Taking the Heat by Victoria Dahl

A romance novel featuring a sexy librarian. Seems so cliché, doesn’t it? Well did I mention that this librarian happens to be male!? Let’s push some gender stereotypes people!!

What’s it About? 

All revved up for bright lights and steamy nights, writer Veronica Chandler chased her dreams to New York City. When she hit a dead-end, reality sent her back home to Jackson Hole, Wyoming. Saving her pride and her new gig—writing a relationship advice column!—requires some faking. No one can know the truth about her big-city flop or her nonexistent sex life. But the town’s irresistibly rugged librarian is determined to figure her out… and give her hands-on lessons in every wicked thing she wants to know. Gabe MacKenzie’s heart might be in Wyoming, but secretly his future’s tied up in his family’s Manhattan legacy. Getting down and dirty with Veronica is supposed to give him a few memorable nights—not complicate his plans. But the thing about heat this scorching is there’s just no going back… and it might be too hot for either of them to take.

First Impressions

Not only do we have a male librarian, but we also have a female virgin in her 20s. Never would have thought those 2 things could exist within a 5 mile radius. Something I absolutely loved about this book was the characters. They felt so real! Both Gabe and Veronica would get nervous flirting with each other, with excessive blushing on both sides. How adorable! And then when Gabe got all fidgety asking if she wanted to go out to dinner with him, well I just about had a coronary. So refreshing to have 2 characters who act like normal, not so confident people when communicating with the opposite sex. Gabe wasn’t some dominant alpha male who told her she’d be going to dinner with him, he asked like a gentleman. However, his shy persona sort of took flight once they got into the bedroom.

Let’s Get to the Good Stuff

Veronica might be a virgin, but it definitely isn’t for a lack of trying. At this point in her life, she just wants to get it over with! How can she be an advice columnist who talks to people about sex when she’s never had any of her own? Enter Gabe. When he finds out her secret he’s more than happy to help her out with her little problem, but he’s intent on making sure she enjoys it. Won’t fight ya on that one buddy. This man is definitely in his element once they get naked, and he’s also a bit of a dirty talker. Now he’s a dirty talkin’ sexy librarian? I don’t know if I can handle this much perfection in a man. The scenes between these two were off the charts hot. A tad disappointed they never did it in the stacks of the library, but that probably would have been even more cliché than necessary.

A Level of Seriousness

The relationship between Gabe and Veronica is toe-curling adorable, but there are also quite a few dramatic elements placed throughout the book as well. At one point a reader submits a letter to her column stating that he’s contemplating suicide. Veronica also has a strained relationship with her father, not to mention an asshole of an ex stepbrother.

Gabe also has a secret of his own in that he’s only in town for one year before he plans to move back to New York to take over the family business, even though he’d rather stay to enjoy the quiet of Wyoming. Hmm, maybe you should ask your advice columnist girlfriend how to handle that one. An identifiable theme throughout this entire novel was the fear of being your true self, and thereby a disappointment to others. I think this is something which most of us can relate to. This theme, combined with the down-to-earth characters, makes for a really enjoyable read.

*A copy of this book was provided for an honest review*

Series: Jackson: Girls’ Night Out, book 3. I didn’t read books 1 or 2, and had no trouble following the storyline. That being said, I might have to go back and read the first 2, just because I loved this book so much.

Should you read it? Yes! It’s a sexy read, but also has a great underlying message of following your dreams, even if it’s not what other people had hoped for you. Do what makes you happy!

Smut Level: Loved that Gabe waited a while before doing the deed with Veronica. He wanted to make sure she was squirming for it. Oh…my!

Get it on Amazon: Click Here. $6.49 Kindle Price. HQN Books. 384 Pages.