Nerd Blast with Giveaway: Maybe He Just Likes You by Barbara Dee

Age Range: 9 - 13 years
Grade Level: 4 - 8
Hardcover: 304 pages
Publisher: Aladdin (October 1, 2019)
Language: English
ISBN-10: 153443237X
ISBN-13: 978-1534432376

Praise for MAYBE HE JUST LIKES YOU

"The novel’s all-too-familiar scenario offers a springboard for discussion among middle schoolers about Mila’s experience, as well as her confusion, fear, and reluctance to discuss her situation with authority figures. Easily grasped scenarios and short chapters help make this timely #MeToo story accessible to a wide audience." —Publisher’s Weekly, STARRED REVIEW

"This timely exploration of a depressingly common experience should begin some useful conversations." —Kirkus Reviews

"Mila’s struggle between denying the intentions of her classmates and being self-aware and upset about their treatment of her is realistic and heartbreaking . . . an excellent choice to inspire conversations about the prevalence and scope of what’s considered sexual harassment, as well as help young readers identify what harassment could look like in their peers." —BCCB

"An important read with great potential for classroom use. Mila’s experience may resonate with young readers, who may need to follow up with a trusted adult." —SLJ

"Important for its relevance and examination of the otherwise little-discussed topic of sexual harassment among younger teens, Maybe He Just Likes You will appeal to middle-grade readers as well as parents and educators seeking to bolster a child’s awareness of this rampant problem." —Booklist

"The book is equally important for boys so that they might understand their own feelings and the feelings of those who might be victims of their adolescent humor. This title belongs in the school library as well as the classroom library." —School Library Connection

"Mila is a finely-drawn, sympathetic character dealing with a problem all too common in middle school. Readers will be cheering when she takes control! An important topic addressed in an age-appropriate way.” —Katherine Brubaker Bradley, author of The War That Saved My Life (Newbery Honor Book)

"In Maybe He Just Likes You, Barbara Dee sensitively breaks down the nuances of a situation all too common in our culture—a girl not only being harassed, but not being listened to as she tries to ask for help. This well-crafted story validates Mila's anger, confusion, and fear, but also illuminates a pathway towards speaking up and speaking out. A vital read for both girls and boys." —Veera Hiranandani, author of The Night Diary (Newbery Honor Book)

"Mila's journey will resonate with many readers, exploring a formative and common experience of early adolescence that has too often been ignored. Important and empowering." —Ashley Herring Blake, author of Ivy Aberdeen’s Letter to the World (Stonewall Honor Book)

"Maybe He Just Likes You is an important, timeless story with funny, believable characters. Mila's situation is one that many readers will connect with. This book is sure to spark many productive conversations." —Dusti Bowling, author of Insignificant Events in the Life of A Cactus

"In this masterful, relatable and wholly unique story, Dee shows how one girl named Mila finds empowerment, strength, and courage within. I loved this book." —Elly Swartz, author of Smart Cookie and Give and Take

"Maybe He Just Likes You is the perfect way to jumpstart dialogue between boy and girl readers about respect and boundaries. This book is so good. So needed! I loved it!" —Paula Chase, author of So Done and Dough Boys

Barbara Dee explores the subject of #MeToo for the middle grade audience in this heart-wrenching—and ultimately uplifting—novel about experiencing harassment and unwanted attention from classmates.

For seventh grader Mila, it starts with an unwanted hug on the school blacktop.

The next day, it’s another hug. A smirk. Comments. It all feels…weird. According to her friend Zara, Mila is being immature, overreacting. Doesn’t she know what flirting looks like?

But it keeps happening, despite Mila’s protests. On the bus, in the halls. Even during band practice-the one time Mila could always escape to her “blue-sky” feeling. It seems like the boys are EVERYWHERE. And it doesn’t feel like flirting–so what is it?

Mila starts to gain confidence when she enrolls in karate class. But her friends still don’t understand why Mila is making such a big deal about the boys’ attention. When Mila is finally pushed too far, she realizes she can’t battle this on her own–and finds help in some unexpected places.

