Murder under Cover

Bibliophile Mystery #4

by Kate Carlisle

When she receives an exquisite copy of the Kama Sutra from her best friend Robin to appraise and restore, Brooklyn Wainwright anticipates both recreating a beautiful book and spicing up her love life.
But then Robin's apartment is ransacked, and the great guy she recently met is murdered in her bed. Now Robin is the #1 suspect. Obviously, exploring the Kama Sutra's bliss will have to wait until after Brooklyn finds the killer...

Genres: Mystery, Cozy Mystery, Fiction, Cozy, Romance, Books About Books, Audiobook

284 pages, Mass Market Paperback

First published May 3, 2011

About the author

Golden Heart and Daphne du Maurier Award winning author Kate Carlisle spent over twenty years working in television production as an Associate Director for game and variety shows, including The Midnight Special, Solid Gold and The Gong Show. She traveled the world as a Dating Game chaperone and performed strange acts of silliness on The Gong Show. She also studied acting and singing, toiled in vineyards, collected books, joined a commune, sold fried chicken, modeled spring fashions and worked for a cruise ship line, but it was the year she spent in law school that finally drove her to begin writing fiction. It seemed the safest way to kill off her professors. Those professors are breathing easier now that Kate spends most of her time writing near the beach in Southern California where she lives with her perfect husband.

A lifelong love of old books and an appreciation of the art of bookbinding led Kate to create the Bibliophile Mysteries, featuring rare book expert Brooklyn Wainwright, whose bookbinding and restoration skills invariably uncover old secrets, treachery and murder. Kate is a member of Sisters in Crime, Mystery Writers of America, International Thriller Writers and Romance Writers of America. She loves to drink good wine and watch other people cook.

Despite the appearance of overnight success, Kate's dream of publication took many, many years to fulfill.

Reviews

[James · Rating 3 out of 5]

Murder under Cover is the 4th book in the Bibliophile Mysteries written by Kate Carlisle. Slightly heavier than a traditional cozy mystery, it offers a charming cast and setting, not to mention an educational and inspiring book repair theme throughout the text. I've read the previous books in the series as well as all the books in the author's Fixer-Upper series, one from which I immediately grab the newest release.

The series is holding up well, but this one was my least favorite to date. While the story is written well and fully kept my interest, the mystery was lighter than usual and left me thirsting for more culprits and red herrings. Protagonist Brooklyn is visiting with her bestie Robin who's just returned from a trip to visit her mother in India. She brings back a book, an early edition of the Kama Sutra, for Brooklyn to repair, authenticate, and appraise. Soon after, Robin meets a Ukrainian man and invites him back to her place for the evening. Next morning, he's dead. Whoever killed him left her unharmed while they slept. What's it all about?

At most there are 4 potential suspects, two of whom we really never meet -- only hear about through others. Derek, Brooklyn's boyfriend, helps investigate this time, and he's mid-process moving his security firm to San Francisco to be closer to her. As they dig into the details, they get closer to the detective who's been a bit icy in the past. As Brooklyn begins to befriend her new neighbors and repair a book for them too, things get stranger. Multiple break-ins and a vicious ex-girlfriend of the victim weave in and out of the story, yet other than these supporting characters it's fairly light. If there were 2 more, I'd have given this much raver reviews.

That said, I do love the setting, the growth in the relationships, the side stories, and the possibilities of everything in this bookish world. I will absolutely keep reading the series because they tend to be on the shorter side (~220 pages) and are quick and fun reads. I'm confident this was just a fluke for me; the next will hit my reading queue in July. I have the last three books already but I need to catch up before I can read them... since doing it in order is a necessity in this series.

[Una Tiers · Rating 1 out of 5]

Held hostage by the flu I was reduced to audio books from the library. This book was a silly mess.

[Mallory · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is book 4 in the Bibliophile mystery series, but I think it is the first one I have read and that didn’t take away from my enjoyment of the story. I think this one was a little more intense in the mystery than most cozies. The characters were interesting and I liked the amateur sleuth. When Brooklyn’s friend returns from India she brings back a priceless copy of The Kuma Sutra for Brooklyn to restore for a friend of Robin’s mother. Soon Robin and Brooklyn are immersed in more chaos than they know how to deal with.

