Cathy Yardley

Maggie Le has spent the past few years since her divorce doing everything to get her son through high school and into college. And now that he's moved away for his freshman year, 48-year old Maggie is embracing all of her introverted homebody instincts, and spending a lot of time alone in her large house just outside Fools Falls. When she and her son worry about each other not socializing with others, they strike a deal: they'll each do one social thing that week. Maggie joins an online show more gaming guild run by a friend of a friend, that's largely made up of local community college students. To prevent the youngsters from getting any ideas Maggie chooses the username Bogwitch. She quickly becomes online friends with the head of the guild, Otter, and has to remind herself that he's only twenty-something and she's not interested in romance anyway. Otter meanwhile, is 50-year old Aiden Bishop, who moved back to his small hometown to care for his aging parents. Due to the means of his virtual introduction to Bogwitch, he thinks she's in her eighties. When circumstances lead to Maggie and Aiden finally meeting in real life, sparks fly. But they've both got their own complex histories that makes them wonder whether it's worth risking their friendship for something more.

I ADORED this contemporary romance. First of all, I am all for romances featuring characters over 35. More please! Second, Yardley does an excellent job of capturing nerd culture in the online gaming space and makes Maggie both a great gamer and one who isn't afraid to call out some of the toxic bro tendencies of some of the guild members. I loved the dynamic between Maggie and Aiden (she's the grumpy to his sunshine) and also loved that over the course of the novel Aiden comes to understand that he's both bisexual and demisexual. Plus there's tons of great banter throughout. Even if you're not into gaming, I highly recommend this romance and I will definitely be reading some of Yardley's other work in the future. show less

I really enjoyed this book, enough that it might be my favorite read of the month—and for a contemporary romance, coming from me, that's really high praise! (I usually read mostly SFF, and very little contemporary.) This book had very relatable characters that I wanted to root for, including some of the side characters. It was wonderful seeing older main characters in the romance spotlight, and the gaming aspect of the relationship part of the book also resonated with me. I loved seeing show more introverts presented so accurately and positively here. This is going to be a book I return to for comfort reading. (And it has some GREAT quotes!) show less

Kyla, who runs a mechanic’s with her brother, asks one of her brother’s old friends to help them out so that Kyla has enough spare time to pursue her new cosplay costuming business.

I thought Kyla and Jericho’s respective family issues were resolved far too readily, but as I said about the earlier Fandom Hearts books (Level Up and One True Pairing), I find this sort of fluffy romance is acceptable if it comes with fandom references.

“I care about you, Kyla. You get that, right? I want show more to help you. This isn’t pity or because you’re a family friend. You are one of my favorite people. You are hardworking and loyal and amazing.”
She smiled, wiping away the tears and stemming the flow. “Right. My work ethic brings all the boys to the yard.” show less

Maggie Le is five years divorced and has just sent her son Kit off to college; she's embracing hermit-hood as she works from home and socializes via online games and occasional phone calls with her two close friends. Aiden Bishop has moved back to small-town Washington to care for his late father and his declining mother, but she treats him terribly and refuses to do any of the paperwork Aiden knows (from being a hospice nurse) is essential. When Maggie and Aiden connect playing Blood Saga show more Online, she thinks he's her son's age, and he thinks she's his mother's age. Nevertheless, "Otter" and "Bogwitch" form a friendship of sorts, and the misunderstanding is cleared up once they meet in person, when Aiden breaks his foot and Maggie brings him pho. As they learn more about each other's pasts, Maggie helps Aiden realize that he's demisexual (as well as bisexual), and she goes to bat for him when his family - including his former fiancee and current sister-in-law - treat him terribly. Maggie and Aiden finally come together romantically at a wedding Aiden must attend; his mother agreed to do paperwork if he brought a date, and Maggie agrees to come.

Aiden's compassion and Maggie's brand of "violent friendship" make for a completely lovable story of a friendship that grows into a romance, where two people see each other for who they are. show less