Zelda Fitzsimmons wrote for Hobbyist Magazine covering the world of conferences, conventions and cosplayers. Her world is changed when she attends and ventriloquist conference and meets a master craftsman, skilled in all things with his hands.
She soon finds herself as putty in his.
Come along on the journey as Zelda chronicles in her diary, how she and Scott fell in love and found their happily ever after. She starts her diary by telling her friends, how it all came to pass and how it happened last Wednesday.
Olivia is a USA Today Best Selling, Emma Award and multiple award-winning author who loves a good laugh coupled with some steam, mixed in with a man and woman finding their way past the words of "I love you." An author of contemporary romances, she writes heartwarming stories of blossoming relationships filled with heart and humor. The Technicians, The Blakemore Files, and the Modern Mail Order Brides, are one clicks for thousands of readers.
When Olivia is not writing, she enjoys quilting, playing Scrabble online against other word lovers and spending time with her family. She is an avid world traveler who writes many of the locations into her stories. Most of the time she can be found sitting quietly with pen and paper plotting more adventures in love.
Olivia lives in Hephzibah, Georgia with her husband, son, grandson and snotty evil cat, Katness Evermean.
This was one of the most unique and unusual romances I've read in a very long time. It was smart, funny and daring. I'm pretty invested in Zelda and Scott (I see what you did here, Ms. Gaines. Clever. Very clever) having a happy ending.
Zelda writes for a magazine whose focus is on various gatherings and conventions. Wherever people get together to celebrate their passions, she'll be right there, interviewing guests and patrons. It's a living and an interesting one. However, a ventriloquist convention isn't her thing. Until she lays eyes (and other assorted body parts) on Scott.
Let's talk about the hero Scott. He's most definitely not a typical romantic hero. He wears thick glasses, has buck teeth and is incredibly hairy:
Scott was so hairy, she thought he was wearing a black undershirt. The hair on his chest was thick and dense like a curly black rug which tapered only slightly at his midsection and also covered his stomach. He had hair on his shoulders. He had hair on his back. The man had hair on his butt cheeks.
"Good Lord, what are you, an Italian Yeti?"
FYI: Yeti's are NOT Italian. They're found (supposedly) in the Himalayas.
Despite all the body hair, Zelda is drawn to the quirky yet charismatic Scott. Ventriloquist and nerd he might be, once the man pulled down his boxer shorts (Howdy Doody boxers, of course):
He pulled down the underwear and her vagina reacted as if it had just spotted a hit of crack cocaine and it had a sad, grossly overpowering addiction.
That line had me rolling.
Needless to say, the sex between them was off the damn chain. I actually enjoyed those scenes because they had an air of intimate realism. These two people knew what they wanted. I especially appreciate that with a heroine.
However, it's no one-night stand for either of them. Somehow these two unlikely people are going to become a lot closer as they make plans to meet up again, the next time at Zelda's home which she shares with her older brother.
Ventriloquism isn't my thing either. And while Scott may be a real Beast to Zelda's Beauty, he's also a determined man who knows exactly what he wants. And though he's no prince charming, he knows he needs a woman to accept him as is. And it looks as if Zelda is the one.
I'm definitely curious to see where these two go from here.
I have read several books by this author and she is starting to become one of my faves. This book was so different and amazing. Scratch that it was spectacular.
I am still trying to wrap my head around the fact that Scott was so damn ugly that he was attractive. The fact that he was a master at ventriloquism is perplexing. I hate those little dummies and the people who control them! The hatred for them is second only to clowns. I mean they really freak me out. However, Scott was all good. I liked this man! He had buck teeth, bad skin, wore thick glasses and was hairy as a Yeti, but the man was charming and tender and very caring, once you get to know him.
Zelda was a writer who traveled from convention to convention writing about odd people and their even odder hobbies. Her first encounter with Scott was in a bar where he had his dummy and tried to use it to pick her up. Epic Fail! Chile, she smacked the mess out of both of them! I was chuckling so hard at that part. Why she smacked the dummy was beyond me, but it was entertaining.
Her boss forced her to go to dinner with Scott and apologize to him for breaking the antique dummy after Scott sent him a $2500 bill for repairs. Now I would have had a major attitude and Zelda did too, but she remained professional. Once she got out of her feelings, she began to see the man behind the unattractive outer shell.
Once he rocked her world, she became addicted to the D. Honey, she couldn't get enough of him. Hairy chest and back, be damned! She realized the man turned her on and she found herself oddly attracted to him.
Scott wanted her from the jump. He was a bit cautious considering he had been used and mistreated by women in the past. They were either with him for his bank account or trying to change him. He knew he was unattractive physically, but he loved himself and didn't want to be changed. The woman for him would accept him, buck teeth, hair and all. He was right too. At the end of the day, you need to spend your life with someone who loves you for who you are and not what you look like!
This story was very refreshing! The only problem I have with it, is that it ended. It was a short story that ended with a cliffhanger. Thankfully, part two was released this week and I will start reading today. I can't wait to see how things progress for the new couple!
This story was a very pleasant surprise that I enjoyed in one sitting. I'm looking forward to the next installment.
It's a tale where the "not so good looking" guy meets a gorgeous smart woman who sees the man inside and is attracted to him. Scott is extremely hairy, buck-toothed, with bad skin and wears thick black framed glasses. He's also physically fit, smart, and has swag because although he is lonely, he accepts who he is, and is not trying to change or be changed by anyone. Zelda is lovely, sassy, assertive and honest with herself and what she wants. Her inner monologs are very funny and revealing. There is chemistry, hot sex, and humor as Zelda and Scott stumble their way into love and fumble their way towards an HEA.
