Love Overdue

I appreciate Pamela Morsi because she writes romances that involve regular people, not billionaires or vampires. The hero of Love Overdue is a small town pharmacist, yet Morsi manages to make him honorable and sexy. I also like the book's supporting characters, primarily the quirky library employees. And the entire book is a well-deserved valentine to libraries, librarians and book lovers everywhere. Even the information about the Kansas wheat harvest is presented in a way that entertains and educates.

But the book has some very major weaknesses that limited my enjoyment. First, the whole plot hinges on the machinations of the hero's mother, who has some serious boundary issues. (She reminded me of a great Amy Schumer quote: “I took my mother to a soccer game to show her what boundaries are.”) I don't find stories about meddling parents or grandparents cute or endearing - I find them disturbing. They take away the hero and heroine's agency and make them seem like pawns in their own story.

Then there's the whole “prudish librarian” stereotype, which is also a little troubling. Morsi tries to explain the history behind the heroine's repressed personality, as well as the reason for her one ill-advised Caribbean fling, but I can't help disliking a plot that plays into that tired cliché.

Finally, as other reviewers have noted, the book ends very abruptly, forcing the reader to use her imagination about what could have been a very romantic and/or dramatic dénouement. I'd like to know Morsi's rationale for this unusual decision, but it is very odd. Maybe she could run a contest and give a prize to the reader who writes the best scene to replace the missing conclusion.