5 stars Zoe York continues to be one of my favorite authors, with the insane ability to reach into me and stir up all of the feels I keep hidden. Owen and Kerry make for a heartbreakingly, intensely emotional pairing. There is nothing shallow about Owen, who is known for being grouchy and unapproachable. Kerry is like a ray of sunshine, but she’s off-limits as long as she is midwife to Owen’s daughter. When the two of them finally allow themselves to be together, the chemistry is explosive, but the emotional connection and intimacy they share is profound. Bit by bit, Owen is broken down until he finally recognizes what has been broken within him for so many years that he hadn’t even been able to recognize it anymore. The reader goes from thinking this will be a typical story of a grouchy male who becomes cheerful with the love of a good woman to realizing nothing is that simple and it was foolish to think that Zoe would take the easy way. No, she is not content to allow characters to change and grow without putting them through the deep and difficult work that is needed for real change. When Zoe takes her characters through a hero’s journey, she makes them work their asses off and shed tears of agony before she will allow them their happy ending. And that is why her books always make me cry. Her books are easy to read, with relatable wise-cracking characters who care deeply for one another and even come out with some surprising words of wisdom. The reader feels like he/she could be friends with these people and would enjoy hanging out with them. That’s probably why when the heartache comes, it is felt even more intensely. By now, we’re so invested in these characters, we feel their pain as if it is our own. As they realize what they’ve failed to recognize thus far, the reader is hit with the same epiphany and the sensation of “Wow, how did I miss that?” and the realization that Zoe’s writing has so many layers, the only way to expose them is to keep peeling (and we all know peeling an onion results in tears). When I reach the end of one of Zoe’s books, I am thankful that every book is a complete story with a happy ending (though characters appear again within the series), because I wouldn’t be able to stand the heartache to which she subjects her characters and the only thing that keeps me going is the fact that I know she’ll provide the HEA before I get to the final page. Ultimately, all I can say with any certainty is that every book from Zoe York is well worth reading and I’m really thankful she offered ARCs this time. May 30, 2020
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5 STARS This is another amusing and well-written story from Bianca Blythe. I loved the dry wit exhibited by both Juliet and Lucas. The two of them make a great match and I enjoyed reading about them learning about one another. I was a bit disappointed in Lucas’ lack of confidence in himself and willingness to give up on Juliet. And I found Juliet’s father and stepmother incredibly annoying, and although Juliet loved her father, I found very little likable about him. He may have redeemed himself when Juliet finally told him how she felt about his joking, but the rest of the time, he and the stepmother came across as two-dimensional and stereotypically self-absorbed. Like all of Bianca’s books, this is a fun one with relatable characters and an interesting plot. May 29, 2020 |
Elizabeth J ConnorWriter. Editor. Proofreader. Archives
September 2022
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