What makes the setting unusual is that it is a conference for ventriloquists and puppets. The H is an expert and owns a successful business that has been in his family for decades. The h is a journalist with a gift for writing about the oddballs and seeing the best in these strange people who are happy and passionate about their interests. The story ends with a slight cliff-hanger but nothing so drastic that I want to see red or dismiss the author. It is tied up neatly but with room for more.
I'm looking forward to reading more of this serial and learning about Zelda and Scott's budding relationship.
i actually liked the idea that the hero wasn't some hot gorgeous six-pack. But overall decided that this author's brand of humor just doesn't work for me. It is like if a Millie Jackson song had been made into a romance novel.
Finding love at a Ventriloquist Convention?! Now that doesn't happen everyday. Olivia Gaines has a way of looking at the World that I always find funny and interesting and there's always a lesson to be learned, too.
So I hesitantly picked this up due to being warned that the male is painted as pretty unattractive. I don’t need the man to be Thor necessarily but I like to feel like the woman thinks and finds him attractive. I entered warily and it was a little strange, but the writing makes it work really well. Zelda is aware that she puts too much stock in physical appearance and actively works against her inclinations and I think we all have this struggle whether we want to admit it or not. It is actually a very interesting angle to highlight the human nature aspects that draw us toward attractive people by society standards. Scott’s struggles to be accepted for who he is may be addressed through the lens of unattractiveness, but there are so many traits that people feel like keep them from being accepted. It is oddly sweet and I want to hear more!
I love the humor this story brings to a love or romance story! It offers USA true glimpse of how we should see love not with our eyes, but with our spirits and souls. The main character he was physically attractive on the outside but his candor and warmth made him more attractive than what the eyes could see. This story reminds me of beauty and the beast. It was sweet and warm and I love the one line where the main character asks/prays for her steps to be ordered! That's how love is found!
Absolutely loved this book. Enjoyed that Zelda and Scott were definitely opposites that totally had an unexpected attraction. The world is great...okay quirky. When they get together, the sparks fly.
Finding love in an unorthodox place with a unique look, but making you open your eyes to a great relationship. That is what Zelda wasn't looking for in Scott but sometimes attraction finds you! Great introduction story and I look forward to reading every diary entry that follows.
Ok, I wasn't sure where this book was going in the very beginning, but I just finished and am itching to pick up the second in this story. I like the fact that Zelda and Scott seem to be such different people, but are open to putting themselves out there to see where their connection goes. I do think how Scott got her on a date was a little heavyhanded, but he was respectful in every other way so I'll let that one time slide. This book had me remembering those initial feelings of infatuation when you meet a potential partner and I liked that trip down memory road. I think I just talked myself into starting the next book! I need to see how things progress between Scott and Zelda.
....is what one must do to get what's really needed in one's life. That is what Zelda realized she had to do to find real love. Scott was something different in all the things she normally looked for in a man. To Scott, Zelda was his last hope for finding real love. They were both heartbroken people from previous disappointing relationships.
This was an easy read story that has me curious as how Zelda and Scott's relationship will or will not develop.
This is awesome! Olivia has a great sense of humor and you can see it in Scott and Zelda! You know they're both damaged from past relationships and are looking for love. It has the beauty and the beast feel with an Urban twist. Both have so much love to give and hats off to Zelda for looking past the physical and seeing Scott for the man he is. Even after his past relationships, Scott opens himself up to either love or more heartbreak. He's strong enough to step out and take a chance that Zelda will be the one. Their story is sweet and I can't wait for the next book!
Getting to glimpse some of Zelda's diaries is funny, she adept at looking at people past the outward covering to see and accept the very essence of a person. I was glad to see Zelda is not that shallow person hung up on looks regardless of how offensive the person behind the looks is. I like that Scott knows his own worth and I am not talking about his wealth or his sexual prowess. Now I see what drew Zelda to him and why their bond is so strong. I know too that I am reading these books out of sequence yet it does not take away from the goodness of each diary entry. Excellent,excellent,excellent!
I think I managed one page in, and I had to stop to gag. The descriptions about Scott being ultra-hairy just immediately made me want to throw up. I tried getting past it, but ... nope. Nuh-uh. Not for me.
Its a cute, funny short story about how a beautiful writer for a hobbyist magazine hooked up with a buck toothed, hairy ventriloquist that wears Howdy Doody underwear. This is the first out of seven books. I can only find this and A Frickin' Fantastic Friday when I tried to check out the whole series. This audiobook was one of those chance finds that I ran into in Scribd. I appreciate that it's a girl-meets-nerd book where the girl isn't trying to change the nerd in anyway and the dude has swagger. I wish that I can find the second and the other books because I enjoyed this couple and it seems like they would lead to some good stories.
I have to say the first paragraph of this book gave me pause. It's very graphic! Which wasn't what I expected right off the bat. I was a bit put off but carried on. I mean I wanted some story, I picked erotic romance, not erotica. I'm very happy I continued reading because I did get my story. It's very original, and I liked it more as I continued to read. By the end, I was thoroughly entranced and will be listening to the next book in the series as soon as I finish this review.
I kept thinking you can't judge a book by its cover as I was reading Zelda and Scott's story. Scott may not have been physically attractive, but he had some great qualities that Zelda was looking for. I can't wait to see how things work out for them. Curious to see how things go with their families.
This is my introductory book to Olivia Gaines’ world of romance. Different than other romantic novels I have read is that the male character is not the typical “hunk” and the venue is not one that I would have guessed for an African American romance which is good. The differences in this writer has me intrigued enough to continue reading the series.
Beauty is definitely in the eye of the beholder, I am sure plenty women have missed out on a good man due to their outer appearance. I enjoyed this story and was pleased with this different story line. I look forward to reading the rest of the series.
Such a cute story...Love Zelda and Scott were so loving! Scott just shows you not to judge a book by his cover! Can't wait to read the rest of the stories!