Until It Fades by K.A. Tucker

Until It Fades

by K.A. Tucker

“Touching and complex…Tucker unerringly hits all the high notes of romance—the spark, the emotional depth, the mental and physical struggles—while creating a couple who seem perfectly attuned even when they are in conflict.” —Publishers Weekly (starred review)

Twenty-four-year-old truck stop waitress and single mother Catherine Wright has simple goals: to give her five-year-old daughter a happy life and to never again be the talk of the town in Balsam, Pennsylvania (population three thousand outside of tourist season).

And then one foggy night, on a lonely road back from another failed date, Catherine saves a man’s life. It isn’t until after the police have arrived that Catherine realizes exactly who it is she has rescued: Brett Madden, hockey icon and media darling.

Catherine has already had her fifteen minutes of fame and the last thing she wants is to have her past dragged back into the spotlight, only this time on a national stage. So she hides her identity. It works. For a time.

But when she finds the man she saved standing on her doorstep, desperate to thank her, all that changes. There’s an immediate connection, and it’s more electric than the bond of two people who endured a traumatic event. It’s something neither of them expected. Something that Catherine isn’t sure she can handle; something she is afraid to trust.

Because how long can an extraordinary man like Brett be interested in an ordinary woman like Catherine...before the spark fades?

Reviewed by whisperingchapters on

4 of 5 stars

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This review was originally posted on Latte Nights Reviews.

 

This story is totally different from what K.A. Tucker usually writes. Where her other books are filled with feels and suspense, this one was more light, feel-good, and a total beach read!

Until It Fades features a small town where everybody is in each other's business and knows anything and everything about what goes on in the town. Catherine's name has been in everyone's mouth ever since she got involved in something she shouldn't have and the town judged her so harshly. She's kind of moving past it when she comes face to face to a car crash. Not knowing who's in the car, she risks her life to pull out the survivor, who turns out to be Brett, a famous hockey player. Catherine doesn't want her name to be revealed to the media or Brett's family, but her family and close friend urge her to do so and she relents. What unravels are a series of events she wasn't expecting.

Honestly, I loved this book. It had me so giddy! My fave character has to be Brenna, Catherine's daughter. She was the sweetest and cutest one of the bunch. The relationship that Catherine and Brenna have is to admire. It's actually a very different relationship that Catherine had with her own mother. Their relationship was very strained over the years, especially when one specific event happened. But because of Catherine's heroic action, her mom starts to see her daughter differently and starts to think that maybe she judged her in the past when she shouldn't have.

I loved how this book showed Catherine's past in flashbacks. It was easy to understand what went down and it made me feel more for Catherine. Everyone blamed her while the person who should have been blamed got away with no blame at all. It was sad and heartbreaking. Because of this, she really didn't want anyone to find out what she had done to save Brett. But he wanted everyone to know who she was. Someone who had no idea who he was—she didn't even know he was famous—yet risked her life to save him. Brett was so freaking swoony! He had this gentle and calm presence about him that I immediately loved. And how he was with Catherine and Brenna melted my heart! I actually thought that Brett wanted to spend more time with Catherine because she saved his life and he felt like he owed her, but that was not the case. He sincerely liked everything about who Catherine was, especially the fact that she was so genuine and could care less about his famous world.
The poor, lonely waitress with a past, the jaded single mother with scars, who scrubs ketchup off tables and serves fries to truck drivers ensnares the rich, gorgeous, kind prince. I guess it’s kind of like Cinderella. Though Cinderella got herself beautiful glass slippers on her night of magic. Mine involved shabby black heels, which were left for dead in a ditch.

The romance between Brett and Catherine was so slow burn and took it's time to develop. At times, I did wanted to smack Catherine on the head because she kept being so guarded towards Brett. But overall, their relationship was so sweet and loving, despite the few hardships. Everything felt believable. What made me fall harder for Brett was that he always loved to have Brenna around. Even Catherine thought it was too much at times, but he genuinely loved to spend time with Brenna. She was so adorable! Reading about Brett's and Brenna's friendship was the sweetest thing ever.

Despite this story having all the positive feels and being so cute and romance-y, it also focuses on learning to forgive yourself, like Catherine had to learn to do. She had gone through a lot in her life and she had forgotten what it was like to have people support you and care for you unconditionally. Having found that, she got the push she needed to be stronger, fearless, and to forgive herself.

Overall, Until It Fades, is a beautifully written story about forgiveness, the importance of family, and ultimately, to learn to trust again. What makes this so wonderful is that it has a happily ever after feel to it that really fit the story and I ended up loving so much!



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Reading updates

  • Started reading
  • 15 May, 2017: Finished reading
  • 15 May, 2017: Reviewed