Things I have confirmed from reading Hearts on Hold:

1. Hot children's librarian with a man-bun (John) meets uptight English Professor dealing with gendered racism (Victoria) gives me all the nerdy romance with deeper themes that I love.

2. People having sex in public or semi-public places gives me SO MUCH ANXIETY!!! I mean, you are professional, grown adults in your 30's who could lose your jobs, so tell me why you are getting it on in the University greenhouse and the library cleaning closet?! Particularly with all your clothes off when anyone could walk in and catch you. And Victoria is a Black woman talking about how she has to work twice as hard and is concerned about optics yet somehow decides this is a good idea? These scenes stressed me out so much, but your mileage may vary depending on your feelings with this kind of trope.

Other than that, I mostly enjoyed the romance, even if I'm kind of a hard sell on the hookup-to-lovers trope. The opposites attract romance was fun, if a little unbelievable at times. In terms of larger themes, I loved seeing the way racial dynamics are dealt with in nuanced ways including micro-aggressions, the institutional power of white men, and the way young Black girls can be unequally treated by school administration. (John is the temporary guardian for his niece who gets into some trouble at school). I found the resolution between Victoria and her hyper controlling mom to be quite satisfying as well. If this sounds appealing to you, check it out! I received an advance copy of this book for review via NetGalley. All opinions are my own.

This book took entirely too long to get through, and not because of the length, which is considerable given the storyline. I just didn't find it particularly engaging. I didn't care for most of the characters, and the romance didn't ring true. I realize that I'm in the minority here, but it is what it is. I never really got into the story and the chemistry between the H and h was pretty much nonexistent. Prior to reading this one, I'd heard good things about the author, and this book didn't completely turn me off from reading anything else by Reid, but it also doesn't have me anxiously looking for another either. In the end, I liked the idea of this one much more than the reality.

Another fantastic romance from Charish Reid. I love that she always has authentic interracial romances, and Hearts on Hold is not different. This was my second book from this author, and I am definitely a fan!

Okay so Victoria and John were such a hot and sweet couple! If you have not yet Charish Reid yet, do so NOW! Her previous book, The Write Escape and this one are so good and they will bring you so much joy!!! It's got a sexy professor and a hot librarian falling for each other with some lovin' in the stacks!! Victoria and John have to work together and sparks fly because they are both hella attractive people. There is ADD representation and I really liked how it was handled because it isn't something I see often when reading. My full review is on my blog at https://essieslovecorner.wordpress.com/2020/03/02/hearts-on-hold-by-charish-reid/

DNF @ 31%

The writing in this book is perfectly fine, it just didn't capture me. I also hit a reading slump as I was reading this and am struggling to go back to it. Abandoned at 31%, will likely try picking up again when I'm feeling it (as I'm a total mood reader).

Also, you can't do that, it violates your librarian code, or something.

This is the first book I've read by this author and I was pleasantly surprised.
When opposites, conservative college professor Victoria and laid-back tatted library department head John collaborate on a project, sparks fly. Amidst John's teasing over Victoria's outstanding late fees for a naughty historical romance and working together on their collaborative project Victoria decides a fling is just what she needs.
I recommend the purchase of this book if looking for a fun read.
Thank you Cherish Reid, Harlequin - Carina Press and NetGalley for allowing me an advance copy for my honest feedback.

This was my first book by that author and was drawn to the premise of a romance between a female academic and a male librarian. There were things I enjoyed in the story but also quite a few things in it left me annoyed and disappointed.

The heroine is a Black professor in an elite private college with the all the struggles and hard work and fighting discrimination this entails. I enjoyed that aspect of the story very much. Her professional life made a big portion of who she was and I liked getting such an in-depth view of it.

At the same time her relationship with her family was hard for me to buy into. They treated her and she acted with them like she was not 34yo professional woman but rather a child that needs constant guidance and advise. The age thing in fact is something I struck me as not quite right for both MCs - most of the time they read to me as much younger than 34 and 38 respectively. His moms (birth mother and step mom) referred to him as kiddo all the time, acting like he was incompetent/unrealiable because of his ADD and this really bothered me.

