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Librarians in Love #2
Falling for Trouble
The riot grrrl and the bookworm--just the pair to get the whole town talking...
Liam Byrd loves Halikarnassus, New York. He loves its friendliness, its nosiness, the vibrant library at the center of it all. And now that Joanna Green is home, the whole town sizzles. A rebel like her stirs up excitement, action, desire--at least in Liam.
Joanna never thought she'd have to come back to her dull, tiny fishbowl of a hometown ever again. She almost had a record deal for her all-girl rock band. She almost had it made in L.A. And then her deal went sour and her granny broke her leg . . . and now here she is, running into everybody's favorite librarian every time she heads to a dive bar or catches up with old friends.
He has charm, he has good taste in music--and the sight of him in running shorts is dangerously distracting. But when he loves her old town and she can't wait to check out, their new romance is surely destined for the book drop...
Praise for The Undateable
"Socially aware and laugh-out-loud funny, with a love story that's real enough to imagine reading about on Twitter. A delightful start to Librarians in Love." --Kirkus Reviews, STARRED Review
"Title launches her Librarians in Love contemporary romance series with a hilarious and charming first installment . . . Funny, engrossing, and delightfully written." --Publishers Weekly, STARRED Review
Liam Byrd loves Halikarnassus, New York. He loves its friendliness, its nosiness, the vibrant library at the center of it all. And now that Joanna Green is home, the whole town sizzles. A rebel like her stirs up excitement, action, desire--at least in Liam.
Joanna never thought she'd have to come back to her dull, tiny fishbowl of a hometown ever again. She almost had a record deal for her all-girl rock band. She almost had it made in L.A. And then her deal went sour and her granny broke her leg . . . and now here she is, running into everybody's favorite librarian every time she heads to a dive bar or catches up with old friends.
He has charm, he has good taste in music--and the sight of him in running shorts is dangerously distracting. But when he loves her old town and she can't wait to check out, their new romance is surely destined for the book drop...
Praise for The Undateable
"Socially aware and laugh-out-loud funny, with a love story that's real enough to imagine reading about on Twitter. A delightful start to Librarians in Love." --Kirkus Reviews, STARRED Review
"Title launches her Librarians in Love contemporary romance series with a hilarious and charming first installment . . . Funny, engrossing, and delightfully written." --Publishers Weekly, STARRED Review
293 pages, Mass Market Paperback
First published June 27, 2017
52 people are currently reading
680 people want to read
About the author
Sarah Title
13 books140 followersSarah Title has worked as a barista, a secretary, a furniture painter, and once managed a team of giant walking beans. She currently leads a much more normal life as a librarian in West Virginia. Kentucky Home is her first novel.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 105 reviews
October 30, 2017
We interrupt this regularly scheduled review for a public service announcement on the importance of cover art! I invite you all to spend a few minutes, before you read this review, perusing the cover art for Falling for Trouble.
Here are my thoughts on why the utterly insanely awful cover to this book is actually DETRIMENTAL to the reading experience itself. That's right, the cover of this book is so bad it made me like the book less.
1.) "Shave and a Hair Cut for the Love of Christ"
We'll begin with our male model, primarily because his is the only face we actually see here. I feel the need to point out that this guy is meant to represent Liam Byrd the library director at the Halikarnassus, New York public library. He is the titular "librarian in love" this time around and I'll admit I think that's very cool. You may not know this but there are in fact male librarians. I work with one. He's a huge pain in my ass. (Hi Steve! What's up!?). If you are reading this book and thus looking at the cover you might be surprised to learn once you start reading it that Liam is in fact neither 1.) blind 2.) a serial killer 3.) a vampire 4.) unfamiliar with how to operate a razor or 5.) unaware that we live in a society that actively encourages you not to cut your own hair with a weed wacker. Book Liam is apparently very tall, super muscular from doing a lot of running (the entire plot of the book hinges on most of the female population of Halikarnassus doing whatever they possibly can to time their lives to directly intersect with his running schedule so they can stare at his legs and/or butt.) and you know what I cannot for the life of me tell you what else the book says about his looks because the only thing I'm capable of picturing is this complete and total doofus on the cover!
"If You Must Retouch Know What The Hell You're Doing"
My husband is an illustrator who also makes money as a photo editor/retoucher. I've never known someone better at it and have absorbed at least a working knowledge of what constitutes good or bad retouching through years spent watching him remove everything from crotch bulges to tan lines. Take a moment and look at girl cover model. She's got long flowing blondish locks fanning everywhere (because doofus would appear to be three seconds from either flinging her into the bookcases or dropping her dramatically on the floor so he can continue his seizure unimpeded) that are tinged with wild and crazy pink streaks AND she's got a wild and crazy "tattoo" on her arm. I'll start with the streaks because frankly I need an entire review just to talk about the tattoo and I'm hoping if I start with the streaks I'll tire myself out and spare us all. This model does NOT have pink streaks in her hair. I'm not entirely convinced these weren't added in with a pink highlighter right before it went to press though I'm guessing MS Paint is probably closer. I'm not going to touch the fact that in an effort to make it look like the streaks are fading out and her roots are coming through the artist has inadvertently given a 27 year old woman the single worst receding hairline and possibly the largest forehead in the history of humanity post the neolithic age.
Now lets talk about this tattoo. Again this was put in post production obviously. That's fine, happens all the time. It is, shall we say, problematic that at best it looks like a fake tattoo (which pretty damn awesome rock and roller Joanna Green would amputate her arm before doing). It doesn't even attempt to follow the line of her actual arm. Who in the hell gets a tattoo that will only ever look correct when she is being tossed around a room? It's almost offensive that someone appears to have done a google image search for "tramp stamps" that were in the public domain and literally copypasted it on this woman's arm. And yet that's what we're dealing with.
And I'm pissed about it because this book, this series and most emphatically this delightful author deserves way, way, way better than this. Sarah Title is funny, smart as hell, and she writes substantive, exciting, real romances about real people. I don't even LIKE contemporary romance and I started turning metaphoric cartwheels when I discovered we had the second book in this series months before I thought it was coming out.
Cover art aside this doesn't quite live up to the high bar Title set with The Undateable which I found entirely delightful. In the interest of setting up her story (local semi bad girl almost makes good as bad ass rocker before blowing her big break and returning to home town in semi-shame where she encounters adorkable library director), Title spends a lot of time, well, setting up her story. Liam and Joanna meet cute about a hundred times and have some of the weirdest Gilmore Girls esque conversations EVER. Here's a typical interaction, they’re discussing the huge amount of food people have been bringing over for Joanna’s grandmother, who’s broken her ankle;
"I think you underestimate your grandmother’s popularity."
"I don’t. Believe me, I don’t. I just….Didn’t anyone think I would be able to feed her? And us?”
“I don’t think it’s that. I think people just want to be nice. And they feel bad, so it probably helps them to be able to do something.”
“So they’re drowning us in casseroles to make themselves feel better?”
“That is a completely messed-up and cynical way to look at it, but then so is the idea that people are only being nice to you because they think you’re incompetent.”
“I’m complicated, man.” She balled up her burger wrapper and tossed it at him. She missed.
They have one of these conversations every time they run into each other for like the first hundred pages and it’s just exhausting. I mean I get it. Liam, who is a slobbering fanboy of Joanna’s all girl punk band, finds her super intimidating and has no idea how to handle how hot and cold she is. For her part Joanna’s hot and cold thing comes from a desire to leave the small town that has always labeled her as a no good troublemaker as soon as possible conflicting with her desire for Liam. So they keep meeting, having a weird conversation, and Joanna gets weird and punk rock and runs off.