From the author of STAR-CROSSED, HALFWAY NORMAL and EVERYTHING I KNOW ABOUT YOU comes this timely story of a middle school girl standing up and finding her voice

You can purchase Maybe He Just Likes You at the following Retailers:

 

Photo Credit: Randy Matusow

Barbara Dee is the author of several middle grade novels including Maybe He Just Likes You, Everything I Know About You, Halfway Normal, and Star-Crossed. Her books have received several starred reviews and been included on many best-of lists, including the ALA Rainbow List Top Ten, the Chicago Public Library Best of the Best, and the NCSS-CBC Notable Social Studies Trade Books for Young People. Star-Crossed was also a Goodreads Choice Awards finalist. Barbara is one of the founders of the Chappaqua Children’s Book Festival. She lives with her family, including a naughty cat named Luna and a sweet rescue hound dog named Ripley, in Westchester County, New York.

        

Giveaway:

*JBN is not responsible for Lost or Damaged Books in your Nerdy Mail Box*

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Lisa's Looking Forward To #37 - November 5th, 2019

Back to joining up with the Waiting on Wednesday Posts, and the Can't Wait Wednesday posts hosted by Wishful Endings.  The amount of good looking books coming out is back up this month it looks like.

From my ARC list for November 5th, 2019:

I've got an ARC of this one, but as I keep mentioning, I'm so far behind on reading, that I've not got to it yet. But I can't wait to!

Here is the blurb from Goodreads:

From the acclaimed author of Forest of a Thousand Lanterns comes a fantastical new tale of darkness and love, in which magical bonds are stronger than blood.

Will love break the spell? After cruelly rejecting Bao, the poor physician's apprentice who loves her, Lan, a wealthy nobleman's daughter, regrets her actions. So when she finds Bao's prized flute floating in his boat near her house, she takes it into her care, not knowing that his soul has been trapped inside it by an evil witch, who cursed Bao, telling him that only love will set him free. Though Bao now despises her, Lan vows to make amends and help break the spell.

Together, the two travel across the continent, finding themselves in the presence of greatness in the forms of the Great Forest's Empress Jade and Commander Wei. They journey with Wei, getting tangled in the webs of war, blood magic, and romance along the way. Will Lan and Bao begin to break the spell that's been placed upon them? Or will they be doomed to live out their lives with black magic running through their veins?

In this fantastical tale of darkness and love, some magical bonds are stronger than blood.

Sound good?  Add to Goodreads HERE. 

Another beautiful cover, and this is an author that is local to where I live. 

Here is the blurb from Goodreads:
 
Ever since her mother walked out, Trix McCabe has been determined to make it on her own. And with her near-magical gift for pulling valuables off unsuspecting strangers, Trix is confident she has what it takes to survive. Until she’s caught and given a choice: jail time, or go live with her long-lost family in the tiny town of Rocksaw, Kansas.

Trix doesn’t plan to stick around Rocksaw long, but there’s something special about her McCabe relatives that she is drawn to. Her aunt, Mia, bakes pies that seem to cure all ills. Her cousin, Ember, can tell a person’s deepest secret with the touch of a hand. And Trix’s great-aunt takes one look at Trix’s palm and tells her that if she doesn’t put down roots somewhere, she won’t have a future anywhere.

Before long, Trix feels like she might finally belong with this special group of women in this tiny town in Kansas. But when her past comes back to haunt her, she’ll have to decide whether to take a chance on this new life . . . or keep running from the one she’s always known.

With lovable and flawed characters, an evocative setting, and friendships to treasure, A Constellation of Roses is the perfect companion to Miranda Asebedo’s debut novel The Deepest Roots.

Sound good?  Add to Goodreads HERE. 

Sounds like an interesting historical fiction read.

Here is the blurb from Goodreads:

The last thing eighteen-year-old Wilhelmina “Willa” MacCarthy wants is to be a nun. It’s 1936, and as the only daughter amongst four sons, her Irish–Catholic family is counting on her to take her vows—but Willa’s found another calling. Each day she sneaks away to help Doctor Katherine Winston in her medical clinic in San Francisco’s Richmond District.

Keeping secrets from her family only becomes more complicated when Willa agrees to help the doctor at a field hospital near the new bridge being built over the Golden Gate. Willa thinks she can handle her new chaotic life, but as she draws closer to a dashing young ironworker and risks grow at the bridge, she discovers that hiding from what she truly wants may be her biggest lie of all.


Sound good?  Add to Goodreads HERE.

Besides the adorkable title, it sounds like a fun and hilarious read!

Here is the blurb from Goodreads:

Talia Hibbert, one of contemporary romance’s brightest new stars, delivers a witty, hilarious romantic comedy about a woman who’s tired of being “boring” and recruits her mysterious, sexy neighbor to help her experience new things—perfect for fans of Sally Thorne, Jasmine Guillory, and Helen Hoang.

