He’s a librarian by day and the ideal fake boyfriend by night.When it comes to women, I know what they want. And all day long, I give it to them. Dark, broody, and sexy? You got it. Need to laugh? I’m your guy. Desperate for something to put you in the mood? You’ve come to the right place, kitten.Every morning when my library opens, there’s a line around the block, the ladies flocking to me in … block, the ladies flocking to me in need of their next book boyfriend. I’m that dude. The one who knows his way around the romance section.
And after years of study, my skills don’t stop at the day job. Need a fake boyfriend, fiancé, or friend-with-benefits? I know that plot. I also know to keep my heart off the table, because love is only real between the pages of a book.
So when Parker Elliott needs a temporary fake boyfriend for a reunion, of course I step in. She rocks a mean guitar, she has no idea how sexy she is, and we have something of a history.
Easy, right?
Yep. Piece of cake.
Except this time, I’m actually in danger of falling in love.
Stud in the Stacks is 55,000 sexy, hilarious, sometimes embarrassing words, complete with tacos, romance novel love, unicorn parties, and no cheating or cliffhangers.
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Oh my gosh, Knox… I don’t even know where to start with Knox. He’s a tattooed librarian who loves romance novels.
That’s right.
A hero who isn’t afraid to love romance novels. Who’s not intimidated by strong women and stories about triumphing in love. And he doesn’t just love romances – he recommends them to everyone. He’s like a unicorn.
Speaking of unicorns – the unicorn references scattered through are adorable. Also adorable and over-the-top hilarious? Knox’s nana. I love grandmas with no filters, and she totally fits the bill.
And since we’re talking about hilarious, Parker, Knox’s heroine, has one heck of an autocorrect problem. Some of the things her phone sent had me rolling. I love heroines who are strong, but vulnerable with insecurities we can all relate to, and Parker is everything.
The two of them together? HOT is a good word. And tender and fun, and they just fit with one another so well.
With so many nods to so many of my favorite books (hello, Mr. Romance recommending Sugared!!), and the sheer fun of the fake fiance plot, not to mention the laugh-out-loud bachelor auction opening scene, I couldn’t help but fall in love with this book.
Much like Pippa Grant’s first book, Mister McHottie, STUD hit all my sweet spots for lovable characters and quirkiness and hilarity, and then lit everything on fire with the steam factor. Highly recommended!!
This was my first book by Pippa but it won’t be my last. Knox, the romance novel loving, sexy AF male librarian with a heart of gold was the perfect hero for the chronically insecure heroine. Their love story is rounded out by a wide cast of characters, all of whom get their own books, I believe. Romance readers will be thrilled by the real life books, authors, romance blogs and bloggers Pippa peppers throughout the story, her voice clearly coming through her fictional hero, who is a staunch defender of the oft maligned romance genre and its readers.
I love, love, love this book! A male librarian obsessed with reading romance? CHECK! It’s hilarious, just like all of Pippa’s masterpieces.
I smiled from ear to ear the entire time I was reading. I even laughed out loud a few times. Buoyant is best way to describe this. It’s a rom-com and low angst, and the characters are compelling. I want to be friends with the female lead. And I want to be more-than-friends with Knox.
I cannot think of a better beach read.
Hot, hysterical fun that had me giggling and squirming in bed at 2 a.m. (I hold Pippa personally responsible for waking up my husband).
Oh my God. Can I give this book 50 stars? Please? Because never have I read a greater love song to the genre of romance than this book. Hearing Knox Moreti, in all his tattooed, eight-pack goodness, stand up and say all the things we lovers of the genre say whenever some douchecanoe at the New York Times or [insert proper, stuffed shirt, “I think I’m better than you”, intellectual publication–God knows there are plenty] disparages the books we love (always without having legitimately READ THE GENRE) is basically the sexiest thing ever. I basically want to have this man’s literary babies. Is Pippa Grant playing her audience? You bet your sweet ass. And I will happily offer myself up as Johnny’s violin as she plays the devil back to hell because this was the best book I’ve read in YEARS. Now I want to know when she’s going to open up the Knox Moreti School of Husband Training?
Pippa has a direct line to my funny bone and I wish I had a direct line to Knox’s… well, you get the idea. Funny, sexy and oh so much fun, this is a low-angst, perfect read for the beach or a day you just wanna escape the sad reality of the real world for a bit.
Knox Moretti can be the king of MY jungle, any day!
Wait, wait…..this one’s better….