When they finally get it together long enough to start sleeping together the story starts moving and settles into the same delightful rhythm of “The Undateable.” The supporting cast; Joanna’s grandmother, her best friend and highschool bandmate Trina (along with Trina’s hilarious children and former jock husband), and Liam’s nemesis the mayor who keeps trying to redirect the libraries funds to the high school football team are all really terrific. Joanna’s journey to figuring out whether she can make peace with her past and make this small town her home is totally believable and honestly moving at times because we’re right there with her as she’s realizing how great these people are and that she can let go of her past self and be anyone she wants. Maybe it’s cliche to make the point of the book “people really can change” but it works here because Joanna’s changes are believable and not centered around changing FOR Liam. She’s fundamentally the same person but she’s seeing she doesn’t have to carry this immense chip on her shoulder.
How’s the library stuff?
Spot on. Obviously it helps that Title is a librarian and in her acknowledgments she reveals that Halikarnassus Public Library is based on her own home town library. So Title knows whereof she speaks and you get a very, very accurate look at the daily life of a library director from the always surprising patrons to the dull as dishwater tasks that keep the lights on and the shelves stocked. There’s a really nice moment toward the end where the whole town comes to the libraries aid in a moment of crisis that would have been cheesy as all hell if a librarian hadn’t written it. Stuff like that happens and Title makes it all very believable.
How’s the sex?
Well it’s pretty good. There are really only two major sex scenes since the book is really more of a romantic, quirky rom-com kind of deal not so much super erotica in the stacks. What’s kind of fun is you see that for all their differences in how they move through life they’re super duper compatible in the bedroom. They both turn into punk rock sex maniacs and it’s sweet and super hot at the same time. Title really doesn’t pull punches with these two, they talk dirty and have very exciting fantasies about each other throughout the book. Again though she balances that with some wonderful post rumpus chats where they laugh like loons at each other’s embarrassing stories and really talk about what they want from life and possibly each other.
Worth the price of admission?
Yeah definitely, if you can get around the horrible images conjured by the cover and the surrealist Lynchesque “flirting” scenes it really is worth it to see Joanna sort herself out and Liam let go of his “boy scout” tendencies and embrace his inner badass. They're very good together and you're rooting for the happy ending.
Here are my thoughts on why the utterly insanely awful cover to this book is actually DETRIMENTAL to the reading experience itself. That's right, the cover of this book is so bad it made me like the book less.
1.) "Shave and a Hair Cut for the Love of Christ"
We'll begin with our male model, primarily because his is the only face we actually see here. I feel the need to point out that this guy is meant to represent Liam Byrd the library director at the Halikarnassus, New York public library. He is the titular "librarian in love" this time around and I'll admit I think that's very cool. You may not know this but there are in fact male librarians. I work with one. He's a huge pain in my ass. (Hi Steve! What's up!?). If you are reading this book and thus looking at the cover you might be surprised to learn once you start reading it that Liam is in fact neither 1.) blind 2.) a serial killer 3.) a vampire 4.) unfamiliar with how to operate a razor or 5.) unaware that we live in a society that actively encourages you not to cut your own hair with a weed wacker. Book Liam is apparently very tall, super muscular from doing a lot of running (the entire plot of the book hinges on most of the female population of Halikarnassus doing whatever they possibly can to time their lives to directly intersect with his running schedule so they can stare at his legs and/or butt.) and you know what I cannot for the life of me tell you what else the book says about his looks because the only thing I'm capable of picturing is this complete and total doofus on the cover!
"If You Must Retouch Know What The Hell You're Doing"
My husband is an illustrator who also makes money as a photo editor/retoucher. I've never known someone better at it and have absorbed at least a working knowledge of what constitutes good or bad retouching through years spent watching him remove everything from crotch bulges to tan lines. Take a moment and look at girl cover model. She's got long flowing blondish locks fanning everywhere (because doofus would appear to be three seconds from either flinging her into the bookcases or dropping her dramatically on the floor so he can continue his seizure unimpeded) that are tinged with wild and crazy pink streaks AND she's got a wild and crazy "tattoo" on her arm. I'll start with the streaks because frankly I need an entire review just to talk about the tattoo and I'm hoping if I start with the streaks I'll tire myself out and spare us all. This model does NOT have pink streaks in her hair. I'm not entirely convinced these weren't added in with a pink highlighter right before it went to press though I'm guessing MS Paint is probably closer. I'm not going to touch the fact that in an effort to make it look like the streaks are fading out and her roots are coming through the artist has inadvertently given a 27 year old woman the single worst receding hairline and possibly the largest forehead in the history of humanity post the neolithic age.
Now lets talk about this tattoo. Again this was put in post production obviously. That's fine, happens all the time. It is, shall we say, problematic that at best it looks like a fake tattoo (which pretty damn awesome rock and roller Joanna Green would amputate her arm before doing). It doesn't even attempt to follow the line of her actual arm. Who in the hell gets a tattoo that will only ever look correct when she is being tossed around a room? It's almost offensive that someone appears to have done a google image search for "tramp stamps" that were in the public domain and literally copypasted it on this woman's arm. And yet that's what we're dealing with.
And I'm pissed about it because this book, this series and most emphatically this delightful author deserves way, way, way better than this. Sarah Title is funny, smart as hell, and she writes substantive, exciting, real romances about real people. I don't even LIKE contemporary romance and I started turning metaphoric cartwheels when I discovered we had the second book in this series months before I thought it was coming out.
Cover art aside this doesn't quite live up to the high bar Title set with The Undateable which I found entirely delightful. In the interest of setting up her story (local semi bad girl almost makes good as bad ass rocker before blowing her big break and returning to home town in semi-shame where she encounters adorkable library director), Title spends a lot of time, well, setting up her story. Liam and Joanna meet cute about a hundred times and have some of the weirdest Gilmore Girls esque conversations EVER. Here's a typical interaction, they’re discussing the huge amount of food people have been bringing over for Joanna’s grandmother, who’s broken her ankle;
"I think you underestimate your grandmother’s popularity."
"I don’t. Believe me, I don’t. I just….Didn’t anyone think I would be able to feed her? And us?”
“I don’t think it’s that. I think people just want to be nice. And they feel bad, so it probably helps them to be able to do something.”
“So they’re drowning us in casseroles to make themselves feel better?”
“That is a completely messed-up and cynical way to look at it, but then so is the idea that people are only being nice to you because they think you’re incompetent.”
“I’m complicated, man.” She balled up her burger wrapper and tossed it at him. She missed.
They have one of these conversations every time they run into each other for like the first hundred pages and it’s just exhausting. I mean I get it. Liam, who is a slobbering fanboy of Joanna’s all girl punk band, finds her super intimidating and has no idea how to handle how hot and cold she is. For her part Joanna’s hot and cold thing comes from a desire to leave the small town that has always labeled her as a no good troublemaker as soon as possible conflicting with her desire for Liam. So they keep meeting, having a weird conversation, and Joanna gets weird and punk rock and runs off.
When they finally get it together long enough to start sleeping together the story starts moving and settles into the same delightful rhythm of “The Undateable.” The supporting cast; Joanna’s grandmother, her best friend and highschool bandmate Trina (along with Trina’s hilarious children and former jock husband), and Liam’s nemesis the mayor who keeps trying to redirect the libraries funds to the high school football team are all really terrific. Joanna’s journey to figuring out whether she can make peace with her past and make this small town her home is totally believable and honestly moving at times because we’re right there with her as she’s realizing how great these people are and that she can let go of her past self and be anyone she wants. Maybe it’s cliche to make the point of the book “people really can change” but it works here because Joanna’s changes are believable and not centered around changing FOR Liam. She’s fundamentally the same person but she’s seeing she doesn’t have to carry this immense chip on her shoulder.
