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A review by inkhearted
My Kind of Trouble by L.A. Schwartz
4.0
A fun gender-swapped and modern take on The Music Man. Harmony is a con woman using her scam goddess wiles for (mostly) good. Anxious to get revenge on the man who wronged her father, she prepares her latest con: pitching a nonexistent music festival. The only thing standing in her way is the town librarian who happens to own the piece of land she needs for her scheme. How do you launch a charm offensive against someone who is impervious to charm?
Admittedly, I might be a smidge biased because I've adored The Music Man long before I was a librarian myself, but this was a lot of fun. I appreciate a romance where the zaftig heroine is allowed to stand in her power as an unobjectively hot woman without any hedging or apologies or any of the nonsense you still unfortunately see when there is fat representation. Harmony would never dream of second-guessing herself or doubting her appeal, and I love it. There is also LGBTQIA+ representation and neurodivergent representation which is needed in romance and heartening to see.
Unfortunately, The Music Man subplot with small town ladies getting shocked by "dirty" books is all too timely in today's climate and Schwartz makes the most of her soapbox. She gets in some nice swipes at wannabe book banners and pearl clutchers while championing the librarians fighting for access and representation. Really, what's not to love?
Admittedly, I might be a smidge biased because I've adored The Music Man long before I was a librarian myself, but this was a lot of fun. I appreciate a romance where the zaftig heroine is allowed to stand in her power as an unobjectively hot woman without any hedging or apologies or any of the nonsense you still unfortunately see when there is fat representation. Harmony would never dream of second-guessing herself or doubting her appeal, and I love it. There is also LGBTQIA+ representation and neurodivergent representation which is needed in romance and heartening to see.
Unfortunately, The Music Man subplot with small town ladies getting shocked by "dirty" books is all too timely in today's climate and Schwartz makes the most of her soapbox. She gets in some nice swipes at wannabe book banners and pearl clutchers while championing the librarians fighting for access and representation. Really, what's not to love?