Reading the Paranormal: Nun Too Soon by Lissa Sharpe [Review]

Nun Too Soon (Bad Habit Book Club #1) by Lissa Sharpe
Format: ebook
Source: provided for review
Disclaimer: As an Amazon Associate, I earn from qualifying purchases.
Date read: March 6, 2024

Bad Habit Book Club
1. Nun Too Soon - Paperback | Kindle

Lissa Sharpe
| Amazon |

Synopsis (Goodreads):

Helen is just your normal, everyday librarian who writes romance novels on the side… except she also happens to be a former nun, new to life outside the order and to the dating scene. Helen isn’t just a virgin in her 30s– she’s never had a boyfriend, never kissed anyone, never even so much as held someone’s hand. Becoming a nun was always her path, until it wasn’t anymore, and trying to forge a new path in life has been…tricky.

What isn’t tricky? Her unrequited crush on the handsome library patron that Helen and her friends have affectionately nicknamed ‘The Red Unicorn’ -- a man who loves to read, looks great in glasses, and has red hair, aka Helen’s dream man. But the idea of dating is still intimidating, so Helen prefers to daydream about Thad from afar, turning him into her perfect romance novel hero.

Thad is far from perfect, not like the smart, sexy librarian he’s been surveilling. Thad is a bounty hunter who’s determined to find Helen’s brother, Dean, and he’s certain Helen is the key to tracking Dean down. Thad never plans to approach Helen or insert himself into her life–until it becomes clear he’s not the only one looking for Dean. The other people after him are bad news, and Helen’s going to get caught in the crossfire if Thad doesn’t intervene.

As Thad and Helen work together to find Dean, they actually get to know each other, soon realizing that the perfect, ideal versions they have of each other couldn’t be more wrong…but that who they are together might actually be just right.

Thoughts on Nun Too Soon: We're back in Chicago with a former nun and the bounty hunter on the trail of her brother. Which sounds complicated, but Helen's a forgiving sort, so the fact Thad is looking for her brother doesn't faze her nearly as much as how much she's attracted to Thad. Seeing how Thad really does want to do what he thinks is best for her brother, the fact he misled her with the books and the pretend reading (which is just a CRIME in my book, thankyouverymuch) is just a drop in the bucket to Helen.

That attraction, though. HOO-BOY.

Yeah, Helen likes a lot of things about Thad. Coming to terms with her wants and desires outside the church? That's kind of the thing that trips her up. When you've been told you're one thing your entire life, it's hard to change gears and realize you can be your version of you when you hardly know what your version is. That might sound complicated, but Helen has some figuring out to do and I am here for it. (Also, the mental picture of Dan and Quinn not knowing what to do with themselves when they see her thanks to the aforementioned previous sister-hood is one I'm going to hold close because HA.)

On Thad's end, he's a genuinely good guy, but he's wary. Given the family issues and general dynamic he has to deal with there, it's no surprise that he saw Helen in a very different light before he got to know her. His wariness made him suspicious of her actions when, in truth, Helen is pretty much an open book. Once he realized that, THINGS HAPPENED.

A little subterfuge, a road trip, a few dangerous moments, a party bus full of friendly co-eds, a man who doesn't know what to do with the open, honest Helen, and a former nun trying to find herself in a big way. *thumbs up*