Stud in the Stacks by Pippa Grant

ROMANTIC COMEDY​

Publication date: 01/05/2018
Kindle Unlimited: Yes
Cliffhanger: No

Audiobook narrators: Joe Arden and Karen White
Length: 7 hours, 19 minutes

I wasn’t sure what to expect going into this one. This was a relatively new-to-me author, it’s romantic comedy (which I haven’t had the best luck with lately), and the blurb kind of makes it sound like the hero, Knox, might be a manwhore. So, to say I approached it with trepidation would be an understatement. But I’m SO glad I gave this one a chance, because I pretty much loved every minute of it. (And, yes, mom, you were right about trying new things, ok?)

First of all, Knox is going on my list of all-time great book boyfriends. While the blurb lead me to believe he’s a manwhore, he totally isn’t. He’s sweet and compassionate while still managing to be hot and alpha, funny without trying too hard, and self-deprecating, which you just don’t see enough of in romance heroes. He also breaks just about every stereotype out there by being a hot male librarian who avidly reads and recommends romance novels to his patrons. He also runs a romance blog, loves kids, and has a great relationship with both his mother and his grandmother. He’s a romance novel hero unicorn, y’all—practically perfect in every way and I ADORED him.

Parker is a good heroine, too. She’s maybe not as awesome as Knox, but, hey, who is? Her inner dialogue and the nervous chatter she sometimes spouted cracked me up. Her insecurity might have gotten on my nerves at certain points, but I was able to overlook it, because her teenage years really were terrible, and the root of her insecurity actually made perfect sense.

Other random stuff I loved:

1. Knox is younger than Parker. I’m always looking for new younger man/older woman romances to add to my list.
2. Parker’s family/friends and Knox’s family (especially his grandmother) were all kinds of awesome.
3. Parker is a single woman who is happy with her life. If not for her high school reunion and some mitigating circumstances surrounding it, she wouldn’t have needed a date at all. Her life is complete without a man, and I really enjoyed that about her.
4. Knox is supremely confident without being a cocky jerk. He’s also not afraid to laugh at himself or act like a fool onstage for charity.
5. There’s a quasi other woman in the story who is anything but typical. She’s not out to sabotage Knox and Parker in any way. She’s not the stereotypical jilted woman who is bitter and revenge seeking. She’s a perfectly lovely woman who acts like a grown up, and I LOVED her. In fact, I’m probably going to go check out the author’s backlist and see if she gets her own story at some point. But I digress…
6. At one point in the story, Knox writes a letter to the NYT in defense of romance, slamming their douchebag reporter for criticizing and mansplaining romance. It was all kinds of fabulous, especially since the NYT in real life has pretty much always been a dick to the romance genre. They’re a huge part of the reason why the romance stigma exists, in fact. 

 
So, long-story-short, this was a light, fun, hilarious rom com that I can’t recommend highly enough. I laughed until I about hurt myself, and Knox is grade-A book boyfriend material. You can 1-click this one with confidence.

Does this book contribute to or help crush the romance stigma?
It kicks the crap out of the romance stigma! No rehab needed.  

Other reading suggestions
I’ll probably check out the author’s backlist, frankly. 

And if your Kindle is still hungry for more yummies...

Awesome rom coms guaranteed to deliver fun, low-angst reads​

Lough out loud contemporary romances​

Sexy nerds in romance novels​