Chloe Brown is a chronically ill computer geek with a goal, a plan, and a list. After almost—but not quite—dying, she’s come up with seven directives to help her “Get a Life”, and she’s already completed the first: finally moving out of her glamourous family’s mansion. The next items?


Enjoy a drunken night out.
Ride a motorcycle.
Go camping.
Have meaningless but thoroughly enjoyable sex.
Travel the world with nothing but hand luggage.
And... do something bad.
But it’s not easy being bad, even when you’ve written step-by-step guidelines on how to do it correctly. What Chloe needs is a teacher, and she knows just the man for the job.

Redford ‘Red’ Morgan is a handyman with tattoos, a motorcycle, and more sex appeal than ten-thousand Hollywood heartthrobs. He’s also an artist who paints at night and hides his work in the light of day, which Chloe knows because she spies on him occasionally. Just the teeniest, tiniest bit.

But when she enlists Red in her mission to rebel, she learns things about him that no spy session could teach her. Like why he clearly resents Chloe’s wealthy background. And why he never shows his art to anyone. And what really lies beneath his rough exterior…

Sound good?  Add to Goodreads HERE.

I've really got to get around to reading something by this author!  And that cover is gorgeous!

Here is the blurb from Goodreads:

From the acclaimed author of Defy, Sara B. Larson, Sisters of Shadow and Light is a timeless and fantastical tale of sisterly love and powerful magic

The night my sister was born, the stars died and were reborn in her eyes….

Zuhra and Inara have grown up in the Citadel of the Paladins, an abandoned fortress where legendary, magical warriors once lived before disappearing from the world—including their Paladin father the night Inara was born.

On that same night, a massive, magical hedge grew and imprisoned them within the citadel. Inara inherited their father’s Paladin power; her eyes glow blue and she is able to make plants grow at unbelievable rates, but she has been trapped in her own mind because of a “roar” that drowns everything else out—leaving Zuhra virtually alone with their emotionally broken human mother.

For fifteen years they have lived, trapped in the citadel, with little contact from the outside world…until the day a stranger passes through the hedge, and everything changes.

Sound good?  Add to Goodreads HERE.

Another beautiful cover from another author I still need to get around to reading!

Here is the blurb from Goodreads:

From the New York Times bestselling author of The Wicked Deep comes a haunting romance set deep in the magical snow-covered forest, where the appearance of a mysterious boy unearths secrets that awakens the enchanted, but angry, woods.

Be careful of the dark, dark wood . . .

Especially the woods surrounding the town of Fir Haven. Some say these woods are magical. Haunted, even.

Rumored to be a witch, only Nora Walker knows the truth. She and the Walker women before her have always shared a special connection with the woods. And it’s this special connection that leads Nora to Oliver Huntsman—the same boy who disappeared from the Camp for Wayward Boys weeks ago—and in the middle of the worst snowstorm in years. He should be dead, but here he is alive, and left in the woods with no memory of the time he’d been missing.

But Nora can feel an uneasy shift in the woods at Oliver’s presence. And it’s not too long after that Nora realizes she has no choice but to unearth the truth behind how the boy she has come to care so deeply about survived his time in the forest, and what led him there in the first place. What Nora doesn’t know, though, is that Oliver has secrets of his own—secrets he’ll do anything to keep buried, because as it turns out, he wasn’t the only one to have gone missing on that fateful night all those weeks ago.

Sound good?  Add to Goodreads HERE. 

I still haven't read my ARC of the first book yet!

Here is the blurb from Goodreads:

No one can save her.

In order to protect Prince Lucien d’Malvane’s heart, Zera had to betray him. Now, he hates the sight of her. Trapped in Cavanos as a prisoner of the king, she awaits the inevitable moment her witch severs their magical connection and finally ends her life.

But fate isn't ready to give her up just yet.

With freedom coming from the most unlikely of sources, Zera is given a second chance at life as a Heartless. But it comes with a terrible price. As the king mobilizes his army to march against the witches, Zera must tame an elusive and deadly valkerax trapped in the tunnels underneath the city if she wants to regain her humanity.

Winning over a bloodthirsty valkerax? Hard. Winning back her friends before war breaks out? A little harder.

But a Heartless winning back Prince Lucien’s heart?

The hardest thing she’s ever done.

Sound good?  Add to Goodreads HERE.

