Dirty Little Midlife Crisis

Heart's Cove Hotties #1

by Lilian Monroe

Hilarious, hot, and seriously refreshing. Dirty Little Midlife Crisis is the book you didn’t know you needed.

Forty-five, recently divorced, and a certified hot mess.
The last thing Fiona needs to start her vacation is a flooded hotel room and a broken-down car…

Alas, that’s what she gets.

She’s ready to pack it all in and go home—wherever that is—when her knight in a wet T-shirt strides in to save the day. Jaw-dropping, panty-melting Grant Greene takes the “mess” out of “certified hot mess” when he walks up to Fiona and offers her a room to stay. No strings attached.

Great, right?

It would be, apart from the sparks that immediately start to fly. Sparks are bad. Sparks are dangerous. Sparks can cause a fire. And for a divorcee trying to start over, a fire is Really Bad News.

But bad decisions can be fun...right? Just as long as you don’t get burned…

Intrepid heroine gets more than she bargained for. Hot hunk bares it all (literally). Skinny dipping. Shirtlessness. Meddling townsfolk. Vicious feuds. Hilarious banter. Twists, turns, and shocking developments. And heat, so much heat. More steam than a sauna. Well-earned HEA guaranteed.

Genres: Romance, Contemporary, Contemporary Romance, Audiobook, Chick Lit, Rom Com, Humor

322 pages, Kindle Edition

First published May 10, 2021

About the author

Lilian Monroe lives in a luxurious jungle treehouse surrounded by lush greenery, with an army of scantily-clad men with rippling abdominal muscles ready to attend to her every need.

No, wait. That's not true.

Lilian Monroe spends her days dangling her feet into her pool, while a scantily-clad pool boy with rippling abdominal muscles feeds her chocolate-covered strawberries and massages her back.

Okay, okay. You got me. That's not true, either. Let's try again.

Lilian Monroe lives at home with her two children, three dogs, and twelve chickens. Her husband likes to work shirtless in the back yard. His sweaty, gleaming abdominal muscles ripple with every movement and he—

I'm sorry. I have to stop. Fine, I'll admit it. That one isn't true either.

How about this: Lilian Monroe loves thinking about men with rippling abdominal muscles serving her hand and foot, and she wants you to think about them too! She is an avid reader, writer, and lover of all things romance.

She loves everything from bad boys to billionaires. Her books are packed with sizzling-hot heat, action, suspense, and everything from second chances to single dads. She hates cheating and loves a good happily ever after (and rippling abs).

Reviews

[Janet Newport · Rating 2 out of 5]

This was a 3.5 to maybe a 4.0 star read for me until Grant turned into a major league JERK.
I'm sorry, a guy who's that kind of jerk at 40+ years old only get worse with age.

[Lori (on hiatus, life is crazy busy)) · Rating 4 out of 5]

What a fun book this was! Fiona's husband files for divorce after twenty years of Marriage. Good riddance to that controlling man! Fiona's friend decides that they need a vacation to relax and find themselves again at the age of forty five. They head to a small town called Hearts Cove. First when they arrive they discover that the hotel they are to stay at has been flooded. Enter Grant whom offers these ladies to stay with him.
This is a story filled with hope, making new friends, love, and starting over. The story is filled with so many laugh out loud moments, that my sides were aching after reading about some of these two women's new adventures in life. 🤣

[Laura Tenfingers · Rating 3 out of 5]

A midlife romance! Quick and easy read, featuring an h and H over 40, divorcees with plenty of messy life traumas and good portrayal of common issues women can have in midlife after failed heterosexual relationships. Good distraction read.

[Juliet · Rating 1 out of 5]

I blame Kindle Unlimited for getting me to read this. It popped up when I was searching for a different author, and I decided to click because 1.it’s free and 2.I thought it was interesting that the MCs are both in their 40s. Ugh. I’m sorry but IMO, this is one of those romance novels that you can tell was written by a woman without a great understanding of men. All of the male characters (maybe only 3-4 in the entire book) and especially the MC, are like caricatures. They almost seem like templates of What Women Want and What Women Don’t Want, with a whole bunch of attributes checked off for each. All of the sections from Grant’s POV felt off, like the thoughts were not happening in real time. Like when a bunch of women try to make sense of how a man behaved after the fact, and project all of these feelings and emotions and motivations behind the behavior as if the man was examining his own emotions and pondering his past traumas and triggers all while doing whatever the hell he was doing. And the man feeling all these feelings? A tall, brawny, wavy dark haired, handsome, brooding former lawyer turned carpenter with a wounded soul who built his own beautiful house by the sea. And always has his shirt off. 🙄Come on. REALLY?

