaign manager or something else entirely?
Hope Lake has been reinventing itself as an outdoorsy tourist town, but all of that work is threatened when Cooper's opposing mayoral candidate proposes defunding all public projects and bringing in mega-stores. When the campaign turns ugly, Emma and Cooper are both forced to evaluate their futures in local government, in their community and in their own relationship. Long-time romance readers will be able to guess where this story is heading, but the push-pull relationship is all the more satisfying for the I-told-you-so moments.
Bocci puts her characters through an emotional wringer, but balances the pining and misunderstandings with humor and an overall uplifting message about community involvement, family and hope. --Suzanne Krohn, editor, Love in Panels