Review: The Librarian’s Rake by Z. Allora

Title: The Librarian’s Rake

Author: Z. Allora

Length: 123 Pages

Category: Contemporary

At a Glance: Z. Allora has created a wonderful opposites attract storyline, and it was heartwarming to read.

Reviewed By: Carrie

Blurb: Opposites might attract, but is acting on that attraction wise?

Librarian Tristan Cooper can’t steer clear of sexy, motorcycle-riding bad boy Phillip—the man is hot—but Phillip is bound to find quiet, bookish Tristan boring, like all Tristan’s boyfriends. Tristan yearns to explore his wild side, the part of himself he’s only allowed into his fantasies, and maybe rakish Phillip is just what he needs to feel free.

Sexperienced hairdresser Phillip is more of a believer in happy endings than happily ever afters. Experience has taught him not to hope for more—until he meets sweet, vulnerable Tristan, who seems genuinely interested in his heart. But Phillip can’t trust enough to see himself as a man Tristan might want for more than a night.

With the help of a pair of matchmaking grandfathers, Tristan and Phillip might find the courage to step beyond their comfort zones and discover what has been missing from their lives….

Review: This book is a short and fun read, low on angst, high on downright cuteness and all-around romance. It paces well, the characters are well drawn, and the plot believable (even with a teensy bit of exaggeration for effect).

Phillip Valentine is a hair dresser. He’s been going through a transition of sorts—one would say that he is growing up. He’s taking his job more seriously, as well as the relationships in his life. The king of Grindr hookups, Phillip has low expectations of himself and his life. “Forgotten” by his parents, Phillip clings to the relationship that he has with his grandfather, keeping everything and everybody else at a superficial level. Timing is everything, and I think that Phillip had to get to a point where the hookups had lost their allure to be able to let Tristan in.

Tristan is a dork. He’s a librarian and loves being within the walls of the library, and amongst its books. People have always been too much for Tristan to understand or relate to; though safe in the library, he runs lots of different programs and knows all the patrons by heart. Tristan’s last boyfriend dumped him for being too boring and Tristan longs to break out of his shell and do something daring for once.

What would it be like to have the attention of this wild… rake? Rake! Goodness Christmas! How did he get trapped in the Regency novel the library book club insisted on reading this month? He might as well be the desperate virgin duchess whose elderly husband died before he bedded her, with all of Tristan’s lack of experience in comparison to the man in front of him.

A chance meeting, a ride home on the back of a motorcycle, and the dance begins. Phillip is more than happy to help Tristan become more outgoing—as friends. And Tristan is more than willing to hold onto Phillip and hope for more than friendship. After all, a boy can dream, right? These two spend a good portion of this book dancing around each other. Each boy is so afraid of putting himself out there, but the chemistry is undeniable. The suspense and the tensions become tauter as these two spend time with each other, and when they eventually give in, the resulting explosion is so worth the wait.

The concerning question of how a press of his leg even registered on Phillip’s heat index chased around his head. No answer came forth, but he couldn’t deny when their knees finally touched; that moment beat out any of the deliciously dirty experiences he’d ever had by a mile.

Allora’s snarky, witty sense of humor and writing style keep this book flowing. They have created a wonderful opposites attract storyline, and it was heartwarming to read. I loved how Phillip became “more” when he met Tristan, and that he knew it was Tristan who was making him that way. Tristan becomes Phillips rock, and Phillip becomes Tristan’s rainbow. It’s a great short story, and I highly recommend it for a lazy afternoon when your book just needs to make you laugh and leave you with a smile.

After a bit more sucking, Phillip pulled off him and licked his talented tongue along the shaft. He added, “Sucked off in the romance section. Maybe this is the key to fighting illiteracy?”

He came… in the library… in his boyfriend’s mouth. God bless Shakespeare! And every writer who has ever taken pen to paper.

You can buy The Librarian’s Rake here:
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