Unlock Now What The Librarian Did Formulated By Karina Bliss Available As Paperback

Karina Bliss on What the Librarian Did

good story with surprising depth, The characters feel realistic with enduring qualities and flows, Devin is a former worldfamous rock band player whose carrier ended in collapse on stage and doctors giving him not much chance to live if he continued with his hard partying ways.
He decided to leave the world stage behind, He flew to New Zealand, home of his mother, and enrolled in college at the age of, Mark,years old student, is enrolled in the same college for reasons of his own, He is looking for his biological mother to confront her on why she gave him up in closed adaption.
Rachel, the librarian in the college, is warm, insecure, commitment phobic librarian with a big secret, The path of the three characters crossed, entwined creating surprisingly poignant and enduring story, I didn't love this book as much as Jane from Dear Author did got it on her recommendation, I thought the writing was well done, there was witty dialogue and banter, but I just could not warm up to the heroine.
A big portion of this book is about the heroine and the son she put up for adoption when she was.
Not my favorite trope. I thought the heroine came off as fairly selfabsorbedthroughout the book the focus seems to be on her emotions, what she's feeling and how emotionally damaged she is.
There seems to be no room for the hero to be of concern to her,

Anyway, though I didn't like the heroine, as I said the writing was good and she writes excellent dialogue.
It's not that I don't recommend this book, because it would work for the right person, but it just wasn't for me.
Light , funny , sexy and beautifully written,
Loved the characters , the plot could've been better to be honest and the events !
This books has put a smile on my face all along and still does !
If you want something romantic not the usual romance though to start the year with , this book is for you : This book featured a former alcoholic rock star who goes back to college.
There he meets the repressed but beautiful librarian who he can't seem to stay away from,

These two have some great, funny banter, Devin and Rachael both have demons they have to overcome and sometimes that bogs down the story, Their reactions to each other and their problems felt realistic but their relationship had a lot of ups and downs.
I would say this book is more emotional than angsty, The secondary plot line about an adoption got a little heavy here and there but made me tear up.


While not perfect, I liked this book much more than I expected to,

Safety/Stars Rachel loves her job as a college librarian and today she has a challenge with the college's rather famous new student.
 Devin chose to move back to New Zealand to be closer to his mom and to find a way to make a life for himself with his feet firmly on the ground.
 Since, he'd been on the road with his brother and their band, Rage,  Their success was every kids dream, but the lifestyle made him an alcoholic and athe'd nearly died,   It's a quiet life for Devin now, even if he can't quite shake his notoriety,   Some how he's made a friend ofyr, old Mark, and he has to admit the kid has talent,  And that librarian may dress like she's prim and uptight, but Devin easily makes her eyes spark,

This is a story of three people looking for their identities,   Rachel atgave up a child for adoption, a decision she's never regretted but has always mourned,  Heartbroken and rejected as a teen, she's found it hard to find love,   But then Devin walks into her life weakening all her barriers,  When Mark comes into the library to set up an account, she's stunned at his birthday and a slow appraisal quickly tells her that this young man is her young man.
 Making an excuse to get near, she spies the tell all birthmark behind his ear, and suddenly Rachel's whole life has changed.
  Mark has no idea that Rachel is the biological mother he's been looking for,   Since learning he was adopted, he's been feeling like he has no place to belong,

This love story has heart wrenching soul searching moments that made me eager for these three to find their truths.
  Ms Bliss cleverly brought her characters to life, giving them turbulent pasts and human vulnerabilities,   This is the first book I've  read by this author and I am looking forward to reading others, An emotional love story balanced with humour and joy, Pushed some boundaries of what I think of as traditional romance, Included a nonromantic, secondary love story that was quite sweet, We find out early on what the librarian did in her past, and followed her journey in the present as she dealt with the repercussions.
She and other main characters had a lot of growing up to do as they tried to navigate situations new to them.
Like real people: in their worst moments, they were too selffocused to get past their own pain to see things from the other's POV in their best, they pushed those around them to grow.
As the genre requires, it has a happy ending, but that doesn't mean all relationships are fixed/perfect, Some are broken irreparably. But learning which relationships to put energy into is part of a healthy adulthood, I had high expectations after reading Dear Author's review, and that sadly set me up for disappointment, I liked the story but didn't think it was that outstanding, I really enjoyed the beginning amp all the banter between Rachel amp Devin, loved how Rachel held her own and showed she was a smart, independent woman, but then it started to go offtrack and there were a lot of misunderstandings amp overracting.


