My Kind of Trouble by L. A. Schwartz
Published by Crooked Lane Books
Age Group: Adult
Format: Fiction
Genres and Categories: Acting, Books about Books, Censorship, Activist Characters, Con Artist Characters, Diverse Representation, Librarian Characters, Contemporary Romance, Disabled and Neurodivergent Romance, LGBTQIA+ Romance, Disabled and Neurodivergent Authors, Lesbian Characters, OwnVoices Representation, Plus Size Characters, Library, Neurodivergent
My Rating:
Published on: 8th October 2024
Pages: 304
Disability Representation: Autism, stimming, anxiety, dyslexia.
Buy this Book! Amazon UK / Amazon US / Barnes & Noble / Blackwells / Bookshop.org US / Bookshop.org UK / Waterstones
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A slick conwoman meets her match in a hot and nerdy small-town librarian in this debut romance, perfect for fans of Spoiler Alert and Act Your Age, Eve Brown.

Conwoman Harmony Hale has sold lies up and down California for years, never looking back at her crafty scams or one-night stands. Now she’s come to Brookville, California, with her sights set on its wealthy mayor—the man who stole her father’s music-streaming algorithm and ruined his life. Harmony is finally ready to take him down, with her trusty con of selling a nonexistent music festival. All she needs is the cooperation of the man who owns the potential festival site.

Autistic librarian and piano teacher Preston Jones spends his days fighting book challengers trying to shut down his library programs. He’s responsible for raising his selectively nonspeaking little sister and needs to focus on keeping his job. He doesn’t have time for a romance like the ones in his books—and certainly none for the brassy festival promoter who wants to use his land for her “Coachella North.” Preston sees things in black and white, and he sees Harmony—amazing curves, flashy smile, and all—as nothing but trouble.

But when Harmony promises to help him win the public over and save his youth programs, Preston finds himself wondering if this hustler with a heart of gold might be the someone he’s been waiting for. Soon things are getting steamy in the stacks, and with her con coming to a crescendo, Harmony needs to choose: revenge and running again or the happy ending she never saw coming.

Romance readers and musical theater fans alike will adore this steamy, gender-swapped homage to The Music Man.

This book was provided for free by NetGalley and the publishers in exchange for an honest review. Many thanks to the publisher and the author for the opportunity to read this book!

Content Warnings:

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In My Kind of Trouble by L.A. Schwartz, con woman Harmony Hale returns to her home town with revenge in sight. Her latest mark is the man who ruined her father’s life, and she’s determined to make him pay for it. She doesn’t expect to find herself caught up in a book censorship case or fall in love with the cute librarian championing the cause. When things get complicated, Harmony finds herself split between revenge and a happy ever after.

I loved every minute of My Kind of Trouble! As a fan of Leverage and Hustle, the grifter angle appealed to me, and as a neurodivergent reader, I loved the representation. Schwartz has a real flair for writing romantic comedies, and the dialogue is as hot as the sex scenes. Harmony and Preston sizzle together, and the way she makes him flustered is adorable. A full cast of well-developed secondary characters supports them, adding depth and meaning to every scene.

The topic of book censorship in libraries is incredibly relevant right now, and it works well alongside the plot of Harmony’s con. Preston and his sister are both autistic, and the age gap between them allows for Schwartz to highlight the lack of change over the years regarding support for disabled and neurodivergent students. Schwartz is writing from her own lived experience, and it was wonderful to see an authentic representation of autism, especially in an educational context. The battle for support in schools for neurodivergent and disabled students is something that many people will recognise. 

Lastly, I wanted to add that last year I interviewed L.A. Schwartz for repDISND, and we talked about My Kind of Trouble! Check out the interview here!

Thanks for reading my book review for My Kind of Trouble by L.A. Schwartz!

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