REVIEW: No Offense by Meg Cabot

In No Offense (Little Bridge Island #2) by Meg Cabot, When children’s librarian Molly Montgomery was given a heads up about a position opening on Little Bridge Island in the Florida Keys, she didn’t think twice. Leaving behind her lousy ex-fiance in Colorado was a no-brainer. And she’s truly come to love the little town and all the residents. The only person that confounds Molly is sheriff John Hartwell. They meet when she discovers a newborn baby hidden in a bathroom stall at the library. And she has to admit, she’s not happy with the way the sheriff is going about the investigation process. As a true crime fan, Molly likes to think she knows a thing or two about how it should go. The one thing she didn’t expect? Was falling helplessly for the single dad to the point of distraction.

‘It was as if every preconceived notion and prejudice she’d had against the sheriff had been blown away in a second, and she was seeing him in an entirely new light.’

John has his hands full as a single dad to an outgoing teenage daughter, as the new(ish) sheriff of Little Bridge, and with a string of local petty thefts that he can’t seem to solve. Even though he’s sure he knows the culprit. What he doesn’t need is a new crime, the abandonment of a newborn in a public facility, to hem and haw over. Especially when it means John has to question the librarian–who is so pretty that it makes him stumble over his words. Granted, he hasn’t dated much since getting divorced. Or before he got married, really. So trying to navigate the ins and outs of dating these days isn’t something John is prepared for. Too bad he can’t stop thinking about sweet, sweet Molly.

‘What was wrong with him? He was an elected official and here he was, with a member of the public–a librarian, no less!–and all he could think about was sex.’

No Offense was exactly the type of cute and quirky romance I expect from Meg Cabot. There were offbeat locals that will have you laughing, yummy tension between our love birds, and enough fun island antics to make this a great summertime read.

“You like me.”
“Well, I don’t dislike you. I certainly respect you in a professional capacity.”
“I respect you in a more-than-professional capacity.”
The next thing she knew, he was kissing her.

It was so nice to be back in Little Bridge Island and get caught up with a few townsfolk and see what had happened post hurricane since No Judgements, book one came out. No Offense is the second full-length novel in the series and each book (including one novella) has focused on different couples. This time it was Molly, a librarian who adored her job, and John, the island’s newish (hunky) sheriff and single dad. And what a team they made. They actually started off on the wrong foot when Molly found a newborn stashed away in the library’s bathroom and John began investigating. There was some bickering. And some definite chemistry. But they were a wee bit clueless when it came to the opposite sex and dating, which was hilarious.

Now as far as the whole part about the abandoned newborn, trying to find the mother and figure out what happened, I have to give it to Cabot for not making it overly dark while still keeping a level of seriousness about it. And I loved that Little Bridge’s residents were all invested in helping the baby any way they could. Several of them had starring roles in assisting John’s investigation and also with nudging him and Molly to finally get together.

One thing I will mention is to keep in mind that this is not *quite* a rom-com or a mystery but it does combine both elements, so it’s overall a very lighthearted (fluffy) story with just enough depth to make it palatable, I think, for most romance fans. I waffled between 3.5 and 4 stars but decided to go with 4 as I really did have a lot of fun reading this one.

Slow burn romance gave way to a sweet connection for two people who had been burned in love before in Meg Cabot’s entertaining latest novel, No Offense.

Book Info:

Publication: Published August 11th 2020 | William Morrow | Little Bridge Island #2

New York Times -bestselling author Meg Cabot’s returns with a charming romance between a children’s librarian and the town sheriff in the second book in the Little Bridge Island series.

Welcome to Little Bridge, one of the smallest, most beautiful islands in the Florida Keys, home to sandy white beaches, salt-rimmed margaritas, and stunning sunsets—a place where nothing goes under the radar and love has a way of sneaking up when least expected…

A broken engagement only gave Molly Montgomery additional incentive to follow her dream job from the Colorado Rockies to the Florida Keys. Now, as Little Bridge Island Public Library’s head of children’s services, Molly hopes the messiest thing in her life will be her sticky-note covered desk. But fate—in the form of a newborn left in the restroom—has other ideas. So does the sheriff who comes to investigate the “abandonment”. When John Hartwell folds all six-feet-three of himself into a tiny chair and insists that whoever left the baby is a criminal, Molly begs to differ and asks what he’s doing about the Island’s real crime wave (if thefts of items from homes that have been left unlocked could be called that). Not the best of starts, but the man’s arrogance is almost as distracting as his blue eyes. Almost…

John would be pretty irritated if one of his deputies had a desk as disorderly as Molly’s. Good thing she doesn’t work for him, considering how attracted he is to her. Molly’s lilting librarian voice makes even the saltiest remarks go down sweeter, which is bad as long as she’s a witness but might be good once the case is solved—provided he hasn’t gotten on her last nerve by then. Recently divorced, John has been having trouble adjusting to single life as well as single parenthood. But something in Molly’s beautiful smile gives John hope that his old life on Little Bridge might suddenly hold new promise—if only they can get over their differences.

Clever, hilarious, and fun, No Offense will tug at readers’ heartstrings and make them fall in love with Little Bridge Island and its unique characters once again.