Ben and Poppy are trapped in the library they work at overnight due to a snowstorm. Ben is the newest addition to the library staff and has been called a recluse. He works in the basement cataloging and prefers to work by himself and away from his co-workers. Poppy works up the courage to bring him some hot cocoa and offer her friendship. She soon learns that Ben is a sweet and complicated man who tells it exactly like it is. They have the chance to explore a relationship during the snowstorm and realize that this might be more than really electric chemistry.

Love in the Stacks was a quick and very steamy read! I enjoyed it a lot! I liked the dynamic between the two characters and how sweet Ben was with Poppy. Very cute story line. It's the perfect quick Christmas read!

Thanks to Netgalley and Carina Press for the eARC of this book in exchange for an honest review.

Heat Factor: There may be snow outside, but in here, the temperature is rising. And rising. And rising.
Character Chemistry: After recovering from an early misstep, these characters have exemplary communication skills
Plot: Librarians have sex in the library on Christmas Eve
Overall: I mean. It’s an Erotic Christmas Novella. What more could you ask for?

Love in the Stacks is from The Dirty Bits line by Carina Press - which means it’s a mini-romance that focuses on the sexytimes. That means that there’s not a lot of build up or detailed character work here.

Scene 1: I bring you hot chocolate and remind you of my name. You tell me I need to put air in my tires.

Scene 2: You give me my Christmas present - a tire gauge. And then you remove my underwear.

With that said, however, this is an extremely effective sexy romance that highlights verbal communication. Ben, our hero, is neurodivergent and therefore doesn’t really understand non-verbal cues. That means when Poppy first makes some friendly overtures to her new co-worker (the afore-mentioned hot chocolate), things are a bit awkward and confused. She thought she was sending clear signals, but he was scowling at her after he kissed her, so is he interested or not?

Once Ben explains his situation, they start putting things out in the open. Which means that there’s a lot of dirty talk and explicit discussions of desire which is both hot and makes for some interesting commentary on what makes a workable relationship. Poppy thinks:

“Are you alright?
It seems like such a simple question, but there’s so much to glean from it.
It’s a request for information that encompasses a world of questions: Did I hurt you? Did you like what I did to you? Did I make you feel special? Do you want me to do it again? Do you want me?”

And so they embark on some sexytimes that are centered around careful communication. Plus a very convenient snow storm which leaves them stranded in the library.

Because the story was so focused on talking about sexual satiation, Love in the Stacks was more emotionally satisfying than the average erotic novella.



I voluntarily read and reviewed a complimentary copy of this book. All thoughts and opinions are my own. We disclose this in accordance with 16 CFR §255.

This review is also available at The Smut Report.

This was a short, fun read. Ben was an incredibly adorable character as the new-in-town archivist for the public library. Poppy was a lovable circulation clerk.

This was a super sweet, extra hot romance novella that would have you rethinking learned concepts about what to do in the library while caught in a snowstorm or better yet how to get away with being naughty in the archives! It was an enjoyable read with surprisingly well developed characters despite the length.

Poppy and Ben get trapped in the library by a snowstorm and have to spend Christmas Eve together, and upon getting to know each other, began to fall in love. Cute story.

Love in the Stacks by Delilah Peters a new to me author. A spicy fast paced book set in a library. Enjoyable characters and storyline. It was just too short. I didn't realize it was part of a series.

A short read. The story of Poppy and Ben. He is the new recruit to the library where Poppy works. He is a bit awkward and finds it difficult to deal with people. Will he have a chance with Poppy?

Thank you Netgalley and Carina Press for the advanced copy. I voluntarily read and reviewed this book. All thoughts and opinions are my own.

I love a sweet awkward guy. I couldn't get enough of them in a genre that mostly is filled with arrogant billionaires. And socially awkward guy who works in the library? That's even better!

At 55 pages, I thought this would be one of those slam bam, thank you ma'am kind of story.

I was pleasantly wrong.

This was a quick read and highly enjoyable. I wish it wad longer for recommendation, but a clear and defined plot and character development in minimum of pages was a pleasant surprise.

Delilah Peters does a great job of engaging you with her characters in just a short novella; you still get all the heat and the emotions of a full length romance.

I have read many books in this series from Carina Press and have enjoyed them immensely. This one, to be honest, didn't wow me.

I liked the characters of Poppy and Ben well enough, and I liked their banter, although Ben's scowls started to annoy me by the end.

I also appreciated the representation of neurological diversity, and Carrie's almost blithe acceptance of Ben's differences.

The main thing I found troubling was Ben's mercurial mood switches. It seemed like one minute he'd be barely engaging and the next minute he'd be all up in Poppy's business, being sexually aggressive, bantering, etc. And then the switch would flip off again and he was back to being withdrawn. It didn't seem internally consistent, or consistent with my (not limited, but certainly not expert) knowledge of neurologically diverse individuals.

Finally, I was surprised that Poppy considered Carrie a friend, as Carrie seemed like a nasty person. Decent human beings shouldn't say (or even think) some of the things Carrie said, and if I were Poppy, I'd (1) call her on them more pointedly then she did and (2) think very carefully whether she was worthy of being my friend. Who, over the age of about 8, calls another person a troll? Unacceptable.

In general, worth a quick read but don't expect it to rock your world. I realize that that is not the point of these short novellas, but this one accomplishes less than others in the Carina Press Dirty Bits series.

Ben a librarian who is shy and standoffish and gets the surprise of his life when Poppy enters in world. This story is on the shorter side but there is no lack of heat and passion. I loved the idea of a gruff librarian getting hot and heavy in the stacks! It's a classic tale that’s well written here.

I thought the characters were well fleshed out and I loved that they were complete opposites. Their tension made the story that much hotter!

The story is a standalone and fun to read. I enjoyed the HEA. This is my first from this author but not my last. I really appreciate these hot short reads that give me a recharge during my day! I received an ARC via NetGalley and I am leaving an honest review.

I really enjoyed this for what it was---a very hot sex in the library book! It definitely felt like there was some rough transitions between scenes where things moved really fast and I wasn't quite sure what happened---but look, 2 gorgeous people trapped in the library overnight? It was quite enjoyable and definitely serves up what you would expect from this series.

A steamy, to-the-point erotic novella. There was chemistry between the two leads and I liked that there was communication and consent in their interactions. Would read further stories by this author, especially if they were set in a library!

I liked this book! It was short, sweet and to the point. Plus it's about working in a library, which I do, so that was the cherry on top for me :)

Now it may have been just a tad too short for my liking, but I was just along for the ride. I loved the interaction between Ben and Poppy - how awkward he was, how forward she was, how the tension sparked between the two of them. Guy librarians are so awkward anyway, so that was a great depiction of them with Ben's mannerisms. And Poppy was very forward and went for what she wanted - not letting anything get in her way.

Any book about librarians / set in a library will get my attention, so I'm glad I enjoyed this book as much as I did :)