Reality in Check Review — Is It Worth Reading?

Verdict: A cosy, low-angst English countryside romance: a reality-TV hotel fixer and heiress clashes with the sculptor who has inherited a rundown hotel. Readers love Charlotte, the setting and the gentle enemies-to-lovers arc; some find Arte immature and the ice queen not very icy.

Best for: Readers who want a comforting age-gap ice queen romance set in England.

Heat level: L3 · Open door (3/5)

Rating: ★★★★☆ (3.9/5 — a 4.14 Goodreads average across 2,075 ratings, 3.86 on StoryGraph from 462 reviews, and 4.5 stars across 1,445 Amazon ratings)

Tropes: Ice queen, age gap, enemies to lovers, slow burn, celebrity/non-celebrity, inherited hotel.

Reality in Check is Emily Banting’s 2023 contemporary lesbian romance, book two of the South Downs Romance series from Sapphfic Publishing and a 2024 Goldie finalist. Sculptor Arte Tremaine and her sister inherit their late grandmother’s charming but rundown country hotel — with zero guests.

It holds a 4.14 average across 2,075 Goodreads ratings, with 76% of them four or five stars, 3.86 on StoryGraph from 462 reviews, and 4.5 stars across 1,445 Amazon ratings.

What Is Reality in Check About?

Arte is determined to make the hotel work, despite her sister pushing to sell. Then Charlotte Beaufort — hotel-empire heiress and host of the reality show Hotel SOS — arrives to film an episode, and immediately clashes with Arte and her inquisitive Labrador, Rodin.

Thrown together, Arte starts chipping at Charlotte’s icy exterior, and both women begin to question whether the dreams they chase are even their own.

What Works in This Book

Charlotte: Readers repeatedly name her the standout — composed on the surface, still seeking her mother’s approval underneath.
Cosy tone: Fans describe a gentle, low-angst read with humour.
English setting: Readers love the countryside hotel backdrop.
Audiobook: One listener says Angela Dawe’s performance elevates it.

Book Synopsis

A TV hotel fixer arrives to critique a sculptor’s inherited hotel — and sparks fly.

Can a dreamer and an ambitious heiress find their true paths, and each other?

My Review

This is comfort reading done well. The hotel-makeover premise gives the pair a natural reason to clash, and the book’s theme — following your own dreams rather than someone else’s — gives Charlotte a moving arc.

The main complaint is Arte: several readers found her harsh, immature or demanding next to Charlotte. Others felt Charlotte thaws too fast to count as an ice queen, and a couple found the book dragged or lacked chemistry, preferring book one.

My honest note: Come for Charlotte; be patient with Arte.

Element	In Reality in Check
Central relationship	Charlotte Beaufort (TV host, heiress, 51) & Arte Tremaine (sculptor and hotel heir)
Core tropes	Ice queen, age gap, enemies to lovers
Setting	A country hotel in the English South Downs
Heat level	L3 · Open door (3/5)
Length	306 pages (Kindle edition)
Series	A South Downs Romance #2 — readable as a standalone
Content notes	Grief, death of a parent, sexism

How Spicy Is Reality in Check?

Moderately, with some on-page intimacy in a mostly gentle book.

StoryGraph readers flag grief, death of a parent and sexism; one reader found the grief hard at a sensitive time.

Who Should Read This Book?

You’ll likely love it if: you want a cosy, low-angst ice queen romance. It is on our celebrity lesbian romance list.

You may want to skip it if: you want a frosty ice queen or high stakes.

In short: Warm, gentle, very British.

What Readers Are Actually Saying (September 2026)

On Goodreads the split is 40% five stars, 36% four, 19% three, 3% two and under 1% one. On StoryGraph, 67% tagged it lighthearted and 66% emotional, and 84% found the characters loveable.

Why readers love it (according to the discourse): Charlotte first. Second, the cosy tone. Third, the setting. Fourth, the slow burn.

What readers argue about and complain about: Arte, above everything. Second, a soft ice queen. Third, pacing for some.

The comparison worth making first: Guarding Evelyn, a higher-drama ice queen story.

Frequently Asked Questions

Do I need to read Broken Beyond Repair first?

No. The publisher says it can be read as a standalone or as book two of the South Downs Romance series, though some readers recommend reading book one first for context and a returning character.

How big is the age gap?

Significant: readers note that Charlotte is 51, and Arte is considerably younger.

Is Charlotte a true ice queen?

Readers are split. Several say her walls come down quickly and she is the one who pursues Arte.

How spicy is Reality in Check?

Moderate — there are on-page intimate scenes, but readers mostly describe it as cosy and low angst.

Is Reality in Check on Kindle Unlimited?

Yes, when we checked — or $6.99 to buy on Kindle. The audiobook is narrated by Angela Dawe.

If You Loved Reality in Check, Read These Next

Try Keep Talking or Guarding Evelyn. Browse our celebrity list or the full Book Reviews archive.

The Bottom Line

Reality in Check sets out to be a cosy age-gap ice queen romance, and Charlotte and the setting deliver. What holds it back is a younger lead some readers can’t warm to. A lovely rainy-day read. Check Reality in Check on Amazon →