[Gerry · Rating 1 out of 5]

I was seduced into this book by the fact that it stated that it was 'A Bibliophile Mystery' so I thought it would have a good chance of being enjoyable. How wrong I was; yes, there was a bibliophile interest and yes, it was a mystery … but what that mystery was about remains a mystery to me even after finishing the book.

I did understand that Brooklyn Wainwright was a master at repairing books - she did a wonderful job on a young neighbour's favourite book that was falling apart - and that she had received a copy of the 'Kama Sutra' to overhaul and repair from India via her friend Robin Tully. And it was wrapped up in some old Indian scarf.

From that moment on I was left wondering exactly what was going on as the storyline seemed, to me at least, most convoluted. Robin was sleeping with a guy who ended up being murdered as he lay next to her (she was unaware of this), there was talk of a flash drive being smuggled in with the book - to what purpose I am not too sure - and it turned out that the guy sleeping with Robin could well have been a spy. Again, why and what he was spying on I am not too sure.

Fortunately Brooklyn's boyfriend, Derek Stone, was a British security expert so he was on hand to assist the, seemingly inept police, to solve the problem. Plenty of seemingly inane chat followed between all the interested, and even the not interested parties, relations turned up from India and it all got more and more involved without apparent explanation, or at least without understanding for me.

I do hate to say this but I was delighted when I finished the read - why I continued I am not too sure, perhaps I imagine I was hoping that something understandable would come of it all … sadly for me it did not and I feel that I will be giving other Bibliophile Mysteries a miss, despite their appealing series name.

So sorry Kate Carlisle but this just wasn't for me.

[Jennifer Monzon · Rating 5 out of 5]

To say that this book was great is an understatement. I mean this story completely blew my mind. I was at the edge of my seat the entire time I read the book and I read it in a day! I felt as if I was on a rollercoaster ride and never wanted to come off. The twists and turns that this story took kept me guessing the entire time and once I thought I knew who the killer was or who was responsible, “BAM” something new or a new lead would come up and completely baffle me. I thought everyone was a suspect. The best part was the suspense. I would never have thought that a book would have such immense suspense but this one did. Every time someone knocked on Brooklyn’s door, I thought it was a bad guy. While at a visit to her mom’s house, her mom yells “Oh my God”, “Oh my God” immediately I thought “that’s it, something’s going to happen” but it wasn’t what I thought it was, my heart was beating fast!! I truly am impressed with Kate Carlisle’s writing and I am definitely going to purchase some more of her stories. They are intense, intriguing and captivating! Wow and the main character Brooklyn’s job is truly unique. I could not begin to tell you how fascinating, rare and impressive her career is. The mystery in this book will leave you guessing the entire time. Oh but wait there’s more! Romance. It has a splash of romance that completes this book to receive the 5 trees it deserves. Great Job. I highly recommend this book.

[Jennifer Brown · Rating 3 out of 5]

This one was different. It had some kooky/unbelievable moments. Still a good story that kept me interested though.

[Cami L. González · Rating 4 out of 5]

3.5/5

Estos libros son mi placer (no) culpable, el proceso de leerlos me resulta demasiado divertido. He probado con varios cozy mystery, pero esta es de mis series favoritas. Además, creo que dentro de estos, debe ser el mejor de la serie hasta ahora.

La mejor amiga de Brooklyn despierta una mañana y su casi novio aparece muerto en la cama a su lado. Por ese motivo, tanto Brooklyn como Derek se dedicarán a intentar resolver el caso que parece involucrar a la mafia rusa.

Voy a repetir lo que siempre digo con estos libros, no creo que sean lo mejor que hay, no son libros que evalúe por su evolución de personajes, realismo, profundidad de los temas que tratan, etc. Para mí son como ver una película/serie de Hallmark en la que una protagonista termina involucrada en un caso de asesinato. Así que con estos libros solo me dedico a pasarlo bien y disfrutar, y lo hice, de verdad son libros que no quiero que se acaben por lo bien que la paso con ellos.

Este caso involucró a Robin, amiga de Brooklyn, después de que volviera de un viaje de la India y que le trajera un libro para que restaurara. Todo comenzó cuando su nuevo amante fue asesinado a su lado, y de ahí todo fue escalando. Obviamente, al involucrar a su amiga, Brooklyn no dudó en inmiscuirse y Derek, que ahora vive con ella, también fue parte y usó sus contactos profesionales para ayudar.

