In the current romance publishing climate, it’s not unusual for ‘debut’ authors to have multiple titles in print through self-publishing houses before they’re picked up by conventional publishers. While the quality of self-published titles are definitely hit-or-miss in terms of quality, self-publishing gives authors the possibility of publishing stories that traditional publishers pass on or to hone their writing chops in different directions. (Pro-tip: Self-publishing is also a great source for inclusive romances or books by authors of color, which traditional publishers, in spite of pledging to expand their offerings by authors of color, have made very little actual progress on.) Before she recently started publishing with romance giant Avon, British author Talia Hibbert was earning fans with her self-published titles, and her 2019 novel Work For It demonstrates why. Centered on the love between posh and conflicted Olu and lonely outcast Griff, Hibbert writes a story that isn’t afraid to tackle painful topics like suicide and forced outing, and still infuses it in a sensual, genuine love story with streaks of laugh-out-loud humor.
Olu Keynes hasn’t been able to trust anyone since an ex-boyfriend forcefully outed him and threatened his beloved sister. He spots an ad for elderberry harvest workers in rural Leicestershire, and heads to the country, determined to work whatever ails him out of his system. His system, however, is not prepared for the sight of Griffin Everett, the elderberry farm manager. Griff is something of an oddball in his village—a big, hulking giant of a man who’s regarded as kind of slow and suspicious by most of the villagers, put off by both his sexuality and his deceased mother’s reputation for witchcraft. Griff is still haunted by his mother’s suicide a decade earlier, and he still blames himself for not being able to save her from depression. Seemingly polar opposites, Olu and Griff are nonetheless immediately drawn to each other. But the roots of each man’s pain and missed connections make for a drawn out dance while the attraction builds to a fever pitch. When they finally give in, the scenes are both sensual and raw, but unlike a lot of explicit romances, Work For It is all about building full-developed characters, helped along by alternating first-person point of view narrative. Of the two, Griff comes across as the stronger character—Olu’s tortured track to acceptance leans a little too heavily on the tired ‘I’m too damaged for you to love’ trope—but both men’s stories are built up enough to have readers longing to see them get to that happily ever after for which they’ve worked so hard. Hibbert’s sharp dialog (Olu: “I’ve been told I have a terrifying aura.” Griff: “Would be more terrifying if you didn’t talk about auras”) lightens the heavy angst-ridden moments, especially more so towards the end as Olu and Griff start to lower those barriers to love. Work For It is especially recommended for fans of contemporary romance who aren’t afraid of angsty, sensual characters, readers of LGBTQ+ romance, or stories where characters are able to overcome trauma.