40-LOVE by Olivia Dade
You know when you find that just right book at the just right moment? The one that's written in the perfect voice, set in a location that captures your imagination, with characters you can't get enough of and a heat level in your Goldilocks zone? That was 40-Love for me.
From the first page, I was utterly immersed in Tess Dunn's island vacation, my neck aching in sympathy and sides in laughter as the well endowed Tess engages in a losing battle with her bikini top. Struggling to retie the suit more comfortably, she quickly finds herself bare breasted, urgently seeking the broad shouldered shield of Lucas Karlsson. He's at least a decade younger, undeniably sexy, and Tess' one hope of coverage before a crowd of young people makes it near enough to see her, potentially jeopardizing her hoped for promotion to high school principal.
Lucas accommodates her with flirtatious affability and though each is suffering from misapprehensions about the other, there's an immediate spark between them. It doesn't take long for Lucas to realize Tess isn't just another tennis fan looking for a vacation fling with the former tennis pro, and only slightly longer for Tess to discover Lucas isn't the aimless flirt he appears. The ongoing conversations between them maintain the zing but quickly turn substantive, with depth and emotional vulnerability that make the romance convincing despite the short timeframe.
Both Tess and Lucas are incredibly easy to love. Tess is wickedly funny, wildly competent and enviably comfortable in her own skin. It's a joy to read a fat heroine who's so confident in her body, not to mention one who's middle aged & embraces her grey hairs along with her accomplishments. Lucas is charming, dedicated and kind, with depths of emotional maturity to drown in. There's tremendous sweetness in their mutual admiration and the way they each encourage the other to see their true potential.
Along with the sweetness is plenty of spice. The sex scenes are hot but also playful, connected, & honest. They make room for intimacy that includes real world considerations like twingy knees and period cramps, as well as tenderness, toys and dirty talk.
I loved so much about this book, but what I loved most was the invitation to self-acceptance written into every page.
Rating: ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐
CWs courtesy of the author's website: https://oliviadade.com/books/content-... level is steamy (the story contains graphic sex scenes and other sexual references; some of the non-penetrative sex scenes occur during menstruation). There is discussion of a previous partner’s infidelity and gaslighting. Fat-shaming is mentioned briefly several times. Salty language is used frequently and lovingly.
Disclosure: ARC provided by author in exchange for an honest review.