Quizá estaba más concentrada, pero sentí que este misterio estuvo mejor construido. Toda la causalidad de las pistas y los distintos eventos funcionó bien, siento que estuvo lógico y no forzado. Incluso con cosas que eran evidentes, me gustó cómo Brooklyn fue uniendo las pistas para llegar a las mismas conclusiones que yo, como lectora, iba llegando. Además, de verdad me sorprendió el final, no era lo que esperaba o lo que había armado en mi cabeza.

Pensé que ahora que Derek y Brooklyn estaban juntos no iba a ser tan divertido, pero la verdad es que la lógica de ambos juntos me gusta. Son una pareja entretenida de leer por la dinámica que tienen y como compañeros para resolver crímenes, de verdad que funcionan bien para mí. Eso sí, con respecto a Robin y el hermano de Brooklyn esperaba un desarrollo mucho mayor, todo fue instantáneo (a pesar de que era una relación que llevaba harto tiempo).

Enigma bajo las sábanas fue una entrega entretenida, más cercana a Brooklyn porque involucraba a su mejor amiga. Aquí pudimos verla ya en pareja con Derek y cómo su pasión por resolver crímenes se estaba haciendo patente.

[Carol · Rating 3 out of 5]

Es entretenido, ideal para leer entre lecturas

[Curlyhair · Rating 4 out of 5]

Another in the Bibliophile series and a good little cozy read. Yes a little far fetched, but hey, you know what you're getting into, with likeable characters.

[Sarka B · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is a 4th book in the Bibliophile serie and I enjoyed reading this book. The story is interesting and it kept me guessing till last chapters who was the culprit of murders which occurred. It is well written and has nice atmosphere. We see nice developping of the relationship of main characters Brooklyn and Derek. I will be reading next book in the serie soon.

[The Honest Book Reviewer · Rating 2 out of 5]

Read this book immediately after book three. It didn't make me enjoy it more.

I have to say, having a cat on the cover is misleading, as cats don't play a major role in the series. This is misleading for readers who may gravitate towards cosy mysteries that are more cat themed.

The author tried to make this book more exciting by including an international spy element. I've seen cosy mysteries add things like this, or other elements, and the results are far better than this story. And that's coming from a reader who usually enjoys spy novels - I like the intrigue, the excitement, the danger. This book tries to include that, but it doesn't really work for me. And that probably comes down to the characters in this book. The protagonist is suddenly turning aggressive towards the police for daring to talk to her friend. How else can the police investigate a crime if they can't talk to somebody who was in the vicinity? There's no valid reason for that characterisation, even in a cosy. Derek is a private citizen and the police seem happy for him to handle evidence at any crime scene. Why?

I didn't so much mind the ending, because at least it made more sense than the rest of the book. But I am still not a fan of the protagonist, and of Derek.

This type of cosy must have a sub-genre grouping I'm not a fan of, because many readers enjoy the series.

[Brandy Grimes · Rating 1 out of 5]

So many things to despise about this excuse for a book that I don't even know where to begin! To be fair, I audio booked it and that was a million times worse! The narrator was terrible with every voice other than Brooklyn's. Would it have been better to read? ...I sincerely doubt it. The story was stupid. The characters are annoying! Brooklyn is the only likable one in my opinion and she's a tad annoying herself. The whole commune story line is absurd! This book reads like a politically correct nightmare! The token gay couple next door. The token lesbian couple next door for good measure. The characters representing every nationality known to man. The happy hippy angle. The free spirit and love crap. It's all just wreaked of bad writing and political nonsense. Oh and the praying to Buddha, Allah, Yahweh...etc...just icing on the cake! I've read a couple of others in this series and actually started this one not realizing it was the same series...won't be making that mistake ever again!! If I could give this garbage a negative rating I would. Hang from a tree from your toenails instead of reading this trash...it will be much less painful!!

[Kevin · Rating 3 out of 5]

Really a 2 1/2 star book. This was the weakest book so far in the series. I started reading this series because the main character was an expert bookbinder specializing in repairing rare books. A lot of time in the previous novels was spent on bookbinding, rare books, book fairs ect. This novel dealt much more with romance and wasn't anywhere near as interesting.

