40-Love

Making my way through Olivia Dade’s backlist. This was good but not my favorite.

Assistant school principal Tess Dunn is on vacation at a resort on the Gulf Coast of Florida with her best friend, Belle. While taking an early morning swim, Tess loses the top of her swimsuit and uses willing stranger, Lucas Karlsson, as a shield. When Belle finds out that Lucas is the tennis pro at the resort, she schedules several tennis lessons for Tess. As Tess gets to know Lucas, she realizes that he is attracted to her, but her size and their age difference makes it difficult for her to believe in any kind of relationship between them. However, Lucas has plans to win Tess over if he can only show her that what they could have together would make their differences inconsequential.

40-Love is a cute romance about two lonely people who find each other while one is on vacation. This story does a good job with representation of a plus size heroine as well as showing a different side of an athlete once he's out of the limelight. Also, the story is sweet with some good steam adding layers to the story. Unfortunately, I have some problems with this book. One is that I have trouble believing in the romance between these two characters because there just isn't enough of a reason for them to be together. In addition, there is so much emphasis placed on Tess's "boobs" that it almost makes it seem like that is her only attribute. Overall, however, there is enough to like about this story to make it an entertaining read.

we love a story that (view spoiler)[doesn't include a third act break up (hide spoiler)]!!!

I loved this. Loved it. I loved the characters, the banter and I so identified with many of the issues on both sides. Excellent.

This books! I loved it. Every page. Olivia Dade is not spoken about enough when it comes to romance and this one was brilliant. Full review to come when I can't for my thoughts into coherent sentences.

A lovely book for my first digital reading experience after getting the e-reader. I know, I know … you soon won’t take me seriously anymore, since I keep saying I don’t necessarily enjoy Romance books, yet I also keep reading them 😅 I’m just trying to find a good Romance novel, so I have to read some of those every once in a while (or I’m more of a romantic than I thought I was 🙊😋) But back to this particular book: I really enjoy Olivia Dade’s style of writing. There’s humour, romance and a critical look onto some of our cultural problems (though sometimes a bit exaggerated). And while I could’ve done with fewer lovemaking scenes – and a less cliché ending – I really enjoyed this book. One of the biggest pros would be the development of the characters. I LOVED that we don’t just have the fierce woman in her 40s that knows where she stands in life while still struggling with stuff from the past, we also get to know Lucas who’s not just there to be the love interest but actually gets to grow and learn and live life just as much as Tess does ☺️ At some point I thought their relationship was developing waayyy to quickly (and I still do to some degree), but I also need to face my own critical voice and tell myself that just because I’ve never experienced it doesn’t mean it’s not genuine and authentic. Ultimately, this might have been a 3.75 star-rating, but with Tess as one of the main characters there were just too many thoughts, doubts, fears and dreams that I could relate to, so it can’t be anything less than 4 stars. If you enjoy Romance novels with a sweet and spicy relationship then this book is for you.

I feel like this story had so much more potential but the love story felt a little too rushed for me. I enjoyed the discussion about morality and values alongside teaching but the romance just fell flat for me. It’s a decent book but I definitely prefer the others in the series way more.

40-Love by Olivia Dade has my whole heart. From the moment Tess's naked breasts squashed against Lucas's bare back and the joke's started flying, I fell in love. So absolutely sexy and tender and a perfect example of what I need in romance right now. Tess Dunn cannot believe a 26-year-old former tennis pro was ACTUALLY flirting with during her bare-breasted rescue, but after her best friend and travel partner books her solo lessons with the smokin' hot Swede, Tess soon finds out Lucas Karlsson is definitely interested in more than her tennis serve. With less than two weeks before Tess returns to her high pressure and high stress job as an assistant principal, Lucas is intent on showing Tess he's in this not just for the grand slams but forever. Dade never disappoints with the care she gives her characters AND her readers. Watching Lucas show up again and again for Tess was absolutely delicious and important to see. Tess is my favorite type of romance love interest, confident in herself yet vulnerable to past hurts, but never willing to compromise her core beliefs. Also, the time Dade takes to show Tess's relationship with her friend was lovely, and I hope her travel companion gets her own story! Absolute must read of Summer 2020, get your copy pre-ordered now! Thank you to the author for the advanced reading copy. I am buddies with Olivia on Twitter.

Find this review and more at kimberlyfaye reads. Have you ever loved a book so much you wanted to shout that love from the rooftops? Make everyone you know read it? That’s how I felt the instant I finished 40-Love. Ok, let’s be honest, I felt that way about two chapters into the book and still feel the same days later. Why did it take me so long to pick up an Olivia Dade book? Big fail on my part, but at least I’ve learned my lesson and I can commence my backlist binge immediately. What did I love about 40-Love? Literally everything. That’s not an exaggeration. It’s an age gap romance with a 40-year-old heroine (*praise*) and 26-year-old hero. The meet-cute in chapter one had me grinning, giggling and cringing. Is it possible to die of secondhand embarrassment? I honestly think I came close. I swear I read 3/4 of this book with a giant cheesy grin on my face. Unsurprising to anyone, I also cried a couple of times. Maybe most importantly to me, the fat rep was perfection. Tess is easily one of the most relatable heroines I’ve read in ages. Perhaps ever. I need more of this — you know, seeing myself in the books I’m reading. 40-Love was the total package. Let me tell you about the girl crush I have on Tess. She knows who she is and what she wants (or at least she thought she did until she met Lucas). She exuded the confidence I wish I could have on a more consistent basis. I legit want her to be my best friend. Her inner dialogue was hilarious and quite often I found myself nodding along with her. I got her and I swear it was like she was in my head sometimes. And Lucas? He was the most perfectly imperfect hero, a total cinnamon roll. Did I side-eye him a little in the beginning? Sure, but it wasn’t long before he had me swooning all over the place. There were dozens of little moments where he did or said things that made me sigh with happiness. I adored him. I could go on and on talking about just how much I loved this book, but I’ll spare you. Just trust me and go read it for yourself. You won’t be sorry. Then we can binge all the Olivia Dade books together. 😉 I received a complimentary copy of this book for review consideration. This does not affect my opinion of the book or the content of my review. Favorite Quotes: She could see the mugshot and local news headlines now: Buoys of Terror: Assistant Principal Dunn Corrupts Innocent Children with Her Enormous, Naked Gozangas. God help her, but Lucas somehow unbalanced her, dizzied her until her tongue came untethered and said things—angry things, honest things, foolishly flirty things—a diplomatic, practical principal-to-be would never, ever say. Somewhere in her late thirties, her supply of fucks had become extremely limited. Some might even say nonexistent, except when it came to her work and her friends. “I may be too much woman for this shirt, but I consider that a flaw in its design, not mine.” “How the hell can a twenty-six-year-old athlete be the perfect boyfriend for me? In what universe is that even possible?” “The sun rises in the east and sets in the west, the tides come and go, we’ll eventually grow old and die, and Lucas Karlsson loves Tess Dunn.”

The hero here is SUCH a sweetheart! I really enjoyed this age gap romance. The heroine is about 14 years older than the former tennis pro hero, who does his best to woo her like crazy.