Midlife Crisis

I absolutely enjoyed After Care by L.B. Dunbar, an over-forty romance. So, when I heard she was doing another over-forty story, I could not wait to get my hands on it! In Midlife Crisis we get the story of Hank, Tommy’s former drummer, and Midge Everette, however, this is a standalone romance and can be read as such. Though I highly recommend reading After Care because it was also a great read!

Midge is a single mom who puts her children first. She is divorced and though her three sons are her world, she gets lonely. She always ensures her sons have everything they need but knows it would be great to have someone to lean on as well. I loved how honest and caring she was.

Hank Paige once had it all and lived on top of the world, but that was a long time ago. Now he spends his days fixing cars. But he longs to find someone to share his life, but he also has some heavy baggage he carries around. Can he learn to truly open his heart again before it’s too late?

What I love about these stories, is that even though one person was once famous, they face real problems and issues other over forty-year-olds do as well. I also loved how both had family who supported them no matter what. It was also fun to see old friends again!

Hank and Midge were great together and had amazing chemistry. Their journey was not an easy one, but I was lost in their story from start to end. This was such a heartwarming story about second chances, love and family. A great read and one I would recommend.

Read and reviewed for Sultry Sirens Book Blog.

Happy reading!

WOW, another five star read from L.B. Dunbar! I really enjoyed the story of Tommy and Edie but Hank and Midge are so incredible as well. Hank, friend and former band member with Tommy rode the rock star life fast and hard. Now, a mechanic and crisis center operator. Midge followed her husband to the golden shores of California, only to be left for a younger “model” and she must raise her three sons with minimal help from her former husband. Befriended by Edie, Midge shares a chance meeting with Hank at a party and the two will never be the same. Demons from the past plague their relationship. Will they be able to overcome and find their way to true happiness? Over 40 is truly fabulous when L.B. Dunbar spins the tale.

Midge – a recently divorced 40 year old mom with 3 boys. Wants someone to love her for her, as well as her boys.

Hank – an over 40 year old guy with tattoos, working in his brother’s vintage car repair shop, former drug/alcohol abuser. Not looking for anything, had his heart broken and is not over it.

This is a GREAT story. I cried a few times in a few spots. I totally understand where each person is coming from – all the past hurts and wanting something better. There are a few twists and secrets, which only add to the story.

FINALLY, an author who relates to where I am at. Women over forty love romance, too. We love a little salt and pepper running through our fingers and the scruff that leaves telling evidence on our sensitive skin. We accept that we weren’t his first but love that we will be his last.

L.B. Dunbar has written a sexy romance for the over 40 woman and she has nailed it. Midlife Crisis is an entertaining story that oozes heart-melting pheromones. Those little touches that make us gasp, make us swoon, make us realize what is important in a relationship.

Love after 40 the second time around has its challenges. Real life comes with responsibilities that inhibits our ability to be spontaneous, to be totally free. Intimacy now takes planning. Midlife Crisis touched many issues that face women, men, and couples today. Hank and Midge have their own demons and past issues to iron out. They have the struggles of life to contend with, they have past lovers, past addictions, present day drama and the pull of wanting more with each other.

Insecurity and lack of self-confidence along with trying to meld to totally separate lives without knowing all those possible triggers were the tidbits that really hit home with me. Women are complicated and sensitive. L.B. seems to know this all too well and she wrote an amazing 2nd-Chance-at-love story where two people try to face the world together and learn how to love each other more.

I was totally captivated with his couple and Hank made me want more. I’ll never look at a cupcake the same way again. Having a man like Hank in your life is everything. Being someone’s someone and having them look at you like you hang the moon like Hank does, is such a confidence builder. I love getting to read about these amazing silver-fox men and how they give more in books written for us, the women over 40. Some looking for more, some just looking to relate to the characters and their struggles in life.

I wouldn’t change my someone with the sea-glass blue eyes and the beginnings of salt and pepper for all the tea in China. He gives me More and we do More together.

Here’s to many more firsts to come and more silver-fox reads from L.B. Dunbar.

For those of you who have read After Care and enjoyed Tommy and Edie’s story will be happy to know that L.B. Dunbar delivers once again with Hank and Midge in Midlife Crisis. Hank just melted my heart…he wants to find his someone…and divorcee Midge, she deserves that special someone. L.B. Dunbar gives us more of Tommy, Edie, Gage and Ivy…and we meet Hank’s brother Brut…does that mean we get his and Lily’s story next? One can only hope…of course there is also another character referenced quite a bit….will he appear out of nowhere? I am really happy to see these over 40 characters, they are real, they struggle with life issues…work, raising children, etc.. Sure there is some mis-communication, but, that’s expected with men and women regardless of age

Loved everything about it!
There were situations as the story developed that pulled at all the feels. However overall this read was smart, sexy and full of humor. For me, it was just a refreshing change from all the other romances focusing on a certain age, look and profession
Well written with characters so well developed it was a pleasure for the senses to sit back and read this gem of a read. The banter between the characters was funny and so relatable. Their chemistry was off the charts. The characters proved that all the important body parts still work after 40! Experience and a “been there, done that” attitude still holds.
Midge and Hank’s story is a charming, sexy and poignant story of romance after 40 and after divorce.
Kudos to the author for daring to go there!

Favorite Quotes:

“You are the most beautiful creature I’ve ever seen, lady.” His voice rings serious, surprised, as if he hadn’t noticed before and means every word.

Brut drew the line at the old leather couch. He claims it has sentimental value, and the only thing I can imagine is him losing his virginity on it. Otherwise, the wasted DNA on those cushions could be a science experiment in why people should not reproduce.