The MCs start a sex pact relationship, a sordid affair, though he knew he wanted more from the start. I had no real issues with the back and forth of their relationship, the hesitancy, the doubt, it all was relatable. Still, he kept thinking she is so much better than him and I just didn’t see that big of a social difference between them, I couldn't understand his lack of self-confidence.

My biggest issues was the character development which seemed inconsistent to me. It's minor things, starting with appearance, for example. She was described as having thick thighs and big boobs, he kept saying how soft she was and he is described numerous times as super big and tall, she calls him the Viking and then suddenly they are sparring in the gym and she is some master fighter who beats him down. Nothing until that moment suggested she was athletic in any way. And he was not just tall but described and strong and very toned, it could be me but this didn't read as accurate to me.

Then there is a whole incident with her at her parents' party that I found to be completely out of place and out of character for her. I didn't expected it, still don't see what it added to the story or to her character.

We know the hero is a librarian but we barely learn anything about his job, why he chose it for himself, what his dreams and plans were. In contrast there is quite a lot of page time dedicated to her career (which I liked reading about). I would have preferred to get more of his professional life as well. It would have made him more real, tangible, given him substance which I found he overall lacked.

There was a lot of going on in that story, lot of side characters with their own plotlines and in the end it felt chaotic and overburdened, lacking depth.

These are all small things but they added up for me and took out a lot of my enjoyment of this story.

PS: A couple of librarians have noted on Twitter about something the hero does that is a cross violation of his professional ethic and irl would lead to him getting fired. I admit I missed it when I read it but after seeing their comments, I absolutely agree it was inappropriate and could have been easily avoided.

CW: misogyny, bullying (side character), drinking-related accident

I know I'm in the minority here, but I struggled to finish Charish Reid's "Hearts on Hold." I had high hopes for it because I liked the author's previous book so much, plus I'm a library nerd, so I was predisposed to enjoy reading a book that featured a librarian as the hero. Unfortunately, I ended up having a difficult time connecting with the female lead character, Victoria, and there was just too much going on with the plot for me to really enjoy any of it.

On the bright side, I found the main characters, John and Victoria, to be mostly likeable. John in particular seemed like a real sweetheart, and I loved how hard he tried to be a good guardian to his niece, Becca, even though he felt like he was completely out of his element with her most of the time. By contrast, Victoria came across as very rigid and uptight, and it took quite a while for me to warm up to her. However, her interactions with her BFFs, Regina and Paula, really humanized her for me, as well as the way she slowly let her guard down with John. I also enjoyed the way Victoria related to John's niece and immediately became an advocate for Becca when she needed one.

On the not-so-bright side, I wasn't crazy about the way John and Victoria's relationship developed. While I enjoyed their early banter and flirtatious text message exchanges, there was a definite insta-lust vibe between them that I did not find appealing. Their relationship seemed to be so focused on the physical side of things that the emotional connection was overshadowed for me. I was also bothered by how many of their sexcapades took place while they were at work. It didn't seem to fit with what I knew of Victoria's character, plus it seemed unnecessarily risky for her to engage in that sort of unprofessional behavior when she was already fighting so hard to be treated as an equal by her department chair. I'm certain that he would have used it against her if he (or anyone) had caught her and John together.

In addition, I found the story itself to be oddly paced. I somehow managed to get bored with it at times despite the incredible number of plot threads that kept being added. To me, there seemed to be almost too much going on by the end of the book. For example, university politics alone would have been enough for Victoria to deal with; why complicate matters by adding the problems with her mother on top of it?

Despite my problems with this book, I remain a fan of Ms. Reid's writing and still plan to check out her next book. Unfortunately, this one just wasn't for me.

*ARC provided by the publisher via NetGalley. All opinions expressed are my own.

A fantastic follow-up to a gorgeous debut, HEARTS ON HOLD is another winner from Charish Reid. This contemporary romance between a tightly wound female professor and a hot male librarian is a perfect read for fans of contemporaries by authors like Lucy Parker and Alyssa Cole. Looking forward to more from Reid!

