A Library And Love? You Really CAN Have It All!

Bad Bachelor by Stefanie London

Dear Reader,
A rich, handsome playboy PR-pro walks into a New York City library intent on saving it for the sake of his assistant’s grandson. Pro bono.

I’ll just be here sipping my tea while you head over to page one now, and get going on Stefanie London’s Bad Bachelor. Because, really, what else do you need to know?

Darcy Greer knows more than enough, thanks to sensational rate-my-date app Bad Bachelors.You’ll get the details on the app before Chapter One even gets going, and throughout the book you’ll find excerpts from reviews left by women both scorned and sated. And while I don’t generally love extras like these, because I find them distracting and most often not plot-propelling, I ate up every single one. It’s thanks to these tell-alls that Darcy knows Reed McMahon is NYC’s least wanted…if you’re looking for love. You want a hot night out in the city – or a great view of the ceiling – Reed’s your man! But Darcy’s had enough experience with the player personality to have flung the idea of a fling out of her mind forever.

And I can’t blame Darcy one bit. In Bad Bachelor, I am #TeamDarcy from the start, and Reed is exactly the kind of dude that I mentally roll my eyes at when being forced to socialize with at a friend’s party in real life. He’s the kind of guy that makes me question my friendship with the host, because obviously I don’t know my friend at all and, therefore, we probably aren’t actually friends. Reed’s whole profession is spin and manipulation and charisma, and even when it’s for a good cause, I have to throw up in my mouth a little. He’s the kind of guy who enjoys a “discussion” (a.k.a. argument), and turns out he loves to “discuss” things with Darcy. He’s lucky our librarian heroine doesn’t throw a book at him; and he should be aware of that restraint because she has easy access to a lot of books!

But that’s the thing with saving a library, you do what you gotta do and you work with who you gotta work with to get the job done. Even if that means working with a smokin’ hot rich guy, who is fabulous at his job, and happens to make your blood sizzle with a simple handshake.

Aside: I find that libraries are falling out of favour with a lot of bookworms I know personally, and if that sounds like you, I want you to go back in there and take another look around. Many of the libraries in my area have analyzed their processes and, to quote my city’s head librarian just before he led a massive shakeup, “We realized we were taking great care of the books, but not the people.” Go take care of your library, Dear Reader, because they do everything they can to take care of you. The times I’ve been out of work were made bearable because, thanks to the library, I was never without books. Oh, my heart!

Back to Darcy and Reed. As you get through the first few chapters, you understand why Reed feels abused and misunderstood, but you get the feeling not all of these bad reviews are unwarranted: perhaps a tad exaggerated or presumptuous, but deserved. Reed tries to downplay his poor reviews with: “There was always something more scandalous to worry about than a man having sex,”.  And yet, for some reason us women are still pissed that there’s nothing more interesting – or talked about – than a woman having sex. Clearly, the designer of the Bad Bachelors app is fed up with playboys posing as prince charmings, and the fictional women of S. L.’s NYC looking for commitment are grateful for the public service announcements.

Generally reading, enemies-to-lovers is not my preferred trope, but the twists and turns in this story kept me fully onboard for the whole ride. For example, Darcy’s eyeballs shoot laser beams at Reed at the start of their fundraising journey, even though he’s bloody well right and reasonable with his suggestions. But your eyeballs would be set to stun too if the chemistry between you and the nearest bad bachelor was off the charts…right after your mom prompted you to start planning your next trip down the aisle by sending you the top tier of your wedding cake.

WHAT?! I hear you! Ah, but to say any more would spoil the opening. Have fun, Dear Reader. I did!

Love From,

The True North

P.S. It is the best of times, and it is the worst of times. If you’re having the best of times, please consider supporting my Canadian romance reading habits by buying me a ko-fi (button below). If it’s the worst of times, spread the word about Love From The True North to your friends, eh?