“He was a man dying of thirst in the desert. And I was the oasis.”
Calvin’s quiet, orderly life is thrown into upheaval when he inherits a bookstore in Big Sur. Once a place famous for poetry readings and bohemian rebellion, the shop now teeters on the edge of bankruptcy. Desperate to keep the doors open on his grandfather’s legacy, the broody new owner agrees to play host to a fashion shoot on … owner agrees to play host to a fashion shoot on the property.
But he never expected her.
With her long, blonde waves and perfect model body, Lucia is outgoing, wildly popular, and has her entire career mapped out. Women like her don’t go for guys like him. But there’s something magical and mesmerizing about an old book shop filled with famous love stories.
When a storm traps the entourage in town, these polar opposites can’t fight their attraction anymore – and their flirting for the cameras becomes a night of unforgettable passion. She’s unleashed something inside Calvin, and he’s unlocking her desires one by one. Without the eyes of adoring fans and the endless notifications of Lucia’s popularity, they explore a secret romance punctuated by starry skies and provocative poetry.
But a dirty-talking, bookish boyfriend has no place in Lucia’s glamorous life. And the career she’s worked so hard to build will never survive a permanent disappearance to a town without internet access.
Someone is going to get hurt.
Author’s Note: Opposites attract when trapped together in this scorching hot standalone. One-click for a broody, bookish hero with a dirty mouth and a funny, gorgeous heroine starting to remember who she is outside the limelight. Romantic add-ons include a quirky small town, secret love poems, outdoor sexytimes on the California coast, and a happily ever after that will leave you smiling for days.
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I want to talk to y’all about a book.
As many of you know, I’m very particular about the titles I recommend. I have to like the book all the way through to say “go read this book.”
That brings me to BOHEMIAN by Kathryn Nolan.
Go read this book.
I’ve had it on my Kindle for I don’t know how long, but that’s the way with me. I believe books come to you and call to you at particular times, and I know I wasn’t in the right place for BOHEMIAN when it released in September.
There are a handful of things that struck me hard with BOHEMIAN. I’m going to talk through each one in a neat list because my brain is a Walsh brain.
1 – The way Kathryn handles loss and grief is powerful and restrained all at the same time. The hero, Cal, is grieving the loss of his grandfather throughout this story, and there is real beauty in the restraint Kathryn uses to portray his experience. But that restraint means the moments you’re given to see into Cal’s grief will knock you down.
I do believe there’s a difference between the type of ugly cry that marches you at gunpoint to an emotional crisis and the kind that washes over you gently. Humanely. This is the latter.
2 – The struggle against the normative. The Boy Assistant and I often talk about how many people exist in the realm of “shoulds” — what people should do, should think, should need, and it isn’t worth hammering away at the shoulds because people don’t.
Tangent aside, this book offers a gorgeous peek into the minds of two characters, Lucia and Cal, who are struggling against the confines of the normative. They know what they should, but they also know they don’t want to.
Not everyone wants to imagine exchanging the highway of their life for a winding country road, but that part of the novel stuck with me like a jumping cholla.
3 – This is an absolutely lovely slow burn. The most lovely I’ve read in a long time. Interestingly, Cal and Lucia fall for each other in a short period of time but the minute by minute escalation of their attraction is artfully crafted. It felt slow burn to me, and I loved it. You can actually wrap your hands around the anticipation and feel it tightening in your belly.
4 – If I had to select one word to describe the tone of this book it would be reverence. Cal and Lucia, in different and similar ways, come to find reverence for so many things. And they do it with authenticity. They admire nature, the ocean, books and poetry, each other. I feel like we often try to worship beautiful things in the natural world and art and literature but it comes out in a brassy, vapid way. And there’s nothing brassy or vapid about Cal and Lucia, or anything they experience.
5 – The sexytimes are for real. You don’t get them until that slow burns turns into an explosion but they are worth the wait.
