Review: For the Love of Brigid

For the Love of Brigid by Nanette Littlestone
My rating: 3 of 5 stars

2.5 stars 

I received this book for free, this does not affect my opinion of the book or the content of my review. 

The Andrew Connally in my library. 

And with such a mystery. 

Brigid inherited her great-grandmother's house, with half of the house dedicated to a library, Brigid loves when she can read for children's story time. However, her dream is to write an adult novel, but she's struggling with getting her leads to feel the emotion. When a famous writer shows up on her doorstep, talking about a legend connected to her family that he wants to research, she agrees to help if he will give her writing lessons. A trip to Ireland, family drama, magic, and a surprise romance will shake up Brigid's quiet life. 

Maybe it's less about the words and more about the emotion. 

Told in present tense, first person point-of-views from Brigid and Andrew, you're going to have to enjoy being in characters' heads. With a cozy, Hallmark tone, Brigid is thirty and thinking as a more quiet, less flashy woman, she'll never attract or find romance. It came close to being “not like other woman” with how wallflower Brigid was compared to how other woman use their feminine wiles but that, thankfully, stayed more in the first half. There was also a lot meta going on with Brigid talking about criticism of the writing of her own book. Andrew showing up unannounced at Brigid's library/house felt forced as who would invite a stranger (even a famous author) into their home at night but Brigid “instantly felt comfortable” around him, which is the vibe you're going to have to go along with to embrace their romance. 

“Follow your heat, love. Always follow your heart.” 

Brigid knows/thinks Andrew has a fiancee (readers know the truth from Andrew's pov), so she tries to tamper her feelings but as they spend more time together, she can't help feeling more attracted to him. The plot of Andrew having a legend he wanted to research for his book that involved a family member of Brigid's, shakily worked. There was some ominous beginning with Andrew povs leading the reader to think it was all a lie that could come back and hurt Brigid but around 30% they were off to Ireland and that part kind of disappeared in favor of some family strife with Brigid, a lost memory of hers, and some possible magic. I'm not sure all these elements cohesively fit as they felt introduced and then not really followed through. 

“Ta mo chroi istigh ionat,” he says in Irish. 

Their instant feeling comfortable around each other connection has both internally admitting they love the other and we do get declarations but circumstances work against both. Brigid's confession loses against Andrew's dedication to work and Andrew's against his agent, as the “fiancee” appears and Brigid has a complete stonewall response to listening or trusting Andrew. The later half has Andrew working to write his book, Brigid continuing her stonewalling for four months, and then a grand gesture from Andrew. This was sweet, cozy, not quite cohesive elements, a main male character really putting himself out there for a woman he basically spent a week of time with and then no communication for four months, and for the Hallmark tone crowd.

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