A cute read, but a little slow to start. I didn't feel an instant connection with the characters and with both of them dealing with family and work drama, it was slow going for these two to focus on the feelings budding between them as a romantic couple.

I did learn a lot about behind the scenes of the academic world that was pretty interesting.

This book was so effortlessly good. I want to' sign up for a class for the key to the spell of this writing sorcery.

Victoria is tightly wound, but her knack for planning even the smallest of details has served her well. She wants to implement an internship with the local library, but the patriarchal white powers that be are giving her a hard time. Fortunately, her lists are orderly, and her plans are even neater. Meeting with the Children's librarian, John Donovan is just a part of implementing the beginning stages of her plans for approval of the program. She doesn't prepare to fall into a "situationship" with the librarian or to find love in the stacks.

This is my second book by Charish, and they both maintained a solid, well-written exploration of interracial romances in a way I've not seen done this excellently before.

Wholly maintaining the blackness of her heroine, while having her date outside of her race, is difficult. I often see authors fumble in this subgenre, there's always (most times) a forced, unrealistic racist chasm put between the characters that hinder the book.

Reid is an expert in not doing this. She never ostracizes her heroines and maintains the relationships (see: Black girlfriends) that are lacking in most IR novels. She expertly weaves aspects of the characters' careers into the books without weighing the book down with strenuous details.

Not only that, the books are hot without even trying (boffum). She maintains the heat of the sex; without being vulgar or chaste. This is difficult to do. Her books are clever and captivating. I didn't want to put the book down and I didn't.

The writing is superb and effortless in its delivery. The conflicts are mature and fitting to the character's journeys. I honestly can't say anything bad about this book.

Reid is now an auto-buy author, and I am thrilled to see what she comes up with next.

Again, Charish Reid did not disappoint.
Brilliant, beautiful uptight professor, with braids 😊 Victoria Reese meet pony tail wearing, tattoed, easy-going, sexy librarian John Donovan and boy does it get steamy. In an effort to make her mark in her mostly white university rife with toxic masculinity, Victoria started a new initiative which have her partnering with the librarian in very close spaces after hours. Witty banters, crazy chemistry, hot sex. Then....love.
This is a warm, fuzzy, feel good novel with a splendid reminder that representation matters. As a black girl reading about another black girl in a romance novel I felt immense pride. Charish captures the sweet, the feisty, the family dynamic, the epitome of a strong black lead without going down the usual stereotypical descriptions of black women. Also, can we say steamy!!! Whew Chile, I found myself clutching my imaginary Pearl ever so often. The banter between the main characters are witty and very 'laugh out loud' funny- my neighbors prolly think I'm crazy laughing so loudly at 2 in the morning. I loved this book.

There is so much to enjoy here in Charish Reid's new release, and in so many ways this book really speaks to me as a romance reader and as an academic who felt that Reid truly captured the culture of academia today. And yet, there were enough drawbacks that I can't wholeheartedly recommend it as much as I wish I could. Before I touch on the flaws that eroded some of my enjoyment, I'll point out the many favorable elements that make this book enjoyable and romantic.

Foremost, John Donovan is an absolute delight of a romantic hero. A true Beta, he finds himself drawn to a high-achieving and self-confident woman who sets the rules for their relationship. While too many men are depressingly threatened by smart and powerful women, John is instead attracted to Victoria's competence, and that is an appealing trait and is displayed well in this book. John though is also a white man who, because of family ties to multiracial relatives, is not just drawn to the heroine for her own unique qualities but is represented as particularly understanding of racial issues. The two rarely discuss the complexities of an interracial romance, but the book fits in enough signifiers that point to their affair as one rooted in the benefits of multiculturalism. I find the representation of multiculturalism intriguing here in that it depicts John and Victoria's romance as the opposite of color-blind racism. They are not just two people who fall in love despite racial differences. Instead, at least on John's part, he finds Victoria appealing partly because she is African American and he searches in his life for ways to exist outside of white spaces.

