Booklover by J.E Birk

Narrated by Cooper North and Tim Paige

One of the things I’m enjoying about the Vino and Veritas series is that it’s bringing a number of new-to-me authors to my attention, some of whom I’m planning on reading/listening to again. J.E. Birk is one of my ‘unknowns’, and with two such excellent narrators at the helm, I was happy to jump right in to Booklover, book six in the series. As I’ve mentioned before, all the books work as standalones, so they can be read in any order.

Jamie Moran’s life is… busy. A student at Burlington University (aka Moo U), he’s juggling his studies, his part-time job at the library and the demands of his family’s dairy farm, and barely has enough time to sleep and eat, let alone time for a boyfriend. His one indulgence is his love of romance novels, so he looks forward to attending the new book club that’s been set up at the Vino and Veritas bookstore, and the chance to discuss some of his favourite books with a few like-minded people.

“Booklovers” is the brainchild of Briar Nord, one of the employees at the bookstore. He’s fairly new to the area and hasn’t had the easiest time of it; bounced around the foster system, he got in with a bad crowd and did some time in Juvie before his social worker got him sorted out and eventually helped him to get the job at V and V. Always an avid reader, Briar likes his job and is happy to have both it and somewhere to call home, even if he can’t quite quash those niggles at the back of his mind telling him he doesn’t really deserve it.

There’s an instant attraction between Briar and Jamie when they first meet at the bookstore, but they also recognise a deeper affinity, too, born of their love of romance novels and what they represent. Jamie would love to explore their attraction further, but his life is already so full there’s no way he has time for a relationship, and Briar can’t see a way he can be with Jamie without revealing the truth of his past – which he fears would destroy anything that might develop between them and drive Jamie away.

I enjoyed the way their relationship begins, with cruller/doughnut rivalry, and then develops into friendship and beyond, with Jamie offering to show Briar some of the area’s long-held and beloved traditions such as the Maple Festival, and then taking him out to the farm to show him the places that are important to him. Despite being romance fans and knowing how most friends-with-benefits relationships turn out, they decide to try to keep things casual between them anyway – although of course we know that’s a losing battle right from the start because they’re already way beyond casual. Their initial friendship is really well written, and there’s a real sense of Jamie’s relief at finally having someone to talk to about everything going on in his life, about the anger and frustration he feels over the fact that he’s had to take on so much responsibility at the farm since his brother left following an argument with their dad a year before; how his dad’s constant requests for help are risking his college grades and may even scupper his long-term plans to study library science and become a librarian. Briar is less forthcoming; he wants to be open and put down roots, but it’s not so easy to shake of the lessons of the past that have taught him that other people always leave, disappoint or lead you astray. Add to this the recent reappearance on his doorstep of the one person he’d hoped never to see again trying to get him to help commit a crime, and all his worst fears come crashing down.

I really liked both Brian and Jamie, who are a pair of well-drawn, ordinary guys with realistically complicated lives who, despite their love of romance novels, have a hard time seeing a happily ever after for themselves. The author captures their emotions really well; Jamie’s exhaustion and frustration are palpable, as is Briar’s panic and his sense that his life is unravelling, and their relationship is well developed; they spend a lot of time together on the page and their romance is sweet and warm and lovely.

There were a few things that didn’t quite work for me, however, the largest of which was the resolution to the plotline involving Briar’s former… associate, which felt overly dramatic and which, tonally, jarred with the rest of the story. And while I sympathised with the situation Jamie’s family was in – unable to afford the help they needed to keep the farm running – and could understand that it was hard for someone like Jamie – a deeply caring guy who wants to help the people he loves – I wish he had put his foot down sooner than he did. That said, I also completely got where he was coming from – it’s hard to say no, especially to people you love, and learning to do so is a big step in his personal journey.

There’s a nicely characterised secondary cast and the small-town atmosphere and the setting is especially well-described, from the weather to the eclectic shops in the town to the proliferation of maple syrup, flannel shirts and toques .

Cooper North and Tim Paige are favourite narrators of mine and I was really pleased to see them team up for a couple of titles in the Vino and Veritas series. Both deliver well-paced, expertly characterised and expressive performances, with Mr. North narrating the chapters from Briar’s PoV and Mr. Paige those from Jamie’s. Each narrator does a great job of capturing the essence of each of the leads; I particularly liked the way Cooper North conveys Briar’s shy sweetness, and Tim Paige does a great job when it comes to presenting Jamie as a man who’s reached his limit, complete with all his underlying frustration. They’re terrific in the quieter, more intimate moments and the sex scenes, too – they both bring out the warmth and affection underpinning the connection between Jamie and Briar, and other than the odd time when they sound a bit too similar, the differentiation is good throughout. The secondary characters are well-realises as well; they voice female characters believably, the gruffness Mr. Paige injects into his voice is perfect for Jamie’s dad, and Mr. North’s portrayal of the slimy Luke is particularly good.

With a few winks to romance readers, more than a few mouthwatering descriptions of maple-y goodness, and a lot of two guys getting to know each other and falling in love, Booklover is a charming and heartfelt romance between two people who are trying to find their place in life and have to learn it’s okay to put themselves first. Strong performances from Cooper North and Tim Paige truly enhance the story and I’m happy to recommend it in audio.

Caz

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