6 – I admire these characters. Cal and Lucia come to us at points in time when they’re quite deep in their own silos, and they aren’t sure how to climb out. Or if they want to climb out. They experience a lot of growth but also a lot of fear, and those fears make them react in ways that make us want to crush our own glasses of whiskey.
I loved that Cal — this nerdy, self-conscious dude — grew into himself in the course of this story. There were a lot of things he didn’t know (or embrace) about himself, and I found that so refreshing.
I loved that Lucia — this precocious, self-confident model — bared her vulnerabilities to Cal as this story progressed.
So…. read this book.
This recommendation is long overdue.
Bohemian is steamy and sensual and down right lovely in every way.
The leads appear to have very little in common, but in their hearts that they both hide from the world, the come from the same space. When they finally see each other and accept their true selves, swoon.
It’s set in a ramshackle bookstore in Big Sur and Kathryn creates an enchanting world.
I am so in love with Calvin AND Lucia. Him, I relate so much at every new page I was shouting YES, while Lucia is an exercise in duality. She is a shallow, materialistic narcissist…until you realize she is deep and thoughtful. And oooohh the chemistry between the two! I was reminded of so many old favorites I haven’t visited in years – EE Cummings, Jack Kerouac, Mary Oliver, Shel Silverstein. Such beautiful conversation I will be re reading many times over.
Perfection. This book is perfection. It truly is a “love letter to writing.” I cried within the first few pages when Cal is eulogizing his grandfather and brings up Shel Silverstein and the peppermint wind. This story is fantastic. The romance is so believable despite it being kind of an unbelievable premise (supermodel and nerd in a bookstore in a forest) and I think that is a testament to how great of a writer Kathryn is. The sexy time is hot as fire. The writing is beautiful. The characters have depth. The ending is magical.
Sometimes a book takes you to a place you’ve never been, teaches you things you didn’t know, or introduces you to amazing literature. Bohemian did all three of these things.
Cal is a tech nerd who recently lost his grandfather and has inherited his bookstore, The Mad Ones- an institution in Big Sur. Cal is wrapping things up before returning to Silicon Valley where he barely read and had the same routine day in and day out. The store is its own character in the book, from the index cards to the stories to Cal’s grandfather’s journals, so Cal thinking of selling was as hard for me reading it as it was for him deciding.
Lucia is a supermodel chasing fame and social media followers. When she shows up in Big Sur for a photo shoot with no internet it’s unclear how she’ll survive without sharing pictures of her food and checking in with her fans. Being surrounded by the wilderness and books brings out Lu’s inner nerd, the long forgotten writer who attended creative arts camp as a kid.
This book held so many surprises: the not-so-opposites Cal and Lucia, Cal’s unbelievable swooniness, and Lucia’s amazing talent for writing. From beginning to end, I laughed, cried, and felt so many of the emotions in between. I felt transported to Big Sur and, like the characters in this story, I never wanted to leave. I can’t wait to return to Big Sur and visit these characters again.
Supermodel and book nerd computer programmer in Big Sur! What a great book! Calvin and Lucia are amazing together. The chemistry, the pull, the intensity, the love of writing- this book had it all!
I loved all the relationships in this book as Calvin adjusts to life in Big Sur as he is not sure what to do with his grandfather’s bookstore. Lucia is complex yet real. Honest with herself and trying to find out where is all really fits. I love her and Josie together- her best friend and makeup artist!
This book gave me all the feels, I laughed, I cried, I just wanted so much for Calvin and Lucia! The more I read Kathryn Nolan’s books- the more I fall in lover with her as an author!
Sometimes the Gods of Algorithms Smile On You…
Full disclosure: I was actually searching searching for boho style shower curtain when Amazon showed me Kathryn Nolan’s book, Bohemian. Needless to say, my curiosity was piqued, and I read the blurb and followed that up with the “look inside” feature. Shower curtain temporarily abandoned, I one-clicked this book and Immediately fell in love with Ms. Nolan’s characters and her voice.