I got an awesome package with swag and a copy of this book recently.  I should be posting my review on Sunday, so come back and check it out!

Here is the blurb from Goodreads:

Isabel has one rule: no dating.
It's easier--
It's safer--
It's better--
--for the other person.
She's got issues. She's got secrets. She's got rheumatoid arthritis.
But then she meets another sick kid.
He's got a chronic illness Isabel's never heard of, something she can't even pronounce. He understands what it means to be sick. He understands her more than her healthy friends. He understands her more than her own father who's a doctor.
He's gorgeous, fun, and foul-mouthed. And totally into her.
Isabel has one rule: no dating.
It's complicated--
It's dangerous--
It's never felt better--
--to consider breaking that rule for him.

Sound good?  Add to Goodreads HERE. 

I gave in and requested the e-galley on Netgalley when I couldn't seem to get my hands on a physical ARC.  :-(. I don't know if I'll get to this before the 5th, but I already downloaded the e-galley to my Kindle, so it should last for a bit after the date and I hope to get it read and reviewed in the next week or two.  If you happen to have an ARC of it that you are willing to part with because you're not going to save it like I would, since I collect all things to do with this author because I love her so much, let me know! 

Here is the blurb from Goodreads:

From New York Times bestselling author Kiersten White comes a new fantasy series reimagining the Arthurian legend, set in the magical world of Camelot.

There was nothing in the world as magical and terrifying as a girl.

Princess Guinevere has come to Camelot to wed a stranger: the charismatic King Arthur. With magic clawing at the kingdom's borders, the great wizard Merlin conjured a solution--send in Guinevere to be Arthur's wife . . . and his protector from those who want to see the young king's idyllic city fail. The catch? Guinevere's real name--and her true identity--is a secret. She is a changeling, a girl who has given up everything to protect Camelot.

To keep Arthur safe, Guinevere must navigate a court in which the old--including Arthur's own family--demand things continue as they have been, and the new--those drawn by the dream of Camelot--fight for a better way to live. And always, in the green hearts of forests and the black depths of lakes, magic lies in wait to reclaim the land. Arthur's knights believe they are strong enough to face any threat, but Guinevere knows it will take more than swords to keep Camelot free.

Deadly jousts, duplicitous knights, and forbidden romances are nothing compared to the greatest threat of all: the girl with the long black hair, riding on horseback through the dark woods toward Arthur. Because when your whole existence is a lie, how can you trust even yourself?

*THE FIRST BOOK IN THE CAMELOT RISING TRILOGY*

Sound good?  Add to Goodreads HERE.

The summary that says The Outsiders meets The Iliad makes me extremely curious on this one!

Here is the blurb from Goodreads:

Shannon Price's A Thousand Fires is a breakout contemporary debut―think The Outsiders meets The Iliad―that's perfect for fans of Courtney Summers and Veronica Roth.

10 Years. 3 Gangs. 1 Girl’s Epic Quest…

Valerie Simons knows the city's gang wars are dangerous—her own brother was killed by the Boars two years ago. But nothing will sway her from joining the elite and beautiful Herons to avenge his death—a death she feels responsible for.

But when Valerie is recruited by the mysterious Stags, their charismatic and volatile leader Jax promises to help her get revenge. Torn between old love and new loyalty, Valerie fights to stay alive as she races across the streets of San Francisco to finish the mission that got her into the gangs.

Sound good?  Add to Goodreads HERE.

So I read the first one, Little White Lies, and really enjoyed it.  Since I no longer have my contact at Disney thought, I didn't get an ARC of this one, so we'll see if I get to it.  Not sure how I feel about the change in cover style, but I do like the cover.

Here is the blurb from Goodreads:

"Think of the White Gloves like the Junior League-by way of Skull and Bones?"

Reluctant debutante Sawyer Taft joined Southern high society for one reason and one reason alone: to identify and locate her biological father. But the answers Sawyer found during her debutante year only left her with more questions and one potentially life-ruining secret. When her cousin Lily ropes her into pledging a mysterious, elite, and all-female secret society called the White Gloves, Sawyer soon discovers that someone in the group's ranks may have the answers she's looking for. Things are looking up... until Sawyer and the White Gloves make a disturbing discover near the family's summer home--and uncover a twisted secret, decades in the making.

No one is quite who they seem to be. 

Sound good?  Add to Goodreads HERE.

