Book Tour - Review with Giveaway: Hidden Hearts (Lovestruck Librarians #6) by Olivia Dade

HIDDEN HEARTS

by Olivia Dade

Genre: Contemporary Romance

Pub Date: 6/20/17

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 is legendary. But those patrons have no idea what she’s typing to the mysterious shut-in who emailed the library needing a library card three months ago . . .

When the elusive Miles O’Connor shows up, he’s no invalid. A year ago, he was the 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 the desire grows and their horizons expand, the life that brought them together might not be enough for either of them . . .

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My rating:  4 stars

Hidden Hearts was my first introduction to the Lovestruck Librarians series, and even though it is the 6th book in the series, I'm very eager to go back and read the rest.  This is a series that can be read as standalones, but there are characters in it, couples, that I can't wait to go back and read their stories as well.  This is a very sweet romance with a tiny bit of sex in it, nothing too graphic, but not completely glossed over either.  I liked that both Mary and Miles basically had similar issues, or maybe it was more that they were somewhat similar in how they dealt with their issues.  I also like that the way they both were able to handle their disagreements seemed very realistic to me, not anything blown up to add drama.  As I mentioned earlier in this review, the supporting characters, many who are form past stories, are all wonderfully complex and totally add to the story.  This was a quick and easy read, when I picked it up, it was hard to put down. But it also was written well enough that when I went back after having to put it down, I very easily picked it back up and was able to join right back into the story.  I highly recommend the series and now I'm off to add the others to my Goodreads TBR.

Olivia Dade grew up an undeniable—and proud—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. Visit her on the web at oliviadade.com.

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Audiobook Review: Before Jamaica Lane (On Dublin Street #3) by Samantha Young

Book info:
Title:  Before Jamaica Lane
Author:  Samantha Young
Series:  On Dublin Street #3
Genre: NA Contemporary Romance
Published:  January 7th, 2014
Source:  Audiobook downloaded from library

So, if you followed my Goodreads feed as I was listening to this book, you know that I have found a book boyfriend that actually beats Daemon Black from the Lux series by Jennifer L. Armentrout.  His name is Nate Sawyer, and just thinking about him and the story really makes me happy.  Honestly, I'm pretty sure that even though I have loved all the books in this series, I'm pretty sure that this will be my favorite no matter what.  Not just because of Nate, but because I really identified with the main character, Olivia, or Liv.

Olivia is a librarian (hmm, sound like anyone you know?  Like me?) and she is very shy, and not very confident about her looks. She has a lack of sexual experience, only one guy, a long time ago, and only once.  Olivia is the daughter of the man that Johanna Walker, the main character of Down London Road, always looked up to as a father figure.  When Olivia's mother passed away, she and her father moved back to his home, Scotland, and now Olivia works at the university library.  Her best friend is a guy, Nate.  Nate is a bit of a player, but that's okay because Olivia isn't interested in him other than as a friend.  No, Olivia has a crush on a tall, sexy post-grad student that comes into her library all the time.  But Olivia is a lot like me, in that when she's nervous, or around people that she's very attracted to, she can't say anything that sounds intelligent, or can't even talk at all.  So, she decides to enlist Nate's help in teacher her how to flirt.  Once that seems to work, she is able to get a phone number at a bar after all the lessons.  And then, another idea comes to her.  She still feels so inexperienced and unsure at what comes next, physically, that she asks Nate to give her lessons in becoming more sexually confident.  And this, actually includes getting physical with him.  

The two of them try to keep it casual, just friends, not even "friends with benefits", but just Nate giving Olivia lessons, and then otherwise they are just normal around their friends, and still do their normal hang out things.  But as you would expect, feelings start to develop.  When Nate takes Olivia to meet his parents on a trip with their friends, she begins to think maybe he feels the same way.  Until he lets her know that she is mistaken, and that he still is not interested in a relationship, with anyone.  She feels betrayed at the way he behaves, but tries to go on and use the things he taught her to get that postgrad to go out with her.  But Nate may come to realize that not only is he missing his best friend Olivia when she cuts him out from the way he talked to her, but maybe he does actually feel more for her than he thought he would want to.

Nate.  I don't even know where to start.  He's sexy, funny, and I just adore him.  If only I could find a Nate.  For the friendship, the benefits, to make me feel sexy and be able to flirt.  I just love Nate.  I'm pretty sure he'll be my favorite book boyfriend forever.  I can't imagine any guy ever taking his place.  All I can say is thank goodness that I started reading this author because she is going to be at the NOLA Story Con in September. Because I can't even think of how much I would have missed out on if I hadn't read this one.  This is a book I can pick up and open to just about any page and find a steamy sex scene, but it's still sweet, and funny, and makes me happy.  I can only gush about this.  You should read it.  Really.  

Review: The Port Chicago 50: Disaster, Mutiny, and the Fight for Civil Rights by Steven Sheinkin

This book is one from the Battle of the Books list for the school district where I am a librarian.  I have to write the questions for the competition for this book, so I picked it up to read.  I'm glad I picked this book, because it really opened my eyes to things I wasn't aware of, things I wonder how many other people are actually aware happened. 

This is a true story, based on 50 black soldiers who were accused of mutiny towards the end of World War II.  Now, I never realized just how segregated even the army was back then.  The black men were not allowed to actually go on the ships, or into the battles even. They worked on bases, had separate dorms from the white soldiers, and were only allowed certain jobs.  They couldn't even be promoted to officers in any way that would make them above a white man. 

This specific story is about a base called Port Chicago which is in San Francisco.  It was here that bombs and ammunition were loaded in order to go to the soldiers who were fighting in the war.  It turns out this was being done by the black soldiers.  And really, they had no training.  No one knew what was dangerous, although it was often wondered about how it might actually be.  So, there were no regulations, and no rules.  And no one there who might have been an expert on the actual bombs themselves.  It was so unbelievable to me, because the officers would even have their groups race and bet on which group would load the fastest.  Well, as you might expect at some point something is going to explode.  On July 17th, 1944, there was a huge explosion, and because everyone on the boat was killed, no one will ever know exactly what happened.  The whole port was destroyed. 

The black soldiers who weren't killed or severely injured were sent to another port to go back to work.  The ammunition was needed for the war.  But some of those men, 200 at first, were afraid to go back to working with the bombs after what had happened.  And they balked when they were first sent to do it again.  The basically said they would follow any order, other than they would not go load the bombs again.  They were threatened with being charged with mutiny, and even with being shot.  Some gave in, and went back to work. But 50 did not.  The book goes through their trial for mutiny. 

Of all the civil rights fights, this is one I'd never heard of.  As I read this, the way people actually thought about other people just because they were different?  My mouth just dropped open in shock.  I was appalled and so horrified.  Yes, I know things were bad, I'm not trying to pretend they weren't.  I guess I just never realized that people, who normally you'd consider pretty smart, could really be that stupid based on racism or prejudices.  I think things like this book, as well as fiction like The Help, are really important types of reads for people.  While there is still much unrest between people even today, to hear just how some people justify, or at least used to justify their beliefs is really eye-opening.