This was a fun little story that follows the traditional path. There's a shy librarian who thinks she's not quite attractive enough to catch a man's eye. There's a beautiful house left by a relative. Of course a handsome author shows up and there are all sorts of barriers to their romance. You also have the experience to be in both characters heads which means you frustratingly know everything that each of them is getting wrong. If you're looking for a quick beach read that follows the romance formula you'll probably enjoy yourself. You might have to suspend your disbelief a couple of times, but it's fun and diverting for an afternoon. ( )

2.5 stars

I received this book for free, this does not affect my opinion of the book or the content of my review.

The Andrew Connally in my library.
And with such a mystery.

Brigid inherited her great-grandmother's house, with half of the house dedicated to a library, Brigid loves when she can read for children's story time. However, her dream is to write an adult novel, but she's struggling with getting her leads to feel the emotion. When a famous writer shows up on her doorstep, talking about a legend connected to her family that he wants to research, she agrees to help if he will give her writing lessons. A trip to Ireland, family drama, magic, and a surprise romance will shake up Brigid's quiet life.

Maybe it's less about the words and more about the emotion.

Told in present tense, first person point-of-views from Brigid and Andrew, you're going to have to enjoy being in characters' heads. With a cozy, Hallmark tone, Brigid is thirty and thinking as a more quiet, less flashy woman, she'll never attract or find romance. It came close to being “not like other woman” with how wallflower Brigid was compared to how other woman use their feminine wiles but that, thankfully, stayed more in the first half. There was also a lot meta going on with Brigid talking about criticism of the writing of her own book. Andrew showing up unannounced at Brigid's library/house felt forced as who would invite a stranger (even a famous author) into their home at night but Brigid “instantly felt comfortable” around him, which is the vibe you're going to have to go along with to embrace their romance.

“Follow your heat, love. Always follow your heart.”

Brigid knows/thinks Andrew has a fiancee (readers know the truth from Andrew's pov), so she tries to tamper her feelings but as they spend more time together, she can't help feeling more attracted to him. The plot of Andrew having a legend he wanted to research for his book that involved a family member of Brigid's, shakily worked. There was some ominous beginning with Andrew povs leading the reader to think it was all a lie that could come back and hurt Brigid but around 30% they were off to Ireland and that part kind of disappeared in favor of some family strife with Brigid, a lost memory of hers, and some possible magic. I'm not sure all these elements cohesively fit as they felt introduced and then not really followed through.

“Ta mo chroi istigh ionat,” he says in Irish.

Their instant feeling comfortable around each other connection has both internally admitting they love the other and we do get declarations but circumstances work against both. Brigid's confession loses against Andrew's dedication to work and Andrew's against his agent, as the “fiancee” appears and Brigid has a complete stonewall response to listening or trusting Andrew. The later half has Andrew working to write his book, Brigid continuing her stonewalling for four months, and then a grand gesture from Andrew. This was sweet, cozy, not quite cohesive elements, a main male character really putting himself out there for a woman he basically spent a week of time with and then no communication for four months, and for the Hallmark tone crowd. ( )

A lovely story that centers around a family legend. Andrew comes to Brigid Cleary who owns a private library.to research a legend that involves one of her ancestors. Unfortunately Andrew can not find information on the legend amongst TBE books in her library.

During the Brigid is helping Andrew with his research, she discovers that she is falling in love with him but she doesn't let him know because he is engaged. She has the opportunity to attend a family reunion in Ireland and invites Andrew to go with her in the guise of helping her write.her novel.

While in Ireland. Andrew and Brigid.discover there is more about the legend then previous known. If you love.Ireland and romance this book.we delight you. ( )

This was a fun, quick read that I enjoyed very much.
Brigid Cleary inherited her grandmother's mansion and turned it into a library/home. She holds storytelling events for children and has names for her favorite rooms in the library.
One day, a man is waiting at her door to request her help. His name is Andrew Connally and she wonders if he is THE Andrew Connally, the author.
He presents her with an opportunity to help him with his research. They grow closer as they work together and Brigid finds herself wary of his fiancee, Alice, that she has seen in newspaper pictures.
A Cleary family event in Ireland offers Andrew the opportunity to conduct even more research with her extended family.

On the whole, I enjoyed the story. I might have liked a little more fleshed out supporting characters like the best friend and the siblings, but the main two held my interest for the whole story. ( )

For the Love of Brigid: library owner Brigid desperately wants to be a writer, but struggles to get her ideas on the page. Then one day, famous mystery writer Andrew Connally comes to her library, asking for help researching a legend he thinks is related to her family. She agrees, on the condition that he help with her writing. They have a pretty immediate connection, and Brigid invites Andrew to her ancestral home in Ireland. Her whole family will be there, so Brigid and Andrew hope to expand their research of the legend. Will they be able to deny their feelings for each other, especially in such a beautiful setting?
This was just the book to get me out of a slow reading slump. The writing grabbed me so quickly and then suddenly I was almost half done. I was mesmerized and struggled to put it down. It was like…reading a hug. What a lovely book. And I love Brigid! I loved how emotional she was, crying all over the place. Also she had an amazing private library in her grandmother’s old house, which is A DREAM. Her life before Andrew seems pretty fantastic, honestly. She just needs a cat. Anyway. That being said, I thought Andrew was great. Very caring and supportive. Also not afraid of a grand gesture!
This book has everything. Romance, books, mysteries, MAGIC (which I want to know more about. Series?!), beautiful locations. Just such a sweet book and I LOVED it. I can tell I will be rereading it in the future.
Thank you to Nanette Littlestone and LibraryThing for the ARC!
I received an advance review copy for free, and I am leaving this review voluntarily.