Close Enough to Touch (Jackson Hole, #1)

by Victoria Dahl

[Leah]

Victoria Dahl is a prolific romance writer of both contemporary and historical fiction. She’s hugely popular in the US, but I’ve never had the opportunity to read one of her books (romance isn’t REALLY my thing – I like romance in a novel, but I don’t like pure romance novels. Even I know that that sounds strange, but I know what I mean). However, when I saw her new novel on Netgalley, and saw the word “Hollywood”, I requested it, hoping for a fab Hollywood novel. That’ll serve me right for not reading the full, entire synopsis which would have told me the novel is a cowboy novel set in Wyoming, and is not a glamorous Hollywood novel about a make-up artist. Woops. Not that that actually bothered me, because as soon as I started reading, I couldn’t put the bloody book down. Or, rather, I couldn’t put my Kindle down. I read the first 40% in about an hour and a half, when I really should have been sleeping and I just motored on from there.

Grace Barret is a make-up artist with a spiky attitude and a past she doesn’t want to discuss. After upping and leaving her not-so-glam Hollywood life, she finds herself renting an apartment from her Aunt. In Jackon, Wyoming. Where cowboys live. There she meets Cole Rawlins, her brand-new next door neighbour who is (you guessed it!) a cowboy. Trouble is, he smashed his leg up really bad and is only just on the road to recovery, fearing he may never be able to ride a horse again. Both have a reason for the secrets they keep, and neither want to really tell the other their secrets, but they find each other attractive nonetheless, and time will tell if Cole and Grace can actually stand the test of time – and secrets.

As I said, I was absolutely absorbed in Close Enough To Touch as soon as I started it. The time and the percentage just flew by as I found myself massively absorbed in Grace and Cole, and cowboy life, and Wyoming. I must admit, if I had properly read the synopsis I may have been put off. Cowboys, seriously? In this day and age? But, really, I know cowboys do still exist. They’re not like dinosaurs, not extinct, and certainly not just from the spaghetti western movies I have never seen (or particularly want to see). But I was proven sooooooooo wrong. Cole is the hottest sounding cowboy ever and I loved the cowboy aspect so much that I can’t WAIT to get back to Jackson, Wyoming. Like, hello, Victoria, where is the second book? I can’t wait until April! It’s only August.

The writing was what really grabbed me (and confused me somewhat). I find third-person to usually be very cold and clinical. Don’t get me wrong, it tells a fine story, but first person is always more warm, more inviting, easier for us to know what the heroine of the novel is thinking. However, Dahl has turned that on its head with her very easy to read and easy to get into narrative for Close Enough To Touch. It’s third-person alright, but it’s ridiculously absorbing. It just goes like a train, and it’s the kind of easy writing style I absolutely adore. This book seriously blew me away. It exceeded all of my expectations, the writing style was awesome (it’s like writing is just effortless for Victoria Dahl, that the words just write themselves), and the characters were the coolest, hot people ever. I adored Close Enough To Touch and I am so glad I read it. It’s such an absorbing read and Dahl is such an absorbing writer, and I can’t wait to see what’s next for the folks of Jackson, Wyoming. It can’t come soon enough.