I’m not going to go delve into the storyline, there are plenty of brilliant reviews that have already done that, but Cal and Lucia’s story is one that will stay with the reader long after finishing the book. Their relationship is beautiful and passionate and reminds us that sometimes the best thing you can do is the thing that makes the least amount of sense.
Nolan has a passion not only for wonderful, quirky well-drawn characters, but also for language. It’s apparent both in her prose and her loving appreciation of other authors’ poetry which almost becomes a character of its own. If you like smart, hot, intensely emotional romance, Kathryn Nolan is the author for you
Beautifully poetic
Oh, Calvin.
How many times that refrain echoed in my brain as I read this book. As I laughed, sighed, ached, and finally rejoiced for Cal. Shy, introverted, a self described nerd; and oh yes, also a secret and unfulfilled Dominate. Oh, Calvin! He’s doing his familial duty, closing up his deceased Grandfather’s beloved bookstore before he goes back to his safe little life of computer programming. But then he sees her.
The lovely Lucia, stunning supermodel, who craves social media affirmations every minute of every day; she suddenly sees her forgotten soul through Calvin’s eyes. Under his gaze she becomes blushingly submissive, and delicate poetry flies from her fingers. In a beautiful role reversal these two find remembered pieces of their long ago selves against the backdrop of Big Sur, in a bohemian bookstore called The Mad Ones. It’s beautiful, romantic, and mystical.
With the whispered stanzas of heart rending poetry echoing through the redwoods, Cal and Lucia decide it’s time to go a little mad. It’s a beautiful and wild thing. She is inspired and content. He is confident and bold.
This is Kathryn Nolan’s love letter to writing, and it shows. I am unfamiliar with a lot of the poetry in this book, but it made me want to know more, do more, and be more. There have been many times I’ve been moved by a book, had tears spring to my eyes. But rarely have I ever full on cried while reading, not from angst or drama, but from the sheer beauty of all the words. I feel like I just took a master class in romantic poetry, and it’s life changing. This book is life changing.
Calvin is comfortable in his day-to-day routine when his grandfather dies, leaving him a bookstore in Big Sur. This bookstore was once thriving and frequently filled with brilliant writers, but now with everything digital, it is in debt. Calvin plans to get things in order and sell the property and go back to his life.
Lucia is a supermodel contracted to model a clothing line in Big Sur. There is more than just beauty to Lucia. She is smart, witty, and a talented writer (when she allows herself to be her true self). Lucia is in heaven at Calvin’s bookstore. Calvin and Lucia spend a week getting to know one another and it is not on a superficial level. They get soul-deep acquainted with one another. Calvin may consider himself a nerd, but this guy had me fanning myself. Nerds are hot anyway, but this guy….he’s next level! The things he finally (it’s a slow burn, but totally worth it) does to Lucia, oh mercy! I think my Kindle may have melted a little. Our guy Calvin likes to dominate and he rocks Lucia’s world.
This is a great read. The characters are well developed. I was easily able to connect with them and understand their decisions although I did want to scream “just say it!” to both of them a time or two. The imagery is perfectly crafted.
Bohemian by Kathryn Nolan is magical, beautiful, and inspired! I am in such a euphoric stupor, right now. Her writing has abundant, expressive texture and color. It is vibrant, lush, and considerate. Every word adding substance and breathing life into the story. The passion, sexual tension and sexy times are inferno level. You will swoon, pant, laugh, cry, and contemplate life in general. Cal and Lucia will make you hope, believe in dreams, and want to live a joy filled life.
This is my first time reading a Kathryn Nolan book and it reawakened my love of words and language. This story is a love story between two characters at a crossroads in their lives. However, it is also a love story to writers, readers, poets, and words. One of my favorite recurring quotes is “If this moment were a poem, what would it be about?” It is a quote that pulls you firmly into the moment. What an amazing and intense feeling! Bohemian is a book that won’t fully release me from it’s grasp. The characters, the themes, the setting, and emotions linger with me and my spirit is soaring!
