Book Reviews

Book Blurb

Opposites might attract, but is acting on that attraction wise?

 

Librarian Tristan Cooper can’t steer clear of sexy, motorcycle-riding bad boy Phillip—the man is hot—but Phillip is bound to find quiet, bookish Tristan boring, like all Tristan’s boyfriends. Tristan yearns to explore his wild side, the part of himself he’s only allowed into his fantasies, and maybe rakish Phillip is just what he needs to feel free.

 

Sexperienced hairdresser Phillip is more of a believer in happy endings than happily ever afters. Experience has taught him not to hope for more—until he meets sweet, vulnerable Tristan, who seems genuinely interested in his heart. But Phillip can’t trust enough to see himself as a man Tristan might want for more than a night.

 

With the help of a pair of matchmaking grandfathers, Tristan and Phillip might find the courage to step beyond their comfort zones and discover what has been missing from their lives….

 

Book Review

“Grandfather matchmaking fantasies aside, a quick round of sex was all there could ever be between them, and something told Phillip that Tristan wasn’t that kind of guy. Whereas Phillip was. He was strictly catch and release… usually in his mouth, and he was gone before he swallowed.”

‘The Librarian’s Rake’ is my first read by Z. Allora and I can easily admit to enjoying the writing style. Seeing as I have quite the soft spot for a bad boy, I figured Tristan and I would see eye-to-eye fairly easily. I had a feeling Phillip was going to be a tough nut to crack, for both of us.

Tristan has a very solid reason for holding his fantasies in check even though the two boyfriends he has had in his life both ended it with him because Tristan is boring, never wanted to do anything fun, and was unimaginative about sex. His reason is a very good one but I was hoping, against hope, that Phillip would be the man to give Tristan the security and safety he needed to let go. Phillip, on the other hand, isn’t boring in his sex life - he’s just too afraid to risk anything more - although that certainly isn’t what he tells himself. Tristan is too afraid to take the bull by the horn and Phillip is too afraid of only being seen as an easy time.

I really enjoyed the fact that the author took the story in a direction I wasn’t expecting. What I was anticipating, and the author wrote it very well, was the miscommunication between Tristan and Phillip. Neither man feels good enough for the other, so practically everything they say to each other is misconstrued, and within their own minds simply reinforces the belief that the other could never be interested in them in “that way”. Thank goodness for meddling grandpas with a lot of common sense, way too much free time, and best friends who only want what’s best - with a lot of snark from one of them. The fact that Phillip is constantly trying to keep any tender or heartfelt emotions out of the way so his walls don’t crumble, and Tristan is trying desperately to be the “oh so suave man about town (or sex)” that he believes Phillip wants, doesn’t help the situation.

I adored my first venture into this author’s writing and ‘The Librarian’s Rake’ won’t be the last of hers I ever read. Tristan and Phillip are wonderful characters and I greatly enjoyed their slide into love and a happy ever after.

 

 

 

 

DISCLAIMER: Books reviewed on this site were usually provided at no cost by the publisher or author. This book has been provided by Dreamspinner Press for the purpose of a review.

Additional Information

Format	ebook
Length	Novella, 123 pages/39329 words
Heat Level
Publication Date	25-October-2017
Price	$4.99 ebook
Buy Link	https://www.dreamspinnerpress.com/books/the-librarians-rake-by-z-allora-8873-b