The Librarian and the Mechanic

A Dash of Desire, Book 2

De: Brianna Bancroft

Narrado por: Claire Marlowe

After ending an emotionally abusive marriage, Mallory Moran has worked hard to rebuild her life in a peaceful small town upstate. Her new job at the library has helped her heal, but it hasn’t alleviated her loneliness—although the handsome mechanic who frequently roams the bookstacks might. Of course, she’d have to build up the courage to talk to him first.

Joel Foster is the epitome of stoic when he checks out his weekly book, but his impassive behavior keeps Mallory’s secret crush at bay. Until she finds herself on the side of a remote country road with a broken-down car. Suddenly thrust into each other’s orbits, the librarian and the mechanic realize they might be more on the same page than they once thought.

But when news spreads that Joel’s ex-wife is back in town, Mallory is forced to confront her emotional scars and decide if she’s ready for a new chapter—or if it’s time to close the book on her second chance at love.

©2024 Brianna Bancroft (P)2025 Brianna Bancroft

Adorable, Sexy, & Heartfelt

Brianna Bancroft has gifted us yet again with an adorable, sexy, and heartfelt novella, masterfully performed in the recently released audiobook, by Claire Marlowe.

Rating: ⭐️⭐️⭐️.5

What you can expect…
🔧Mutual Pining
🔧Bookstore “Activities”
🔧Older MCs (mid-30s)
🔧Sweet & Spicy
🔧Realistic Characters

This story is so precious and heartwarming. It follows Mallory, who is so capable yet self doubting, and is just trying to put the pieces of her life together after being abused by her ex- and Joel, who is adorably eager, a total cinnamon roll, and is the perfect, grounded and soothing balm to her traumatized soul. Their relationship is full of so much yearning and heat, and you can’t help but cheer for their success.

What I love about Brianna’s writing is that she manages to pack so much into such a short space, and creates such believable and realistic characters. With a combination of adorable awkwardness, such heartwarming relationship building with a simple yet believable storyline, mixed with well portrayed representation of the FMCs trauma & response, this story was bound to be a success!

I truly enjoyed Claire Marlowe’s performance in the first audiobook in the Dash of Desire series, The Businesswoman and the Bartender, and was once again impressed. She brings Mallory and Joel to life with her vocal flexibility and range, showing a great depth of emotion. Claire’s ability to provocatively orate this story, combined with Brianna’s realistic and excellent writing, is a winning combination in making this little slice of romance fantastic!

Thank you Brianna for the ALC of this novella!

Great spicy short

Fantastic writing, good narrator. nice balance of story and spice. loved this, it was just long enough.

Steaming up the Stacks!

This audiobook is quick and fun read. I loved how Joel was trying to get Mallory's attention, but she was a little oblivious. Joel was patient with Mallory as she was working through the baggage left from her previous marriage. Get ready for a quick steamy ride with a hot mechanic who loves to read!

Mallory and Joel are perfect together.

📚Review~ The Librarian and the Mechanic (A Dash of Desire Book 2)
🖋Author~ Brianna Bancroft
🖋Genre: Contemporary Romance, Quick Read
🎧Narrated by: Claire Marlowe
⭐️Rating: 5/5

Mallory and Joel are perfect together. Although Mallory has pulled away from an emotionally damaging relationship, she is still uncertain about her own self-worth. She doesn’t recognize how brave she is by starting over in a new town with a new job. It’s Joel who eventually draws Mallory into another new chapter of her life. With patience and understanding, plus a great sense of humor, they get their HEA.

Claire does an excellent job portraying these characters. I can literally feel Mallory's nervousness as she tries to shake off the self-consciousness that plagues her thoughts and decisions. Her tone and pacing even change as Mallory grows more confident in her life, in her new job, and with Joel.

The Librarian and the Mechanic is the second in the Dash of Desire set. It is a standalone. I hope you enjoy!

Joel was perfect boyfriend material in this captivating, quick listen

Joel was perfect boyfriend material in this captivating, quick listen. His shyness, patience, and reading habits make him that much more appealing, and once him and Mallory realize they're on the same page with their attraction, here comes the steam. There are a few obstacles on the way to their HEA, but I loved the realistic journey. The narration brought the characters to life from the pages.