Love Notes (The Austens #4)
Staci Hart
February 1, 2018
[Formerly published as Living Out Loud]
Bestselling author Staci Hart brings you another installment of the Austen Series, inspired by the works of Jane Austen, with a heartfelt contemporary retelling of Sense and Sensibility.
When Annie Daschle arrives in New York City, the only thing she can control is her list.
Not her father’s death or the loss of her home. Not the hole in her heart or the defective valve that’s dictated so much of her life. But she can put pen to paper to make a list of all the ways she can live out loud, just like her dad would have wanted.
See the city from the top of the Empire State Building: Check.
Eat hot dogs on the steps of The Met: Check.
Get a job at Wasted Words: Check.
What wasn’t on her list: Greg Brandon. And just when she thinks she’s figured out where to put him, everything changes. In the span of a few staggering heartbeats, she finds herself her caught in the middle of something she can’t find her way out of, with no clear answers and no rules.
List or no list, she realizes she can’t control anything at all, not even her heart.
Not the decisions it makes, and not the moment it stops.
Guys. I have been waiting for this book since Greg was first mentioned, which means way back when I read Last Call and he went on a few dates with Rose. This seems to happen with every book Staci writes, I always crave a story about the side characters and what makes this one better is that we all know Ward and Elle’s story is coming and as I told Staci (thank goodness she puts up with my crazy messages) I would do anything to piss off Fanny, who I have since nicknamed Fanny Pack. If you’ve read this, you understand.
Annie and Greg, where do I even start? They. Are. Perfect.
They have this amazing chemistry, right from the second they literally bump into each other, I love it. When I first started this I messaged Staci and asked her to please not break my heart and make me cry, thankfully I only teared up a little bit. However, she did not do a good job at keeping me happy through the whole book. I often found myself ready to strangle Annie, Greg and kill Will. God I hated Will, I’d really like to set him on fire and watch him burn. Greg needed to learn to speak up and Annie needed to be a little less oblivious, but I guess both of those things are acceptable when you take Greg, who graduated high school when Annie was 8, and then you have Annie, who was never able to be a real kid due to the hole in her heart and hasn’t even been kissed yet so how does she know if Greg is into her?
Thankfully, we figure it out and ugh that first kiss? PERFECT.
It’s no surprise to those who know me, first kisses are my absolute favorite thing about romance books, and if someday I had a kiss like Annie and Greg’s, I would swoon so damn hard. I mean, I actually swooned when I read it.
Guys, I’m serious, Staci’s writing with Love Notes blew me away. Please, do yourselves a favor and pick it up, now. For those who have read other Staci books, rest assured we do see most of the other Characters, especially Cam since a lot of this takes place at Wasted Words. Someday, I’d like to make Wasted Words a real place.
So Staci, thank you, for holding my hand while I read this one, for not making me ugly cry and for putting up with my crazy ass messages. Now, can you tell me if Tim kisses as good as Greg?
Staci has been a lot of things up to this point in her life: a graphic designer, an entrepreneur, a seamstress, a clothing and handbag designer, a waitress. Can’t forget that. She’s also been a mom to three little girls who are sure to grow up to break a number of hearts. She’s been a wife, even though she’s certainly not the cleanest, nor is she the best cook. She’s also super, duper fun at a party–especially if she’s been drinking whiskey–and her favorite word starts with f and ends with k.
From roots in Houston to a seven year stint in Southern California, Staci and her family ended up settling somewhere in between and equally north in Denver, where snow is magic and the mountains have become home. When she’s not writing, she’s reading, gaming, or designing graphics.
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