I gave this book a try because I enjoyed Sarina Bowen’s excellent new adult romance series, The Ivy Years, but lightning did not strike twice. Coming In from the Cold was enjoyable enough and Bowen is great at setting a mood and the scene, but the story never quite came together for me and I felt that the resolution was achieved too easily. Summary from Amazon: Ski racer Dane “Danger” Hollister does not do relationships, though he keeps his reason a secret. The real-life curse […]
Search Results for: Sarina Bowen
Even More New Adults in Romantical Situations
So many “new adult” romances, so little time. I recommend The Ivy Years series by Sarina Bowen and will be looking into her back catalogue. Taking place at a New England college, Harkness, the stories are not light and yet avoid melodrama. These are young people coming into their own and figuring out who they want to be. Each story features at least one character who is an athlete, mostly they are involved in hockey, but there are also soccer and basketball team members, and […]
Another Concussion Plot? Are You Kidding Me?
Hard Knocks by Ruby Lang
I feel so on trend! It’s another love story with a concussion plot point as I continue to recover from one. Acute Reactions was a well-written romance with some comeheregoaway issues in the plotting. It’s looking like a consistent issue with Ruby Lang, but it’s a minor quibble, I really enjoy her dry, funny style, and will be looking for her books. Hard Knocks has less of the vacillation issues and, from what I’ve read of the third book, Clean Breaks, it’s stronger still. Transplanted Canadian […]
Middling
This is a hard book to review. The reading experience itself was pretty enjoyable, but I had a lot of problems with the story, so it gets a mixed review. I was pleasantly surprised by this book. Why? Because I had SUPER low expectations for it. But, it’s an offshoot of the stories about my #1 favorite romance couple (from Him and Us), and it includes the scene of their wedding, so it was a given that I would have to read it. Yes, there […]
Bland and annoying
This book is incredibly bland. As far as I’m aware, this is Bowen’s first novel, and she has greatly improved over time. The writing isn’t bad here, it’s just lacking in much depth. Willow Reade lives in Vermont because she followed a deadbeat boyfriend there and is now underwater on her mortgage and can’t get out. She would like to finish her doctorate in child psychology, but can’t figure out how to make that happen based on locality and finances. Driving home in a snowstorm […]
Four “In Too Deeps”, No Waiting!
In Too Deep by Mara Jacobs, Kathryn Shay, Tracey Alvarez, Lucia Jordan
There are at least fifteen kissing books called In Too Deep on Amazon and it seemed to me that my ones of readers deserved to know how they stacked up. My criteria were simple. First, the title, second, it had to be gratis. With these rigorous investigational standards, I was able to acquire four In Too Deeps in three minutes. The Freshman Roommates Series: In Too Deep by Mara Jacobs – Young adult contemporary Lily is a college freshman giving swimming lessons to local children when she meets Lucas. He has custody of […]