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Of All Places by Lily Baines
Of All Places
New Adult, Adult, Contemporary Romance
Independently published
July 22, 2020
Kindle, Paperback
215
After a rough year, Librarian Melanie Allen longs to escape a string of bad dates and boring days. So she jets off to picturesque Montenegro for a one-week tour, determined to prove there’s life at almost-forty. But when she encounters a stunningly handsome man, she acts impulsively for the very first time and changes her plans.
Still unsure how she managed to capture the striking man’s attention, deep down Melanie knows she must transform her self-conscious ways to win his heart. But she senses he’s holding back emotional wounds and fears she’s about to repeat the painful mistakes of her past.
Will Melanie overcome her doubts and forge a future with the man she hopes is her soulmate?
Of All Places is a charming standalone romantic women’s fiction novel. If you like relatable characters, sizzling chemistry, and breathtaking locations, then you’ll adore Lily Baines’s enthralling tale.
“It’s not about meeting the right man, but about meeting the man right.”
Forty year old, single librarian Melanie Allen would never in a million years have imagined that the cheap European get away she booked to Montenegro after the death of her mother and only living relative would be the place where she would meet Mr. Right. Her love life has led nowhere not only because she was settling for the two men she has dated in her 40+ years but because, as she has come to realize, she too sees herself as the frumpy middle-aged librarian. Her one day stop in Kotor leaves her with a feeling of peace and happiness like she has never experienced. But, it’s a chance encounter with a hunky Montenegro man, Theo, that draws her out of her introverted facade and gives her the courage to take a spontaneous leap of faith and completely change her travel plans. A right choice the leads her to the “right man”. 
Lily Baines has written the perfect chick lit, contemporary romance with Of All Places. Set in the Baltic nation of Montenegro on the Adriatic Sea, the story’s beautiful scenery and charming culture is a fantasy location for many women. Melanie is smart when it comes to books and her job yet very insecure when it comes to herself. She can hardly believe that a man like Theo was find any interest in her, especially when he says he has never met anyone like her. Their connection is tangible through the words on the page and the reader cannot help but be swept along as their relationship buds and blossoms.
Of All Places is a wonderfully conceived and written story the flows effortless from page one. It leaves you with “all the feels” as most women can easily relate to Melanie’s diminished feelings about herself and can’t help but cheer her on as she transitions from insecure and self-conscious to vibrant and self-assured, leaving behind an old life that brought her little joy and happiness. Of All Places is an uplifting book that will stay with you for days after you finish, as you think on Melanie and are continually encouraged to take a few risks in life and see the places it will take you.
Tanya’s love for books has been a lifelong passion that she likes sharing with others. Reading is also the thing that relaxes her after a day of juggling the many responsibilities that come with being being wife to an amazing man, mother to four great kids spread around the world, business manager, and farm hand on their place in southwest Missouri; home to Akaushi cattle and a menagerie of pygmy goats, horses, chickens, dogs and cats.