[Linda · Rating 3 out of 5]

I love this series and I love all the series written by Kate Carlisle but for me this book just went too slowly. It didn't pick up until 3/4 of the way through the book. I always find the fact that Brooklyn and her friend Robin grew up in a commune odd. In this book we see more of the commune and we learn more about Robin's most often absent mother.

Brooklyn appraises, repairs, and restores old books- often valuable ones. In this book she is given a very old copy of the Kama Sutra to repair. It comes to her through Robin's mother's friend, a wealthy man from India. Robin has a new boyfriend, a Russian man. He is murdered in her bed while she sleeps and Robin is the obvious suspect. Slowly, Brooklyn and her security expert love, Derek, follow clues. I must say that I did not guess who the perpetrator was and it was rather a shock.

I just cannot give a book in a series by this author less than 3 stars because the rest of the series is top notch.

[Heidi Prockish · Rating 4 out of 5]

I always forget how much I enjoy this series until I am absorbed into the story. I love watching the characters grow and this mystery had my attention the whole time. I was surprised at how things turned out. I will definitely be picking up the next book. The fun part about not being caught up in this series is that the next one is already available. Lots of reading in my future.
**quick side note: if you listen to this on audio, it is not a good one for young ears 😉**

[Laura Pandorabooks · Rating 3 out of 5]

Pasable. Se pone muy interesante en los últimos tres capítulos, pero el resto puffff. Las primeras doscientas páginas son un poco soporíferas y todo el rato lo mismo, luego mejora con cosas que sin más y luego final épico de película.
Interesante.

[Meri · Rating 3 out of 5]

⭐⭐⭐☆☆ (3/5)

Este cozy mystery me ha parecido entretenido, aunque tengo que admitir que se me hizo bastante largo en algunos tramos. La trama mantiene cierto interés gracias a la protagonista Brooklyn, su amiga Robin y el misterio que se va desarrollando, pero el ritmo no siempre acompaña….

Me gustó ir siguiendo a los distintos sospechosos y tratando de adivinar al culpable y al final mis sospechas se confirmaron..

No está mal para pasar el rato

[Fred · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is the fourth book in the Bibliophile Series. Brooklyn's lifelong friend, Robin, has returned from India. She has brought with her a copy of the Kama Sutra that a friend of Robin's mother wants restored. A week after she gave Brooklyn the book, she appears on Brooklyn's doorstep covered in blood. A man she met shortly afer returning to the states is murdered in her residence. Brooklyn's boyfriend, Derek, is opening an a branch office of his security business in San Francisco. The man lilled was Ukrainian, then a Russian is dead and Judy and Brooklyn are assulted by the girlfriend of the killed Uhrainian. This is a well plotted book with an interesting and credible cast of characters. Best to start with book one so you can get to know many of the characters in the book. A very exciting read with a few chuckles, too.

[Sherri F. · Rating 4 out of 5]

Audio version: 3.5 or 4. This is my first in this Bibliophile Mystery cozy series, and it was better than I expected so I will definitely be back for more (prob starting at #1). The narrator's voice & inflections were slightly irritating but it wasn't horrible either so good thing the books are shorter, quick reads if I'm not in the mood for the audio. Fun, quirky, and enjoyable characters and fairly light and funny considering how many deaths occurred (but that's a cozy). Too bad it wasn't a picture book or DVD instead of audio since she was rebinding a very old Kama Sutra book, oh and Where the Wild Things Are for Tyler, her new 6 or 7 yr old neighbor.

[Valerie · Rating 5 out of 5]

4.5 out of 5 stars rounded up.

This book has it all. The Kama Sutra, a micro flash drive with state secrets on it, spies, murder, and a street fair. What more could you want?! How about the fact that most of the action lies around Robin and her mother, Shiva? It’s a wild and twisted ride!

This is one of my favorite books in the series. Derek has moved in with Brooklyn, supposedly temporarily while he finds his own housing. We’ve got the Kama Sutra that Brooklyn’s restoring which leads to the illusion of some very passionate interludes between Brooklyn and Derek. Then we’ve got this murder involving Robin that’s becoming stranger by the day.

When it all finally wraps up in the end, it makes sense, but it still somewhat feels like coming to the end of a whirling dervish. I love it!

