Ramble: A West River Story

by L K Kirk

[stacey_is_sassy]

Second times the charm…

I hated my name as a kid. I don’t mind it now but back then, it was different from all the other girls, and everyone would call me Tracey instead of Stacey. What I wouldn’t have given to be a Sarah, Amanda or Jessica. I just wanted to be like everyone else with an, what I perceived, pretty name. Obviously, with maturity, you realise being different from everyone else is not a bad thing. Knowing the torment I went through as a kid, I decided to choose traditional names for my children. Their names suit them, but I wonder if they’ll hate me later in their lives because I didn’t come out with something original. I could have called one of them Ramble…

Ramble Rose Franklin is a 24-year-old klutz who hates her job and doesn’t handle stress well. Now, I don’t think she is specifically known as a klutz, but this poor chick stacked it at least three times in Ramble: A West River Story. I think her clumsiness is connected to stress and her mind working overtime. It could also have a lot to do with her first love coming back to town bringing all her rage and anger at him, back as well. Her stress is off the charts and somehow, she must bury that anger because…he’s her best friend’s brother.

Lux (short for Aluxander) has come back to town and he’s on a mission. Somehow, he has to convince the love of his life to give him a second chance. Now, it’s going to be a wee bit tricky because first off, she absolutely HATES him. Second off, she’s the sister of his best friend AND the best friend of his sister. Their families are close and even their first attempt at love was kept a secret because they knew it would rock the boat. But, six years is a long time to be waiting for the chance to have Rammy back in his life. There’s no way he will give up on his love for Ramble because she’s the only one for him. Lux just has to turn her hate back to love and make sure their families don’t kill them when they find out the truth.

I really enjoyed Ramble: A West River Story and was sucked in from the very first page. The characters were interesting, lovable and quirky. The storyline kept my attention from start to finish and I even liked the step back in time to see how this young couple originally fell in love. The sexy times were not OTT but showed their attraction, lust and connection. There is some frustration when it feels like Ramble takes too long to forgive Lux, but when the full story is exposed, I didn't blame her. I shed a tear when Lux broke Ramble's heart and I knew that there had to be a reason for the heartbreak. Of course, it was a numbskull reason, but he was a 20-year-old bloke. Only maturity and life-experience can teach you the right way to handle real love.

Unfortunately, there is one thing that held it back from being a five-star read…THE EDITING!! I know I’m picky and finicky but I think this book could and would be so much better, and popular in the romance reading community, with a bit of a clean-up. Incorrect words, missing words and repetitive inner-monologue are things that distracted me from my enjoyment. From what I can tell, this is L. K. Kirk’s debut novel and I see so much potential for success. I thoroughly enjoyed her characters, humour and setting.

I was fortunate to have a friend in a Goodreads group I belong to, point me in Ramble’s direction. Thank you, Okie, I will definitely be keeping an eye out for more West River adventures in the future.

If you’re looking for a humorous second chance love story set in a small town, I highly recommend giving Ramble: A West River Story a try.