Part of the problem is you have too much going on, If it would have focused on Rachel amp Devin together and dealing with Rachel's secret, it would have been enough.
But then you have Devin's brother amp their issues, his mother, Rachel's parents, . . the list went on amp on,

That being said, it was emotionally satisfying but not a story that blew me away, And really not that romantic either, Just soso. But other readers might appreciate a more intellectual romance, What a wonderful, sexy, fun, tender story, I chose it because of the librarian heroine I'm an academic librarian like her but ended up enjoying the book for more than just its rocker/librarian match up.
The chemistry between the hero and heroine is palpable and their verbal sparring had me laughing out loud, Rachel's backstory, which could have seemed cliched, is realistically woven together with Devin's struggle to create a new life for himself, and their conflict makes for a poignant, but believable happilyeverafter.
I was sorry to leave this fictional world, Recommended for anyone who likes opposites attract or reformed rake stories, DNF/This turned out to be a better story than I expected from the title, I thought I'd get fun, light, fluffy, But the book dealt with several rather serious issues including adoption from all sides, alcoholism, drug use, spousal abuse, and rejection.
But it was a great love story and had a terrific HEA, I'm glad I finally got around to reading it,.Stars A romance starring a librarian and a rock star Youd think this was made for me, Well it was okay. The subplot was only soso in my mind, The librarian was a little annoying, though it was an honest portrayal of a librarian, The rock star was a bit tiresome for me, a little too Mary Sue in a way, But the thing was set in New Zealand and that was a nice twist, Mostly I kept thinking of how I would have written it differently, Me: "I don't have much to say, No review, like two sentences here from my phone, I'll just mention it's funny, but kind of oddly, . .

Oh okay. "

Sits up, opens laptop, writes semicoherent review

This book was pretty funny, The characters were multidimensional. We were introduced to hero of the next book, Zander, and I'm not sure why anyone wanted his book.
But I like this author, I think she's talented, A book of a recovering alcoholic exrock star Devin, and a librarian Rachel who's never known love and hasn't been able to commit or accept it in her life.
It was a sweet story when it focused on these two,

When it didn't, ehhh it stumbled. I think maybe it fell flat on its face, A hefty plot line featuring a closed adoption from the teenage years, featuring teenage offspring was distracting and overly angstmaking.
I thought that could have used a bit lighter touch, The finalwas really bogged down in that drama, and it was too much for me, In fact quite a bit of that felt oddly judgmental, and really kept me from sinking into the characters and rooting for them.


there was some seriously funny stuff, And an answering machine. Who uses those anymore Say it with me: Voicemails, I know this is from, but I think still This review can also be found on sitelinkBook Girl of MuryCastellblog.




I may or may not have found my new favourite author,

Theres a reason Harlequin Superromances sell so well in Finland, better than Blaze or any other kinky ultra hot sex series or imprint.
The impact of naked skin kind of evens out when you get used to seeing it regularly in the sauna.
And we have those long winter nights and comfy blankets in our beds anyway, its all about the story.


Here, two adults in their thirties meet at a point in their lives that isnt particularly auspicious for romantic entanglements.
One desperately wants a family but isnt ready to commit to a man to have it, and another is trying to build a new start for his life.
Its a good thing then that they dont know anything about each other and can discover together what the future holds for them.
But as I said, the timing isn't the best possible and their past mistakes are about to catch up with them.


I made a list of all the things I loved about this book and its as disorganised as are my thoughts, still.
I loved the wit and humour Bliss infuses her text with, Jokes are a delicate thing to write especially when the audience doesnt necessarily share the cultural context with the author, but here:

”It wasn't that he had a five o'clock shadow at ninethirty in the morning that screamed 'bad boy.
' To Rachel's eyes, that simply made him scruffy, ”


"Anyone could see she had a conscience, That must be painful for her, "


”Im not offended, You're not my type, either, '
Perversely, he was piqued, 'Not a nerd, you mean'
Her eyes narrowed, 'Not housebroken. ”


Look at that and tell me its not funny even without the context, I dare you.

I loved the fact that Rachel and Devin didnt succumb to the instalust/love/attraction thats a plague in modern romances.
They were actually slightly antagonistic before building a tentative friendship with the option for more, Their romance was the slow burn kind with push and pull to keep them balanced, One gave the other took, and then they switched places, Truths were shared and actual smarts were displayed, I loved that both Rachel and Devin acted like adults, They werent perfect but they owned up to their mistakes and were determined to face the consequences,

One thing I absolutely hate in romance novels is the plot twist involving an artificial, prolonged misunderstanding.
It was delightfully absent from this book and it all comes back to characters acting like real adults.
Even in their most idiotic moments, they remained true to their characterisations instead of changing to fit the whims of the plot.


As for the reason why I now have a “canIhasaDevin” shelf, lets just saywithout spoiling the book for everyone elsethat the man knows the right things to say.
Yes, Im aware that a woman wrote him, He has brilliant scenes with Rachel and another character where he expresses his unwavering love, devotion, and trust in her.
Once hes in, hes in, Hes made up his mind and he wont let her insecurities drive him away, and he trusts her to figure it out eventually.


Ill need to read that other book by Bliss I bought on the Harlequin Christmas sale, Then Ill know if Ill be adding another author on my list of favourites, .