How’s the library stuff?
Spot on. Obviously it helps that Title is a librarian and in her acknowledgments she reveals that Halikarnassus Public Library is based on her own home town library. So Title knows whereof she speaks and you get a very, very accurate look at the daily life of a library director from the always surprising patrons to the dull as dishwater tasks that keep the lights on and the shelves stocked. There’s a really nice moment toward the end where the whole town comes to the libraries aid in a moment of crisis that would have been cheesy as all hell if a librarian hadn’t written it. Stuff like that happens and Title makes it all very believable.
How’s the sex?
Well it’s pretty good. There are really only two major sex scenes since the book is really more of a romantic, quirky rom-com kind of deal not so much super erotica in the stacks. What’s kind of fun is you see that for all their differences in how they move through life they’re super duper compatible in the bedroom. They both turn into punk rock sex maniacs and it’s sweet and super hot at the same time. Title really doesn’t pull punches with these two, they talk dirty and have very exciting fantasies about each other throughout the book. Again though she balances that with some wonderful post rumpus chats where they laugh like loons at each other’s embarrassing stories and really talk about what they want from life and possibly each other.
Worth the price of admission?
Yeah definitely, if you can get around the horrible images conjured by the cover and the surrealist Lynchesque “flirting” scenes it really is worth it to see Joanna sort herself out and Liam let go of his “boy scout” tendencies and embrace his inner badass. They're very good together and you're rooting for the happy ending.
October 18, 2018
Snabbläst, het, härlig och full med bibliotekskärlek ❤️
December 31, 2017
3.5 stars
And here goes my last read of the year and it was a nice one, wooho!! 2017 was a good reading year for me after a two year reading slump that started in 2014 and finally ended in 2017. I found new to me authors and series I enjoyed tremendously and gave up on some never-ending series as well.
This book has a librarian hero and the heroine who is sassy and confident and a nice small-town back-drop.
And here goes my last read of the year and it was a nice one, wooho!! 2017 was a good reading year for me after a two year reading slump that started in 2014 and finally ended in 2017. I found new to me authors and series I enjoyed tremendously and gave up on some never-ending series as well.
This book has a librarian hero and the heroine who is sassy and confident and a nice small-town back-drop.
January 31, 2021
Eftersom jag aldrig läser feelgood eller romance annars så har jag inget att jämföra med, och därför är det extra svårt att sätta betyg.
Anyway, Gustaf lyckades väcka mitt intresse genom pitchen "sexiga bibliotekarier och rockbrudar" och det gjorde han rätt i för det är definitivt karaktärerna som gör boken. Jag uppskattade att huvudpersonerna är självständiga individer som lever hyfsat normala liv (snarare än världsfrånvänd glamour, liksom). Det är också fint att de får framstå som nördiga och struliga (dvs. mänskliga) men ändå lyckas nå varandra. Plus också för att sexighet inte utesluter snällhet (i motsats till olika mind games och manipulationer som alltid ska skildras när folk är tända på varandra). Minus för rätt kass översättning/korr stundtals, men jag har läst värre och det brukar få mig att ge upp, så det kan inte ha varit så illa ändå :)
På det hela taget en varm och godhjärtad bok. Vansinnigt lättläst, som att streama en romantisk komedi och käka godis 🍬 ❤️
Tack Gustaf, för tipset!
Anyway, Gustaf lyckades väcka mitt intresse genom pitchen "sexiga bibliotekarier och rockbrudar" och det gjorde han rätt i för det är definitivt karaktärerna som gör boken. Jag uppskattade att huvudpersonerna är självständiga individer som lever hyfsat normala liv (snarare än världsfrånvänd glamour, liksom). Det är också fint att de får framstå som nördiga och struliga (dvs. mänskliga) men ändå lyckas nå varandra. Plus också för att sexighet inte utesluter snällhet (i motsats till olika mind games och manipulationer som alltid ska skildras när folk är tända på varandra). Minus för rätt kass översättning/korr stundtals, men jag har läst värre och det brukar få mig att ge upp, så det kan inte ha varit så illa ändå :)
På det hela taget en varm och godhjärtad bok. Vansinnigt lättläst, som att streama en romantisk komedi och käka godis 🍬 ❤️
Tack Gustaf, för tipset!
September 17, 2017
These books are cute, but VERY chick-litty. I'm going to continue to read them because they make me feel warm & fuzzy. Recommend? eh, not necessarily.
Good town and cast of characters
Weaker on the relationship between MCs-although chemistry was certainly was there.
Good town and cast of characters
Weaker on the relationship between MCs-although chemistry was certainly was there.
April 23, 2018
So, I loved the first book in the series, The Undateable, and this one was pretty good as well. It was a quick read, and hard to put down. While I didn't necessarily connect with the female in this one, I did connect with all the stuff about the library funding that the male character was dealing with. The small town was funny, and I loved how all the women would have to go outside and watch the new hot librarian, Liam, when he was jogging in the morning. The storyline behind Joanna's band, as well as her problems with the other small town characters was a blast. A cute fun read. Definitely recommended! Not a lot to say on this one other than that, guess it's really a mini-review this time!
July 6, 2017
well, that was a charmer with a solid Bechdel test pass and a sanitized but hilariously accurate depiction of small town public library romance. I laughed a lot while reading it and even rec'd it before finishing.
the epilogue threw me for a loop, though. .. really came out of nowhere!
the epilogue threw me for a loop, though. .. really came out of nowhere!
Read
February 3, 2021Enjoyable storytelling, but ultimately too conventionally 2-D for me.
Bad girl returns home in disgrace, falls for cinnamon roll librarian. Showdown between bully mayor and librarian: will the budget be spent on footballs or books?
I mean, there is nothing wrong with this, and Sarah Title (come for the name, stay for the books) does a very decent job indeed of characterising Joanna's visceral reluctance to return to the town where she was bullied as a teenager. Liam the librarian is little short of perfect, and there's a refreshing lack of "oh, I mustn't" about their attraction to each other. I raced through this (by candlelight - cows rub against our power-line guy-ropes & bring the wires down with distressing regularity) so, no, there is nothing wrong with the story-telling.
I have come, I think, to ask more of Small Town CR than I'm finding (please - recs if you have them). To state the obvious, there are no PoC, even as supporting characters. There are no LGBTQ characters. There are no politically sensitive topics - assimilation (or not) of people from different cultures, no discussion of gun control etc. Sarah Title's Halikarnassus (NY) is a safe place, a cosy, insular place. And OK, sometimes that's a feeling I want to read about.
But where it grates in this particular book is that the avoidance of grittiness spills down to deliberately ignoring a story line that's been set up for a secondary character, Kristin.
That's why I call this a 2-D book. It had the potential for more: Sarah Title writes well. But.
3.5* writing, 2* world view.
Bad girl returns home in disgrace, falls for cinnamon roll librarian. Showdown between bully mayor and librarian: will the budget be spent on footballs or books?
I mean, there is nothing wrong with this, and Sarah Title (come for the name, stay for the books) does a very decent job indeed of characterising Joanna's visceral reluctance to return to the town where she was bullied as a teenager. Liam the librarian is little short of perfect, and there's a refreshing lack of "oh, I mustn't" about their attraction to each other. I raced through this (by candlelight - cows rub against our power-line guy-ropes & bring the wires down with distressing regularity) so, no, there is nothing wrong with the story-telling.
I have come, I think, to ask more of Small Town CR than I'm finding (please - recs if you have them). To state the obvious, there are no PoC, even as supporting characters. There are no LGBTQ characters. There are no politically sensitive topics - assimilation (or not) of people from different cultures, no discussion of gun control etc. Sarah Title's Halikarnassus (NY) is a safe place, a cosy, insular place. And OK, sometimes that's a feeling I want to read about.
