After this, I’m so ready to move to a small town to be their librarian … I can only hope I have such fantastic stories to tell 🙂
*****
Mayday
Lovestruck Librarians series
by Olivia Dade
Blurb:
Helen Murphy loves her supportive family, her close-knit circle of friends, and her part-time job at the library. What she doesn’t love: the fact that she’s a thirty-six-year-old near-virgin who lives in her parents’ house. Eager to move out and reclaim her independence at long last, she’s determined to get the library’s new Community Outreach Coordinator position. Even if that means working side-by-side with the one man she desperately wants to avoid—Niceville’s ambitious mayor Wes Ramirez, who happens to be her only previous lover, and the source of her greatest humiliation…
Wes needs to make up for his disastrous one-night—actually, make that one-hour—stand with deliciously nerdy librarian Helen. As they plan the city’s upcoming May Day celebrations together, he’ll try to prove he can do better, in bed and out. It may take every bit of his creativity and determination, but their budding romance has already gone down in flames once . . . and he’ll be damned if he’ll let Helen go a second time.
Amazon: http://www.amazon.com/Mayday-Lovestruck-Librarians-Book-2-ebook/dp/B013ZNGZW0
Barnes & Noble: http://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/mayday-olivia-dade/1122536585?ean=9781616509378
Google: https://play.google.com/store/books/details/Olivia_Dade_Mayday?id=Ld5fCgAAQBAJ
Books-A-Million: http://www.booksamillion.com/p/Mayday/Olivia-Dade/Q672234296?id=6300597355308
iBooks: https://itunes.apple.com/us/book/mayday/id1039679614?mt=11
Kobo: https://store.kobobooks.com/en-us/ebook/mayday-17
The Kensington website: http://www.kensingtonbooks.com/book.aspx/32306
*****
Excerpt:
“I see that the library sent a representative to discuss the history and symbolism of May Day, but I never got a message confirming the name,” Wes said. “So if anyone’s here from the library, please feel free to come to the front and make your presentation.”
That Helen rose from her seat didn’t come as a shock to him. Given her lack of willingness even to look his way, he didn’t think anything other than professional necessity would have driven her within fifty feet of him. She made her way to the front, her eyes focused on the podium rather than him. Only when she arrived and he failed to move out of her way did she raise her gaze.
“Excuse me, Mayor Ramirez,” she said, her voice firm.
He couldn’t locate a single iota of warmth in her tone. Certainly not the kind of heat he felt standing only inches away from her.
“Wes,” he said.
“Excuse me,” she repeated. “I need to get to the podium.”
He didn’t budge. “Please call me Wes, Helen.”
Now he could feel heat emanating from her, all right. But not the heat of affection or desire. No, the heat he sensed came from fiery rage.
Her soft lips firmed, and she flicked a dismissive glance at the microphone he was blocking with his body. Rather than pushing past him or calling him by his first name, she instead turned to face the crowd from where she stood. “Good evening!” she shouted. “I’m Helen Murphy, and I’m a part-time adult reference librarian at the Downtown Niceville Library!”
He turned away before she could see the grin he couldn’t stifle. What a firebrand. He was pretty sure if he read her mind right about now, he’d hear something along the lines of, Screw your microphone, Mayor Ramirez. And screw you too.
Once he had his face under control, he turned back to her. “Here,” he said, interrupting her introduction and moving away from the podium.
“Why don’t you use the microphone?”
“Thank you, Mayor Ramirez,” she said.
“You’re welcome, Helen,” he answered, and then took a seat directly in front of her.
*****
Review:
It’s going to sound like I didn’t like this book, but that is SO far from the truth 🙂 Dade delivers a sweet, small-town romance with great characters, entertaining interactions, and an easy-to-read voice.
A couple of things did bother me, though. I think that Helen’s expectations of her initial hookup with Wes are a little unrealistic. Luckily Dade has her recognize this and it helps to make her a little more normal. She seems to think that it is the start of something grand but she has a 5 minute conversation in a bar (with a man that doesn’t even know her name) and then they are off to bed. It is hurtful when things go sour so quickly but it isn’t all that unexpected. Wes does recognize that he messes up and tries to make up for it, but only after he’s got himself straightened out, which I think is admirable.
At that point, they are thrown together to work on a project and Wes wants to have another chance. Unfortunately for him, Helen is hurt and not willing to risk her heart again. Luckily for him, though, he’s able to charm her into trying to be friends. Here’s my other complaint – I really wish we’d been given a glimpse of their interactions during those 2 months. There are a few references but I feel like I missed out on something by not seeing that part. They develop a deepening relationship that we don’t get to experience and their interactions we do get are so much fun that I want even more. I want to be there for the funny stories and the charming moments, getting a chance to see them fall for each other.
Having said that, the rest of Mayday really made me happy. I like that Wes took his time to woo her, even if Helen didn’t realize that was what he was doing. I also like how real the characters felt – with insecurities and difficulties that made them even more human. We get their disastrous first encounter, followed by a not much better re-introduction, and then the struggle to figure out if they can make their lives somehow fit together. It’s totally a real life thing – two people who have feelings for each other but with their own hopes, dreams, & baggage. Is it possible to make them work or are they fated to part ways?
(Even though this is the third book in the series, this one can stand on its own … although, with a few hints here, I’m definitely curious what trouble the other librarians got into while falling in love.)
*****
Author Info:
Olivia Dade grew up an undeniable nerd, prone to ignoring the world around her as she read any book she could find. Her favorite stories, though, were always romances. As an adult, she earned an M.A. in American history and worked in a variety of jobs that required her to hide her bawdy interior under a demure exterior: Colonial Williamsburg interpreter, high school teacher, academic tutor, and (of course) librarian. Finally, though, she realized the call of the hussy could no longer be denied. So now she writes contemporary romantic comedy with plenty of sex, banter, and nerdery. When not writing, she cooks alongside her husband, dabbles in photography, and tries to hide her collection of throbbing-intensive romances from her curious daughter.
*****
Giveaway:
ebook copy of Mayday
http://www.rafflecopter.com/rafl/display/e4be888272/
*****
Romantic Reads and Such 