Review: Hidden Hearts (Lovestruck Librarians #6) by Olivia Dade

AN ADMIRER WITH A SECRET . . .

Mary Higgs could be the poster girl for the buttoned-up librarian. She follows the rules. Stays ʼtil closing. Her kindness and dedication to her patrons are legendary. But those patrons have no idea what she's typing to the mysterious shut-in who emailed the library three months ago . . .

A year ago, Miles O'Connor was a gleaming, ab-sational star of the small screen. Then came the accident. Now he's a wounded recluse with a pizza habit and fears so unshakable that only the thought of losing Mary to an online date could lure him out of his cabin.

Soon their email rapport has turned into weekends on the couch, watching tearjerkers and driving each other insane with red-hot makeout sessions. But as their desire grows and their horizons expand, the life that brought them together might not be enough for either of them . . .

Kindle Edition

Expected publication: June 20th 2017 by Lyrical Shine

Terri's Thoughts

I received an advanced copy of this book from the publisher via Netgalley in exchange for an honest review.  Thank you!  It is expected to be released later this month.

This is book six in the Lovestruck Librarians.  While I have read some of the earlier books in the series, I have not read them all.  For those considering this as a stand alone, go ahead and start reading as it is not necessary to read it in order.  While some of the characters are mentioned in passing, none are featured heavily in a way that would impact the enjoyment of this story.

I liked the fact that the attraction Miles felt for Mary started via simple email exchanges.  As he was suffering through his personal pain, both physical and emotional, she was the one that was able to draw him out of his shell.  I also liked that Mary seemed infinitely patient and calm, two qualities which I do not possess.

The fact that this story touches on what it is like to lose a limb was interesting.  I must admit that I only sympathised with Miles until about the 55% mark of the story (reading on kindle) and then I wanted him to buck up and move forward.  If I am being completely honest, I am not sure I would have stood by him the way Mary did due to the fact that he was so closed off...again going back to my lack of patience.  I admit it is easy for me to sit over here and judge what I would or would not do when I am not faced with such a reality. 

Overall this was a pleasant book in a series that I have mostly read and come to know what to expect.  Dade has a habit of writing stories with characters who are quirky and eccentric (although Mary was not either) and I enjoy.  For those who have followed the series thus far, you get more of the librarian you have come to know.  /for those who haven't, it is an entertaining way to pass the time.

My only question is this.  From all the stories I have read I judge the backdrop as a smaller town.  Where does a small town find so many Librarians?

About the Author

(from her Goodreads profile)

While I was growing up, my mother kept a stack of books hidden in her closet. She told me I couldn’t read them. So, naturally, whenever she left me alone for any length of time, I took them out and flipped through them.

Those books raised quite a few questions in my prepubescent brain. Namely: 1) Why were there so many pirates? 2) Where did all the throbbing come from? 3) What was a “manhood”? 4) And why did the hero and heroine seem overcome by images of waves and fireworks every few pages, especially after an episode of mysterious throbbing in the hero’s manhood?

Thirty or so years later, I have a few answers.

1) Because my mom apparently fancied pirates at that time. Now she hoards romances involving cowboys and babies. If a book cover features a shirtless man in a Stetson cradling an infant, her ovaries basically explode and her credit card emerges. I have a similar reaction to romances involving spinsters, governesses, and librarians.

2) His manhood. Also, her womanhood.

3) It’s his “hard length,” sometimes compared in terms of rigidity to iron. I prefer to use other names for it in my own writing. However, I am not picky when it comes to descriptions of iron-hard lengths. At least in romances.

4) Because explaining how an orgasm feels can prove difficult. Or maybe the couples all had sex on New Year’s Eve at Cancun.

During those thirty years, I accomplished a few things. I graduated from Wake Forest University and earned my M.A. in American History from the University of Wisconsin-Madison. I worked at a variety of jobs that required me to bury my bawdiness and potty mouth under a demure exterior: costumed interpreter at Colonial Williamsburg, high school teacher, and librarian. But I always, always read romances. Funny, filthy, sweet—it didn’t matter. I loved them all.

Now I’m writing my own romances with the encouragement of my husband and daughter. I have my own stack of books in my closet that I’d rather my daughter not read, at least not for a few years. I can swear whenever I want, except around said daughter. And I get to spend all day writing about love and iron-hard lengths.

So thank you, Mom, for perving so hard on pirates during my childhood. I owe you

Website
Twitter