IF YOU ASK ME – Libby Hubscher
Jove
ISBN: 978-0593199442
March 8, 2022
Romantic Comedy

Raleigh, North Carolina – Present Day

Newspaper advice columnist Violet Covington thought her marriage to Sam was solid. That is until she came home from work early one day and discovered him in bed with their neighbor Shelby. Now Violet’s life—both personally and professionally—is out of control. It doesn’t help that she has a chance for her column to become nationally syndicated. It doesn’t matter that her mother-in-law hates her. What matters is that Violet needs to get rid of Sam’s prized possessions, including his suits and other personal items. And she is going to do it by dragging them outside and torching them using his favorite brand of booze as the accelerant. But the fire department is called after the fire gets out of control. It’s firefighter Dez to the rescue. He is kind and considerate and turns out to be a neighbor too. He brings her coffee and croissants. Pretty nice guy, right? But Violet isn’t looking for a new guy. She still isn’t over why her life has gone off the rails.

Things turn from bad to worse when her personal life—including naming names—ends up in her advice column. Now everyone knows she was cheated on. While Violet struggles with what is going on, Dez seems to always be there picking up the pieces. She should reciprocate but she’s having a hard time. Will Violet finally figure out where her life is going?

Violet is having a lot of bad luck in IF YOU ASK ME, and it only gets worse. Her career is potentially about to take off if the national syndicate company picks up her column, meaning it will appear all over the country. Meanwhile, finding Sam in bed with Shelby devastates her, leading to her doing some uncharacteristic things. The first thing she does is destroy Sam’s favorite stuff, but after the fire department is called, it leads her to Dez. Then she has a run-in with her mother-in-law, which leads to a visit to the ER. Violet should appreciate his kindness, especially after he takes her home after her stint in the emergency room. Their relationship in IF YOU ASK ME builds slowly, but that is expected because this tale is about Violet’s new journey as a newly separated woman.

If you’ve ever experienced heartbreak, then you can sympathize with what Violet is going through. Add in the potential for her career advancing nationally only to have it jeopardized after she goes viral, then we will wonder how it all ends for her in IF YOU ASK ME. Dez is mostly in the background in this tale, but he’s a part of the decisions that Violet must make as she tries to salvage her career—and her personal life. It doesn’t help that she can’t avoid Shelby. She also doesn’t make things better when she tries to hide the failure of her marriage to her mother. Will Violet end up making the right choices in IF YOU ASK ME?

A funny and intriguing tale that will have you laughing out loud at times, you won’t want to miss IF YOU ASK ME. This isn’t a sad tale but one that will make you laugh and make you smile. Grab a copy today.

Patti Fischer