#bigsur #themadones #seeme #wildandpreciouslife #sexybooknerd #poetry #love #joy #bebrave
This was my first book by Kathryn Nolan, but it won’t be my last. I fell in love with her writing style immediately, and I couldn’t put this book down. Cal is seriously the best nerdy hero, and this book had me laughing, crying, cringing, and cheering for him through every chapter.
After reading Landslide I had to read Bohemian.
I needed Calvin & Lucia’s story set in Big Sur book store The Mad Ones.
Calvin is a great leading man, couldn’t stop reading this one.
Love this story. Will be reading more from this author
So sorry I was late to the party with this book. Supermodel falls for nerdy bookstore owner but it’s SO much more than that. It’s about living your best life even if it’s not the one you planned on, and how everyone isn’t all they seem. Also the hottest slow burn and best payoff. One of my all time favorites for sure.
Kathryn Nolan has an incredible talent in her ability to conjure an image, a scene, so clearly through her writing that you feel a part of the story. It was so easy for me to imagine Big Sur, with its ocean and forest sounds as the beautiful soundtrack for its residents and visitors alike. I could feel and see the magical cabin that housed The Mad Ones, every book lovers dream. I could see Lu and Cal, and feel their curiosity and fascination with each other morphing into a beautiful, enduring love.
The world within Bohemian is just one in a long list of Kathryn Nolan creations that will stick with me long after I’ve read the last word.
I enjoyed Calvin’s and Lucia’s sweet love story. Faced with the difficult choice whether to continue the legacy his Grandfather left when he passed or returning back to his ordely life, Calvin meets the beaitiful and intriguing Lucia, who is in town on a high profile photoshoot.
Can they find common ground and a way to live their true passion?
Very enjoyable book!
Cal and Lucia…sigh. I had a hard time getting my thoughts together to tell you why you HAVE to read this book. Cal is a very shy “nerdy” guy who keeps his desires hidden, fearing others reaction to them. Lucia is a supermodel who is hiding her dreams of writing poetry and being tired of the modeling world.
In each other, they find the other half of themselves. Without giving too much away, I’ll simply say – it was so refreshing that both chose their path without the other pressuring them to do it. Both were stronger than they think and perfect together.
Kathryn Nolan’s writing is among the best out there. Her words flow and captivate the reader, jumping off the page to make you think you’re standing with them on a cliff in Big Sur. I can’t recommend this book enough!!!
“I do not believe in love at first sight,” my grandfather had written, about his reaction to meeting my grandmother on a beach in Monterey. “Although I’ve read about it in books, it is not my personal belief. There’s too much about a person to love them instantly—and really, isn’t that the best part? To learn, intimately, about every single beautiful thing about them. The way they laugh. What makes them sad. The way they peel an orange. Do they like whiskey?”
So I came across this book one a FB post asking “what’s your favorite romantic scene from a book?” and someone posted “this whole book” (Bohemian) and a few people agreed. And I saw it was on KU so on a whim I threw my TBR list out the window and clicked on this book. And I couldn’t be happier. This was a wonderfully unique and romantic storyline.
Calvin inherits The Mad Ones bookstore from his grandfather. So he temporarily leaves his routine computer programming life and temporarily moves up to Big Sur to put things in order before selling the land to developers. But there is one final event scheduled-“Bohemian style” photoshoot featuring one of the biggest supermodels on the planet, Lucia Bell. What the world (and her 5 million IG followers) don’t know is that Lucia was a poet/bookworm before her parents pushed her into modeling at 15. Now 11 years later she comes to a bookstore where her childhood writing hero’s came for poetry readings and inspiration. And she meets a man who loves poetry and books as much as she does. And since there is practically no internet service, no IG or Snapchat to post every detail of her life on, she is left with time for poetry again. And for a shy nerd. They awaken each other in different ways and when they finally get together…. it is hot and primal and everything. But their time together is limited and they both have lives to go back to in very different directions. So will this intense connection they have change things?
