Liz (Bent Bookworm)
Written on Dec 4, 2018
First of all, the dialogue is horribly stilted and not at all how people talk - especially not people from rural Appalachia! Not that I'm asking for an attempt at vernacular, but maybe just normal American style speaking? Especially in the first couple of chapters it's as if the characters have never heard of contractions and the result is so awkward. I tried reading some of the dialogue out loud, wondering if maybe it was just my inward eye being judgy, but nope. It sounds just as bad out loud.
One of the redeeming features - and pretty much the ONLY reason I gave the story 3 stars instead of 2 - is Justin's relationship with his much younger sister Marley, now under his guardianship. He clearly loves her and is trying SO HARD - too hard - to make up for all the deficiencies in her life both past and present. She is in many ways a typical pre-teen, and I loved her quirky interests and of course her love of books, and the way she tried to take care of Justin, too. Her and Tara's relationship growth was really sweet, and her tendency to spout off zingers made me snicker a few times. Marley is awesome and I just wanted to scoop her up and give her all the books she could possibly want.
The romance was insta-lovey, but that's to be expected in a novella. I thought Justin made for an attractive love interest for Tara but again the execution was just...not for me. He seems obsessed with kissing Tara's hands, even within an hour of them meeting! Maybe I'm just overly sensitive to human contact, but I really don't like people touching me and have a hard time relating to characters who do it or are ok with it within such a short time of meeting or knowing people. Then there were just some cringe-worthy lines that took all the heat out of the story in places.
Her skirt was short, her sweater tight, and the lighted reindeer antler headband nearly sent him over the edge.
Really. The lighted reindeer antler headband. Dude, what even. I couldn't take any of their attraction seriously after that, and even the culminating scene fell flat. I was too distracted by picturing her wearing flashing antlers on her head, even though she wasn't by that point.
Of course, these things won't bother everyone, and the groundwork is laid for a couple more novellas in the series (Tara has two sisters who both obviously also deserve a HEA), so if the rural community and family farm storyline intrigue you, be sure to check it out.
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