****I’m taking a lot longer to review this freakin book than I planned.🙄 It’s like WRAP IT THE FUCK UP, me 😒****

OK. So- my actual main problem with this book is the lack of humor. It is overloaded with sentimentality and cheese, but NOT FUNNY. At all. I didn’t smile or laugh once while reading. I think when I wasn’t rolling my eyes my face was probably doing some sort of cringe. I can forgive a lot of stuff if a book is funny and/or entertaining. I mean I pretty much expect romance novels to have similar elements, tropes, formulas, and what not. I always want the happy ending. But I like to laugh if my mind isn’t being blown by the plot. Or if there’s angst, then I want to BE there for it, be put through the wringer and have it be worth it. I just didn’t get any of that from this book.

Wait! And another thing! The random sections of the book which were from the POV of different side characters. What was that all about? I can understand why the Simone parts needed to be included to introduce Wesley, but why do we need Jen’s and Candice’s POV. It was weird.

I hate to say that I’m kind of curious about what happens with Simone and Wesley in the next book. 😔 I might have to read that damn book. Why am I like this. Ugh. Oh well. Curiosity killed the cat, but satisfaction brought it back.

Wait! Wait! And ANOTHER another thing. The cover. This book is titled Dirty Little Midlife Crisis, about a couple in their 40s. On the cover: two millennials. The guy (not man) is wearing skinny jeans and has a boyish build. The girl (not woman) has a tight, perky body and is wearing candy striped Keds. It’s obvious they are not middle aged. It looks like an ad for Kohls. That is just annoying. Don’t use cover models if they aren’t going to match the book.

[Jen ♥ · Rating 3 out of 5]

This book had a good thing going until the 85%.

Fiona (45) was a divorcee; she and her bff Simone went to this small town called Hearts Cove to start finding her self again. She was married for 20 years to her cheating ex-husband. So she had to start all over again at the age of 45, and she wanted to do it with the help of her friend and away from LA. She was a nice and welcoming person overall. She was good at planning, organizing, and managing.

Grant (50) was a bachelor; he moved to Hearts Cove 14 years ago to change his life. He was a lawyer in his previous life in NY, but then some things happened to him that made him start all over again. He was grumpy but nice to the people in that town. It's like his job is all around, and people call him to do stuff.

Fiona and Grant met when they came into town. Then some pipes broke down in the hotel where Fiona and Simone were supposed to stay. It was an instant attraction for Grant when he met Fiona. (I think it was the same for her.) Then, knowing their living situation, he offered his house to the two ladies as their temporary place for their two-week stay.

While they were doing activities in town, Fiona and Simone befriended a lot of people. One of them was Candice. When Simone mentioned that Fiona had good managerial skills, Candice offered her a position to manage a cafe, which Fiona happily accepted, and this job made her stay longer in town than she originally planned.

Grant told Fiona that she didn't have to leave his house and that she could stay for as long as she wanted. Although there was mutual pining, they didn't act on it immediately. I think it took them four weeks of living together before they actually slept. Fiona insists that she only wants casual and no strings setup, but Grant didn't feel the same way yet agreed to that arrangement. They sort of became roommates with benefits.

Then one night, a teenager came into Grant's house and told him that she was his daughter. If it weren't for Fiona, that first interaction definitely would've been a mess. Fiona handled Clancy's situation with the utmost care, and she made her feel welcome. So the story goes on for a few months, with them living together like a family. Then Clancy's birthday party happened, and this was where everything spiralled down for me.

Clancy got drunk at her own birthday party because, for the first time in her life, she finally felt free and happy. Her mom is a piece of something, that's for sure. So living with his father gave her newfound freedom and happiness. but then she enjoyed herself way too much and ended up falling in the dock (grant's house was close to the sea). She was unconscious and too intoxicated when Grant found her. In this moment, Grant blamed Fiona for what happened. His words were hurtful and brutal towards her. He acted like a real grade-a asshole, and I can't get past this stupid action.

Fiona apologized to him so many times, even though it wasn't her fault. She went to the hospital even after Grant shouted at her and spat those painful things. She set aside her own hurt because she wanted to stay beside him, but what did the jerk do? He added more hurtful words and told her to go away and leave him alone.

