Scan barcode
anasatticbookblog's review
4.0
The Start of Something Good by Jennifer Probst
Narrated by Sebastian York and Madeliene Maby
Contemporary Romance. Standalone First in Series. 3.5 Stars
When I was offered an ARC of the second book in the Stay Series by Jennifer Probst, A Brand New Ending, I looked it up and saw there was a book before it. Both audiobooks were $1.99 upgrades so I grabbed them both and settled in for a Probst binge. It’s been years since I read her, but I have met her several times and just love her, so I decided to jump right into The Start of Something Good.
I recently read a book with a very similar trope (fashion-conscious city girl on a farm) that I loved so I honestly do believe it may have affected my enjoyment of this a bit, and it started off a little rough for me.
First of all, it’s third person. I never feel quite as connected to a third person book, and it just feels a little more like a traditional old-fashioned romance. Some third person romances are less obvious than others, but here it did feel to me like there was more telling than showing going on.
Former Special Forces paratrooper Ethan Bishop was wounded in combat. He is now home at his sister’s B&B and farm to heal, help, and maybe hide out behind his new grizzly Adams persona. Mia Thrush is a fancy New York PR executive with her own firm. When her biggest client’s daughter runs into a snafu at college, the girl is assigned community service at the upstate farm, and Mia is charged with being her chaperone for the summer.
Mia is SUCH a city girl to the point that she came off as really unlikeable at first. She was so snooty and rude and demanding I wasn’t sure I would get past it, but I did. Her character growth was huge. Ethan wasn’t much better. He was snarky, judgmental and mean when he first met Mia, though it was deserved. The character I really loved was Chloe, the Mayor’s daughter. I also loved the purpose of the farm—they rescue horses that may get put down. The crazy cast of animals on the farm was one of my favorite things about the book. To know Hei Hei is to love him.
As the animosity between Ethan and Mia changed from hate to lust to more, I really enjoyed seeing the characters learn and grow and change. While they were both unlikeable at the beginning, Ethan and Mia grew on me.
"You’re enough. Never doubt you’re more than enough for a man. Because if you belonged to me, I’d get on my knees in gratitude every damn night and make sure you never doubted it."
Likes:
- •Very well-written and well paced.
- •Felt like a Hallmark movie.
- •The animals were awesome.
- •The nosy old people were funny!
- •Not too much unnecessary angst.
- •Great character growth.
- •I loved Chloe.
- •Great setup for the next book.
Dislikes:
- •3rd person.
- •Main characters were unlikeable at first.
- •Mia had a bit of an unhealthy obsession with her diet. No sugar and no carbs. But Ethan liked to force her to eat. I found that whole thing a little rude on his part. It was like he force-fed her!
- •Fingering after petting a horse? Eew. Wash your hands!
The Narration:
2 great narrators you can’t go wrong with, but I think the narration kind of accentuated the third person detachment. I think I would have enjoyed this more if I read it.
The Down & Dirty:
If you like Hallmark movies, The Start of Something New by Jennifer Probst is perfect for you. There really isn’t anything overly unique about it, but it was a well-told, well-written and well-paced story of a city girl and a farm boy. It took a little while in the beginning to warm up to both the hero and heroine, but in the end I was totally rooting for them. I looked forward to the next in the series, and my review for that is coming tomorrow.
Rating: 3.5 Stars, 4 Heat, 4.5 Narration
Purchase The Start of Something Good by Jennifer Probst
jen286's review
4.0
This review was originally posted to Jen in Bookland
The Start of Something Good was a fun, sweet read. Ethan and Mia were pretty fun to read.
Ethan left the Hudson Valley as soon as he could. He wanted something bigger and better, but now he is back to try and heal somewhere where he can be alone. He doesn't want to deal with people when he is a bit banged up inside and out. He is pretty closed off and grumbly. I loved him.
