Long Drive

by Jessica Florence

[Eve1972]

Livia is on a journey to find herself. After a tragedy and a broken engagement, she is taking to the road to find out what she wants to do with her life. When her car breaks down and she is stranded at a truck stop she decides to approach a trucker with an offer. Fifteen thousand dollars for one month on the road with him.

Killian Lemarque has demons of his own. He enjoys the peace and solitude that long haul trucking provides him. The last thing he wants is to be stuck in his truck for a month with Livia. But something in her eyes has him agreeing.

One Month. One Truck. Two Wounded People...

What a refreshing and original little book this was. In the vast sea of overused plots and tired tropes it's nice to see an author give us something DIFFERENT. Oh sure it's still a romance at heart. Boy meets girl...they fall in love...they live happily ever after...yadda yadda yadda. But what made this book unique to me was the setting. A romance between two wounded people set against a backdrop of long haul trucking.



This book felt intimate to me. Just two people without the interference and drama of others. We get an occasional few pages of interaction with secondary characters, but for the vast majority of the book, it is just Killian and Livia.

I adored both these characters. Livia was just such a likable character. My heart broke for her, but at the same time, she showed a strength and love for life that I couldn't help but fall a little in love with her myself. Killian was the brooding silent type. Fighting his own demons, he made the perfect foil to Livia's zest for life. Together these two brought out the best in each other.

Usually, I'm not one for slow burn (and honestly, I don't even think I'd call this one slow burn) but I love how the author built up this relationship for the first half of the book. I think in this particular story it was needed. Sure the sex was hot, but for me, the best part of this book was their conversations and interactions during the long drives. It gave the book that extra layer of intimacy that made it that much more amazing.

So ya, I LOVED it. Not too much of a surprise since I have been loving on this author since I read her book THE FINAL KO and many others since. Now I shall have to sit and wait patiently for Joel's book! Two HUGE thumbs up from yours truly.