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jehansen127's review against another edition
emotional
funny
lighthearted
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: Infertility, Sexual content, and Vomit
pattydsf's review
3.0
I like almost any type of book set in a library. This one met my expectations - fun, humorous and a good happily ever after. I have to wonder about the boss's socks and how they play in other volumes of this series.
mindfullibrarian's review
5.0
Oh MAN. Seriously, librarian romances are the best thing ever and this one upended all kinds of tired stereotypes and really set an example of how modern romances should be written. Olivia Dade is now a favorite author of mine and I'm excited to continue this series!
NOTE: I have only read this book in the Lovestruck Librarians series bc Amazon claims it is book 3 and doesn't carry, in any form, books 1 and 2. I see Goodreads states that it's book 5 so I'm all kinds of confused and will need to investigate more! This book was on Kindle Unlimited, which was a major win!
NOTE: I have only read this book in the Lovestruck Librarians series bc Amazon claims it is book 3 and doesn't carry, in any form, books 1 and 2. I see Goodreads states that it's book 5 so I'm all kinds of confused and will need to investigate more! This book was on Kindle Unlimited, which was a major win!
koalathebear's review
3.0
There was so much to like and enjoy about this book and I wanted to like it so much more than I did - and almost did.
First of all, it's well-written with funny banter and engaging interactions between the two leads.
Secondly, it had some equally entertaining secondary characters.
Thirdly.
I was actually really, really surprised that the couple remained happily childfree at the end - and to be honest, in a world where romance novels demand that a HEA has marriage and children, this book was very unusual
Things I didn't like so much.
1. Con was pretty unlikeable in many ways. I didn't mind her directness but she was abrasive and pushy to the point of being over the top obnoxious .. it was almost like the author was trying to subvert expectations.
2. I don't have an issue with explicit sex scenes, although these days I kind of skim over them because they're all getting a bit old ... but while some parts of the sex scenes were very engagingly written, some parts made me roll my eyes and almost laugh. The cunnilingus descriptions evoked images of industrial strength vacuum cleaners or perhaps an animal devouring food .. not very sexy or erotic, sorry ...
All in all, it was a good read with some shortcomings that made me regretful because it could have been a great book.
First of all, it's well-written with funny banter and engaging interactions between the two leads.
Secondly, it had some equally entertaining secondary characters.
Thirdly.
Spoiler
I was really surprised and I guess somewhat impressed that the author stuck to the child-free position that Constance maintained from the beginning. I was expecting either an accidental pregnancy that defied science or love winning her over and she'd agree to adopt etc.I was actually really, really surprised that the couple remained happily childfree at the end - and to be honest, in a world where romance novels demand that a HEA has marriage and children, this book was very unusual
Things I didn't like so much.
1. Con was pretty unlikeable in many ways. I didn't mind her directness but she was abrasive and pushy to the point of being over the top obnoxious .. it was almost like the author was trying to subvert expectations.
2. I don't have an issue with explicit sex scenes, although these days I kind of skim over them because they're all getting a bit old ... but while some parts of the sex scenes were very engagingly written, some parts made me roll my eyes and almost laugh. The cunnilingus descriptions evoked images of industrial strength vacuum cleaners or perhaps an animal devouring food .. not very sexy or erotic, sorry ...
All in all, it was a good read with some shortcomings that made me regretful because it could have been a great book.
scrow1022's review
4.0
Funny (surprisingly so), liked the characters and the setting, though a little cute for me. Liked the discussion about children and family, liked how she owned her sexuality and could talk about how some acts made her feel more vulnerable than others. Liked how they both had to shift and adjust, and how that was handled. Deeper than I was expecting.
megfang315's review against another edition
2.0
that middle was rough i had a really hard time understanding why he was into her besides lust, and then the way that he was trying to convince her that she might change her mind about kids later ew . the end salvaged it a bit but that was not a super fun ride
bookdragonkatie's review
hopeful
lighthearted
reflective
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.25
kdf_333's review against another edition
2.0
hmmm not nearly as good as the first 2. not nearly as funny.
the characters faced some tough issues and unlike the first 2 books it wasn't as touching.
i didn't really care about them.
i don't know if trying to write longer books has caused her to lose her mojo or if she needs a new topic and needs to leave this library and this series behind and venture to new territory.
also didn't like the face she acted like they were animals who couldn't be in each others presence without having sex.
i do remember the other couples doing it at work and everywhere but it's been awhile i don't remember if they were this uncontrolled where they couldn't even look at each other. or maybe i just found it funnier then because i had not read the same in 4 other books. shrug.
the characters faced some tough issues and unlike the first 2 books it wasn't as touching.
i didn't really care about them.
i don't know if trying to write longer books has caused her to lose her mojo or if she needs a new topic and needs to leave this library and this series behind and venture to new territory.
