Wendy the Super Librarian‘s review of The Librarian’s Secret Scandal by Jennifer Morey
Romantic Suspense released by Silhouette Romantic Suspense 01 Sep 10

Is it any wonder why I had to read this book?  The obvious reason would be the librarian heroine, but damn Harlequin with their sneaky titles!  I had to find out what the heck her secret scandal was!  Lucky for my impatient self, the author clears up that mystery within the first chapter.

Lily Masterson left Honey Creek, Montana fifteen years ago and didn’t look back.  The former town bad girl, she gave everyone plenty to talk about.  But after a night of partying in Bozeman ends with her being abducted and raped, Lily seriously reevaluates her life.  She moves to California, gets her library degree, and has a daughter.  Now she’s back in Honey Creek, running the library, taking care of her ill father, raising her now teenage daughter, and trying to live down her reputation.  The last thing she wants is to give the town gossip-mongers more to talk about, but that she does when Sheriff Wes Colton comes around courtin’.

This book was an exercise in one step forward, two steps back.  I was so excited to get an actual reformed bad girl heroine.  Nothing fake or misunderstood about this gal!  Lily rebelled for a fairly common reason (uptight parents), which meant a lot of partying, a lot of wild hijinks and, brace yourself, affairs with married men.  And while she’s a changed woman, getting the assholes in town to see that is another matter entirely.  This is where things start to slide because, now that she’s “reformed,” Lily is determined to throw herself in the fires of martyrdom.  Nothing essentially wrong with that, given this is a common road tread by many a romance heroine, but forcing her daughter to board the sinking ship is much harder to abide.

Because Mommy is a “whore” – so too the apple must not fall far from the tree.  Poor May is bullied to within an inch of her life at school, and Lily’s great answer to this problem is “hold your head high.”  If there was a halfway decent reason to subject her daughter to this abuse, I couldn’t find it.  Everyone in town hates her guts (except for 3 people!) and her father, while nice to May, treats Lily like crap because of her past behavior.  I don’t care how sick the guy is or that you’re all that he has left, why subject your daughter to mountains of abuse to take care of a man who treats you like dirt?  Hire him a home health care nurse and stay in Northern California! (Cold-hearted, thy name is Wendy).

What saves this romance for me is the hero, who is so scrumptious that I want to take him home to meet my parents.  He’s a few years younger than Lily, is not thrown off by ridiculous small town gossip, and is just an all-around nice guy.  He’s persistent, charming, and fills the knight in shining armor role admirably.

The bulk of the suspense comes in the form of a man Wes’ brother was convicted of killing.  Then the “victim” turns up freshly murdered 15 years later while brother is sitting in a prison cell.  This mystery is tied into the rest of the books in this multi-author continuity series, and for that reason there is some series-itis here.  However the author does a good job of bringing the reader up to speed, so I never felt lost or confused.  There’s also some tacked on suspense regarding threats against Lily, which mostly worked for me, until the climax, which felt rushed and, frankly, a little too easy.  After some of the other risks the author took in the story, going the obvious route on that plot point was a little disappointing.

This was the ultimate mixed bag read for me.  As much as I liked the hero, and found the suspense of the continuity interesting, I had problems with the All Small Town Residents Are Jackasses conflict and the abuse the heroine willing forces her daughter to endure.  For that reason I can’t highly recommend this one, but if you’re sucked into the series?  This is an essential piece of the puzzle.

Grade: C-

Summary:

“People are going to talk about us.”

Fifteen years ago Lily Masterson was Honey Creek’s bad girl — until she fled with a terrible secret. She’s now a responsible librarian, but no one believes she’s changed — except handsome sheriff Wes Colton. And though she’s determined to keep her secret, she and the sheriff certainly give ’em all something to talk about….

Former navy SEAL Sheriff Wes Colton is all about truth and justice. He’s convinced Lily got the short end of the stick. Gossipmongers be damned, she’s got that type of earthy beauty that keeps him up at night. When threats become more sinister, it’s the last straw — he won’t rest until she’s safe.

Read an excerpt.

Other books in this series: