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3.45 AVERAGE
3.45 AVERAGE
relaxing
funny
lighthearted
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
Well, I feel proud of myself. I am branching out from the hockey and football sports romance trend I have been in. I'm not saying I won't return to it quickly, but at least I am taking a 4 book break to branch out. However, I have not left winter sports yet.
I have been seeing a lot of bookstagram posts on [a:Julia Connors|22346216|Julia Connors|https://images.gr-assets.com/authors/1649490228p2/22346216.jpg] books, and I was very interested in diving in. Therefore, I decided to start with the Frozen Hearts series. I have to say, I think I really like Nate. He's not my top book boyfriend but he's good. I like the confidence that he has in his plans, the relationship that he once had with Jackson, and the patience that he is demonstrating to wait for what he has always wanted.
Ok, let me backtrack. So, in this story, we have Nate and Jackson. Both are around 30 years old and are involved in the sport of skiing, apparently Alpine skiing. I'm not going to lie. I have no idea what events or skills are included in ski or winter sports so I'm just going to say that Julia has a good grasp on the sport, or at least enough to contribute to the plot of the story. So, Jackson and Nate have known each other since they trained for the junior ski championship in their late teens. They started dating and fell in love. Nate put his career on the back burner to help Jackson focus on her career. Their relationship was young, fierce, and passionate. Nate was ready for more after 7 years together and Jackson wanted to focus on her career goals. Something happened (I'll give my thoughts on this later), and Jackson had to retire from professional competing, and she and Nate broke up, never to see each other again. Well, never is a lot of time. Let's say 5 years. They spent 5 years where they didn't see each other. During that time, Jackson finished her college degree and became an athletic/physical trainer (I honestly don't know if this is the same thing or not). Nate continued his ski career for exhibition, not competing. However, their paths cross when they both are working for the National Ski Team and Nate wants this opportunity to win Jackson back. Jackson is not having it and she is looking for a way to get out of working with Nate or possibly even changing jobs. However, as the former is not possible, and the latter takes time, Jackson finds herself working with Nate closely, and he uses this time to clear the air, declare his undying feelings, and pursue her to win her back. The problem is that Jackson is already in a relationship (kind of), and she definitely doesn't trust Nate with her heart again.
The story itself is fine, great even. The storyline is slightly different from those I have read in the past, but I may feel like that because it is based on a sport that I have never read anything about nor that I have any personal interest in. The spice and chemistry between Jackson and Nate are obviously amazing, seeing as they already dated for 7 years in the past, and they still love, crave, and lust for each other. My hesitancy comes from some of the details and here is why I can't give this more than a 3 star rating:
By now, we have already read the Second-chance Lovers and Enemies to Lovers storyline multiple times over. I enjoy these tropes, however, for them to stand out now, they need to fulfill some of my expectations. WARNING. THERE *MAY/WILL* BE SPOILERS AHEAD. READ AT YOUR OWN CAUTION
1. The break-up. I hate when couples break-up over a misunderstanding and miscommunication. Come on. Jackson and Nate had been dating for 7 years. 7 YEARS! They seriously broke up because Nate had to immediately travel home to be with his sick mother, forgot or chose not to mention it to Jackson, therefore leaving her worried, and she ended up having a ski accident that ended her career. And when Nate went back to see Jackson in the hospital, while she was in a coma, her father convinced Nate to just walk away from the relationship. After 7 years?!?! I'm sorry, I don't buy that. 7 years of relationship, and he was able to walk away from it, and she didn't try to reach out and ask him, "WTF." Either they were very immature in their relationship or there were some serious trust, confidence, and communication issues.
2. During the time apart, I want to see character development. Nate did grow. I think he realized he had made a huge mistake, and he tried to improve where he was mentally and emotionally to be in a better place for Jackson when they did eventually come back together. He focused on his ski career, but he also took an interest in other business endeavors, hobbies, and passions that could lead to a long-term, sustainable, and stable life for years to come. Jackson on the other hand...I don't think she grew. She hid from her feelings, she put on a mask to deflect attention to her pain, she didn't trust or let her heart open up. She was a great friend to those she cared about, but she didn't really allow herself to open up to anyone new or really move on from the heartbreak.
Neither of them was able to improve their communication skills, at least not fully. The third-act break-up happened because, again, they weren't able to be honest or communication openly with each other.
In the end, I'm happy they got their HEA, but I think they wasted 5 years trying to get there, and they still have a lot of developing as people to really navigate a marriage.
I have been seeing a lot of bookstagram posts on [a:Julia Connors|22346216|Julia Connors|https://images.gr-assets.com/authors/1649490228p2/22346216.jpg] books, and I was very interested in diving in. Therefore, I decided to start with the Frozen Hearts series. I have to say, I think I really like Nate. He's not my top book boyfriend but he's good. I like the confidence that he has in his plans, the relationship that he once had with Jackson, and the patience that he is demonstrating to wait for what he has always wanted.
Ok, let me backtrack. So, in this story, we have Nate and Jackson. Both are around 30 years old and are involved in the sport of skiing, apparently Alpine skiing. I'm not going to lie. I have no idea what events or skills are included in ski or winter sports so I'm just going to say that Julia has a good grasp on the sport, or at least enough to contribute to the plot of the story. So, Jackson and Nate have known each other since they trained for the junior ski championship in their late teens. They started dating and fell in love. Nate put his career on the back burner to help Jackson focus on her career. Their relationship was young, fierce, and passionate. Nate was ready for more after 7 years together and Jackson wanted to focus on her career goals. Something happened (I'll give my thoughts on this later), and Jackson had to retire from professional competing, and she and Nate broke up, never to see each other again. Well, never is a lot of time. Let's say 5 years. They spent 5 years where they didn't see each other. During that time, Jackson finished her college degree and became an athletic/physical trainer (I honestly don't know if this is the same thing or not). Nate continued his ski career for exhibition, not competing. However, their paths cross when they both are working for the National Ski Team and Nate wants this opportunity to win Jackson back. Jackson is not having it and she is looking for a way to get out of working with Nate or possibly even changing jobs. However, as the former is not possible, and the latter takes time, Jackson finds herself working with Nate closely, and he uses this time to clear the air, declare his undying feelings, and pursue her to win her back. The problem is that Jackson is already in a relationship (kind of), and she definitely doesn't trust Nate with her heart again.
The story itself is fine, great even. The storyline is slightly different from those I have read in the past, but I may feel like that because it is based on a sport that I have never read anything about nor that I have any personal interest in. The spice and chemistry between Jackson and Nate are obviously amazing, seeing as they already dated for 7 years in the past, and they still love, crave, and lust for each other. My hesitancy comes from some of the details and here is why I can't give this more than a 3 star rating:
By now, we have already read the Second-chance Lovers and Enemies to Lovers storyline multiple times over. I enjoy these tropes, however, for them to stand out now, they need to fulfill some of my expectations. WARNING. THERE *MAY/WILL* BE SPOILERS AHEAD. READ AT YOUR OWN CAUTION
1. The break-up. I hate when couples break-up over a misunderstanding and miscommunication. Come on. Jackson and Nate had been dating for 7 years. 7 YEARS! They seriously broke up because Nate had to immediately travel home to be with his sick mother, forgot or chose not to mention it to Jackson, therefore leaving her worried, and she ended up having a ski accident that ended her career. And when Nate went back to see Jackson in the hospital, while she was in a coma, her father convinced Nate to just walk away from the relationship. After 7 years?!?! I'm sorry, I don't buy that. 7 years of relationship, and he was able to walk away from it, and she didn't try to reach out and ask him, "WTF." Either they were very immature in their relationship or there were some serious trust, confidence, and communication issues.
2. During the time apart, I want to see character development. Nate did grow. I think he realized he had made a huge mistake, and he tried to improve where he was mentally and emotionally to be in a better place for Jackson when they did eventually come back together. He focused on his ski career, but he also took an interest in other business endeavors, hobbies, and passions that could lead to a long-term, sustainable, and stable life for years to come. Jackson on the other hand...I don't think she grew. She hid from her feelings, she put on a mask to deflect attention to her pain, she didn't trust or let her heart open up. She was a great friend to those she cared about, but she didn't really allow herself to open up to anyone new or really move on from the heartbreak.
Neither of them was able to improve their communication skills, at least not fully. The third-act break-up happened because, again, they weren't able to be honest or communication openly with each other.
In the end, I'm happy they got their HEA, but I think they wasted 5 years trying to get there, and they still have a lot of developing as people to really navigate a marriage.
emotional
lighthearted
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Complicated
lighthearted
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Plot
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
No
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
lighthearted
reflective
relaxing
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
No
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
No
emotional
funny
hopeful
lighthearted
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
adventurous
challenging
emotional
reflective
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
lighthearted
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
No
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes