Hi there! Today I’m sharing a review for a new contemporary romance from Jillian Liota. THE TROUBLE WITH WANTING pairs two strangers who meet on a plane and find the emotional “home” they’ve been missing for years.

About the book:
Ruby Roberts is heading to Cedar Point to connect with the father who left her behind. Easy conversation with the handsome man sitting next to her isn’t what she’s expecting from her cross-country flight, but it’s not something she’s complaining about, that’s for sure.
Boyd Mitchell is flying home for some end-of-summer relaxation and time with his favorite people – his family. A talkative seat-mate that pulls him out of his shell is the last thing he wants, but he can’t seem to resist her charm.

When Boyd and Ruby end up in the same lakeside town, their banter and flirtation quickly become a steamy fling that leaves them both breathless. Neither of them are expecting to find a romance that has them both reconsidering everything they used to believe about love.
As their time in Cedar Point comes to an end, the two will have to decide whether they want their connection to turn into a real-world relationship, or whether wanting more is nothing but trouble.

How about a little taste?

“Sorry for rambling,” I say, giving him another smile. “It’s way too early in the morning to be debating something so highbrow. So, how ’bout them Sox, huh?”
Boyd looks at me with a twinkle in his eyes, a kind of friendly charm I wasn’t expecting from him, regardless of how well we got on with our chat.
What I wouldn’t give to look at that kind of handsome joy every day for the rest of my life.
A stupid thought, sure, but still true.
“I bet you ten dollars you can’t name a single player on the team this year.”
I narrow my eyes, trying to hide my smile as I shake my head. “I’m not a gambling girl.”
“You’d gamble if you knew you were probably going to win.” His response is as quick as lightning. “People only choose not to gamble when they’re afraid they’ll lose.”
“That is so not true.” I giggle. “Some of us poor folk don’t gamble because we can’t take the risk. Not all of us are first class aficionados with money to throw around willy-nilly.”
“Nobody says willy-nilly anymore.”
I snort. “Clearly that’s false, because I just did.”
He bites his lip and shakes his head, and I can’t help the little thing that keeps bouncing around in my chest.
We like him, it tells me. We like him a lot.
Is this flirting? We are definitely flirting, right? I hope so, because it has been far too long since I’ve enjoyed a good flirt sesh with someone as handsome as Boyd.
That’s a lie.
I’ve never flirted with someone as handsome as Boyd. He is in a league of his own.
Before I can say anything else, the plane lurches forward, and it feels like my stomach is going to fall out of my body.
My eyes slam shut and my throat closes up, my hands gripping the armrests for dear life as the plane barrels down the runway, all the good feelings from my talk with Boyd rushing out of me with a surreal quickness.
It’s going to be okay.
It’s going to be okay.
It’s going to be okay.
I’m like that for who knows how long before I feel a hand on top of mine, the warmth and roughness surprising me enough that my eyes fly open, taking in the man sitting next to me.
He lifts my hand and twists his fingers in mine, the sensation robbing me of my voice—and maybe my sanity.
For the rest of my life, I’ll remember exactly what he says to me. Not just the words, but the soothing tone of his voice and the earnest caring in his eyes, so surprising from someone I was expecting to ignore me for the entire flight.
“It’s okay to be afraid,” he says. “I can’t take that feeling away from you, but I can hold your hand until it’s over so you know you’re not alone.”

My Review:
Boyd Mitchell grew up in Cedar Point, a small mountain town in northern California and his family still lives there, for the most part. He’s finished with grad school and working for a tech incubator in Boston now, but each year he’s scheduled to return to Cedar Point for a two week “vacation” reunion with his family. He loves his family, but he HATES small town life, and everyone being up in his business is the worst…but the pretty, chatty lady at his side in first class is surprisingly not a bother. Nope, this introvert breaks out of his shell for the first-time flier with a huge problem.

Ruby Roberts is 24, single and a massage therapist. She never met a stranger in her life, because she makes friends nearly instantly. She’s a bit terrified of flying, that’s no lie, but she’s also scared of where she’s headed. Some podunk town that’s the home of the father who abandoned her twenty years ago. Ruby loves her mom, and thinks of her as a hero for raising her alone, but she’s always wondered if her dad missed her any. After reaching out and some conversations, she’s agreed to fly to California and stay for a ten-day visit to become reacquainted with her father and meet his wife and half-brothers. She hasn’t bothered to tell her mom who she’s visiting, though, and the secret is eating her alive. Thankfully, sexy Boyd is a big distraction.

Long and the short of it, Boyd’s family property is right close to Ruby’s dad’s home, and since her dad took a business trip without her knowing–and the step-mom is about a welcoming as a polar bear with a paw injury–Ruby is grateful to have Boyd to cheer her up, and spend time with her, since she’s so isolated. Boyd loves how Ruby fits so well with his siblings, and feels especially bad that her reunion with her dad is not currently happening. But the make the most of it, hanging out, doing yoga, eating Boyd’s mom’s fab cooking. And falling in love.

This is a sweet and breezy romance but it was a bit verbose for me. I found myself skimming a good deal just because I got tired of the elaborate, repetitious, and finely detailed descriptions of…everything. Some folks might dig it, but I thought the word count could have been cut by a third and the story not suffer a bit. There’s small town drama of exes wishing reunions, and Ruby’s dad ends up being super lackluster. But Boyd, who is the most introverted and least likely to have any fun person prior to Ruby’s advent, is suddenly Mr. Social. It was almost too big a transformation. I liked Ruby, though I got tired of her attitudes about sex and orgasms, as she was too decided about all that and it just ruined the intimacy most of the time.

There’s some miscommunication that threatens the growth of the relationship, but Boyd’s able to win Ruby’s heart in the end once they are both back in Bean Town. I can only imagine the next story in this series will feature Boyd’s sister Briar, who’s freshly out of a bad romance by the end of this book.

Interested?You can find THE TROUBLE WITH WANTING on Goodreads and Amazon.

About the Author:
Jillian Liota is a new author writing contemporary romance and new adult fiction. She lives in Kailua, Hawaii with her amazing husband, 2 cats, and 3-legged pup.
She is the author of the new adult romance novel The Keeper, which focuses on a female college soccer goalie, as well as the follow up novella, Keep Away. Her newest release, Like You Mean It, is in the contemporary romance genre and has a more mature voice, as it follows a pregnant mother finding love in a new town.

She has a master’s in Higher Education and Student Affairs, and she is passionate about all things improvement, development and organization.

She’s also a big fan of taking walks with her husband and dog Maia, reading romance (obviously), watching a handful of horrible reality TV shows, and exploring the island she calls home. Check out her Contact page for more information on how to connect.

Connect with Jillian on her website, Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram.