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missawn's review against another edition
2.0
Cringe!
First, what went well ... I was nicely surprised by how this book got "engineering-speak" right! I am an engineer and the tone/style were accurately depicted which is rare and nice to see. Author either has an engineering background, spent a lot of time talking to engineers or did some great research ... well done! .
I also liked this book was based in small town Ontario. I'd love to see more (Canadian) places that fall outside the somewhat clichéd metropolitan locations featured in way too many books (New York, London, LA etc). I though this setting was charming and interesting ... more please ...
Okay, what I didn't like ... none of the characters were particularly likeable. Even though I was excited that there was a female engineer (Riva) ... I did not like her at all and had a hard time relating to her. I also hated that she was presented as "wrong" simply because she was a non-white female and that was some deemed as incompatible with this small town (WTF!) ... hit a little too close to home and then that was followed by some rather awful homophobia etc. Nah ... too much hate happening here ...
Dialogue (particularly between Caleb and Peter) was at times cringe-worthy. Point of no return for me was the flirty, romantic dinner conversation about "Spirit Animals" that lasted for way too many pages (!) .... awww gawd ...
I could not get past how inappropriate and unprofessional their relationship was (insta-love on top of it ... auuggghhh!) ... I think maybe this book hit a little close to home and I cannot imagine this ever happening on one of my jobs ... no way, no hell ...
I wanted to love this more than I did ... an ambitious undertaking (small-town Canada with a complicted environmental angle including social/legal/technical aspects) ... just not my cup of tea ...
First, what went well ... I was nicely surprised by how this book got "engineering-speak" right! I am an engineer and the tone/style were accurately depicted which is rare and nice to see. Author either has an engineering background, spent a lot of time talking to engineers or did some great research ... well done! .
I also liked this book was based in small town Ontario. I'd love to see more (Canadian) places that fall outside the somewhat clichéd metropolitan locations featured in way too many books (New York, London, LA etc). I though this setting was charming and interesting ... more please ...
Okay, what I didn't like ... none of the characters were particularly likeable. Even though I was excited that there was a female engineer (Riva) ... I did not like her at all and had a hard time relating to her. I also hated that she was presented as "wrong" simply because she was a non-white female and that was some deemed as incompatible with this small town (WTF!) ... hit a little too close to home and then that was followed by some rather awful homophobia etc. Nah ... too much hate happening here ...
Dialogue (particularly between Caleb and Peter) was at times cringe-worthy. Point of no return for me was the flirty, romantic dinner conversation about "Spirit Animals" that lasted for way too many pages (!) .... awww gawd ...
I could not get past how inappropriate and unprofessional their relationship was (insta-love on top of it ... auuggghhh!) ... I think maybe this book hit a little close to home and I cannot imagine this ever happening on one of my jobs ... no way, no hell ...
I wanted to love this more than I did ... an ambitious undertaking (small-town Canada with a complicted environmental angle including social/legal/technical aspects) ... just not my cup of tea ...
papercranestitches's review against another edition
4.0
I thought the story was a little slow and definitely could have used a little more steam, but I genuinely liked both of these MCs and so reading about them finding their HEA together was a pleasure.
kaje_harper's review against another edition
4.0
The two men in this story are worlds apart. Not only are they on opposite sides of a land use issue, but they are temperamentally very different. Peter's smooth, blithe, somewhat superficial attitude is hard to like at first. He seems to think that nothing matters enough that it can't be negotiated and compromised and massaged into an agreement. The love of home, and history, and beauty, that makes Caleb oppose the building of the gravel quarry is something Peter at first blithely rides over. Only a physical attraction, and frankly the lack of alternatives for Caleb, bring them together initially.
Through the course of the story, Caleb is the emotional compass, trying to do the right thing. Gradually Peter comes to see his point of view, and in the process becomes more likable, although never with the same depth of character and emotion as Caleb. The plot was well done, the secondary characters were good, and the resolution is sweet although for me it still didn't quite feel like a settled HEA because I didn't get that degree of connection between the MC's. That's just my personal perception though. This story is a well-written interesting version of enemies to lovers. And the dogs were great.
Through the course of the story, Caleb is the emotional compass, trying to do the right thing. Gradually Peter comes to see his point of view, and in the process becomes more likable, although never with the same depth of character and emotion as Caleb. The plot was well done, the secondary characters were good, and the resolution is sweet although for me it still didn't quite feel like a settled HEA because I didn't get that degree of connection between the MC's. That's just my personal perception though. This story is a well-written interesting version of enemies to lovers. And the dogs were great.
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