Title: Desire and the Deep Blue Sea
Author: Olivia Dade
Series: Love Unscripted #1
Genre: Contemporary Romance
Length: Novella
Available: Now
Thomas McKinney has never wanted a woman the way he wants Callie Adesso. Since she started working alongside him at the Colonial Marysburg Research Library, he’s spent his desk shifts fumbling pencils, tripping over his own feet, and struggling to remember both the Dewey Decimal System and the existence of her inconvenient boyfriend. Now, however, Callie is suddenly single–and in need of a last-minute faux-boyfriend for an episode of HATV’s Island Match. Thomas is more than happy to play the part…and in the process, convince Callie that a week together isn’t nearly long enough.
Callie has never found a man as irritating as she finds Thomas. He may be brilliant, kind, and frustratingly handsome, but the absent-minded librarian also makes every workday an anxiety-inducing exercise in stress. Even seven days in paradise by his side won’t change her opinion of him. Really. No matter how attentive he is. And gentle. And sexy.
One plane ride later, the two of them are spending long, hot days under the sun and on display, pretending to be in love for a television show. This may be a vacation, but it’s also an act–as well as Thomas’s last chance to persuade the woman of his dreams to include him in hers. And soon, the island heat isn’t the only thing steaming up HATV’s cameras…
Source: ARC from the author
I’ve always had a strange love for reality TV stories (even though I hate the actual shows *shrugs*), so the idea of this book was catnip to me. And although I did enjoy it, the TV stuff doesn’t really play a part – except to get these two spending time together alone and away from work.
Which was actually fine. This show sounds exhausting – spending one day in a luxury resort on one island before moving to another, then another, then picking which of the three you really want to stay in (I need a nap just typing that). So for once I wasn’t that interested in the TV side. It doesn’t really intrude, and since Thomas is amazing at standing up for Callie and making sure she doesn’t do anything she doesn’t want to, there isn’t too much pressure either.
Speaking of Thomas, he really is amazing when it comes to Callie. He’s completely honest and open about his feelings, never particularly worrying about himself in his attempts to make sure she’s happy and getting what she needs. He isn’t perfect by any stretch of the imagination, he messes up a few times and definitely focuses too much on one thing, forgetting everything else, but he’s lovely and I really appreciated the way he listened to Callie’s fears and worries, and tried to be better. His brief mention of asexuality could have been handled better (it’s about sexual attraction, not sex), but that’s about the only thing I didn’t ultimately like about him.
I liked Callie too. She’s very relatable in so many ways, but especially when it came to her anxiety. She’s really pushing herself for most of the story, and there are times when she barrels ahead without necessarily thinking things through, but when she does settle down I appreciated her clear-headed assessment and the way she could admire Thomas’ excellent qualities (even among his less wonderful ones).
It might be a short read, but the romance manages to build slowly, the chemistry is believable and the characters are wonderfully well-rounded. I loved the first two hotels (the creepy parrots, the x-rated everything) and am a little sad they didn’t spend more time there, but overall this was a quick, cute, enjoyable read with a cinnamon roll hero oblivious to social niceties and a BBW heroine who worries about everything except her body. I look forward to seeing where this series heads next.
Desire and the Deep Blue Sea is Out Now.
Visit Olivia Dade for more details.
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