annieb123
Written on Apr 29, 2018
The Little Library, due out 26th March, 2018 by Kim Fielding is a very well written, sweetly cozy M/M romance. The main story balances love and career choices for two outwardly different guys, former cop Simon, injured in the line of duty, and historian and professor Elliott, a book hoarder nerd.
They meet in their neighborhood and catch one another's eye, but it isn't until Elliott builds a Little Library that they find a common ground. The library becomes a center point for the entire neighborhood and introverted Elliott begins to come out of his shell and interact with the people around him as his neighbors enjoy borrowing and sharing books.
There is an awful lot to love here. The theme of books is ever close to my heart. I find it very difficult to weed through my own library, even those books which I've bought in e-format. I love it that Elliott built a little library and shows incredible strength and growth as a character which is believable. I found myself rooting for Simon and his issues with his family and his burgeoning relationship with Elliott.
I love that the author is clearly a huge book fan herself. This book is chock full of real book references to chase down for further reading and reference. I really like books that turn me on to other books!
There was some drama, but relatively low-angst and sweetly reassuring. I just really really enjoyed this book. Their first date was hysterically funny. Real laugh-out-loud funny is very difficult to write, but Ms. Fielding does a great job.
The author manages to sneak some really good messages into the narrative without being preachy or smug. Themes such as tolerance, community, strength in adversity, love over money, personal growth, family, and the importance of education and preserving our cultural history, the author handles all of them deftly and with sensitivity.
Four and a half stars. Well written, well edited, and entertaining. Bonus points for rescue dog Ishtar.
300 pages, due out 26th March, 2018 from Riptide Publishing available in print & ebook formats.
Disclosure: I received an ARC at no cost from the author/publisher.