Olivia Dade seems to be one of those authors who is just really consistent. I have enjoyed everything I’ve read from her, and some of it (Teach Me in particular!) I’ve outright loved. I am absolutely salivating for the release of All the Feels in October. I just have such a good feeling I’m going to love it so much.
This was a fun collection of novellas that range from the silly and sweet to the more serious side of the spectrum. Because the characters are middle-aged, and Dade seems incapable of creating characters that can’t help but behave like mature adults, the result is a refreshing experience of stories you don’t normally see in romance. Her characters are very profession focused and emotionally mature. It’s just nice.
“Sweetest in the Gale” – A grieving teacher and her co-worker who has always been drawn to her outspoken personality fall in love over poetry. 4/5 stars
“Unraveled” – The least substantial and silliest of the collection (in a good way!). A new teacher transfers into Marysburg and her mentor is the most snobbish man in the school. She makes murder dioramas (so cool!) and he melts. It did bother me that they couldn’t wait to hook up until they got home. Also, it felt forced in the narrative that they hooked up at all, but maybe that’s just my ace self shining through at the moment. 3.5/5 stars
“Cover Me” – This is the one that got to me the most, and it’s also the shortest. I wish it had been longer! James offers to marry Elizabeth, who he’s been good friends with for almost thirty years, so she can share his health insurance when she finds a lump in her breast. They soon realize they want the marriage to be real. This just missed the five star mark for me because I wanted more from the middle part where they’re both thinking about wanting to be together but aren’t. Basically I wanted more pining. 4.5/5 stars
CBR BINGO: Rec’d (Thanks, emmalita!)