The first week after that awful incident, Fiona kept messaging him and asking for his forgiveness. (this made me annoyed so much; why does she keep saying sorry when it wasn't her fault?). But then, after a week of being ignored, thank God, she realized her worth and that she shouldn't allow people to make her feel small. She stopped contacting him, and they didn't speak for 4 weeks.

Then, after those 4 weeks, a pipe broke down in Fiona's cafe, and everything was damaged. After the assessment, they were told they wouldn't be able to open the shop anymore—not in the near future, at least. Then this news was heard by Grant, and he realized that since Fiona doesn't have to do anything anymore in their town, she can now go leave for someplace else. This spurred him to finally get his head out of his ass. He went after Fiona, got down on his knees, apologized, confessed his love, and then begged her to stay. Then, Fiona, being the nice person that she was, forgave him right there and then.

Maybe I'm a grudgeholder, and Fiona's character was just a better person. But I don't think his apology was enough. With everything that went down between them and the hurtful things he said to her, I don't think she should forgive him that easily. He should grovel more because he fucked up so badly, and I want to really throat punch him for being a dicktwat to Fiona. His apology wasn't enough for the pain she went through for weeks (not saying he wasn't miserable, but it was his fault they were in that freaking situation). Had he not heard the news of the cafe's disaster, I don't even think he would have fixed the shit he caused.

Like I said, this was going great; I would've given it a 4.5-star rating, but Grant's stupidity ruined this book for me. I won't be able to see past what he did; it was just too much fucked up.

[♡Naz♡ · Rating 5 out of 5]

such a fulfilling story🤌🫶❤️✨️✨️✨️

[Simply Love Book Reviews · Rating 4 out of 5]

4.5 stars

As I’m always on the hunt for books with characters 35 and older, Lilian Monroe’s Dirty Little Midlife Crisis showed up in my search. I have to say I was blown away by this story on several levels. I loved that the characters were in their 40’s and 50’s, that they weren’t perfect people and had made mistakes in their lives, but were determined to reinvent their world and find out who they were now and what they wanted out of their life going forward. Sure there was some lust at first sight, but the relationship built over time and when they made mistakes, they apologized and moved on. From the first chapter to the last, Lilian Monroe had me captivated and I am looking forward to reading the rest of this series.

Fifteen months after her cheating husband asked her for a divorce, Fiona is finally free of him and ready move on with her life. Taking a two week vacation with her best friend Simone in the small town of Heart’s Cove is a bit of a luxury and one she’s not totally sure of especially after Simone’s car breaks down as they enter the town, the water main breaks sending asphalt flying nicking the back of her neck, and flooding the hotel where they are booked, and then there’s the hot guy who helps her and just happens to be the life model of the art class they are taking flirting with her. She honestly doesn’t know which way is up but when the hot guy, Grant, offers to let her and Simone stay at his house free of charge and without any options, they agree but Fiona is cautious because the last thing she needs is another man in her life.

After his life fell apart 15 years ago in more ways than one, Grant left New York City and moved to Heart’s Cove, California and never looked back. He changed the direction of his entire life, leaving behind law and becoming an apprentice carpenter. He built a home he had ideas of turning into a B&B and does small jobs around the town to keep him busy. He never expected to feel anything for another woman again, that’s not to say he’s been celibate, but it’s been about sex not feelings, yet when he helps a woman he doesn’t know something inside him tells him she could be dangerous to his loner status.

This was a romance, no doubt, but it also had a women’s fiction vibe to it. The book mainly focuses on Fiona and how she integrates herself into the town, the people of the town, and even into Grant’s life without really trying. She has every intention of going back to L.A. when her two week vacation is up, but then agrees to help open and manage a new coffee shop/café during the town’s Fringe Festival since the only café closed when the owners died and their son doesn’t want to reopen it. She plans to leave after that’s over in a month or so, but she begins to really love the town, the people in it, and as she and Grant become lovers her outlook on life changes a bit. That’s not to say things are perfect, Grant’s 14 year old daughter showing up on his doorstep, a child he knew nothing about, mean big changes for them all in many ways.

While I did love the relationship between Grant and Fiona, it was refreshing to see the relationship Fi had with Candice and Jen, two women in the town, and when Simone returns these four women are unstoppable. I also enjoyed how Fiona immediately folded Grant’s daughter, Clancy, into her life, helped her feel wanted, accepted, and gave her the love and attention she needed.

