Read It and Weep: A Library Lover’s Mystery by Jenn McKinlay

            Men can be so frustrating sometimes.  This is especially true when they won’t fully explain the reason behind why they did what they did.  Then, the other person moves on with their life, and the man wonders what happened!  It’s so exasperating.  Yes, Sully, I’m talking about you.

                The production of A Midsummer Night’s Dream is the talk of the town in the small town of Briar Creek.  So many people are trying out for the show, including some surprising ones like the strict circulation desk librarian, Ms. Cole.

                One person who is not trying out is library director Lindsey Norris.  She does agree to help with the costumes, though.  And that is where things start to become sticky.

                You see, while Lindsey has agreed to work on costumes, her ex-boyfriend Sully is working on the sets.  This makes things awkward for Lindsey because she still has feelings for Sully.  She didn’t want to break up in the first place, and now they are going to be thrown together.

                Sully is the reason the relationship ended.  After misunderstanding a situation, he decided Lindsey still had feelings for an ex-boyfriend.  No matter how much Lindsey tried to tell Sully he was wrong, he wouldn’t listen.  Now they are apart, but with the break-up being on such unusual terms, everyone is hoping these two will get back together.               

                There are a couple of problems with this wish, though.  First, Sully will not explain to Lindsey why he acted the way he did.  Something happened in his past, but Lindsey doesn’t have any idea what it is.  Until she can understand exactly what is going on, they will remain apart.

                Second, there is a new man in town, and he’s very interested in Lindsey.  Although, I can’t exactly say Lindsey is interested in him.  That’s because Robbie Vine is an actor and a charmer.  He also has a wife and an ex-girlfriend who are in town and part of the show.  With the reputation of being kind of a rogue, Lindsey feels it would be best to stay away from Robbie.

                That, however, is not an easy thing to do.  Robbie keeps popping up around Lindsey.  She never knows when he’ll appear.  As a result, Lindsey gets to know Robbie without really trying.  That’s why when Robbie is killed, Lindsey has to wonder whether her feelings for him may have run deeper than she originally thought.

                This is where Sully drove me crazy.  By breaking up with Lindsey, someone he truly cares about, he gave someone else the chance to swoop in, which is fair.  The problem is he then kept standing around and growling about it.  What did he expect to happen?!

                I will give Sully credit, though.  Even though he warned Lindsey about Robbie, he also said all he wanted was for Lindsey to be happy, no matter who she was with.  Now, if Sully can be open about these feelings, why can’t he be about others?  If he was, maybe he and Lindsey would still be together.