Chasing Serenity: Seeking Serenity Book 1 (Seeking Serenity, #1)

by Eden Butler

• ISBN10: 1494436345
• ISBN13: 9781494436346
• Publish Date: 15 October 2013
• Publish Status: Active
• Imprint: Createspace Independent Publishing Platform
• Format: Paperback (US Trade)
• Pages: 354
• Language: English

Reviews

[Cocktails and Books]

I ♥ Declan Fraser! There, I've said it. There are so many things to love about this book, but for me, it was this broken Irishman who captured my attention.

CHASING SERENITY is about Autumn McShane, a college graduate student trying to come to terms with the loss of her mother living in a small town Irish enclave. Autumn's world turns upside down when she meets the newest member of the college's rugby team, Declan Fraser, when he drunkenly kisses her. Autumn is not at all prepared for just what kind of an effect Declan will have on her.

I will admit, Declan could be an irritating ass, but you could tell there was more to him. Despite his tattoos and boorish behavior, we discover Declan and Autumn share experiences and loves that bond them. Their mutual love of rugby, literature and television shows brings them closer together and help their "spark" grow into something much more. Autumn fights her attraction to Declan, worried she's going to fall into the same kind of relationship she had with her ex, but Declan is persistent and proves to her they were different.

Autumn is a hard character to like. She's been through something incredibly tragic, which will change anyone, but there are times where I wondered why her friends or Declan even bothered with her because she would come off as such a bitch. I can understand wanting to protect yourself, but at some point you have to realize the ice needs to thaw a bit or else you risk pushing everyone away. Despite being turned off at times by Autumn, I was invested in her character and needed to make sure she didn't destroy Declan (because she definitely had the power to do that). Luckily, Autumn figures things out before she got to that point.

I really enjoyed this book. Even with my difficulties with Autumn, Declan and the secondary characters had me turning pages to keep up with the story. I hope we get more from the group because I can definitely see stories for Sayo, Mollie, Layla and probably Tucker (although I would like to see him get the Autumn treatment to the junk like she did Declan).

[Ing Cruz]

Favorite quote from the book!

Autumn McShane has had a painful past. Her father walked away from her mother and her when she was a child. Her world was turned upside down when this happened because her father was her hero and she never knew why or understood why her father left. Then Autumn loses her mother in a horrific accident that left Autumn's body broken & lasting scars to remind her of this tragic event. While Autumn is dealing with this lost her boyfriend at the time runs off to pursue his dreams leaving her when she needed him most. All of these things have taught Autumn to not rely on anyone else and that people no matter how much you love them will leave you.

Declan Fraser lost his mother too at a young age. He was raised by a stranger who grew to mean the world to him. He loves playing rugby and he's just moved across the pond to come over and play the game at the University in the small town of Cavanaugh. Cavanaugh is a small Irish settlement outside Gatlinburg, Tennessee. The folks here take their rugby seriously. Declan fits right in with all the expats with his sexy Irish brogue, cocky attitude and his love for rugby!

When Autumn runs into Declan for the first time she was not impressed. Declan kisses her out of no where while intoxicated and Autumn lets him know her displeasure by kicking in his "bollocks"! LOL. Anyway with that bad first impression of Declan in her mind it takes Autumn a bit to warm up to the sexy Irish rugby playing newbie in town. With an ex interfering, a long lost father popping back up and a less than perfect first meeting will Autumn and Declan have a chance at all? ;)

Autumn, Autumn, Autumn! Eden Butler gives us a very well developed, strong, stubborn heroine in Autumn. She is no wilting flower. I found that refreshing since I tend to think most heroines so far in the new adult genre a bit weak. With that said Autumn still had her moments in this book that made me want to slap her silly and tell her to get the stick out of her butt. Especially at the beginning of the book Autumn comes off a bit judgmental and a prude to me. I get why she's like that...believe me I get it. I loved how she picked herself up after all she'd gone through but it still didn't stop be from wanting to give her a swift kick to the butt at times. Through all this I still enjoyed her character though. You can't help but still love the girl. She had spunk and she had determination.

Now Declan...wow! He totally made this book for me. I love me a sexy Irish hero and I found that and more in Declan Fraser. He's cocky, sarcastic, sweet, funny and schmoking HOT. His character is like an onion...with layers. Each page turned we start to slowly learn more and unravel and understand what's behind the sarcastic and cocky attitude that makes Declan tick. There is a lot of depth to him. The things I kept discovering about him just made me love the sexy boy more! Best part was his love for geek shows. His conversation with Autumn and her girlfriends when he reveals his geek side was too cute. I love me some Declan Fraser and he's been added to my list of memorable heroes.

Autumn has some great girlfriends. Sayo, Mollie and Layla are there for Autumn through it all cheering her on and supporting her through all the craziness and sadness. They were another favorite part of this book. I wanted to pull up a chair and be asked to join their group. They were that awesome and I wanted to be their friends too. I am so happy each of these ladies will be getting their own story! Woot-woot. Their friendship and interactions was another added plus to this book. Some of my favorite moments were when the girls were together. Their banter and teasing reminded me of the conversations I'd have with my girls!

The setting of this book in the small town of Cavanaugh was like it's own character as well. The town itself and their rugby loving way added to the story. I swear I wanted to hop on a plane and find this town..but alas it's not REAL! There are a lot of fun moments in this book and we are introduced to many characters that kept the book moving along smoothly. Tucker the ex gave the readers someone to root against. There was an unexpected twist at the end. I knew something was up but hadn't expected the twist to be that so that was a nice surprise.

I wish there had been more time spent with Declan and Autumn's developing relationship. I wanted a bit more time seeing them as a couple before the twist kept them apart through the second half of the book. I also wish we had seen a bit more of Autumn's reconciliation with her father. It played in the background more than I liked. Her father was someone that captures your heart and you can't help rooting that he'd be able to gain Autumn's forgiveness. Overall this was a strong start for a newbie new adult author. I really enjoyed the town of Cavanaugh, Declan, Autumn her girlfriends and even Tucker. I can't wait for more from Eden. She's one that you need to be on the look out for. I give my stamp of approval to this author and book. The story, characters and banter will keep you turning the pages!

See review originally posted on blog: http://bit.ly/1a54mam

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Review to come as part of the blog tour! I have two words for you all - DECLAN FRASER!!! Sigh.