I know I said I want to make all your dreams come true, but I don’t know how. I have nothing to offer you. I’m being selfish because I want you to make all mine come true instead.

Each time there’s an issue, you actually come to me, and it’s refreshing. You don’t run away, you run forward, and I want to catch you.

My Review:

In my vastly unprofessional opinion, L.B. Dunbar is found treasure. I typically read at a much faster pace but I found myself dawdling and humming as I read, wanting to savor every word of this well-crafted, delightfully engaging, deliciously steamy, and dangerously heart enlarging tale. It pleased me. It was sweet, it was sexy, and it was cleverly amusing. I was quickly immersed in the story and remained well invested in the thoughtfully observant and original storylines from beginning to end. Each and every character was endearingly and uniquely quirky, well drawn, and realistically flawed, and insightfully vulnerable; even the surly teenager. The agile and witty wordsmith known as L.B. Dunbar was a recent discovery for me during her last top-shelf offering of After Care, and I could kick myself for blindly overlooking her considerable listing for so long. Reading her skillful arrangements of words has been pure pleasure and seriously habit-forming.

Midge Everette is an everyday woman, which means that older and younger readers alike will be able to connect with her, because while she may be 41 years old, the trials and tribulations she goes through in her story are situations that could happen to anyone of us, regardless of age. As a 40 year old woman myself, one with two boys of my own and a set of insecurities that come with growing older, I could identify with Midge’s internal musings and the way she handled things while feeling ill at ease with her decisions and actions.

Midge is an all-around amazing woman; her three boys are her life and she never weighs them down with her issues, preferring to allow them to grow up as normal as possible despite their divorced parents. She’s definitely a role model when it comes to parenting and her willingness to do whatever she can for her boys. Despite being divorced for three years, she hasn’t quite figured out how to get back into the dating pool, but that seems to change when a certain sexy and built man draws her in and appears to reciprocate the instantaneous connection she feels throughout her entire body.

Hank Paige has led a difficult life compounded by his rockstar status and his tendencies to indulge; he hit rock bottom over six years ago, and from that day forward, he has challenged himself to be and do better, not only for himself but also for those he loves and for those who need a person who’s seen and done it all and can relate to them because of it. But the one aspect of Hank’s life that he still struggles with seems to control his feelings and his actions when it comes to Midge and his desire for her.

The supporting characters in Midge and Hank’s lives play such a pivotal role in helping them to move forward as well as coming to terms with everything that has already happened. Because of Midge’s new group of friends, she starts to live again, more than just for her three sons, which is exactly what she needs to move forward and be happy again with where she is at in her life, regardless of her age, her body shape, or any other insecurity that makes her doubt the amazing woman that she is.

Midlife Crisis centers around Midge and Hank’s journey to find their way beyond their respective pasts and feel confident enough to put their hearts on the line when it comes to exploring their feelings for one another. There are definitely a collection of obstacles, both self-made and created by others, but at the heart of Midge and Hank’s story is the importance of friends and family and the necessity of living for oneself even when others depend on that person.

Older heroes and heroines may not appeal to all romance readers, but, to me, age doesn’t matter if the love story is told thoughtfully and passionately, which is the case in L.B. Dunbar’s romances for the over 40.

4 Poison Apples

Sweet Cheese!!! I can’t tell you how much I am absolutely adoring these over forty romances by LB Dunbar. They are your average sweet love stories. You have people who have lived a good portion of their lives and who have experienced so much disappointment and tragedies but who have also been able to pull themselves up by their bootstraps and forge ahead with life. Living in the present is sometimes the hardest thing to do…to not go back and let the past determine your future. It is clear in this story that Hank is having the hardest time living in the now and although he may not wallow in the past, he certainly allows it to push into his present. Midge has come to terms with her current life and while she may not allow the past to push through, it does allow her to know what she wants. She wants more…she wants to be someone’s someone. Secrets and miscommunications always play a part in how you can interact with others and both Midge and Hank will have to learn that they are worthy of so much more than they believe they are. Steamy, beautiful, emotional and at times heartbreaking but a truly perfectly imperfect story about a perfectly imperfect couple.

Wow! I for one will never look at another cupcake again without thinking dirty thoughts about Hank Paige! That sure is some hot and sexy sweetness right there!
Hank may not be your typical book hero, but he can be my hero any time. Despite his baggage, he sure as heck gives it his all, heart and soul. He is sexy, loving, sweet and kind but rough around the edges and I just love him! He is a big soft teddy bear underneath that gruff exterior and a man with a past that is just eating him up inside. Midge is a divorced mother of 3 whose ex-husband, while he was not her ex, moved her and their boys to be closer to his mistress. What a tool! Midge is an amazing mother and beautiful person who puts her boys first, always. She totally deserves more for herself in her career and love, but can Hank give her the latter freely??
Anyway, when Hank & Midge meet there is some pretty serious insta-lust going on but it all works and in that moment you kind of expect they would react like that to each other.
Of course their relationship is not without many uphill battles especially with the ghost Midge is fighting for Hank’s heart. He may be a recovering alcoholic but he is still recovering from his past.
This is a wonderful story with so many beautiful and heartwarming moments and no shortage of hot, steamy and sexy moments too. I was so invested in this couple, I couldn’t help not be. I was also thrilled to get more of Tommy & Edie and Gage & Ivy from After Care too. It really added so much depth to the story, like real life was going on around them at all times, plus I adore all of their characters so much.
This book will make you feel so much and want to be “somebody’s someone” for sure!
I really hope there are more of these amazing after 40 love stories coming L.B. !!