Meta fiction is also a reason why I enjoyed this book. John is a librarian and Victoria is a patron of libraries who has an overdue library book. For the Duke's Convenience serves as a fun entry to their relationship, especially early in the book. As John seeks to understand the appeal of a bluestocking/fake rake historical romance to the upright and self-controlled Victoria, he takes on the roleplaying with enthusiasm. At first Victoria is frustrated that she's been caught reading a book with such a silly title and she's even more embarrassed that she has an overdue library book out, but she also quickly finds the appeal of John's sexual games. I think romance readers won't fail to enjoy the fun of noting the tropes in the book within a book.

So why didn't this book work out better for me? I think most authors struggle to portray immediacy of sexual attractive and romantic feelings in a book well. Perhaps I've been too much of a fan of "slow burn" romances, but the speed at which the attraction and flirting takes place unsettled me. John flirts via email with Victoria the first time they engage and that felt off to me. Additionally, given the context of a professional relationship since she seeks him out as the librarian who can help her put together a proposal for students to earn credits in research at a library, it felt off-putting. Victoria is initially a little repelled by John's emails to her, but she is also a little turned on by them, which struck me as a little unseemly. The awkwardness of their banter in the first quarter of the book is jarring and just didn't sit right, but I'm also aware that in today's culture, workplace romances are tricky. I think too that I struggled a bit with Victoria's prickly personality and felt maybe she is caricatured as an ambitious woman.

I adored this book so much. Victoria is one of my favorite heroine's ever. She's brilliant and fabulous and has wonderful friends and a mother who cares about her (just is sometimes a bit misguided in her attempts at making her daughter happy). She's a college professor whose hard work and brilliance is under constant assault because she's both a woman and black, and the system was deliberately made to thwart her at every turn while making things easier for people like Kenneth, who are allowed to just work and succeed, not navigate a billion landmines, cater everyone else and still somehow have to time work and be brilliant. I thought the book showed this really really and I adored her journey professionally and with John.

Oh John. I adore John who is sweet but also messy, but works well with Victoria who deserves happiness (and happiness does not always look like "perfection"). Happiness sometimes looks like a soft-place to land and support, not help (which goes both ways). And this was all done so brilliantly and just LOVE.

BRILLIANT. This charming romance with just enough delicious heat offers readers a gift with many parts:
• Intellectually compatible couple
• Empathetic characters you’d actually enjoy knowing off the page
• No big misunderstanding: the couple acknowledge mutual attraction , scheduling fling meetups that blossom into something marvelous for both of them
• Engaged, supportive friends and extended family as secondary characters
• Realistic work life that drives plot forward without overshadowing the romance

Reid writes about the minefield of academia with diamond-edged, accurate sharpness – particularly in dialogue and plot events dealing with the experience of an African-American woman in this setting. One constantly struggles with passive-aggressive racism and sexism; the weight of emotional labor; having one’s knowledge and experience questioned; and the devaluation of one’s professional work and capabilities. Reid’s previous novel, The Write Escape, similarly acknowledged the reality of having to work twice as hard to be thought half as good; she balances this with the emotional intelligence and ambition of her characters, a true sign of her storytelling skill and talent. The inclusion of real-life scholarship involving African American history and literature makes the classroom scenes feel especially well-rounded, and strengthens the likelihood of this professor and librarian being happy together. After all, librarians must pursue higher education. They must have master’s degrees (or higher) in many American states; and may also need professional certification in many states. Hot love scenes suggest that this romance won’t burn out any time soon, but this compatible pair would have good conversations across the breakfast table.

In summary: wryly humorous, relatable, and heartwarming. Recommended. I obtained an e-galley of this book from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

I adored the first book in this series, and this one was very entertaining as well. Charish Reid is definitely an author I'll continue reading.