But where it grates in this particular book is that the avoidance of grittiness spills down to deliberately ignoring a story line that's been set up for a secondary character, Kristin.
That's why I call this a 2-D book. It had the potential for more: Sarah Title writes well. But.
3.5* writing, 2* world view.
January 20, 2018
Trigger warnings: near car accident, public humiliation??
Was this a great book? No, not especially. Was it memorable? I suspect not. Did I get my $1.42's investment worth of enjoyment out of it? Absolutely.
There's a male librarian dealing with budget cuts (and it was all too real) and a woman who's just quit her band and moved home in shame after they made it big and she didn't like the terms of their contract so she walked out in the middle of a concert. There's a delightful supporting cast of characters, including a dog and some small children. There's the realisation that the person you were in high school is a very different person to the person you are today and that you probably shouldn't hold grudges as a result. And there's swooniness. So.
My one real gripe here is that we're told NUMEROUS times that Joanna's hair is dyed black and the girl on the cover has.......decidedly not black hair. But whatever.
Was this a great book? No, not especially. Was it memorable? I suspect not. Did I get my $1.42's investment worth of enjoyment out of it? Absolutely.
There's a male librarian dealing with budget cuts (and it was all too real) and a woman who's just quit her band and moved home in shame after they made it big and she didn't like the terms of their contract so she walked out in the middle of a concert. There's a delightful supporting cast of characters, including a dog and some small children. There's the realisation that the person you were in high school is a very different person to the person you are today and that you probably shouldn't hold grudges as a result. And there's swooniness. So.
My one real gripe here is that we're told NUMEROUS times that Joanna's hair is dyed black and the girl on the cover has.......decidedly not black hair. But whatever.
February 7, 2021
En väldigt söt och fin bok som jag lyssnade på. Bra inläst! Jag skrattade rakt ut flera gånger och hade riktigt roligt åt hur "knäpp" huvudkaraktären Joanna var. :D Helt underbar.
November 12, 2017
This review and others can be found on my blog, Fine Print.
I’m sad to say that FALLING FOR TROUBLE was a very disappointing read. I was expecting a cute, opposites attract romance between a small-town librarian and a slightly-reformed bad girl punk rocker. What I got was a disjointed, extremely slow-paced story that failed to conjure any chemistry at all between the lead characters. Title’s writing style didn’t work for me, but maybe people who appreciate her writing will enjoy this book more.
Joanna and Liam spent very little time together on page; in fact, I think they only had four or five scenes in the 57% of the book that I read. Is it any wonder that I felt their connection was unrealistic? How are you supposed to have a connection to someone who you’ve only met a handful of times when those interactions were primarily composed of one sentence exchanges? Because of this, I thought the moment they realize their feelings for each other felt unrealistic and forced.
To her credit, Title (a librarian herself) does a great job representing what goes on in a small-town library, from the programs and collection to the patrons. As a small-town librarian myself, I found myself nodding along and chuckling with recognition during the scenes where Liam had to navigate delicate patron interactions. Had this book been focused on Liam’s work at the library I would’ve kept reading, but as it stands, FALLING FOR TROUBLE was not a strong romance read for me.
I’m sad to say that FALLING FOR TROUBLE was a very disappointing read. I was expecting a cute, opposites attract romance between a small-town librarian and a slightly-reformed bad girl punk rocker. What I got was a disjointed, extremely slow-paced story that failed to conjure any chemistry at all between the lead characters. Title’s writing style didn’t work for me, but maybe people who appreciate her writing will enjoy this book more.
Joanna and Liam spent very little time together on page; in fact, I think they only had four or five scenes in the 57% of the book that I read. Is it any wonder that I felt their connection was unrealistic? How are you supposed to have a connection to someone who you’ve only met a handful of times when those interactions were primarily composed of one sentence exchanges? Because of this, I thought the moment they realize their feelings for each other felt unrealistic and forced.
To her credit, Title (a librarian herself) does a great job representing what goes on in a small-town library, from the programs and collection to the patrons. As a small-town librarian myself, I found myself nodding along and chuckling with recognition during the scenes where Liam had to navigate delicate patron interactions. Had this book been focused on Liam’s work at the library I would’ve kept reading, but as it stands, FALLING FOR TROUBLE was not a strong romance read for me.
August 20, 2017
I didn't care for either of the main characters. I only kept reading because I had to know if the library kept its funding.
November 3, 2018
3,5. Hade fått fyra om den haft lite mer nerv, men den kändes modern, mysig och hade en liten twist i slutet.
June 4, 2017
Actual Rating: 3.5
**Disclaimer: I received a complimentary copy of this book.**
When good boy and bad girl collide...
Joanna is going home even though it's the last place she wants to be. Her hometown has never been her favorite part of childhood and the people in her town feel the same way about her, the troublemaker. Her Granny's accident provides a good excuse for being there but soon the truth spreads like wildfire and everyone knows that Joanna's days of being a rock star are over.
Liam is a fan of Joanna's earlier music and he's glad to meet her, even though she doesn't return the feeling. Yet, there is something about her that makes Liam want to try a little harder to break through her tough exterior and find the woman underneath. The woman who has never been treated as anything other than an outcast.
I enjoyed this book, for the most part. Joanna was a complicated character with layers of issues beneath the surface that she needs to work on. One of those is pure immaturity. And she knows it, too, since she realizes how well everyone around her has their lives together while hers is a mess. She had a strange sense of humor but it was entertaining once I got used to it.
Liam's character was actually a nice surprise. He was witty and owned his dorkiness. I like a cute dork and this guy was right up my alley. His altercation with the mayor at the party really gave me more respect for him, too. I love that he appreciated his job and the community he lived in. He slowly wore down Joanna's walls and wormed his way into her frozen heart.
The pacing was on the slower side but fairly steady. Granny was a pretty entertaining character and so were several of the other secondary characters. The town really came to life in this story. I felt terrible for Liam while he fought for the library's funding and I was pretty satisfied with the ending even though it came out of nowhere, really.
The romance element was enjoyable and had a nice dash of spice to it even though it wasn't very sentimental until the end. There were lustful thoughts on both sides from the beginning and the playful relationship was fun to watch blossom. I liked the way our couple bickered and Liam didn't back down from Joanna's stiff personality. It was cute.
But there were a few things that I didn't love. The plot was interesting but the writing was on the wordy side. The internal thoughts became repetitive, at times. There wasn't a whole lot of character development for Joanna here, either. We see a big change in her from the peek into the future with the epilogue but we don't actually see that happen. I didn't even know she had those sort of aspirations since music is her only focus for the entire story.
One other thing that irritated me about this story were the tiny injections of strange and liberal ideals into the story. One of the characters had a thought that was something like "it's a rough time to be a woman in America". Umm, no. Pretty much any time before 1920 was a rough time to be a woman in America, you know, with all of that 'women's suffrage' going on. It was such a ridiculous statement that I actually paused to scowl at the screen. There were other things mentioned that led me to believe that the author is definitely of the leftist mindset. And I hate when politics is injected into a book that has nothing to do with politics. It's a turn off.
In closing...
A good read with a little something extra for such a great librarian hero. 3.5 suns!
Full review on blog: http://uptildawnbookblog.blogspot.com/2017/06/review-falling-for-trouble-by-sarah.html
**Disclaimer: I received a complimentary copy of this book.**
When good boy and bad girl collide...
