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4.04 AVERAGE
4.04 AVERAGE
Small-town romance // Virgin MMC // HEA
I think every aspect of this book was beautiful. From the romance, grief, the undeniable chemistry, the small-town charm, and the trauma (yes, even the trauma).
”Maybe there was no right or wrong, no black or white, only a thousand shades of gray when it came to pain and what we each held ourselves responsible for.”
Bree’s tragic past left her with emotional scars. She felt overwhelmed, trapped, and bottled up her emotions. Realizing that she needed to get away from the very place that left her scarred, she ended up in a small town on the east coast.
Archer’s story is similar, in the way that they handle themselves. They’re both not quite healed from their past trauma. Archer’s scars left him secluded, not able to trust others, and mute, which causes the folks in the small town to speculate about what was wrong with him.
Them coming together was“The most beautiful kind of fate.”They were exactly what the other one needed, for each other. The way that they felt comfortable enough to move forward, instead of running away, was written beautifully. ”A small exhale released from his mouth to mine, as if he were breathing life into me.” But, even so, you can’t heal yourself through someone else.
”I would have fought for you. But don't you see, I had to fight for myself first. I had to feel like I was someone worthy of winning you.”
I think every aspect of this book was beautiful. From the romance, grief, the undeniable chemistry, the small-town charm, and the trauma (yes, even the trauma).
”Maybe there was no right or wrong, no black or white, only a thousand shades of gray when it came to pain and what we each held ourselves responsible for.”
Bree’s tragic past left her with emotional scars. She felt overwhelmed, trapped, and bottled up her emotions. Realizing that she needed to get away from the very place that left her scarred, she ended up in a small town on the east coast.
Archer’s story is similar, in the way that they handle themselves. They’re both not quite healed from their past trauma. Archer’s scars left him secluded, not able to trust others, and mute, which causes the folks in the small town to speculate about what was wrong with him.
Them coming together was“The most beautiful kind of fate.”They were exactly what the other one needed, for each other. The way that they felt comfortable enough to move forward, instead of running away, was written beautifully. ”A small exhale released from his mouth to mine, as if he were breathing life into me.” But, even so, you can’t heal yourself through someone else.
”I would have fought for you. But don't you see, I had to fight for myself first. I had to feel like I was someone worthy of winning you.”
medium-paced
emotional
hopeful
sad
tense
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
emotional
funny
relaxing
sad
medium-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
Good representation ... And horny,just a typical cliché love story but in a good way.let's protect archer in a tiny box,and change the cover.
Summary: Contemporary romance between two people dealing with PTSD and learning how to live after tragedy. Archer Hale is mute and alone, Bree is running from her pain and luckily speaks sign language. Romance blossoms but is the past going to leave them alone? Expect some sex scenes and some flashbacks to violence, but nothing visceral.
Spoiler
Main pairing: Archer/Bree
Favourite character: Nathan Hale
Villain(s)
Spoiler
Victoria Hale, Travis Hale, Marcus Hale, Jeffrey PerkinsCharacter rating: 9/10
Plot rating: 7/10
Setting rating: 8/10
Overall rating: 8/10
Pros: Archer and Bree are so cute, both alone and together. I have a real thing for shy, sweet heroes and Archer is the perfect recluse. Bree is sweet and authentic. Both of them are dealing with PTSD in their own ways and finding strength and peace in each other. I really loved their dynamic and there is no doubt that they made the book.
The back stories were well handled and I particularly enjoyed the little tidbits of information we were fed about the tragedy around Archer's parents. It was cleverly written in a way that not only added to the Archer/Bree plot but created an overall plot arc for the whole book with a sense of history not quite repeating itself, but definitely echoing and blending the stories of Archer's parents and Bree's parents.
Cons: This is going to be a little hypocritical of me but... the vibe I got from this was really well written fanfiction. Now, there is some stunning fanfic out there and I'm not sure how much of a criticism this actually is, but I feel like I have read variations of this in a lot of fanfic over the years. Maybe it is just that the majority of contemporary romance I've read has been fanfiction. Maybe I'm just feeling grouchy. The lurking thoughts that this used to be fanfic weren't bad thoughts, just a little case of deja vu I suppose.
There was a kind of lull halfway through the book. I often struggle around this mark with books if I am not completely absorbed by the book, and it did feel as if the major tensions in plot had been resolved - Bree's PTSD, her relationship with Archer reaching long term partner level, and him starting to come out of his shell. The plot definitely picked up a while later but I was on the edge of DNF for a little bit because there was nothing driving me on to finish the book.
Final opinion: Really sweet, gentle read despite the huge traumas of the main characters. This was a good addition to the contemporary romance genre and I understand why it has gotten such high praise. I enjoyed it enough not to regret having to buy it rather than borrow it on KU, but I'm not sure I'll read it again and I'm not sure it will linger with me the way some novels do.
challenging
emotional
hopeful
inspiring
sad
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
Rollercoaster .... wonderful storyline and so much happening
Strong character development:
No
Loveable characters:
No
Not very well written
I give this book 3.5 stars. It was a cheesy, heartwarming romance novel that I am a sucker for. It was nothing I hadn’t read before and there were no real twists I couldn’t predict. However, I loved reading it and liked the authors writing. I wish there was more from Archer’s perspective throughout the book (even though we got an extra chapter of this after the epilogue). If you are looking for an easy mindless read then I would suggest Archer’s voice.