Move over Parker, there’s only room for ME on Knox’s “vine”!
Oh, and there’s this one….*snort*
I’ll gladly help Knox hide his anaconda, ‘cause his loincloth sure isn’t doing the job!
Okay, okay….enough of my terrible jokes. But seriously….you know what’s absolutely NOT terrible? THIS BOOK!!!! Holy freaking moly I LOVED this book so hard. Like, HARD hard, ya know what I’m saying? *wink*
I’m a sucker for romcoms…the funnier and dirtier, the better! But Stud in the Stacks took better and blew it right out of the park! Over-the-top hilarious (and I do mean pee-your-pants funny) with an unbelievably sexy man that oozes charm and irresistibility, that no woman in her right mind can resist. Throw in a quirky and totally likable female with an unusual proposition, and you’ve got the makings of a clever, entertaining, uproarious, somewhat crazy, and whimsical romance!
Not even half way through this book, and I was already hooked on the author. Her writing is wickedly fantastic, enrapturing my complete attention from the get-go! It made me seek out her other books, to find that Stud in the Stacks is only her SECOND published book! Say WHHAAATTT?!?! I know, I’m just as shocked as you. But I needed more, and I wasn’t even finished with THIS book yet. So I signed up for the author’s newsletter, joined her reader group, and…yeah, well I’ll just say it ended there. *smirk* Stalking isn’t a bad word. Right??
Anyway, back to this review….
By the time I finished, I already categorized this book as one of my top ten reads of 2017! It’s THAT good! No, not just good, but GREAT! Superb, outstanding, blue ribbon for best-in-show type incredible! So if you’re looking for a lively, gut-busting, and utterly romantic love story, READ THIS BOOK! I’m telling ya, you won’t be disappointed….with Knox, or his loincloth!
5+ Stars!
As always with Pippa, I was laughing until I cried. Parker is so awkward and relatable, and Knox is sweet and funny. Absolutely loved this book.
A fun and witty novel from Pippa Grant. Pippa always brings the heat, humor and entertainment. I loved Knox and that he is a librarian who is not ashamed of loving romance novels. Oh and he’s got tattoos. I’m all about that. Parker is a little nutty and insecure but you can’t help loving her too. And all the auto-correct fails on her phone had me cackling and getting weird looks from everyone around me. Worth it.
I loved the audiobook version with Joe Arden narrating. He never disappoints me.
This was great!
Funny? Yes.
Good story? Yep.
Great characters? For sure.
Worth reading? Most definitely.
I’d read this again.
This book is so much fun. We have the hot librarian, who heads the romance section and lands all the ladies in the process. Laughed throughout most of this book. Don’t miss it.
This audiobook is my least favorite of these books, I found the female narrator so irritating. Just me, you may love it.
With Parker’s hang ups runaway anxiety mouth and a charming, delicious hulk, we have two of the ingredients which make this a fabulous read which, again, had me chortling away to myself. Knox is a dream. Sadly I never met a studly, kind intelligent and commited librarian I could snatch up and have fun in the stacks with .
This book was a pleasure and I loved the whole hearted defense of the wonder that is the highly underrated romance genre. I have been a staunch defender myself and am frequently patronised for my enjoyment of what has been called many irritating names. So, go you Pippa!! And thank you. I fell in love with romance when I read Pride and Prejudice in my early teens and haven’t looked back.
Anyway… I have, again, come to the end of a Pipa Grant novel which has succeeded in raising my spirits and looking forward to libraries reopening!!
I loved this book! I don’t read a lot of romcom but this one was amazing! The plot was fast-paced. The characters grabbed me from the start. The banter was hilarious. I was laughing and smiling through the whole book. This was my first book by Pippa Grant and it definitely won’t be my last.
4 Stud in the Stacks Stars
Stud in the Stacks is the second book in the Girl Band Series by Pippa Grant. Not only is Knox Moretti a Liberian but he is Mr Romance. I mean his blog is Mr Romance. Because Knox reads so much romance books it helps him understand what women need and want. It also gives him a hero complex. He can’t help himself when it comes to a damsel in distress.
We’ve meet Parker Elliot in the first book in the Girl Band series, Mister McHottie. She is Sia’s friend and band mate. She has just got VP of Marketing at Crunchy’s Organic Food and she is determined to prove herself. She works very long hours and has vowed to herself to succeed she doesn’t need love, marriage or kids in her life!
