Overdue, a swoonworthy best friend to lovers, standalone romance from Miranda Elaine is available now!

Growing up, Griffin Thorne was the most annoying, adorable, and infuriating boy I’d ever met. I told myself I wanted nothing to do with him, but no matter how much I tried to hate him, that crazy boy somehow became my best friend.

As teenagers, we were inseparable. Despite the high school rumors, we never crossed any lines. Friends forever. That was our motto.

Griffin grew up to become a smoking hot firefighter and I got my dream job as the town librarian. Life was perfect. However, when tragedy strikes and we’re forced to move in together, our friendship is put to the biggest test yet.

Do I risk everything for the chance at an epic love? If I follow my heart, I could lose my best friend. But if it works, we could finally get our very own Happily Ever After.

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Excerpt

It doesn’t take long to get to Jack’s place. Griffin and he have been working together for years. Jack has always been the biggest flirt and serial dater up until he met Shelby. But in the span of the eighteen months, he met her, got married in Vegas, and had a kid.
It was a quick courtship.
Shelby works as an interior designer on the island. She fixes up huge houses for the rich people who will only use them for a couple of months a year. The cookout this weekend was her idea since starting Monday she’s finally back at work since having their baby, Ava, two months ago. She doesn’t really have any coworkers other than her assistant, Sarah, so Jack invited all the other firefighters and their families over too.
We park on the street along with a half dozen other trucks and a few minivans from the family men. He’s out of the truck and over on my side before I can even get my things together.
“Hand it over,” he demands, his palm up waiting for me to comply.
I play dumb, wide eyes and innocence on my face. “What are you talking about?” I climb down the too big truck, trying desperately not to fall over . . . again.
“The book that’s hiding in your bag, Leni.” He points to the tote bag hanging to my side. “Come on now, give it to me. Easiest way for you not to give in to the desire to hide and read is to remove the temptation.”
“I left my book at home. Remember, you saw me set it down.” I play dumb.
“I’ve known you since we were nine. If you think I don’t know that you have a backup book in that bag, then you’re dead wrong.”
“Ugh!” I sigh dramatically as I pull out my well-loved copy of Emma and place it in his hand. He gently tosses it onto my seat, and I smack his shoulder as he does. He knows better than to throw around my books.
“Great, now the Kindle.” His voice is stern, and I know he means it.
“Seriously? Griffin, this is not cool. I’m a grown woman. I can go a few hours without reading.”
“Sure, you can. But I know you’ll get overwhelmed by the chaos that is definitely happening in there and you’ll retreat to a quiet corner.” He leans in close enough to me that I can smell his subtle cologne and shoves his hand deep into the tote, pulling my Kindle out in one fast swipe.
“Don’t you firefighters take obeying the law seriously?” I snark at him. “Seems to me you’re stealing my possessions and my lifeline.”
“Sue me. Hell, march downtown and file a report with any cop there. Good luck getting them to pursue it. I think they have much bigger fish to fry than me holding onto your electronics while we are at a social gathering. Don’t you think?”
“Grrr,” I growl at him before stomping off toward the gate with him on my heels. Before I can even acknowledge what is happening, he’s caught up to me and has me caged between him and the gate. I work hard to steady my breath, refusing to let him see how his closeness affects me. I feel his hand slide into the back pocket of my overalls. As quick as it’s there, it’s gone, along with my cell phone. The backup to my backup plan.
“I told you, Leni, I know you. You can have this with your Kindle app back on the way home!” he yells out to me as I let the gate behind me slam in front of him.
With a huff, I turn, open the gate, and storm angrily through it. Caught in a fit of laughter, he stands there watching me leave him behind. With the loud sound of the metal gate slamming behind me mixed with the booming laughter coming from Griffin, the party seems to come to a complete standstill.
Great . . . everyone is looking my way and my first instinct is to turn and run. But to prove to him I can do this, I stand tall, throw my long red hair over my shoulder, and march myself over to Shelby.

*****5 AMAZING STARS*****

Miranda Elaine continues to be one my favorite authors. Her books are so utterly enjoyable to read. They are inviting, they are consuming, they just feel good. To quote my favorite snowman, they feel like a warm hug. It might sound corny, but it’s true. The way that Miranda Elaine creates her worlds and her stories and her characters, the way that she so authentically envelops you within everything that she creates, and the way that she puts you in the heart of her story is truly the absolute best. 

It feels good. It feels welcoming. It feels nice to read. It is something you don’t want to have end. It is the best kind of hug, the one you just want to lean into with all that you have. It is one that truly melts and touches your heart. 

All of her books have felt like this, but Overdue especially felt like this. 

Everything with Leni and Griffin was incredible. I’m pretty sure I fell in love with those two from the very first moment I met them. And getting their friends to lovers story is something that I will not soon forget. It was memorable, it was emotional and meaningful, it was sweet as all get-out, and it was just so beyond endearing because of everything those two shared together. I am telling you, the moment you meet those characters you will love them. You will love them, you will root for them, you will feel for them with all that you have, and you will just want to leap into this book with them. 