Dirty Little Midlife Crisis was heartwarming but also sexy, it was funny but had a serious side, and it was absolutely a joy to read.

Review copy provided for a voluntary review.

[Lani · Rating 3 out of 5]

Three stars for a main character in her 40s and a second chance at love! Romance is not dead in midlife, sometimes it's just beginning! Enjoyed these characters for their real, gritty lives and their instant attraction that came with a cost, but also a reward for both of them. I'm a sucker for a story where a character makes a big move after heartbreak to a lovely town, meets new people, forges friendships and family out of what was once nothing and throws herself headfirst into a whole new romance and discovers what she always hoped to find.

It was a little hard for me to get past Grant's attitude later in the book and I thought he was downright cruel when he blamed Fiona for what was so obviously his fault to begin with. I'm not sure I could have moved past that. Is this an example of how the man will flip out in the future when things go wrong?

Overall, pretty decent read with some steam, even if the ending was a bit much for me to find plausible.

[Audiophile · Rating 2 out of 5]

Ugh. Simplistic, obvious, and not an ounce of originality. The extra POVs were unwanted and uninteresting. Not worth the two hours it took to read.

[Veronica · Rating 4 out of 5]

Fiona sta cercando di risollevarsi dopo 20 anni di matrimonio, finito con un divorzio. Negli ultimi anni Fiona si era annullata, con John che la tradiva e la relegava in secondo piano a gestire feste ed eventi di beneficienza.
Ora ha deciso di concedersi una vacanza di due settimane con la sua migliore amica Simone a Heart's Cove, dove si rilasseranno facendo yoga e partecipando a corsi di arte.
Solo che appena arrivate, scoprono che la loro camera all'hotel è inagibile e vengono ospitate nella casa di Grant, un falegname che si è trasferito lì ormai da 10 anni.
Grant ha la fama di solitario, non cerca legami e non vuole una relazione.
La chimica tra lui e Fiona è esplosiva. Simone spinge l'amica a lasciarsi andare, tanto è solo per una vacanza, ma il soggiorno si prolunga in quanto Fiona viene coinvolta nella gestione di un caffè.
Ma l'arrivo di una sorpresa inaspettata per Grant sconvolge i loro equilibri. c'è un futuro per loro?

Sicuramente quello che ho apprezzato di questo libro è l'età dei protagonisti: finalmente non i soliti ragazzini confusi alle prese con i primi amori, ma persone adulte (siamo oltre i 40 anni) che hanno alle spalle rapporti che si sono rivelati catastrofici.
Grant è stato abbandonato dalla compagna ( che aveva problemi di abuso) e lo stress del lavoro gli ha procurato un infarto. Ha tagliato i ponti con tutto e ora vuole stare solo e non avevre altri problemi.
Fiona sta cercando di ricostruirsi da un matrimonio che l'ha soffocata.
Sono persone adulte, che pensano da adulti. Anche se Grant, anche se comprensibile, a volte mi ha fatto arrabbiare.
Mi è piaciuto anche l'introduzione di altri personaggi che saranno i protagonisti dei volumi successivi.
Molto scorrevole, letto in una sera.

[Vicki · Rating 4 out of 5]

I thought this romance/chick lit book was too cute. Fiona went through a divorce 15 months previously to the start of the book and it became final just 3 months ago. Her friend, Simone, talks her into going someplace called Heart's Cove and the first thing she sees is shirtless man, "a Greek god" aka. Grant. She notices his physique immediately and basically drools over it. The ladies are taking an art class unbeknownst to Fiona who nearly died of embarrassment when she discovered they would be painting nudes and in walked Grant in a bath robe. From there the story is hilarious. I loved it. Simone also saw a shirtless man while walking in the woods. I loved this part where Simone thinks to herself, "What is it about this town? Is there something in the water, and can I have some of it?" (58) I had fun reading Fiona's comments, her private thoughts about Grant.

This is definitely a chick lit book and an easy, fun, lighthearted read.

[Rebecca · Rating 4 out of 5]

Okay in all honesty it took me a couple chapters to get into this storyline, but once I did I was hooked.I truly enjoyed it. Loved that the characters were 40 something’s. This book is about second chances, finding a place that feels like home, and people that feel like home too. Looking forward to reading the next one and learning more about each one of the characters.