Her boss has asked her to attend her high school reunions to make a connection with a potential client, a man that Parker has a history with. But what her boss and friends don’t know is that Parker was traumatised in school and this is her worst nightmare. She is going to need someone like Knox to knock everyone socks off.
I loved the chemistry between Parker and Knox. Their story was sweet and endearing with funny and sexy elements thrown in for good measure. The secondary characters where top shelf and made the story great for me. I highly recommend this book.
4.5 actual stars but gladly bumped to 5-Mr. Romance stars. I mean, how can you not give a book with a male librarian who reads/recommends romance novels five stars? AND defends them (not that they really need defending) with a fierce passion. His mission in life is to make the world a happier place one book at a time. Stud in the Stacks certainly fulfills that mission.
Knox is known locally as the hot librarian. He’s known nationally as Mr. Romance. Yeah, that’s the name of his blog where he recommends and defends, very well I might add, romance novels that have it all. Now he’s in a bit of trouble. A Times reporter has dissed his favorite genre and he’s having none of it. Knox responds with all the passion he has to point out how narrow-minded, immature, and utterly stupid the reporter is. Mr. Dorky (not even kidding), Knox’s boss, is NOT happy. This could finally be the nail in his employment coffin.
Parker Elliott, or Parker Parker Elliott as Knox fondly calls her, is a complete and total dork. She has been all her life. She’s accepted it, if not embraced it. She has recently been promoted to a VP position at Crunchy Foods by her boss and now she’s been given an assignment that will take her back to her horrible high school days….she must get her high school boyfriend to sign a contract with Crunchy. The problem? He is a very successful professional now and has married a gorgeous woman. Parker? Well, she’s successful but she’s still a dork (at least in her mind). Oh, did I mention that her ex HATES her? Yeah, there’s that little problem. Oh, well. She needs to scrape up her courage and just go to her reunion and make the deal.
The book opens with Parker at a bachelor auction for literacy where she has the plan to win Mr. Romance and have him pose as her fiance for the reunion. If that doesn’t boost her confidence and completely remake her high school imagine what will? What could possibly go wrong????
Grab this book if you want laugh-out-loud scenes, some steam, and a whole lot of personality from some wonderful characters. The girl band that covers boy bands is back along with all of the quirky characters you met in Mr. McHottie and they are better than ever!
This story was great! I loved the interaction between the characters. And of course who doesn’t love a HEA.
3.5’s
I was acquainted first with Knox and Parker when reading Liar Lair, Hearts On Fire and knew I had to go back and catch up on this Mr Romance and his jungle Jane story. And it was a hoot to see how they took their fake relationship to a real one. Knox was extremely flirty and confident in his own abilities and this is truly an asset that he helps Parker shine with her own capabilities she thought she didn’t have. Knox is the perfect book boyfriend with his flirting, loyalty and devotion to his family and friends. Parker is a few years older than Knox and they had some history as kids but she is young at heart with her quirky personality and zest for life.
I am learning with Pippa’s writing that the storyline can be a little choppy at times and you think..did I miss something, but I am finding that it’s all revealed later in the book and things get tied up nicely. I’m not a fan of books that are filled with too many sex scenes, we get it, they are like newlyweds and want to get it on like King Kong frequently, but to push family members out the door, or hide in a cleaning closet at a kids party to have money sex is demeaning to these great characters. Less is more at times. It is still a fun story to read that had me laughing out loud a few times and I’m intrigued to find out more from this group. Be sure to check out Pippa’s website to catch up any extra epilogues that she writes for each book, I’m always happy for a little more on great characters.
I listened to the audio version of this book. At first I really didn’t think I’d like it. It was a little crass almost. But boy did it grown on me!
When you take a male librarian that specializes in recommending romance books THAT HE’S READ to women and then add a (desperate to not seem dorky at her reunion) woman that asks him to be her date after she fails to win his loin cloth clad body at an auction, my ability to not like this book went down to zero.
Knox is a guy that every woman would want. He loves romance, women, getting it on and babies. He’s also incredibly hot. Parker on the other hand has some insecurities and going back to the scene of the crime (high school) is something she’d never do if her boss weren’t requiring it to make a work connection. Knox is there to back her up all the way.
The fake date turns into a fake engagement that neither of them had planned. However, the more time they spend together the more the sparks and emotions fly. Will they walk away when the agreement is over???
My favorite Pippa Grant book so far. Part love letter to romance readers, part screwball comedy, and entirely pure fun.