Final Thoughts:
Looks like they're trying to get a lot of new books out for us to read during the winter as that cold weather comes along and makes us want to stay inside.  Have you read any of these yet?  Are they on your TBR?  And hey, while you're here, you should go try to win some of my ARCs from Cleaning Up My TBR Post HERE.  The US only giveaway is open till Friday at midnight, there are even some 2019 ARCs that can be one of your two choices. 

Book Blitz with Giveaway: Shopping for a Baby's First Christmas (Shopping #15) by Julia Kent

Book info:
Title:   Shopping for a Baby’s First Christmas
Author:  Julia Kent
Series:  Shopping #15
Publication date: November 27th 2018
Genres: Adult, Comedy, Contemporary, Romance

Synopsis:

My mother wants all her kids and grandkids to spend Christmas Eve at her house and wake up on Christmas morning together.

Sounds reasonable, right?

And it would be.

If it weren’t my mother.

My husband, Declan, is protesting any involvement, though he’s openly intrigued by the idea of claiming his territory by suggesting we have sex in my childhood bed.

And by ‘suggest,’ I mean make a series of really hot offers that make me whimper when I have to say no.

Wait – why am I saying no again?

Mom has turned her house into a Christmas showcase that makes Frankenmuth look like the picked-over clearance rack at Target on December 26. You know those crazy people on Etsy who make felted gnomes out of belly button lint and use … a certain kind of hair… to make thatched roofs on little decorative elf homes?

Those people are saner than my mother.

There is no force of nature stronger — and more emotionally volatile — than a fifty-something grandmother determined to create holiday memories.

Wait a minute. Maybe there is.

My husband.

Goodreads / Amazon / Barnes and Noble / iBooks / Kobo / Google Play

Only 99¢ for a limited time!

—

EXCERPT:

“Mmmmm,” I hear myself purring as I open my eyes in the big king-size bed at our Victorian B&B here in the Berkshires. A bed that I can stretch out in, because I smell coffee from afar and Dec isn’t between the sheets.

Neither is our seven-month-old daughter, Ellie.

I have the entire bed to myself. I might be married to a billionaire, but when you’re the mother of a clingy baby, this right here is true luxury.

A whiff of cinnamon accompanies that coffee and now I wonder if I’m dreaming. My naked body rolls against the high-thread-count Egyptian cotton and my legs are smooth. As I stretch, I realize my nipples are free. No one is touching me.

This must be a dream.

In real life, there would be a baby babbling “Da da da da da” in tones that either mean happiness, terror, hunger, or plain old pay-attention-to-me-now-because-I-am-the-center-of-the-universe, you-underling.

But not now.

In real life, there are always busy fingers exploring my ears and pulling my earrings and poking into my my mouth when I try to talk on the phone.

And in real life, little teeth bite down, hard, when my milk runs out.

So I must be dreaming, because as I open my eyes, a handsome, hot, endlessly naked man is smiling at me, hair tousled over his forehead as he holds two steaming mugs of coffee and says in a low, happy voice, “You’re up!”

Author Bio:

New York Times and USA Today Bestselling Author Julia Kent writes romantic comedy with an edge. From billionaires to BBWs to new adult rock stars, Julia finds a sensual, goofy joy in every contemporary romance she writes.

Unlike Shannon from Shopping for a Billionaire, she did not meet her husband after dropping her phone in a men's room toilet (and he isn't a billionaire). She lives in New England with her husband and three sons in a household where the toilet seat is never, ever, down.

Website / Goodreads / Facebook / Twitter / Instagram / Bookbub / Amazon / Newsletter

GIVEAWAY!

 
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Cover Reveal - All of Him: A Single Dad Collection

Book info:
Title:   All of Him: A Single Dad Collection
Publication date: November 29th 2019
Genres: Adult, Contemporary, Romance

Synopsis:

A broken relationship.
A mother’s death.
A mistake made.

Each of these men are struggling to put their lives back together. Whether it be from the loss of the woman who blessed them with their children or a decision made in the heat of passion that changed everything, all they know is they have to try — for their children and for themselves.

From these amazing authors comes “All of Him: A Single Dad Collection.”

Before Her by Anita Maxwell
When Jenny arrives in River Falls, a sleepy little town in Montana, she sets herself on a mission to find a job and a place to stay for a few weeks. After traveling the west coast for the last couple of months, she is ready to chill and get some cash behind her before she leaves on the next leg of her journey.