I loved Cal and Lu both so much. I’ve read too many Alphas lately so I was ready for a down to earth type of hero that was still totally swoon worthy (and still sexy and dominant in bed). Cal was
“Our interaction had used up every element of “cool” that I had, which meant I’d need to go back to ignoring her for the rest of the day and praying she didn’t talk to me—just like every interaction with a woman I’d had since the time I hit puberty.”
and she saw him as
“I wanted…I wanted this. Him. This gentle, respectful, intellectual demeanor covering up a man who couldn’t control his baser instincts.”
They had great chemistry from the beginning. Even though it was really just a few days their attraction was written like a slow burn. but then when they got together it was an explosion of intense passion. I liked that we saw how a few days without IG and internet can change a person, reminding me we all need to unplug sometimes.
“A world, free from the push and pull of societal pressures. I closed my eyes and let the thunder of the waves wash over me. When was the last time I sat and just listened…to anything? “
They complimented each other so well and were truly perfect together. I loved the notecards and poetry references, and his grandfather’s wisdom (which I posted a favorite snippet of above). I loved this bookstore and wished I could live there. I loved it all.
My only complaints were several typos and some paragraphs suddenly on and off where the formatting was wrong and the right margin was cutting the last letter or two off. – but I’m not the type to take away stars for those type of issues. I rate the story itself. Hopefully the ebook will get a little editing update soon.
“Isn’t this what we’re alive for? Why else were we put on Earth if not to enjoy the written word?”
You can’t go wrong with anyone written by Kathryn Nolan. She has a gift for writing amazing characters and plots. Pick this one up today.
Two souls drawn together.
Calvin and Lucia are absolutely perfect.
Calvin is the cliché book nerd, just ask him. He’s smart, socially awkward, and hides his true self under a layer of doubt and insecurity. His inner monologue takes you on an astounding journey of hidden desire and dirty talk.
Lucia is his polar opposite. Beautiful, outgoing, and a social butterfly, hiding her thirst for the written word under a layer of superfluous celebrity. Her eye for imagery into poem is similar to a painter and his canvas.
Two souls drawn together in a world that expects them to have nothing in common.
Each word in this book is breathtaking, harboring the beautiful poetry of words and a stunning application of intense imagery. Every scene was sculpted in my mind as I read each chapter. I was there, in Big Sur, with the characters.
Kathryn Nolan’s writing is nothing less than stunning and captivating. You fall in love with her writing and her characters. This story pulls you in from the first line and never lets you go.
I highly recommend this to anyone who is a dreamer. Anyone who hides their true self behind layers of societal expectations. This book unleashes the true self and settles it down surrounded in passion and love.
And as always in my reviews, my top quotes of the book.
“Compelled couldn’t even begin to describe it. It was something hungrier and more primal than a mere compulsion. It was a need as basic as breathing, my need to touch her,”
“There’s too much about a person to love them instantly – and really, isn’t that the best part? To learn, intimately, every single beautiful things about them.”
“I wanted… I wanted this. Him. This gentle, respectful, intellectual demeanor covering up a man who couldn’t control his baser instincts.”
Sexy Nerd Meets Sassy Bombshell!
**First of all, can I just say that I love the idea of authentic bookstores still being present in a time where technology rules?! I love getting “lost” for hours in a bookstore, and the notion that bookstores could live forever makes me so happy!**
One of my favorite kinds of romance stories is where the sweet, shy, nerdy dude meets the sexy bombshell, and their chemistry is through the roof! Calvin Ellis is my type of hero! Whenever an opportunity presents itself, Calvin doesn’t hesitate to display his dominate tendencies–even if its only with the one woman that makes his blood boil! How fortunate for Calvin that supermodel Lucia is just the woman for him. She’s sassy, bold, sexy, and secretly a nerdy bookworm! Lucia definitely knows how to appreciate a man like Calvin, who sexually, is purely alpha! This book is amazing, and these two were just a pleasure to read about. Their chemistry, in true Kathryn Nolan fashion, is off-the-charts! Seriously, the woman can write kissing scenes, hot sexual encounters, fantasies, etc., like a freakin’ boss! Love this book!