Mia was sent to Ethan's family's ranch to watch over her client's daughter as she works her community service. She has a PR firm in the city that she has built from the ground up and if she can keep this client happy it will open a lot of doors for her. So she can suck it up and spend the summer on a farm if she has to.
When Ethan and Mia first meet they definitely do not like each other. Each makes a snap judgment of who the other person is without really knowing them, and they were both very off base. This is an enemies to lovers story and it was awesome. These two couldn't stand to be around each other until they both start opening up. Then they realize just how much they have in common. But this is one of those stories where I didn't know if it would work out for them in the end. I mean Ethan wants to live in the country. He wants that calm, quiet life that you can't get in the city. And Mia is a city girl. That is where her business is and she can't just abandon what she has worked her whole life for. So it was a tough one, but I loved how this story played out. These two seem like they shouldn't work initially, but they were great together.
If you are a fan of this author already then this is another great read from her. If you haven't read her before this is a great place to start. Ethan and Mia were so much fun!
*Note: I received a free copy of this book for voluntary review consideration
The Start of Something Good was a fun, sweet read. Ethan and Mia were pretty fun to read.
Ethan left the Hudson Valley as soon as he could. He wanted something bigger and better, but now he is back to try and heal somewhere where he can be alone. He doesn't want to deal with people when he is a bit banged up inside and out. He is pretty closed off and grumbly. I loved him.
Mia was sent to Ethan's family's ranch to watch over her client's daughter as she works her community service. She has a PR firm in the city that she has built from the ground up and if she can keep this client happy it will open a lot of doors for her. So she can suck it up and spend the summer on a farm if she has to.
When Ethan and Mia first meet they definitely do not like each other. Each makes a snap judgment of who the other person is without really knowing them, and they were both very off base. This is an enemies to lovers story and it was awesome. These two couldn't stand to be around each other until they both start opening up. Then they realize just how much they have in common. But this is one of those stories where I didn't know if it would work out for them in the end. I mean Ethan wants to live in the country. He wants that calm, quiet life that you can't get in the city. And Mia is a city girl. That is where her business is and she can't just abandon what she has worked her whole life for. So it was a tough one, but I loved how this story played out. These two seem like they shouldn't work initially, but they were great together.
If you are a fan of this author already then this is another great read from her. If you haven't read her before this is a great place to start. Ethan and Mia were so much fun!
*Note: I received a free copy of this book for voluntary review consideration
erinremen's review
5.0
An adorably sweet and endearing tale that touches on several different subjects that we see everywhere these days. Well written with characters you can't help but love and adore. Even the old ones 😁 I enjoyed every minute of Ethan and Mia, their bickering and denials, their attraction and eventual surrender and the love that grows under the beautiful backdrop of the farm, town and animals and people they are surrounded by. I am very excited to read the next adventure coming our way from the magical place you have created Jennifer Probst! ❤
swallace1716's review
4.0
This book tells a great story and is very well written, but there are too many detailed sex scenes. Totally unnecessary.
abookishgardener's review
4.0
It’s like the book version of raspberry Chipotle sauce- spicy and sweet. A touch heavy on the open door spice.
dorothy0426's review
5.0
The Start of Something Good is the first book in a series by Jennifer Probst, who in my opion is an amazing romance author. I loved everything about this book. It was extremely entertaining and a whole lot of fun. I fel in love with all the chacters almost instantly especially Hei Hei lol. I can't wait read the rest of the series.
Would recommended this book and author to everyone.
Would recommended this book and author to everyone.
mamaroe93011's review against another edition
5.0
A cute love story. I really liked the characters in this story, except the whole Mia eating thing was a bit stupid.
themaritimereader14's review
3.0
This passed the time (literally one evening in one sitting) just fine but a friend asked me about it several weeks after I read it and I barely remembered it - so there's that. It wasn't bad, but I've liked a couple of her other books better.
Thank you to Netgalley and Montlake Romance for the ARC of this novel. All opinions expressed here are my own.
Thank you to Netgalley and Montlake Romance for the ARC of this novel. All opinions expressed here are my own.