[Erika Knickerbocker · Rating 2 out of 5]

I liked it until

It was a 3🌟 book until grant acts like a child and blows up at Fiona for planning a big party for Clancy. Blaming her, yelling at her, furious with her, pushing her away. It was ridiculous. Especially when he kept thinking/saying how he couldn't have done it without her and she made things so much easier and better and that he was falling for her. Worse, he keeps acting like an ass. Decides he needs to just focus on Clancy and proceeds not to talk to her for weeks. Then he comes back and apologizes and she accepts and lets him back in. Forgives him after what felt like a 3 minute conversation. Completely ruined the book for me.

[Brittney · Rating 1 out of 5]

DNF at 70%

These characters deserve each other. I really didn't like either of them, but I truly believe that. They both just kept going around in the same circles until something showed up to throw them out of the loop for a little while. I have no interest in finishing this story.

Also, I really disliked the chapters from other characters. They always felt like they were interrupting the flow of the story with things I didn't really care about. I'm pretty sure it was all characters who have their own books with their own stories, too. Like, save it for that. Why do we need it here?

[Bree Hill · Rating 3 out of 5]

Quick, okay read.
I went into it assuming it would be a romcom...and was definitely wrong.
Will check out more form this author though.

[Midlife · Rating 4 out of 5]

Very cute story. Loved that the characters were older and more relatable. I wasn’t too crazy about Grant, but I am looking forward to Simone and Wesley’s story.

[Terra Clotfelter G · Rating 4 out of 5]

3.5 stars because I thought the FMC should have been more spiteful 😆

[Lisa · Rating 3 out of 5]

So much going on in this.

Almost a year and a half after separating, Fiona's divorce is finally settled. She and her best friend head to Heart's Cove for a rejuvenating girls' trip that is immediately riddled with disaster. As the arrive to their hotel in a broken-down car, she meets the local hottie, Grant. Who turns out to be their naked model in an art class.

Grant offers them rooms at his place since their hotel room is flooded and no more rooms are available. They basically start sleeping together immediately and, though Fiona says she wants to "rediscover herself" after her divorce, she immediately builds a life around Grant.

Grant is a town favorite, but is almost reclusive in his dealings with people. He hasn't built relationship or deep connections with people after life trauma sent him to town 15 years ago. I meets Fiona and immediately sees a future with her. When the life he escaped all those years ago finds him now, he is ready to give everything up for it (as he should) but basically forgets his near-obsession with Fiona and tosses her to the side like trash.

They pissed me off. These people are in their mid and late 40's and both of them need therapy. Grant just wants a relationship and Fiona just wants to be a wife, no matter what either of them say. He gets mad at her for things beyond anyone's control and she simps back to him as soon as he's ready to apologize. I don't feel like she ever truly finds herself outside of her relationships, bouncing from horrible marriage to Grant.

BUT, I do love how Fiona and her bestie Simone seem to find a home in Heart's Cove. The locals are so open to accepting them, just like they accepted Grant all those years ago. Can't wait to read more about this small town and it's fun cast of characters!

[Shilpa · Rating 4 out of 5]

I really enjoyed so many elements of this book. First off, both the H & h are over 40 - YES! And one of the first scenes is a pose-nude-for-art scene - which is my absolute FAVORITE trope. This art scene is also very powerful for both Grant and Fiona - their bodies start awakening because of it - which is awesome!!!

Fiona is a newly divorced former “stepford wife” who moves to Hearts Cove for a two week vacation to find herself. She has spent the last 20 years living for her ex husband and needs to get back to living for her. She has an amazing solo skinny dipping scene where I could really sense her loosening up and staring to enjoy herself again. She goes through quite a transformation.

Grant has been solo in Hearts Cove for 16 years and is the town grump. But a HOT grump. He has a history - and he came to Hearts Cove to get away and start over.

These two are thrown some very wide curve balls in their journey to an HEA, some of the issues that surface are dark. I appreciated the way the author handled the characters’ healing processes.

Fiona’s group of girlfriends are great. The small town characters also kept things light when personal issues got heavy.

[Sam&Dean · Rating 1 out of 5]

Clearly I didn’t love this book. I’m always torn on reviewing a book that was probably an okay read for its category, but had so many things I personally hated. Also, this was a definite DNF for me, almost from the start. I was looking for a sweet, quirky mid-life romance with some humor. I felt ripped off. I could see where the humor was supposed to be but I just did not find it funny. Plus, it’s probably inevitable to have some emotional walls by the time your in your 40’s but this guy’s walls had walls. And his ‘trauma’ occurred over 15 years ago. I mean, c’mon dude, it’s time to move on. It wasn’t even all that traumatic, someone didn’t want to date you anymore… that’s called life, move on. You say you worked 100 hours a week, seriously, who in their right mind WOULD date you??