They are that good. They are that special. They are that amazing. 

I mean what else can I say about this book besides the fact that it was outstanding and just so so good? 

It truly had it all. 

It had one of my favorite storylines ever, with two childhood friends trying to weigh their way through the ocean of feeling between them. It had a librarian falling for her firefighter best friend. It had a little bit of drama, it had a little bit of that something that kept you on the edge of your seat eager for what would happen next. It had such memorable characters, with so much sass and voice and personality that had me smiling from cheek to cheek. It had a story that completely consumed me from start to finish, and it opened up a world that I am so eager to get more of. 

This book really was the entire package. 

I think one of the things I loved most about this romance, besides everything about it, was that it was so easy to relate to these characters, and to understand who they were, what was driving them, what was keeping them apart, and what they were feeling along the way. Miranda Elaine once again did a phenomenal job of allowing you to connect into her characters, into everything they were sharing, into every piece of them so that you really understood them. She allows you to understand what keeps Leni and Griffin apart. She allows you to understand the buildup and the intensity of what happens between them. She allows you to be there in all of those moments that lets you understand why things happen the way they do and why these characters feel what they feel. She allows you to get it. She allows you to feel it. She allows you to understand every bit of it. And that is just a fraction of what allows you to connect to these characters on such a deep level. 

I truly connected to these characters as I was reading their story. I connected to Leni’s fears about taking that next step, about pushing the boundaries of what she was sharing with Griffin, and I really just loved her. I loved her humor, I loved her reading and her view of books, I loved just everything about her. She was sweet and genuine and kind and just the best of the best. I loved Griffin just as much. I loved that he always understood, that he always pushed in a way that was genuine and thoughtful and just enough. He was just him. He was the sweetest, with a heart of gold. He was a man that was willing to fight and willing to be there when it really mattered and that truly made all the difference. 

I truly just loved the two of them too. I loved their connection. I loved that Miranda Elaine allowed you to see them as children, at different ages, at different stages of their relationship as they tried to figure out how they crossed that crazy wonderful bridge from being friends to something more. I loved getting to be there as they struggled. I loved that I got to be there in those moments where things weren’t easy and when they had to really figure it out because that was authentic. It was real. It was easy to connect to and it just drove home even more how much I needed them to be together and how much I wanted that with every fiber of my being. 

I just loved them. I loved them, I believed in them, I felt for them, I rooted for them, I just was enamored with them. And that is all a testament to what this author creates that I felt that so strongly through every word of the story. 

And honestly, who doesn’t dream of falling for your firefighter best friend next door? Who doesn’t dream of that one person becoming more? Who doesn’t dream of sharing that little bit of fire with the one person who means everything to you? Who doesn’t dream for the chance at something real, something heartfelt, something that will give you everything you need and more?

It is a dream that truly melted my heart while I was reading this book, and that coupled with everything I got with Leni and Griffin made this the perfect read. 

From start to finish I was completely in love with this book. I was in love with these characters. I was in love with this story. I was in love with this world that I was introduced to. I was in love With every memorable moment and experience that pulled me in something fierce to everything I was reading. I was in love with it all. 

The way that Miranda Elaine and her thoughtful writing brings this world and story to life will truly give you the best kind of reading experience. It will wrap you up, it will hold you tight, it will give you all of the good feels, and you will love it. It will feel like that warm hug and you will never want for it to end. And even when you reach the end of this book, and when it’s time to say goodbye, you’ll still feel the warmth, the feels, and the abundant love of this book and these characters and everything they share because that is how amazing this story is. 

I cannot wait for more from this series, more from this world, and more from this author. 

If you have not had the pleasure of reading a book by Miranda Elaine, you need to run yourself to her books this very second. Her writing is on point, her characters and her stories are memorable and beyond authentic, and each of her stories and each of her characters are so easy to relate to. She makes her stories and every moment within them feel so very real. She brings you into the fold in a way that will truly pull your heart into everything you’re reading, and in the end she shows you what a good love story can give you. 

Overdue was the epitome of a perfect romance. Bursting with feels, built on the best amount of spark and intensity and buildup, with two real characters my heart NEEDED to be together. It was everything I needed and more. It was a love story I wanted and believed in with my whole heart, and at its core, it was a love story of two people who could not be more meant to be. 

I am telling you, if you give this story a read, you will not be disappointed. You will love every bit of Leni and Griffin and what they share, and even in those moments when they kind of drive you crazy, you will love them. You will love them, root for them, fight for them, and know with every piece of your heart that what they’re sharing is truly something special.

And really? It doesn’t get any better than that. 

It doesn’t get any better than Overdue by Miranda Elaine. 

About Miranda
Miranda is a loving wife and barely surviving mother of three occasionally good kids. Her hobbies include lying to herself about the calories in donuts and banana pudding, as well as running out of excuses when procrastinating. She’s been an avid reader since she was a young girl. Whether she’s by the pool, curled up in bed, or hiding in the closet, as long as she has a book in her hands she’s happy.

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