Oh my heart! Loved this one!
A professor and a librarian. Not just any librarian either. A long-haired, tattooed children's librarian. *swoon* I loved Johnny from the start and came to love Victoria as the story progressed. Really loved Johnny's niece as well.
Working together and then scheduling their 'sordid affair' brought about some laughs and sexy scenes.
This was a fun, steamy romance from a new-to-me author that I will definitely read more from.

Okay, let me preface this by saying it's a bit iffy of John to look up Victoria in the library (they havent even met at this point) and send her an email about her overdue book. The overdue book is a running joke between them throughout but apart from that this was a fabulous read for me.

I thoroughly enjoyed the dynamic between John and Victoria. Victoria is so uptight, and must have things super scheduled and planned out to the point where she scheduled their "sordid affair" lol and John is so different from her. A bit disorganized as a result of his ADD. The differences between them worked so well.

The romance was so well done too. From their affair in the first week, when Victoria just wants to have fun, to John dropping a little wrench in their plan when he wants to go on actual dates for the next week of their affair. these two together were golden! and fire!

As always, I love when we see the MCs support systems. V has her girls and John as his sis, who we see via Skype calls as she's in Sweden, his moms and his friend Chris. They were so well fleshed out and intriguing as side characters.

Victoria's mom pissed me off sooo much but I'm glad V could eventually stand up to her and her mother saw how she was being overbearing.

While the romance took centre stage as it should, we get glimpses of V's troubles in academia. As one of the few black professors on her campus, we see her being spoken over and often times belittles by her white boss. But in the end she reigned :). I think the author wove these very real issues into the budding romance.

I diiid take a little issue with John's moms when they came over after he and V had some sexy times. They left their clothes scattered in the living room and one of John's moms picks up V's bra and teases her about it. That was a bit muuuuch. There's teasing and then there's just embarrassing someone for your own fun.

It's also been hinted a bit that something is going on between J's best friend Chris and his sister, and i'm intrigued to see if that gets explored in another book.

So in spite of the few issues I had, I truly enjoyed this one :)

Full review published at the Smart Bitches Trashy Books Web Site: https://smartbitchestrashybooks.com/reviews/guest-review-hearts-on-hold-by-charish-reid/

Having more multicultural representation in romance is not the same as having better, more inclusive representation. I’m inordinately happy to report that Charish Reid’s Hearts on Hold is definitely the latter, a complex interracial romance rendered with authenticity, insight and humor. I enjoyed reading this book. A lot. Both main characters are great— interesting, specific and very human. Dr. Victoria Reese is a lovely and dedicated, sort of prickly African American Assistant professor of English literature at an elite university outside Chicago. John Donovan is a well-built and well-read local hero, a six-foot, five-inch Viking of a man in charge of children’s literature (aww) at the public library. The two get to know each other as they collaborate on a joint internship program Victoria is proposing between their two institutions. Sparks fly, and Vicky and John begin what he cheekily calls a “sordid affair” in tribute to the historical romance Vicky is fond of--a tightly managed, sex-only, time-limited arrangement, because that’s all she thinks she can manage right now. Except it’s not sordid at all. It’s really quite sweet.

This book has several unusual features I liked, starting with a semi-prickly heroine whose closest friends are level-headed, realistic sounding boards, unafraid to provide her with honest feedback about her choices. The responsibility of candor and perspective is built into the fabric of their friendship. Vicky struggles with anxiety and that supportive found family plays an important role in how she copes.

What's even more unusual is that we also get to see similar relationships, interactions and vulnerabilities in the male love interest's life as well. John has a best friend and family members he's close to and the emotional intelligence to show for it. That’s one of the many reasons they work as a couple and why I like this book a lot.

Hearts on Hold also does a great job of using the race and gender-related political melodrama of academia as a backdrop. Vicky is one of very few Black faculty at a prestigious, predominantly White institution and that contributes to her anxiety. As a Black female academic who's worked exclusively in similar environments I can attest that these issues are accurately portrayed. As a reader, I just appreciate the specificity and richness of detail in character and world-building. These are people I like living in a world I recognize, and I love how they get to know each other.