Joanna is going home even though it's the last place she wants to be. Her hometown has never been her favorite part of childhood and the people in her town feel the same way about her, the troublemaker. Her Granny's accident provides a good excuse for being there but soon the truth spreads like wildfire and everyone knows that Joanna's days of being a rock star are over.
Liam is a fan of Joanna's earlier music and he's glad to meet her, even though she doesn't return the feeling. Yet, there is something about her that makes Liam want to try a little harder to break through her tough exterior and find the woman underneath. The woman who has never been treated as anything other than an outcast.
I enjoyed this book, for the most part. Joanna was a complicated character with layers of issues beneath the surface that she needs to work on. One of those is pure immaturity. And she knows it, too, since she realizes how well everyone around her has their lives together while hers is a mess. She had a strange sense of humor but it was entertaining once I got used to it.
Liam's character was actually a nice surprise. He was witty and owned his dorkiness. I like a cute dork and this guy was right up my alley. His altercation with the mayor at the party really gave me more respect for him, too. I love that he appreciated his job and the community he lived in. He slowly wore down Joanna's walls and wormed his way into her frozen heart.
The pacing was on the slower side but fairly steady. Granny was a pretty entertaining character and so were several of the other secondary characters. The town really came to life in this story. I felt terrible for Liam while he fought for the library's funding and I was pretty satisfied with the ending even though it came out of nowhere, really.
The romance element was enjoyable and had a nice dash of spice to it even though it wasn't very sentimental until the end. There were lustful thoughts on both sides from the beginning and the playful relationship was fun to watch blossom. I liked the way our couple bickered and Liam didn't back down from Joanna's stiff personality. It was cute.
But there were a few things that I didn't love. The plot was interesting but the writing was on the wordy side. The internal thoughts became repetitive, at times. There wasn't a whole lot of character development for Joanna here, either. We see a big change in her from the peek into the future with the epilogue but we don't actually see that happen. I didn't even know she had those sort of aspirations since music is her only focus for the entire story.
One other thing that irritated me about this story were the tiny injections of strange and liberal ideals into the story. One of the characters had a thought that was something like "it's a rough time to be a woman in America". Umm, no. Pretty much any time before 1920 was a rough time to be a woman in America, you know, with all of that 'women's suffrage' going on. It was such a ridiculous statement that I actually paused to scowl at the screen. There were other things mentioned that led me to believe that the author is definitely of the leftist mindset. And I hate when politics is injected into a book that has nothing to do with politics. It's a turn off.
In closing...
A good read with a little something extra for such a great librarian hero. 3.5 suns!
Full review on blog: http://uptildawnbookblog.blogspot.com/2017/06/review-falling-for-trouble-by-sarah.html
May 10, 2017
I received a copy of this novel from the publisher via NetGalley.
Joanna Green, the guitarist in an up and coming band called Bunny Slippers, returns to her small home town having thrown away the chance to tour supporting a more famous band. Fortunately, but unbeknownst to her, the grandmother who raised her has just got out of hospital and Joanna is able to use this as a partial excuse for her return. Peggy, the grandmother, broke her leg while (slightly disturbingly) watching the town librarian Liam running in his sportswear.
I have mixed feelings about this novel. I enjoyed reading it very much and it was written with a light touch. There were several scenes which made me laugh. However, the beginning and the end were problematic for me: the opening chapters consisted of Joanna repeatedly musing on how she had thrown her career away without actually revealing the details of why she had acted as she did. This was eventually explained, but the foreshadowing got tiresome. The beginning also contained a lot of Joanna being extremely rude to perfectly pleasant people who were helping her or her grandmother. At one point Liam describes her as "cool and aloof"; I would describe her as "petulant and rude".
The middle was a delight; the concert at the children's library event, the rehearsal with Kirsten, the book club meeting. I liked Liam and believed that he was a librarian - he did actual work. Joanna starts to behave more like normal person (albeit a normal person who spends months living off her grandmother and constantly talks about how she is going to leave very soon, despite seemingly having no plan, no qualifications, no job prospects).
Then the ending... Suddenly we learn that Joanna is a very traumatized person and her petulance is not her fault. This section didn't really work for me. I didn't really believe that Joanna doubted how much Peggy loved her and the abrupt change in tone from the humour of the rest of the book grated. The whole library/football stadium town council meeting felt contrived and squeezed in to bring things to a head. There was an opportunity to develop the (to me very interesting) Hal/Kirsten story arc, but this was not taken up.
In conclusion, I didn't like Joanna, I don't think she was good enough for Liam and I don't think she'll make a good mayor. Despite all that I had a great time reading this story - it was fun.
Joanna Green, the guitarist in an up and coming band called Bunny Slippers, returns to her small home town having thrown away the chance to tour supporting a more famous band. Fortunately, but unbeknownst to her, the grandmother who raised her has just got out of hospital and Joanna is able to use this as a partial excuse for her return. Peggy, the grandmother, broke her leg while (slightly disturbingly) watching the town librarian Liam running in his sportswear.
I have mixed feelings about this novel. I enjoyed reading it very much and it was written with a light touch. There were several scenes which made me laugh. However, the beginning and the end were problematic for me: the opening chapters consisted of Joanna repeatedly musing on how she had thrown her career away without actually revealing the details of why she had acted as she did. This was eventually explained, but the foreshadowing got tiresome. The beginning also contained a lot of Joanna being extremely rude to perfectly pleasant people who were helping her or her grandmother. At one point Liam describes her as "cool and aloof"; I would describe her as "petulant and rude".
The middle was a delight; the concert at the children's library event, the rehearsal with Kirsten, the book club meeting. I liked Liam and believed that he was a librarian - he did actual work. Joanna starts to behave more like normal person (albeit a normal person who spends months living off her grandmother and constantly talks about how she is going to leave very soon, despite seemingly having no plan, no qualifications, no job prospects).
Then the ending... Suddenly we learn that Joanna is a very traumatized person and her petulance is not her fault. This section didn't really work for me. I didn't really believe that Joanna doubted how much Peggy loved her and the abrupt change in tone from the humour of the rest of the book grated. The whole library/football stadium town council meeting felt contrived and squeezed in to bring things to a head. There was an opportunity to develop the (to me very interesting) Hal/Kirsten story arc, but this was not taken up.
In conclusion, I didn't like Joanna, I don't think she was good enough for Liam and I don't think she'll make a good mayor. Despite all that I had a great time reading this story - it was fun.
June 17, 2017
Review also found at http://kristineandterri.blogspot.ca/2...
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.
While this is the second story in a series, and I had not read the first, I did not feel that I was missing anything. In fact, normally when this happens I can usually tell who the first story may have been about yet in this case I could not. It is safe to say that this can be read as a stand alone.
I felt that I had a lot in common with Joanna. Like her, I grew up in a small town that I could not wait to leave. Like her I left as soon as I finished high school, in my case for further education. And lastly like her, I now find myself back in a small town. In my case it is to escape the noise of the city, in hers, it was due to her plans not working out as she wanted them too.
I enjoyed the dynamic between Liam and Joanna. While she didn't know where her place in the world was, he knew exactly where he wanted to be. A classic case of opposites attract, albeit with the same taste in music. I have to admit that I liked the fact that Liam was nerdy, yet hot. Exactly my type of guy.
While I found the ending a bit extreme, I enjoyed the journey of Joanna and Liam as they each learned about themselves and each other. I am not sure if there will be another edition to this series but I will be sure to keep my eyes open for it if there is!
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.
While this is the second story in a series, and I had not read the first, I did not feel that I was missing anything. In fact, normally when this happens I can usually tell who the first story may have been about yet in this case I could not. It is safe to say that this can be read as a stand alone.
