Nevermore Bookstore by Kerrigan Byrne & Cynthia St. Aubin delivers a quirky RomCom that touches on chronic illness and PTSD, all while delivering humor, romance and a dash of suspense. Grab an iced coffee and check out coffee dates with Nevermore Bookstore.
by Kerrigan Byrne, Cynthia St. Aubin
Series: Townsend Harbor #1
Genres: Contemporary Romance
Source: Author
Purchase*: Amazon *affiliate
Heat Level:
Cadence “Cady” Bloomquist knows two things for sure: First, shelving books at her shop, Nevermore Bookstore, totally counts as cardio. Second, staying late every Thursday night to take a certain mysterious customer’s order is not the same as waiting by the phone for some man.
Until.
Until the calls with the man who identifies himself only as “Fox” last for hours, and become the highlight of her week. Which leaves her to wonder, if his jagged velvet voice can kindle her fire over the phone, what sort of alchemy might it inspire if they met in person?
There’s nothing Roman Fawkes wants more than the brilliant, beautiful bookstore owner, but Roman Fawkes knows it can never happen. Secreted in his mountain hideaway high above sleepy little Townsend Harbor, his hermit’s existence shields him–and those around him–from the pain of his past.
Until.
Until one of their weekly calls is interrupted by a break-in, and Fawkes is powerless to protect the woman who has become his one link to the world. Orchestrating a trap for the fool who dared harm her, Fawkes finds himself not just ensnared, but beguiled by her. Now so close to Cady, he discovers she’s fallen for “Fox”, and yet he’s unable to reveal her heart’s desire is closer than she thinks.
Can Fawkes resist the temptation to get between Cady’s covers, knowing they’ll never have a happily ever after?
Coffee Dates with Nevermore Bookstore
- First Date: Each Thursday evening Cadence “Cady” Bloomquist waits by the phone in the Nevermore Bookstore for a call from her number one customer, Fox. Each week he places a large book order and the two converse about books and a little casual flirting. Cady knows very little about Fox and he prefers it that way. When a break-in occurs during their call, everything changes and I was hooked. Snark, flirty banner, and a little mystery await you.
- Second Date: It seems Fox called the local police, but doesn’t rush to the shop. Instead, he watches from the park and alleyways. A little creepy, right? Hold tight. It will all make sense, well, kind of. Cady glimpses Fox in an alleyway and assumes he a homeless traveling vagrant who is down on his luck. Being Cady she brings him tacos and offers him work. Only she does not know that it’s Fox and somehow she names him Bob. It was fun seeing them interact and deals with town issues and events. We learn about Cady’s chronic illness; ankylosing spondylitis and the author’s did a great job of portraying the ups and downs of chronic illness. As someone who suffers from a compromised immune system and a list of chronic issues, I appreciated Cady’s portrayal. We’ll deal with small town politics and book club, all while wondering if Bob will reveal who he really is.
- Third Date: At this point, I could not set the story down. Cady learns the truth about Fox, but not before the two have some moments. Fox is all ready to return to his solitude. Cady is stubborn and refuses to accept that. I loved their interactions and was rooting for them. The authors had me hoping for an HEA. We discover who was behind the break-in and why before a showdown at city hall. You’ll need to find that out for yourself.
This was a fun, snarky, sexy, unique read that I recommend to lovers of romance. I adored Cady and her ability to really see people. From the bookstore setting to quotes from Shakespeare, I am looking forward to visiting Townsend Harbor again.
*kindleunlimited
About Cynthia St. Aubin
USA Today bestselling author Cynthia St. Aubin wrote her first play at age eight and made her brothers perform it for the admission price of gum wrappers. A steal, considering she provided the wrappers in advance. Though her early work debuted to mixed reviews, she never quite gave up on the writing thing, even while earning a mostly useless master's degree in art history and taking her turn as a cube monkey in the corporate warren.
About Kerrigan Byrne
Kerrigan has done many things to pay the bills, from law enforcement to belly dance instructor. Now she’s finally able to have the career she’d decided upon at thirteen when she announced to her very skeptical family that she was going to “grow up to be a romance novelist.” Whether she’s writing about Celtic Druids, Victorian bad boys, or brash Irish FBI Agents, Kerrigan uses her borderline-obsessive passion for history, her extensive Celtic ancestry, and her love of Shakespeare in almost every story. She lives in a little Victorian coast town on the Olympic Peninsula in Washington State with her wonderful husband. When she’s not writing you can find her sailing, beach combing, kayaking, visiting wineries, breweries, and restaurants with friends, and hiking…okay…wandering aimlessly clenching bear spray in the mountains.
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About Kimberly
Kimberly is a coffee loving book addict who reads and listens to fictional stories in all genres. Whovian, Ravenclaw, Howler and proud Nonna. She owns and manages Caffeinated PR. The coffee is always on and she is ready to chat. BlueSky | Facebook | Instagram
Katherine
I love the sound of Cady and this sounds like a good read! And I can’t resist that the main characters talk about books.
Kimberly
I am a sucker for bookstores.
Lisa Mandina (Lisa Loves Literature)
Ooh, this one sounded good and then your review totally sold me! Will have to get my hands on this one soon!
Kimberly
Hehe…enjoy!
Alicia
I love Kerrigan Byrne’s historical romances and this sounds really good. I also want to read her mystery series.
Kimberly
I enjoy her books too, Alicia. This was fun.
Lover of Romance
This sounds like such a fun romance, and I am glad you get so much enjoyment out of this rom com!
Kimberly
Thank you Renee.
Mary Kirkland
That sounds great. It’s nice to find a book you can’t put down.
Kimberly
Thanks Mary 🙂
Wendy
I love a bookish romcom. I will add this to my tbr
Kimberly
I am the same. They are perfect between thrillers & fantasy.
Anne – Books of My Heart
This one seems to be very popular. Robin is reviewing it next Monday.
Rolé @ Hooked By That Book
I also liked it, maybe not as much as you though. But I am looking forward to more books in this series. There were a lot of chuckle-out-loud moments and I always enjoy those.
Kimberly
Glad you enjoyed it.
Rachel @Waves of Fiction
I’ve enjoyed Kerrigan Byrne’s historical romances, so I was curious to see her releasing a contemporary one and with a co-writer. It does sound like a story I’d enjoy. Bonus points for a bookstore setting!
Kimberly
It was fun Rachel. I hope you try it.