Also interesting, John has a Black stepsister with a daughter who is temporarily staying with him while her Mom is overseas on extended project. This cements something I started to notice In recent contemporary romance. Hot White bae with Black family ties is semi-officially a thing now in romance novels with a Black female lead. Done right it signals that the love interest is down. And can understand the heroine, that he's more likely to be trustworthy (as opposed to being the secret Klansman or racial fetishist of some Black women's fears), and their families will potentially mesh. In addition to Hearts on Hold, the hot White bae with Black family trope appears in:
• Rebekah Weatherspoon's Rafe: Buff Male Nanny (2019)-- Rafe's stepmom and extended family are Black.
• Xeni (2019)-- also by Rebekah Weatherspoon. Mason's sister-in-law is Black and he was very close with Xeni's aunt (that’s how/why they meet).
• D.A. Young's Men of Whiskey Row series (2015-2019)-- the series centers on three brothers who are essentially raised by their mom’s best friend, a Black woman, after her death.
• Lucy Eden's Everything's Better With Lisa (2019)-- Hero's whole adopted family is Black and he's especially close to his parents and sister.

In addition to reflecting demographic and cultural trends and smart marketing -- multiculturalism is big business-- if done well, giving the White love interest in an interracial romance a multiracial family is more interesting and impactful than a Black best friend because it's less common and more central to the love interest’s identity. It speaks to upbringing, learned values, cultural understanding. That is especially true here. Hearts on Hold is distinguished by its secondary characters and sophisticated portrayal of the social context in which the courtship takes place. Between John's family dynamics, Vicky's teaching and her situation at work, Reid delivers a more thoughtful, insightful exploration of contemporary racial dynamics than readers get in most American fiction in general, not just novels in the romance genre.

Ultimately what made the greatest impact on me though is that John and Vicky's relationship is sweet, sexy and deeply romantic. These are rich, multi-dimensional characters with incendiary chemistry and hell of a lot in common intellectually and emotionally, where it matters. I highly recommend.

Romance genre tropes and themes: Insta-lust becomes love; interracial romance; love in the workplace; forced proximity; cinnamon roll hero.

In 2016 I left academia after deciding that the PhD path and teaching (?) wasn’t for me. Charish Reid’s Hearts on Hold—featuring an African American Literature professor and a Children’s Lit. librarian and department head—takes me back to those days and offers an exciting combo I haven’t really seen in a romance novel before: allusions to various African American writers (Zora!) + academia politics and learning goals and student meetings (!) + absolutely scintillating sexytimes (!). It’s socially aware (even a little nerdy at times) and sexy and I adoreeee it.

Professor Victoria Reese wants to offer students at her college an internship with the local library. To please her fuddy-duddy, snobby (maybe worse) supervisor and hopefully get her internship idea approved, Victoria contacts the library to get more deets about how the program would work. She’s paired with Johnny Donovan, aforementioned librarian, who’s nothing like she expected.

Can we say tattooed? And man-bun? And tall, handsome Viking?

This interracial romance has lots of things I didn’t even know I was looking for. Like a beta hero. References to Zora and “We wear the mask.” A “prim” heroine trying to deal with her overbearing mother’s expectations and an oftentimes stifling English department—where she feels like she has to disguise who she really is and rigorously sell what she thinks is important for their students. An instant attraction leading to a fast sexual arrangement leading to an awkward first date plot.

I felt like some of the sexytimes language went a little overboard (the metaphorical teasing between leads for example) and it gave me a smidge of secondhand embarrassment, but overall the dialogue between characters—especially Victoria and her two BFFs—snap, crackle, pops. There are several scenes that brought a big smile to my face because they’re so funny and original. The period scene between Johnny, his niece, and Alanis is particularly outstanding.

I love how willing Reid is to really engage with what it means to be a black woman in academia—and I think this book has a lot of important things to say—but don’t be scared off if you’re in the mood for something lighter. Hearts on Hold is also so so so willing to be dirty. One-click away!

4.25 ⭐️

Hearts on Hold is out now. Thanks to Netgalley and Carina Press for my complimentary ARC. All opinions provided are my own.