[Emmalynn · Rating 3 out of 5]

Insomnia led me to finishing this book overnight. This series has its ups and down. The mystery was a good one though a bit convoluted. Brooklyn and Derek are taking their relationship to the next level however, Brooklyn’s constant internal ramblings and insecurities are annoyinggggggg. Her best friend Robin has just returned from a trip to India visiting her mother and brought back a copy of the Kama Sutra to be repaired by Brooklyn, it’s wrapped in a scarf and that scarf is given to one of Brooklyn’s neighbors as a prop for a play. Robin has also met a guy, she takes him home and wakes up to find him murdered in her bed. Instead of calling the police…. Welll.. let’s just say she’s as dumb as Brooklyn sometimes. Soon the bodies start falling, break-in, Minka shows up( she literally had no purpose in the book except to be Minka and aggressive 🙄🙄🙄,

What I’m noticing as a theme is that unless a woman is family or friends with Brooklyn, they’re portrayed as aggressive, mean, cat fighting, all the negative troupes - that’s just insulting to women, professional or not. One of the new characters in this story behaves the exact same way as Minka with little to no explanation 😤😤😤
Please authors, you can, really, you can write intelligent, witty, successful, professional, blue collar, women, without resorting to unfortunate stereotypes, that just ruins the book, especially when your audience is mainly women. Ughhhhgfgh

Anyway, the book was okay.

[Peggy · Rating 4 out of 5]

I am really enjoying this series and glad that I finally was able to bump it up on the TBR pile. Ms. Carlisle writes a terrific story that is engaging with plenty of plot twists and clues laid out through the story. The characters are well written and really diverse. I love Brooklyn's family - they add a nice bit of hippie humor to the stories. Whenever Brookly visits them, I can picture two aging former Grateful Dead Fans. I also enjoy the characters that live in Brooklyn's complex. In this book, we are introduced to Tyler, one of her new neighbor's children. He is a bit precocious but adds a good dose of cuteness to the story. The relationship between Brooklyn and Derek is going well and I like them as a couple. They work well together as sleuths and Derek balances out Brooklyn with professionalism and common sense. I would like to see Brooklyn be a little less scattered and fawning when she is with Derek. I assume this will get better over time as their relationship is still in the new phase.

The mystery was well done. I was able to solve some of it, but there were plenty of surprise twists that I definitely did not see coming. I am looking forward to reading more and just borrowed the next book in the series from the library.

[Cheryl · Rating 4 out of 5]

Brooklyn is given a copy of a book to restore by her friend Robin. Robin is drugged, her apt ransacked and the great guy she met is dead in her bed. Brooklyn and her beau Derek start looking for the reason why and then Brooklyn’s apt is ransacked. Another man is killed in front of Brooklyn and she is worried that she is a murder magnet.

[Robin Loves Reading · Rating 5 out of 5]

My Rating: 4.5 Stars

Brooklyn Wainwright is a book restoration expert in a league of her own. She can choose whatever project she wants to work on. When best friend Robin presents her with a damaged, but invaluable copy of the Kama Sutra, Brooklyn is more than intrigued. This book could serve a dual purpose for her. Of course, she has the privilege of restoring it, but she knows she could have fun with it, especially now that she and Derek Stone have gotten rather serious. Derek is a British security expert who has opened up a business in San Francisco simply to be a part of her life.

Robin then shows up at their door - bloody. She woke up next to a man she was enamored with, only to discover that he was shot twice while she was sleeping right next to him. Robin is the primary subject in the immediate investigation. Robin feels safe knowing she will have Derek's help. Furthermore, Brooklyn has managed to help find many a killer in the months previously, and she will go to whatever means necessary to prove Robin's innocence.

Murder Under Cover is the fourth book in the Bibliophile series and it has proved to be my favorite so far. There were a lot of delightful layers in this book. For starters, how could a man die right next to Robin? Who was this man? Well, things looked one way in the beginning, but turned out to be something else entirely in the end.

Kudos to Kate Carlisle for taking readers down a twisty path. I love trying to guess who the killer is when reading mysteries, but especially cozy mysteries. In this case, I was rather shocked. While working that out, I was pleased to see how Brooklyn and Derek have cemented their relationship. All the while, the bond of friendship between Brooklyn and Robin gave me a warm, fuzzy feeling.

For a delightful book, as well as an enticing series, I highly recommend this one. The next book is a novella, Pages of Sin, to be followed by One Book in the Grave.