I felt that I had a lot in common with Joanna. Like her, I grew up in a small town that I could not wait to leave. Like her I left as soon as I finished high school, in my case for further education. And lastly like her, I now find myself back in a small town. In my case it is to escape the noise of the city, in hers, it was due to her plans not working out as she wanted them too.
I enjoyed the dynamic between Liam and Joanna. While she didn't know where her place in the world was, he knew exactly where he wanted to be. A classic case of opposites attract, albeit with the same taste in music. I have to admit that I liked the fact that Liam was nerdy, yet hot. Exactly my type of guy.
While I found the ending a bit extreme, I enjoyed the journey of Joanna and Liam as they each learned about themselves and each other. I am not sure if there will be another edition to this series but I will be sure to keep my eyes open for it if there is!
July 3, 2017
LIBRARIAN LOVE = AMAZING! I really just can't get enough of this series. This latest title totally brings on the perfect mix of hot male librarian + tough rocker chick to create a smart, funny and socially relevant steamy romance. As a librarian, I have SO MUCH appreciation for the librarian details that Title adds to this book - from Elephant and Piggie references to shelf reading to door counts, they all create a wonderfully authentic librarian romance. The fact that the librarian is a guy turns all stereotypes upside down and takes this story to the next level. Highly, highly recommend this series (each story stands alone - the first one "The Undateable" is about a college reference librarian, and the next one features a law librarian).
I can't wait for the next book in the series in October - I have already pre-ordered it!
I can't wait for the next book in the series in October - I have already pre-ordered it!
May 20, 2019
This was better than the first one.
September 14, 2017
Hmm, the first book was better, but this was still a solid read.
"I don't think the library needs to be a quiet place anymore, you know? The noise means people are using it"
I liked that I didn't really like or empathize with the heroine at first. Liam the librarian was fabulous though - is this an accurate description of working in a rural library? Fascinating.
#librariansreviewinglibrarians
"I don't think the library needs to be a quiet place anymore, you know? The noise means people are using it"
I liked that I didn't really like or empathize with the heroine at first. Liam the librarian was fabulous though - is this an accurate description of working in a rural library? Fascinating.
#librariansreviewinglibrarians
dnf
June 12, 2017DNF @30%
I was really excited to read this book. The synopsis was pretty alluring. But the story wasn't gripping at all. And I found that I lost interest in the characters and their stories from the very beginning. I couldn't stand Joanna's punk rock i-don't-give-a-shit, wait-were-you-talking-to-me, I'm-too-cool-for-you attitude. It was getting on my nerves.
I was really excited to read this book. The synopsis was pretty alluring. But the story wasn't gripping at all. And I found that I lost interest in the characters and their stories from the very beginning. I couldn't stand Joanna's punk rock i-don't-give-a-shit, wait-were-you-talking-to-me, I'm-too-cool-for-you attitude. It was getting on my nerves.
July 26, 2021
3.5-star read
I always enjoy reading Ms. Title's books and FALLING FOR TROUBLE is another hit in my opinion. (I'm somewhat biased as I know the author, but the books are pretty darn good despite my bias...IJS!) Absolutely adored this incarnation of Starr, the lovable poodle.
I always enjoy reading Ms. Title's books and FALLING FOR TROUBLE is another hit in my opinion. (I'm somewhat biased as I know the author, but the books are pretty darn good despite my bias...IJS!) Absolutely adored this incarnation of Starr, the lovable poodle.
July 7, 2017
This book is an easy read—a good choice for the beach this summer.
Joanna grew up as the bad girl in a small town and left as soon as she could to pursue her dreams of playing the guitar professionally. With she creates an incident onstage on her band’s first major tour, though, she winds up going back to her hometown to lick her wounds. Her timing is good, because her grandmother Peggy just injured her leg and could use someone to look after her. Joanna isn’t pleased to be back, but when she meets her grandmother’s friend Liam, the young, cute library director (who happens to look pretty good in a pair of running shorts), she realizes that at least some things about the town have changed for the better. Meanwhile, Liam is a fan of Joanna’s music and wants to get to know her better despite her prickly personality. But with Liam rooted in town, and Joanna wanting to leave, any relationships seems doomed to have an end date.
One of the things that I really enjoy about this series is the author’s spot-on depiction of life as a librarian, since it rings true to my own experiences of the profession. It’s not just window dressing, like careers sometimes are in romance novels; she incorporates it into the plotline. Whether it’s describing struggles over library budget cuts (the bane of every librarian’s existence) or patrons stealing rolls of toilet paper (yep, it happens), Title gets the details right. That might not interest every reader, but for this librarian, it’s a definite plus.
I also liked the book’s characters and enjoyed the development of their romance. Liam is the quintessential nice guy, and I appreciate a good beta hero. (Although I have a little trouble with any male character quoting Georgette Heyer. I’m sure there are some men out there who have read and enjoyed Heyer’s novels, but I have yet to meet one, even at the library.) Joanna is a little harder to like, with her tough girl, chip-on-her-shoulder attitude, but that’s the other focus of the book—Joanna’s transformation into someone who realizes she doesn’t have fight the world all the time. That she can be open to other people, which is something her relationship with Liam helps her figure out.
Recommended for anyone looking for a light contemporary romance to while away a hot summer afternoon.
An eARC of this novel was provided by the publisher through NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.
Joanna grew up as the bad girl in a small town and left as soon as she could to pursue her dreams of playing the guitar professionally. With she creates an incident onstage on her band’s first major tour, though, she winds up going back to her hometown to lick her wounds. Her timing is good, because her grandmother Peggy just injured her leg and could use someone to look after her. Joanna isn’t pleased to be back, but when she meets her grandmother’s friend Liam, the young, cute library director (who happens to look pretty good in a pair of running shorts), she realizes that at least some things about the town have changed for the better. Meanwhile, Liam is a fan of Joanna’s music and wants to get to know her better despite her prickly personality. But with Liam rooted in town, and Joanna wanting to leave, any relationships seems doomed to have an end date.
One of the things that I really enjoy about this series is the author’s spot-on depiction of life as a librarian, since it rings true to my own experiences of the profession. It’s not just window dressing, like careers sometimes are in romance novels; she incorporates it into the plotline. Whether it’s describing struggles over library budget cuts (the bane of every librarian’s existence) or patrons stealing rolls of toilet paper (yep, it happens), Title gets the details right. That might not interest every reader, but for this librarian, it’s a definite plus.
I also liked the book’s characters and enjoyed the development of their romance. Liam is the quintessential nice guy, and I appreciate a good beta hero. (Although I have a little trouble with any male character quoting Georgette Heyer. I’m sure there are some men out there who have read and enjoyed Heyer’s novels, but I have yet to meet one, even at the library.) Joanna is a little harder to like, with her tough girl, chip-on-her-shoulder attitude, but that’s the other focus of the book—Joanna’s transformation into someone who realizes she doesn’t have fight the world all the time. That she can be open to other people, which is something her relationship with Liam helps her figure out.
Recommended for anyone looking for a light contemporary romance to while away a hot summer afternoon.
An eARC of this novel was provided by the publisher through NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.
June 21, 2018
I really enjoyed Sarah Title’s Falling in Trouble, published in 2017. It was reviewed by All About Romance (AAR) here and was given an “A” : https://allaboutromance.com/book-review/falling-for-trouble-by-sarah-title/
Although AAR described this story well, I will encapsulate it. A rock n’ roll gal from a small town in New York State returns to stay with her grandmother after she walks away from her band — on stage — during one of their first big concerts. Joanna never really liked living in Halikarnassus, NY, where she was left by her parents in the hands of her grandmother. She was all punk and rock n’ roll and rebellion, while the town was much more staid and appalled by her actions. Years later, Joanna — who had achieved some success in music — has returned after a very bad disagreement with her band, feeling that they sold their souls to go mainstream.
