Only good part was that the issue of period sex was addressed. Characters were simply not believable. ( )

Here’s the deal with this book ... I really liked the concept! Older woman, younger man; athletic guy, curvy lady. Yay representation. My issue is with the main lady - she’s kind of annoying about the age difference and her nicknames for genitalia was gag-me-with-a-spoon bad. I totally get the body self consciousness, but like youre 40 not 100. I liked her otherwise. No complaints about the main guy.

Ps. This is one of the few romances that include a period love scene. I would like to see more - note I did not say more graphic - period-positive content in romance novels. “Always Only You” by Chloe Liese includes frisky business whilst a period is happening. Again I’m not asking for a blood bath, I just think it’s realistic and intimate to acknowledge people with uteruses have periods. It’s healthy and normal. End rant. ( )

Assistant school principal Tess Dunn is on vacation at a resort on the Gulf Coast of Florida with her best friend, Belle. While taking an early morning swim, Tess loses the top of her swimsuit and uses willing stranger, Lucas Karlsson, as a shield. When Belle finds out that Lucas is the tennis pro at the resort, she schedules several tennis lessons for Tess. As Tess gets to know Lucas, she realizes that he is attracted to her, but her size and their age difference makes it difficult for her to believe in any kind of relationship between them. However, Lucas has plans to win Tess over if he can only show her that what they could have together would make their differences inconsequential.

40-Love is a cute romance about two lonely people who find each other while one is on vacation. This story does a good job with representation of a plus size heroine as well as showing a different side of an athlete once he's out of the limelight. Also, the story is sweet with some good steam adding layers to the story. Unfortunately, I have some problems with this book. One is that I have trouble believing in the romance between these two characters because there just isn't enough of a reason for them to be together. In addition, there is so much emphasis placed on Tess's "boobs" that it almost makes it seem like that is her only attribute. Overall, however, there is enough to like about this story to make it an entertaining read. ( )

This book was everything!! 1) Fat rep is awesome when done well. Tess is a successful, happy woman and Lucas loves her and wants her and her size doesn't matter. The discussion of going to the doctor as a fat woman was so spot on that I wanted to cry and cheer at the same time. 2) Lucas taking care of Tess when she is on her period. I just...a) they talked about periods in such a normal manner that I wanted to cry and b) it's nice to see it in on page in a romance novel done written in such a thoughtful way. 3) They talked! There was none of the miscommunication trope nonsense here. Don't get me wrong, sometimes I'm all for it but in this book, I would have been mad. It was just so perfectly handled and mature and wonderful and I will be forever gushing about this one. ( )

I’m not interested in tennis or holiday resorts; I was disappointed that this novel wouldn’t show Tess being an assistant principal; and even though some of my favourite fictional couples have a significant age-gap, I’m wary about age-gap romances (and socially-programmed to think it’s odd for a woman to date a much younger guy). But I liked the other stories in this series and I was curious.

Because Lucas has already had a career as a professional athlete, he has experiences, skills and resources that many people in their mid twenties just don’t have. He’s spent years working in a field that involves intense pressure and requires intense dedication; he’s dealt with career-ending injuries. And Tess knows from experience that it’s possible to be with someone older than her and yet become more like his mother than his lover -- what matters isn’t so much how old a man is but the expectations he has of her and the boundaries she sets. So I was convinced that Tess and Lucas were both capable of making their (somewhat unconventional) relationship work.

This still is Not really My Cup of Tea, but that didn’t bother me much, perhaps because I was expecting it. An interesting exercise in challenging my social-programming.