also didn't like the face she acted like they were animals who couldn't be in each others presence without having sex.
i do remember the other couples doing it at work and everywhere but it's been awhile i don't remember if they were this uncontrolled where they couldn't even look at each other. or maybe i just found it funnier then because i had not read the same in 4 other books. shrug.
xakyr's review against another edition
2.0
FTC DISCLAIMER: I RECEIVED AN E-ARC FROM THE PUBLISHER THROUGH NET GALLEY IN EXCHANGE FOR AN HONEST REVIEW. RECEIPT OF THIS BOOK IN THIS MANNER DOES NOT AFFECT MY OPINION OF THE BOOK OR THE CONTENT OF MY REVIEW!
I was kinda hoping that this book would be better than it was. Librarians make an interesting character for me, but I found myself rolling my eyes at a lot of what these characters went through.
Much of the conflict in this story stemmed from the fact that these two characters couldn't actually sit down and communicate with one another because they were being too childish or stubborn! They had great physical attraction, but I wasn't able to believe what attracted them to each other as a couple.
Constance or Con, as she's nicknamed, was very harsh and unbending when it came to some of Sam's desires. Has this woman never heard of compromising?! Why should Sam have had to do all the changing for her? Relationships work because of compromise, and she wasn't one to do that. It made me hate her overall, despite the fact that she was a kick-butt type of heroine.
Sam came across entirely too needy, even for a self-proclamed geek like he was. He was totally fine with letting go of all of his dreams to be with Con, which made him rather spineless in my eyes. He was also rather dense and clueless overall, so I didn't care for him as a hero either.
I thought it was good to check back in with the other couples from the series, but I didn't really feel like this was a stand-alone novel. I think I would have been lost if I hadn't binge read the entire prior series before this. Not sure I'd purchase or recommend this book to others, based on that.
I was kinda hoping that this book would be better than it was. Librarians make an interesting character for me, but I found myself rolling my eyes at a lot of what these characters went through.
Much of the conflict in this story stemmed from the fact that these two characters couldn't actually sit down and communicate with one another because they were being too childish or stubborn! They had great physical attraction, but I wasn't able to believe what attracted them to each other as a couple.
Constance or Con, as she's nicknamed, was very harsh and unbending when it came to some of Sam's desires. Has this woman never heard of compromising?! Why should Sam have had to do all the changing for her? Relationships work because of compromise, and she wasn't one to do that. It made me hate her overall, despite the fact that she was a kick-butt type of heroine.
Sam came across entirely too needy, even for a self-proclamed geek like he was. He was totally fine with letting go of all of his dreams to be with Con, which made him rather spineless in my eyes. He was also rather dense and clueless overall, so I didn't care for him as a hero either.
I thought it was good to check back in with the other couples from the series, but I didn't really feel like this was a stand-alone novel. I think I would have been lost if I hadn't binge read the entire prior series before this. Not sure I'd purchase or recommend this book to others, based on that.
phoenixinthecity's review against another edition
4.0
My first Olivia Dade and I was intrigued because the heroine was Chinese and the series is called Lovestruck Librarians.
I really enjoyed this and a large part of it is probably because I can totally relate to Constance's desire to NOT have kids because she raised her siblings-children. I did not expect her permanent solution to get sterilized - that seemed extreme to me because isn't it a rather invasive procedure? - but I respect her conviction.
Sam was the perfect teddy bear for her - 5 years younger and with his own hang-ups of feeling abandoned by his mother, who he comes to terms with in the end, and his father who died to young, leaving him with a half-sister who he feels insecure about. He thinks he wants a big family so he'll never be alone, and I will give him props for suggesting adoption when he misunderstood Con not wanting to have kids, but after 3 weeks miserably apart, his sister Penny makes him realize what he actually wants and they live HEA.
**this really only took me a couple days to read - I paused it to re-read the VIP series prompted by the Fated Mates episode on Managed.**
I really enjoyed this and a large part of it is probably because I can totally relate to Constance's desire to NOT have kids because she raised her siblings-children. I did not expect her permanent solution to get sterilized - that seemed extreme to me because isn't it a rather invasive procedure? - but I respect her conviction.
Sam was the perfect teddy bear for her - 5 years younger and with his own hang-ups of feeling abandoned by his mother, who he comes to terms with in the end, and his father who died to young, leaving him with a half-sister who he feels insecure about. He thinks he wants a big family so he'll never be alone, and I will give him props for suggesting adoption when he misunderstood Con not wanting to have kids, but after 3 weeks miserably apart, his sister Penny makes him realize what he actually wants and they live HEA.
**this really only took me a couple days to read - I paused it to re-read the VIP series prompted by the Fated Mates episode on Managed.**