Enter the Lonesomes with their gorgeous twin baby boys. The three rugged cowboys steal her breath away and the little boys steal her heart. Before she knows it, she’s agreed to be their nanny for a few weeks while they look for someone permanent.

But something Jenny didn’t know when she first entered River Falls was that the town was built on a polygamous way of life. Once the Lonesome brothers set their sights on Jenny, there is almost nothing that will stop these sexy single dads from making her their own.

This is a Reverse Harem story, light on steam, but heavy on tension and angst.

The Baby Drop Off by Kelsie Rae
I’m not father material. Hell, I’m not boyfriend material, either. I’m looking-for-a-good-time material with a side of no-strings-attached.

But when a baby shows up on my doorstep with a note saying I’m the father, everything changes. With no other options, I reach out to my neighbor.

Tasha is the girl-next-door with a side of sugar who’s nice enough to step in as a nanny while I figure out what to do with a freaking kid. I never thought Tasha was my type until I see her loving on my baby.

As lines start to blur, and rules get broken, some secrets stay hidden that hold me back from creating a life I never knew I wanted until it was tossed into my lap.

I just wish I could convince her to give me a chance, but she won’t even let me try.

Only the Lies by Elle Thorpe
Him: Six foot, four inches. Thor look-alike. Kickass black belt ninja man, and gym owner.

Me: Barely five foot. Resembles an overstuffed dumpling. Semi-decent receptionist of the office across the road.

Match made in heaven? I think so. Which is why I get to work early each morning, and stare longingly out the window, desperate for my daily glimpse of him.

The man doesn’t know I’m alive, and I don’t have the lady balls to do anything about it. Until the postman delivers the gym’s mail to my office. It’s the perfect excuse to strut over there and introduce myself, right?

Wrong.

When he mistakes me for someone else, I’m so blinded by his abs that I don’t correct him. And now he’s calling me someone else’s name, and I don’t know how to turn this around apart from to bolt back to my desk with my ass jiggling behind me.

I never expected he’d follow me.

Or anything that happened next.

Broken Down by Paige Taylor
As a teacher, It’s Savannah Torvel’s duty to make sure every student is given the best possible chance at education. When a little girl starts acting out, and calls to the parent go unanswered, it’s perfectly acceptable to storm the parent’s workplace and confront them, right?

Broken Down follows the story of Savannah and Mason Bell, two people whose lives keep intersecting. Will they embrace fate or risk disrepair?

Add to Goodreads / Pre-order

—

Blog Tour Review: Love in Due Time (Green Valley Library #1) by L.B. Dunbar

Love in Due Time, an all-new second chance romantic comedy from L.B. Dunbar is available now! 

Book info:

Title:  Love in Due Time
Author:  L.B. Dunbar
Series: Green Valley Library #1
Genre: Adult romantic comedy
Release Date:  October 22nd, 2019

Publisher:  SmartyPants Romance
Source: Purchased copy at Book Bonanza 2019
My rating:  4.5 stars

Synopsis: 

Naomi Winters will be forty—soon-ish—and she’s only been with one man. One night. One time. Long ago. She believes everything happens for a reason, and the universe spoke about Nathan Ryder.

Nathan Ryder isn’t the same man who hightailed his bike out of Green Valley eighteen years ago. As a rule breaker, women are one area he acts a fool. Case in point…the local librarian. He can’t get a read on her, but she’s one risk he’s willing to take. Again.

What do an eccentric librarian and a sexy silver biker have in common? More than you think.

The due date on their love might not be expired after all.

'Love in Due Time' is a full-length, contemporary romantic comedy, can be read as a standalone, and is book#1 in the Green Valley Library series.

My Review:
As a librarian, I knew that I had to read all of the books in this series. And one thing that got me from the very start was how each chapter began with a Dewey Decimal number and a definition for what it was.   I also really liked that it was an older couple, but the woman was still single and never been married, as that totally is me in a way.  We got a lot of the whole Green Valley world with favorite characters such as the Winstons, Deputy Jackson James, and the Iron Wraiths. Of course with this being a librarian as a main character, another thing that is a connection for me, we got lots of talk about Bethany Winston, who we know and love from the Winston Brother series.  It was so realistic seeing a library have to struggle for funds, sad, but real.  And even more real was having the one librarian that had been there forever and who was struggling with all the changes going on as libraries evolve over time.  Part of the older couple romance I enjoyed was that Naomi was still somewhat innocent.  While I don't completely connect to that from my past, these days, as long as it's been for me, it totally reminded me of myself there too.  I love how she kept saying she was going to be bad at things, and that Nathan would at first take it as she was "being bad", like naughty as opposed to not being good at whatever it was.  And not that she was bad, he enjoyed it all just fine.  The romance was sweet, the steamy scenes were hot, and I really did love the whole world.  I don't have a problem with the Wiccan aspect of the story, just didn't quite care for as much of it as there was, almost like any other religion becoming too much a part of a story in a way for my taste.  I'm very excited to go on with this series in the SmartyPants Romance books.  Also, call me crazy, but I would kind of like to see Jackson James find an HEA one of these days.  He might be a little smarmy, but I still kinda like his character, and he's not all bad.

