Love Overdue

As charming and sunny as the summer days it describes, Morsi’s librarian romance crafts the staple elements of the genre with verve and a sure hand. The details may not be terribly plausible, but neither are they treated as perfunctory. Dorothy “DJ” Jarrow has finally landed her dream job as the administrator of a tiny public library system in rural Kansas. The gossipy, sometimes vindictive realities of smalltown life first startle her and then steel her determination to succeed. What she can’t seem to brace herself against is her landlady’s son, Scott “the hot guy” Sanderson, a mild-mannered pharmacist with a surprising alter ego as the dirty secret from DJ’s past. He doesn’t remember their encounter—at least consciously. But fate, Scott’s mother, and a smart terrier named Melvil Dewey Jr. will help the two renew their connection. Morsi delivers a satisfying beach read with gentle humor and quirky, vivid characters. (Sept.)