Our hero, Liam Byrd, is the new director of the library in Halikarnassus. He’s also quite the geek when it comes to music and a fan of Joanna’s before she went commercial. When Joanna returns home, he is star struck, but what he doesn’t know is that many women in town, including Joanna’s grandma, thinks he is quite attractive and, before long, Joanna is reluctantly sharing their opinion. Leaving aside this dynamic, Liam also faces the problem of maintaining the library’s funding which is under assault by a football crazed mayor who wants to use library funds for a new stadium. (This dynamic becomes much more important than one might suspect.)
This is a very good book. The characters ring true. The hero seems like a librarian and the heroine is the funniest, snarkiest rock n’ roll chick. I really enjoyed it and chuckled many times. (I loved the gender switch from what we usually get in romance novels.) However, what knocked off a couple of points is that I felt the story left a lot of unanswered questions at the end without the possibility of a sequel to answer them. Plus, there was a time or two where I felt the story jumped (including at the end) without explanation, for instance, when Joanna came over to Liam’s to cook dinner for him. That seem to come out of nowhere, or at least, we never saw Joanna’s thought process beforehand. But, I liked this book very much and I’d give it an A-. I’ll look forward to reading more from this author.
Although AAR described this story well, I will encapsulate it. A rock n’ roll gal from a small town in New York State returns to stay with her grandmother after she walks away from her band — on stage — during one of their first big concerts. Joanna never really liked living in Halikarnassus, NY, where she was left by her parents in the hands of her grandmother. She was all punk and rock n’ roll and rebellion, while the town was much more staid and appalled by her actions. Years later, Joanna — who had achieved some success in music — has returned after a very bad disagreement with her band, feeling that they sold their souls to go mainstream.
Our hero, Liam Byrd, is the new director of the library in Halikarnassus. He’s also quite the geek when it comes to music and a fan of Joanna’s before she went commercial. When Joanna returns home, he is star struck, but what he doesn’t know is that many women in town, including Joanna’s grandma, thinks he is quite attractive and, before long, Joanna is reluctantly sharing their opinion. Leaving aside this dynamic, Liam also faces the problem of maintaining the library’s funding which is under assault by a football crazed mayor who wants to use library funds for a new stadium. (This dynamic becomes much more important than one might suspect.)
This is a very good book. The characters ring true. The hero seems like a librarian and the heroine is the funniest, snarkiest rock n’ roll chick. I really enjoyed it and chuckled many times. (I loved the gender switch from what we usually get in romance novels.) However, what knocked off a couple of points is that I felt the story left a lot of unanswered questions at the end without the possibility of a sequel to answer them. Plus, there was a time or two where I felt the story jumped (including at the end) without explanation, for instance, when Joanna came over to Liam’s to cook dinner for him. That seem to come out of nowhere, or at least, we never saw Joanna’s thought process beforehand. But, I liked this book very much and I’d give it an A-. I’ll look forward to reading more from this author.
July 2, 2017
After Joanna Green froze during a performance with the all-girl rock band she was a part of, she lost her chance at fame and fortune and the chance of securing a record deal. Returning home to Halikarnassus, New York, is the only option left for her, and it's a good thing too, because her granny needs her after breaking her leg. Joanna may hate the small town, but there's one thing that's making her stay better -- Liam, the town's new hot librarian. Will she give Liam a chance, or is her desire to leave town a reason to keep her distance?
What do you get when a hot librarian hero and a bad girl who has a passion for rock 'n' roll fall in love? Another wonderful addition to this series where the secondary characters charmed me with their dialogue, especially when the elderly women are at their book club; the main characters had me smiling, because Liam isn't afraid to go head-to-head with the arrogant town mayor, even if he does manage to resort to unjust actions; and the heroine had me cheering for her. Can she prove that she's changed and no longer the young woman that used to be trouble with a capital T?
The dialogue was intense, a touch amusing at times, and I loved the heroine no matter who she was conversing with. The small town she's returned to is somewhere she's adamant she won't be sticking around, but I liked the more time she spent with Liam, the harder her decision was to leave. Certainly, she finds herself getting on the wrong side of some of the townspeople, but it's nothing she can't handle with her feisty attitude and her need to show people that what happened to cause her to come home hasn't knocked her down completely. I also liked how kind and caring she was and how she used her musical talent to help some of the townspeople that needed her skills desperately for entertainment.
While Liam, I enjoyed him just as much as the heroine and they certainly have strong chemistry that is worth pursuing, even though Joanna is reluctant. Why start something between them when she's likely to walk away? Really, it's not as if she's ever witnessed what a good relationship is besides the one she had with her granny and her best friend. Yet besides them, she's never been real close to anyone and who could blame her, considering how neglected her parents made her feel. I also liked the hero's kind and caring ways towards Joanna's granny and how he would do anything for the elderly woman. However, what I liked most about the hero is how he fought for things he believed in; things like the library and the desperate need to keep doing what was best for the place.
Overall, Ms. Title has penned a fascinating read in this book where the chemistry between the main characters had me intrigued to discover whether Joanna will finally give in to her growing feelings and will stay in Halikarnassus for good. The way this story ended had me smiling due to the decision the heroine has to make. No way will she let Liam deal with what's going on with the library on his own, not if she can help it. Besides, she has the right way of proving the library deserves what Liam wants. However, it was the epilogue that wrapped this story up marvelously, because of the heroine's surprise and what a surprise it was. Who knew the people of Halikarnassus would be so accepting and choose her for the role that they do? I would recommend Falling for Trouble, if you enjoy the opposites attract trope or books by authors Sarah Mayberry, Laura Florand, Erin McCarthy or Jennifer Shirk.
June 28, 2017
the librarians in love series continues with falling for trouble. the nice thing about this series is that the theme of librarians is what links the books, but they are total standalones, as this book has a completely different setting and set of characters from the first book in the series. this is totally fine with me, but if you like linked series, it might be a let down.
joanna green returns home after a meltdown of rockstar proportions. it's on youtube, y'all. meanwhile, liam byrd is the sexy new librarian in town and happens to be a music fan. the thing is, liam likes small town life in halkarnassus, new york. even the petty battles with the sports-obsessed mayor don't affect his feelings for the place. he loves his job. he loves his life. and when he meets joanna he realizes he can love this girl. except all she wants to do is leave.
since she was left behind by her parents and raised by her beloved grandmother, joanna has been searching for something else. some sort of acceptance and peace. she's always felt that there was no one in halkarnassus that could appreciate her for who she truly was.
but being back home makes her realize that maybe she was too quick to lash out instead of giving people a chance. maybe as much as she thought people were out to get her, she was the one who struck first. and what she saw as attacks we're actually retaliations. looking at your past through the lens of another is always a challenge, but it can be eye-opening. all these feelings that being back home bring up in joanna are confusing enough, but when added to her insane attraction to liam she doesn't quite know what to do.
he knows she is a flight risk. her dreams have always been bigger than halkarnassus. but dreams change. and it's possible with her new perspective things are different. but they have to talk it all out. because liam and joanna fall into a relationship without talking. and the only way to really know where you are ending up is if you make a proper decision. so both of them need to take a chance on each other. it really might be worth it. love always is after all.