I like fluff. I admit it. This book was not fluff and that’s ok, a story is good too. But this was just all around TOO MUCH & TOO LONG! There was a perfectly good HEA around the 56-57% point and honestly it was a struggle for me to get there. It was a bit of an angsty slow burn for me while these 2 decided if they wanted to just sleep together. NOT date, just hook-up….once they finally did, it happened so fast and with so little detail, I would definitely not call it steamy in any way. Anyway, let’s just leave it there and call it a HEA. If you don’t, you will get a story full DRAMA DRAMA DRAMA. Pretty much everything I hate in a romance was covered in the rest of the book…

[[[(BRIEF MINOR SPOILER AHEAD)… there is secret pregnancy/ surprise child (HATE this troupe!!), teen drinking/ drama that ends in almost death (train wreck from the start), an UGLY UGLY uncomfortable breakup that lasts WAY too long (hard pass on breakups, let alone HORRIBLE word exchanges that are UNFORGIVABLE).]]]

Overall this author is clearly not for me. One last quirky complaint… the book could have been more reasonable length & pace if there was less set-up for the rest of the book series. We not only got to meet the future main characters BUT several of them had their chance at NARRATING A FULL CHAPTER IN THIS BOOK. Which is weird, right?

[Kate · Rating 2 out of 5]

This was very angsty - in both the main characters heads. The story suffered (and moved very slowly) as a result. I didn't feel like Grant should have been forgiven after the party - I would have told him to pound salt. Just an itchy read for me: I was glad when it was done.

I reread this when I read the last in the series and enjoyed it quite a bit. I'm still not loving Grant's reaction. I think she should have run fast and far.

[Chippyblue Fangirl Reads · Rating 2 out of 5]

I honestly admired Fiona because she eventually stood up for herself. I was really disappointed with Grant. I really just expected more because these characters where in their 40's and wanted more mature thought process. I would have given this a 3 if Grant did a lot more groveling.

[Crista · Rating 3 out of 5]

I liked this book, and would have probably liked it more if after he treated her like absolute dirt she didn’t just take him back straight away… or at all!

[Sian Rice · Rating 3 out of 5]

.

𝘽𝙖𝙙 𝙨𝙮𝙣𝙤𝙥𝙨𝙞𝙨

A total pushover tries to start over in a new town with the local hottie, and proves just what a pushover she is

𝙂𝙤𝙤𝙙 𝙨𝙩𝙪𝙛𝙛

The first 80%

𝘽𝙖𝙙 𝙨𝙩𝙪𝙛𝙛

The last 20%

𝙏𝙧𝙤𝙥𝙚𝙨/𝙨𝙪𝙗 𝙜𝙚𝙣𝙧𝙚𝙨

Small town romance
Friends with benefits
Midlife
Starting over

𝙊𝙫𝙚𝙧𝙖𝙡𝙡 𝙩𝙝𝙤𝙪𝙜𝙝𝙩𝙨

Fiona is dragged to an arty retreat by her best friend as a way to try and get her groove back after divorce. On their first day they meet super hot local, Grant.

One thing leads to seventeen others, and basically they end up loving in with him for the rest of their stay. Except Simone leaves, and Fiona doesn’t.

I’m so torn about this book. It started off so well! Fun and flirty and small-town-cute. If only it could have stayed that way.

The multiple POVs didn’t really serve a purpose except to unnecessarily set us up for future books in the series.

The third act breakup was the thing that truly pissed me off. It was a total overreaction from Grant and actually felt really out of character. Don’t get me wrong, it’s commendable that he was so focused on his daughter, but completely turning on Fiona like that? It wasn’t just cold, it was downright cruel.

A five minute meeting with his ex who fucked him over in the worst way and he’s all oh I totally get why she did that despicable thing directly to me! But he can’t stop his anger at Fiona for something she 𝘥𝘪𝘥𝘯’𝘵 𝘦𝘷𝘦𝘯 𝘥𝘰??? Grow the fuck up Grant.

