Title: Love Out Loud

Author: Marissa Clarke

Ebook

Pages: 218

Publisher: Entangled

ISBN: 9781649373526

Release Date: 9-6-22

Book Details: It was an Ebook, so you can customize your reading experience.

Where To Find It: I got an email from Entangled about new releases and this title was mentioned, I read the sample chapter on the Entangled website. I bought it from Barnes & Noble.

Time that the story takes place? Current day.

POV? Third person omniscient 

What caught your eye? The sample chapter and the price was pretty reasonable.

Did you enjoy it? It was excellent!

Was it predictable? Not at all. I mean, you’re expecting the HEA, so that was pretty predictable . . . I saw the set up for the final push, but as far as the story goes, no, I didn’t find it predictable.

Was it sexy? Tame? It was smart sexy. It was cute sexy. Plus, it was just cute.

Did you find it funny? Entertaining? Very charming and very entertaining.

Would you read it again? Oh, yeah.

Is this part of a series? It is. The other two books are Dear Jane and Three Day Fiancée. 

Sometimes a book just hits all the right notes and this book certainly did that for me. Marissa Clarke is a new author to me, I wasn’t familiar with her work, but I will certainly check her other offerings out after this.

The story is pretty simple and straightforward. Fiona, our leading lady, is a vet who has won an award for working with pets that belong to the homeless. She’s shy, introverted, but still spunky. She’s more comfortable working and talking to animals than humans.

Now with this award she’s being given, she’s expected to make a speech, which is just a huge ass NO for her. It’s not happening, she doesn’t speak in front of people. Her feelings on the matter are very relatable.

Enter Jacob, the hot guy that lives in her building that she’s been crushing on for a while. And guess what? He’s the speech coach that’s been hired by the vet clinic to help Fiona prepare for this speech. 

Jacob is afraid of dogs. Especially bigger dogs. You can see where this is going.

Already the set up is excellent. Shy girl doesn’t speak in front of crowds and loves dogs. Confident man is very comfortable with people and is terrified of dogs.

The story flowed really well. I mean, just shockingly well. I kept waiting for all the normal crap that such a set up would involve. And thankfully, none of the normal stuff happened. 

One of my favorite scenes in the book is when Fiona goes to her first session with Jacob not knowing that this would be a group session. She’s not pleased, at all. And she informs Jacob that immersion therapy doesn’t work for her. Her parents are shrinks and have put her through these paces before. She’s also upset with her friends for trying to “help” her with this phobia. Jacob replies that he would be grateful and happy if his friends tried to help him with something he’s struggling with.

Fiona calls his bluff and tells him to meet her tomorrow morning for an outing, she’ll text him the time and place.

The next morning, Fiona takes Jacob to the AKC Meet the Breeds, visiting several of her clients in the process. Jacob, who is terrified of large dogs, begins to have a panic attack and tries all the techniques and tricks that he teaches to his clients when they feel panic coming on. Only to realize that none of it works. 

(This is where I fell in love with the author, because finally, someone said it. I have battled anxiety my entire life, panic and anxiety attacks are something I deal with on a regular basis, and all the tips and tricks the shrinks have ever given me have never worked. Ever. And it was so validating to actually read that part of the book. All I could think was, “Ha! It doesn’t work!”)

The other great thing about this story was the approach to sex. Fiona tells Jacob that she’s “shy, not dead.” I think so often we believe that shy and introverted people, especially women, are nervous virgins in the bedroom. She also makes this same kind of claim about her bright and humorous shirts, just because you’re introverted doesn’t mean you don’t enjoy wearing certain things or even doing certain things.

The story flow is very believable and just easy. It was never a struggle to read, I never had that moment of, “what the hell?” it was all believable. Jacob was a lovely hero who slowly comes to realize where his fear of dogs comes from and slowly decides that dogs aren’t all that bad . . . he just needs a bit more time. Fiona is a very understanding and gentle in how she helps Jacob through this. She never judges him ever, she understands his issues.

I loved Fiona and was able to relate to her on just about every level. Everything she did and said I could get behind. She was smart and delightful. Jacob was confident but not overly arrogant. He’s a good and decent guy with a good heart.

I know some people don’t enjoy reading Ebooks, and I admit, I’m not always a fan. However, via the B&N Digital Library feature on their website, I was able to read this book on my desktop, laptop, and of course through the Nook app on my phone.

It’s a good, quick, and easy read. I highly suggest getting this one. It was just lovely and I look forward to reading the other two books in this series.