**falling for trouble will publish on june 27, 2017. i received an advance reader copy courtesy of netgalley/kensington books (zebra shout) in exchange for my honest review.
joanna green returns home after a meltdown of rockstar proportions. it's on youtube, y'all. meanwhile, liam byrd is the sexy new librarian in town and happens to be a music fan. the thing is, liam likes small town life in halkarnassus, new york. even the petty battles with the sports-obsessed mayor don't affect his feelings for the place. he loves his job. he loves his life. and when he meets joanna he realizes he can love this girl. except all she wants to do is leave.
since she was left behind by her parents and raised by her beloved grandmother, joanna has been searching for something else. some sort of acceptance and peace. she's always felt that there was no one in halkarnassus that could appreciate her for who she truly was.
but being back home makes her realize that maybe she was too quick to lash out instead of giving people a chance. maybe as much as she thought people were out to get her, she was the one who struck first. and what she saw as attacks we're actually retaliations. looking at your past through the lens of another is always a challenge, but it can be eye-opening. all these feelings that being back home bring up in joanna are confusing enough, but when added to her insane attraction to liam she doesn't quite know what to do.
he knows she is a flight risk. her dreams have always been bigger than halkarnassus. but dreams change. and it's possible with her new perspective things are different. but they have to talk it all out. because liam and joanna fall into a relationship without talking. and the only way to really know where you are ending up is if you make a proper decision. so both of them need to take a chance on each other. it really might be worth it. love always is after all.
**falling for trouble will publish on june 27, 2017. i received an advance reader copy courtesy of netgalley/kensington books (zebra shout) in exchange for my honest review.
June 15, 2017
Joanna is headed home after her Granny has an accident. It's the last place she wants to be because she never liked the town or people where she grew up. She was considered a troublemaker and when she left town to pursue touring with her band, the townspeople were glad she was gone. Now that she is back, she's still being treated like an outcast.
Liam, a librarian, is a fan of Joanna. He likes her music and is excited to meet her. All she shows him is disdain. Her behavior makes him want to get to know her better and see the real woman underneath the tough girl exterior she has in place. I truly don't understand his draw to her, but he went after her.
This was a hard book for me to get into. I liked Liam! A bit nerdy and being a librarian, a bit serious, but a real above board guy! My problem seemed to be Joanna. I never connected with her. Yes she had been treated like an outcast, but her behavior to people was just plain rude! She never seemed to go out and get that job preferring to live off Granny for months-although she did talk about leaving often. We can see she's messed up but she has no clue of it herself.
Ultimately the flow of the story was stunted and didn't work for me. The beginning was overly wordy and we don't really know till much later what her real reason for going home was. When we find later why and what Joanna's issues are, it didn't click well. I did, however, like the romance build up. It was cute.
Even though this didn't really work for me, it may have a different effect on you.
3 Stars/3 Flames
This book was gifted to me for an honest review. The review and ratings are solely my opinions.
Liam, a librarian, is a fan of Joanna. He likes her music and is excited to meet her. All she shows him is disdain. Her behavior makes him want to get to know her better and see the real woman underneath the tough girl exterior she has in place. I truly don't understand his draw to her, but he went after her.
This was a hard book for me to get into. I liked Liam! A bit nerdy and being a librarian, a bit serious, but a real above board guy! My problem seemed to be Joanna. I never connected with her. Yes she had been treated like an outcast, but her behavior to people was just plain rude! She never seemed to go out and get that job preferring to live off Granny for months-although she did talk about leaving often. We can see she's messed up but she has no clue of it herself.
Ultimately the flow of the story was stunted and didn't work for me. The beginning was overly wordy and we don't really know till much later what her real reason for going home was. When we find later why and what Joanna's issues are, it didn't click well. I did, however, like the romance build up. It was cute.
Even though this didn't really work for me, it may have a different effect on you.
3 Stars/3 Flames
This book was gifted to me for an honest review. The review and ratings are solely my opinions.
November 10, 2017
One of the Librarians in Love series, this book introduces us to Liam Byrd and really hot librarian in the little town of Halikarnassus, NY. It's where Joanna Green was raised by her grandmother, the town she hated and left as soon as possible to be a girl punk rocker in a band that hit it big until she couldn't stand the changes made by their new manager. So she quits, just walks off stage and doesn't return. Where does she go? Back home, ostensibly to take care of her grandmother after she falls and breaks her leg.
While trying to prove to everyone that she is a dutiful granddaughter, Joanna discovers how it was that her grandmother fell and broke her leg (ogling the hot butt of the librarian as he ran past her house). Then she realizes that she, too, thinks he's hot. But she's not home to ogle (or do more than that!) with him. She's here to figure out what to do after her grandmother doesn't need her anymore. But what IS Joanna going to do?
While trying to figure it out, she gradually comes to realize that she isn't so eager to leave town again, even after her former bandmate calls and asks her back. Then a crisis regarding the library and Liam forces him and Joanna to make a decision, one that may very well ruin what they'd had going with each other.
Read for yourself and discover an ending that is both a surprise and filled with satisfying irony.
While trying to prove to everyone that she is a dutiful granddaughter, Joanna discovers how it was that her grandmother fell and broke her leg (ogling the hot butt of the librarian as he ran past her house). Then she realizes that she, too, thinks he's hot. But she's not home to ogle (or do more than that!) with him. She's here to figure out what to do after her grandmother doesn't need her anymore. But what IS Joanna going to do?
While trying to figure it out, she gradually comes to realize that she isn't so eager to leave town again, even after her former bandmate calls and asks her back. Then a crisis regarding the library and Liam forces him and Joanna to make a decision, one that may very well ruin what they'd had going with each other.
Read for yourself and discover an ending that is both a surprise and filled with satisfying irony.
June 3, 2017
Falling for Trouble won me over! I usually can't get into romance novels, but a friend who knows what I like to read gave me a copy to use as a distraction during an upcoming flight. As a nervous flier, I have this strategy where and I start reading books before a trip so that when I get on the plane I'm already hooked and therefore theoretically too engrossed to notice disturbing engine sounds and turbulence, but I ended up reading the whole book a week before taking off.
The writing is tight, the storyline is both believable and sexy, and the characters are well developed and likable, including the male lead, who is kind-hearted, respectful, and really hot all at the same time. This is a man who might actually work at one of my local libraries. Hint, hint, universe.
After I post this review, I'm going to order The Undateable, another book from this series. Maybe I'll manage to save that one for the plane.
The writing is tight, the storyline is both believable and sexy, and the characters are well developed and likable, including the male lead, who is kind-hearted, respectful, and really hot all at the same time. This is a man who might actually work at one of my local libraries. Hint, hint, universe.
After I post this review, I'm going to order The Undateable, another book from this series. Maybe I'll manage to save that one for the plane.
June 1, 2017
I received an advance copy of this book from NetGalley.
I love this series! I liked this book possibly more than the first in the series. There were some slightly exaggerated plot points, but overall it felt extremely realistic to me, which I liked. In the first book in the series, I felt that the plot was not true to the heroine, but in this case both the hero and heroine were much more realistic and their situations were true to them. All of the small-town public library issues and situations were also very true!
I am very much looking foward to the next in the series. As a librarian, I appreciate Sarah Title's writing about different types of librarians. So far we've had an academic librarian at a college, and a public librarian (props for it being the male hero!). Next up is a law librarian, which often falls under "special libraries". Hoping for an archivist, and a school librarian, to round out the series!
I love this series! I liked this book possibly more than the first in the series. There were some slightly exaggerated plot points, but overall it felt extremely realistic to me, which I liked. In the first book in the series, I felt that the plot was not true to the heroine, but in this case both the hero and heroine were much more realistic and their situations were true to them. All of the small-town public library issues and situations were also very true!
I am very much looking foward to the next in the series. As a librarian, I appreciate Sarah Title's writing about different types of librarians. So far we've had an academic librarian at a college, and a public librarian (props for it being the male hero!). Next up is a law librarian, which often falls under "special libraries". Hoping for an archivist, and a school librarian, to round out the series!
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