And then he’s suddenly rewriting the situation in his mind! Like he 𝘢𝘴𝘬𝘦𝘥 her to leave because he was doing the right thing for 𝘩𝘦𝘳? No fuckwit! You blamed her for something that was no more her fault than it was yours, and basically told her to fuck off! None of that was for 𝘩𝘦𝘳 benefit!

I dunno, until that part he seemed to be a really good guy but if this had been happening to a friend of mine I’d be worried that this was a major red flag.

Basically for the first 80% of the book this was going to be a 4 or even 4.5 star read but…that last 20% changed the trajectory dramatically for me, sadly.

𝙍𝙖𝙩𝙞𝙣𝙜𝙨

🤤🤤
💦💦
🤣🤣
😭😭😭
🌟🌟🌟

[JudyAnnLovesBooks · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book is amazing! I can’t begin to tell you how much I enjoyed it. From beginning to end, Dirty Little Midlife Crisis had me gobbling up the words as ASAP as possible.

Fiona is a 45 year old divorcee whose marriage was over long before she actually got divorced. She and her best friend Simone go on a road trip ending with a vacation in a small coastal town. There she meets, sexy, should always be shirtless, because he is damn fine man, Grant. Trust me when I say, Grant is a sexy, sexy, sexy - silver fox!

Both Fiona and Grant are broken - the shattered pieces of themselves, held together with duct tape. Neither is looking for romance but their undeniable attraction to one another is a living and breathing entity that takes on a life of its own. Never have I ever enjoyed a roommates with benefits romance as much as I did this one. I loved that Fiona and Grant were a mature older couple who burned up the sheets AND the pages, of this unputdownable romance.

TBR Dirty Little Midlife Crisis and Enjoy!

[Theletter12 · Rating 4 out of 5]

Fiona and Grant

She’s a 45 yo divorcee with no kids and looking for her next stage in life. He’s 45 and scared by his ex-wife. Instant attraction and odd book opening with a water main break and her getting hit in the head. And then for him to be the nude male model in the art class - hubba hubba. They click and she decides she can do this no strings attached until feelings creep in and he feels them too.. and confession time comes to be whammed by a surprise daughter on his part. The surprise daughter is a handful and gets drunk with alcohol poisoning and he blames Fiona. I was crying - he was such an ass to her - she didn’t deserve it. Then he leaves for New York for a month and never apologizes leaving her behind. When he finally comes to his senses thinking she is leaving town forever he grovels on bended knee… so that was good. Ugh he is so hot in this book… I really grasped how hot he was - lol - 🔥🔥🔥

[Nicole Olney · Rating 4 out of 5]

Good story but…

I don’t know…I mean, I really enjoyed seeing main characters that are in their 40’s having survived and grown through some of life’s hardships. It’s where I’ve found myself, sadly. I too feel like I lost the last 18 years of my life grieving the lost of my best friend and soulmate to cancer. So I find a bit of hope in stories like this. Finding love again. Perhaps finding myself as part of family, even though I haven’t had the opportunity to give birth. Having the courage to try something new for yourself, not because it’s what’s expected of you. Finding friendships, your “clan,”your “tribe,” girlfriends to encourage and instigate stepping out of your comfort zones. But I had to deduct points for how much of a royal ass Grant was to Fiona after the party. I’m not sure the way he acted, the words he said, and his prolonged silence could just be forgiven! He was a cruel bastard to her! Sure she got to say her piece eventually, but damn him for blaming her. So yea, I’m a bit unsettled about this conclusion, but alas I will read the next in the series and hope to replace the turmoil Grants uncontrolled anger left me with.

[Karen's Utterly Unashamed · Rating 3 out of 5]

I loved this one until the end. The beginning was so good, starting over in your 40's, finding a new life, girlfriends, humor, heartbreak, and love at first site (even though you don't want to believe it.)

But then the end felt a little rushed and I didn't get all the feels that I wanted it to end with.

But...it was enough that I went on to book two to read about Simone.


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[JoAn · Rating 4 out of 5]

Lillian Monroe has penned a sweet little romance for women who are starting over after divorce. Fiona and Simone are a breath of fresh air. Candice and Jen are great supporting characters and I look forward to getting to know them better. Romance, humor and the usual romantic drama made this an entertaining afternoon read.

[Liz · Rating 4 out of 5]

Story of Fiona and Grant.

Recently divorced woman takes a vacation with her friend to a small California coastal town for an art retreat and meets a hottie with a past that comes back to bite him.

I enjoyed this immensely.