[Georgette · Rating 5 out of 5]

First and foremost I must offer my apologies to Kate Carlise..I started the Brooklyn Wainwright, Bibliophile series back in 2010, then became a lapsed reader for no other reason than so many books to read, so little time!! But I have returned with a new love and appreciation for the this multi layered and oh so appealing series with a vengeance, so to speak, and it has less to do with the latest challenge of restoring and old version of the Kama Sutra than the continuing development of the wonderful relationships that have been established in books #1-3. The friends, the neighbors, the parents and very much the relationship between Brooklyn and Derek Stone, secret agent man and debonair if I do say so myself. The tentacles that are brought forth with some rather problematic family connections, good, bad, and whatever, start with a ransacked apt/ a best friend who is compromised by what turns out to be a one night stand, and we are off to the races. Yes indeed. I say, if you have not been introduced to this series, get thee to the first , Homicide in Hardcover and commit to a relationship that will only continue to build upon the appreciation of bookbinding and all the underpinnings of the journey of discovery it takes you from there. You won't I assure you be disappointed.

[Lagniappe · Rating 3 out of 5]

I'm giving this one a "gentleman's c". I have not read offerings 1-3 and I listened to this one as opposed to reading it, but I don't think either of these would have changed the grade. If you suspend credulity and just go with it this is a fun read. The writing is adequate and the characters are interesting. But if you pause to scrutinize a bit closer you start to see flaws. First we have the plot. Yes, it's fast moving with enough twists and turns to keep you interested - but spies and micro drives? Really? Second are the cast of secondary characters. I realize this is San Francisco - but the stereotypes were laid on a bit thick. The lesbian couple - did one partner really need to be named Vinnie and do chainsaw sculptures? And the gay couple - did one partner really need to do nude performance art on Castro Street? I'm all for inclusion but could we take it down a notch? Finally, one of the reasons I chose to read this book was an interest in the protagonist's bookbinding profession, but I didn't find much of that in this book. I would really like to have had more. Still, despite the flaws, I would be inclined to read at least one more book in this series - just to see if this was an "off" entry.

[Waffles - Kelsey · Rating 4 out of 5]

They did it!!!! They finally did it!!! Derek Stone and Brooklyn Wainwright have finally succumbed to those feelings and are now a "them"!!!!!! It is so great, its so grand, its so new, nothing can go wrong now!!! They are in seventh heaven!

Of course, if you overlook the fact that Brooklyn's BFF wakes them up with her screaming at the top of her lungs while she is covered in blood; her "date" is dead in her bed and that everything seems to be falling on top of Brooklyn once AGAIN, then yes Derek and Brooklyn are in seventh heaven.

Brooklyn's BFF Robin finds a real interesting man one night, brings him home and have a grand night. Until the next morning when she wakes up in his blood and finds him dead in her bed does things get interesting. Brooklyn is trying everything she can to make sure that her friend doesn't end up in jail while she is also trying to refurbish the Kama Sutra, while also trying to understand her new found relationship!

Just another day for the bookbinder in wonderful San Francisco! Where everything happens to you whether you like it or not.

[Diane ~Firefly~ · Rating 3 out of 5]

Another good story in the series. I really like watching Brooklyn and Derek's relationship grow. Plus this time we got more of Robin and got to meet her mom. I'm impressed that Derek encourages Brooklyn to help with the mysteries considering he has the background (ex-British spy, current security expert), but he wants her input. Robin's in a bad spot when she wakes up next to a dead body and she looks to Derek and Brooklyn to figure it out. I did know where something was hidden pretty much after the first murder and was surprised it took so long to be figured out. Also was surprised the author let a family member was the bad guy

[Ann · Rating 4 out of 5]

This series grows on you. Brooklyn Wainwright is given a ancient copy of the Kama Sutra to restore. Her best friend Robin's house in ransacked and the man she just met is murdered right next to her. She comes to stay with Brooklyn but the mystery grows from there. It isn't rocket science but it's a comfortable plot and it keeps the pages turning.

[Rebecca · Rating 1 out of 5]

This is a straight up romance novel pretending to be a murder mystery and it was not for me. More blood and mystery, less drooling over biceps and second guessing all the feels plz.

(in case you can't tell I'm not a huge romance fan.)