Download your copy today!

Amazon: https://amzn.to/2kwBn29

AppleBooks: https://apple.co/2m24uuN

Amazon Worldwide: http://mybook.to/LoveinDueTime

Nook: http://bit.ly/2kv2FpK

Kobo: http://bit.ly/2kx2n1t

Google Play: http://bit.ly/2m2Wytn

Amazon Print: https://amzn.to/2ku1o2d

Add to GoodReads: http://bit.ly/2kwPLr8

Excerpt

“Naomi?” My hands cover her shoulders, holding her steady.  

“This is all my fault.” Her eyes widen, the widest I’ve ever seen. Panic fills them.  

“What do you mean?”

“I … I can’t believe this happened again.” Her hands come to my chest, and she gently pushes at me. “You have to get out of here.”

“What?” My brows pinch at the harsh tone.  

“You need to go. I can’t be near you.” Her voice struggles to stay level.  

Ouch. That stings a little.  

“Why?” I take one step back under the force of her hands.  

“I can’t be around you. This can’t happen.”  

“Lady, what are you talking about?” My voice roughens.  

“Bad things always happen after I’m with you.”  

I stiffen, straightening to my full height. My arms cross and I glare down at her. Saying such a thing is just downright mean. Her head shakes as her fingers curl along the open edges of my work jacket. Suddenly, I feel like she’s tugging me to her instead of pressing me away.  

What the …  

“When I’m with you, something happens. Something bad.” Her breath catches. “Because we kissed, the library is closing.”  

I stare at her. She can’t be serious, but I see the hysteria in her eyes, like a rabid, trapped animal. She actually believes what she says.  

“Well, we didn’t kiss,” I remind her, my tone stern and condescending. “I kissed you, remember? And you didn’t kiss me back, so I don’t think it counts.”  

She glares up at me, her fingers still gripping my open jacket. Her shoulders fall, her head lowers, and it’s as if I can visibly see her relax, like water cascading down a building, washing over her.  

Exhale. Settle.  

Exhale. Calm.  

“I didn’t kiss you back?” she questions and then her head pops up again. She nearly shrieks with the hesitant realization. Commence inhaling, like she’s winding up again. Full steam ahead.

“I didn’t kiss you back,” she repeats, her excitement growing. Another exaggerated inhale.  

“I didn’t kiss you back!” Now, she’s just downright gloating, and the engine’s ready to blow.  

“You don’t have to sound so pleased,” I murmur. I glance up and notice Mrs. MacIntyre watching us through the window of the librarian’s office behind the check-out counter. Her eyes narrow and I’m certain we’re making too much noise for her liking.  

“I … I’m so relieved,” Naomi admits, her head falling forward, her fingers loosening on my jacket. Then her face turns up again. Her lids lift, slow and lazy. Her mouth curls in sweet relief, and she pulls herself up on her toes by the open edge of my jacket and does the damnedest thing. She kisses me.

 

About L.B. Dunbar

L.B. Dunbar loves the sweeter things in life: cookies, Coca-Cola, and romance. Her reading journey began with a deep love of fairy tales, medieval knights, Regency debauchery, and alpha males. She loves a deep belly laugh and a strong hug. Occasionally, she has the energy of a Jack Russell terrier. Accused—yes, that’s the correct word—of having an overactive imagination, to her benefit, such an imagination works well. Author of over two dozen novels, she’s created sweet, small town worlds; rock star mayhem; MMA chaos; sexy rom-coms for the over 40; and intrigue on an island of redemption. In addition, she is earning a title as the “myth and legend lady” for her modernizations of mythology as elda lore. Her other duties in life include mother to four children and wife to the one and only.

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