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4.11 AVERAGE
4.11 AVERAGE
Jimmy is the quintessential drifter of the American mythos - a man with a murky, mysterious past moving across America without roots. The life is less romantic and more banal and tiring and dusty and sad than legend would have you believe. Jimmy's been moving on for over 25 years, until he can't imagine anything else, until putting down roots and staying somewhere, making a home, feels alien to him.
When an obligation to deliver a letter lands him in a quiet little town, in a back-water bar, his normal MO would be to do what he has to and move on the same day. And then he meets Shane, and attraction sparks. Of course he plans for it to be a one time thing, but a moment of uncertain empathy, a non-starting car, and some people who are warmer and more accepting than usual, persuade him to stay a little longer, and a little longer... Jimmy's still planning to leave, though. Any day now...
This is a sweet, steady-build, low-drama story. I'd call it slow burn - it feels that way, waiting for Jimmy to get a clue - but in fact the relationship moves very fast. The book only covers a few weeks. The feel is one of anticipation, though. The good-small-town and family atmosphere and the array of secondary characters add to the comfort-read quality of the book. Both the MCs seemed a little younger than their years, less angry, less gritty than I'd have expected for their histories. This lent a warmth to the story, perhaps at the cost of a bit of complexity and conflict.
Kim Fielding does damaged guys and hurt-comfort very well, and this book is another really good one. A story to curl up with after a tough day when you want to be reassured that good things can come even to someone whose damage is long-established and who is not looking for love.
When an obligation to deliver a letter lands him in a quiet little town, in a back-water bar, his normal MO would be to do what he has to and move on the same day. And then he meets Shane, and attraction sparks. Of course he plans for it to be a one time thing, but a moment of uncertain empathy, a non-starting car, and some people who are warmer and more accepting than usual, persuade him to stay a little longer, and a little longer... Jimmy's still planning to leave, though. Any day now...
This is a sweet, steady-build, low-drama story. I'd call it slow burn - it feels that way, waiting for Jimmy to get a clue - but in fact the relationship moves very fast. The book only covers a few weeks. The feel is one of anticipation, though. The good-small-town and family atmosphere and the array of secondary characters add to the comfort-read quality of the book. Both the MCs seemed a little younger than their years, less angry, less gritty than I'd have expected for their histories. This lent a warmth to the story, perhaps at the cost of a bit of complexity and conflict.
Kim Fielding does damaged guys and hurt-comfort very well, and this book is another really good one. A story to curl up with after a tough day when you want to be reassured that good things can come even to someone whose damage is long-established and who is not looking for love.
4.5 Stars ~ When I originally read this book I didn’t think I would like it, and when I first started the audiobook, I felt the same, but it was hard to turn off what turns into such a beautiful story. I was glad that I stuck with the book and am so happy I stuck with the audio version too. If you’re looking for something fast paced, Rattlesnake isn’t the book for you, which is why I had some issues at first. What at first came across as too slow, though, turns into more of a relaxed feeling, and I thought the pace reflected the story.
K.C. Kelly did an awesome job of bringing this sweet story to life. The pace that he kept rang true to the way the story flowed when reading it. The characters’ voices are distinct, and the personalities of the guys came right though. This is the third audiobook I have listened to that he’s narrated, and I really enjoyed all of them. I’ll be looking through audible for more of his narrations.
For a full summary of Rattlesnake, check out Sammy’s review: (http://www.thenovelapproachreviews.com/rattlesnake-by-kim-fielding/)
Audiobook Reviewed by Karen for The Novel Approach
http://www.thenovelapproachreviews.com/audio-review-rattlesnake-by-kim-fielding-narrated-by-k-c-kelly/
K.C. Kelly did an awesome job of bringing this sweet story to life. The pace that he kept rang true to the way the story flowed when reading it. The characters’ voices are distinct, and the personalities of the guys came right though. This is the third audiobook I have listened to that he’s narrated, and I really enjoyed all of them. I’ll be looking through audible for more of his narrations.
For a full summary of Rattlesnake, check out Sammy’s review: (http://www.thenovelapproachreviews.com/rattlesnake-by-kim-fielding/)
Audiobook Reviewed by Karen for The Novel Approach
http://www.thenovelapproachreviews.com/audio-review-rattlesnake-by-kim-fielding-narrated-by-k-c-kelly/
I thought this was a sweet little story. It's basically about two men falling in love, that's it, nothing flashy or exciting, but it's sweet. What saves it from being boring is that the two men in question are the type of men who rarely make it as main characters, a 43-year-old drifter/chronically homeless man and a 33-year-old crippled man with a traumatic brain injury. And the book proves that readers (or at least this one) don't need infallible, godly gorgeous, alpha men as heroes. I adored Chase and Jimmy (Chase especially).
It is a bit of an insta-love, which is unfortunate, because it's not really supported. I have no idea why Chase tried so hard to keep Jimmy around, but I'm glad that he did. I also thought it was a little on the predictable side. But again, it's a fairly straight forward romance, so it wouldn't have been overly realistic to have too many twists and turns. All-in-all, it was a book that made me happy to see the HEA (even if it did get a little sappy there at the end).
It is a bit of an insta-love, which is unfortunate, because it's not really supported. I have no idea why Chase tried so hard to keep Jimmy around, but I'm glad that he did. I also thought it was a little on the predictable side. But again, it's a fairly straight forward romance, so it wouldn't have been overly realistic to have too many twists and turns. All-in-all, it was a book that made me happy to see the HEA (even if it did get a little sappy there at the end).
Oh my god I think I may have a problem.
First of all, I was kind of having a crappy week. Not enough time to read, having to go back to work, just little irritations, all that kind of stuff. Came home tonight in a bad mood. All I wanted was a good book to read.
A couple weeks ago, I chanced upon The Tin Box by Kim Fielding, and read it all in one sitting and couldn't put it down and loved it with all my heart and still don't want to talk about it because it's too perfect and beautiful. Tonight, I was browsing around for another book like it and thought, well, why not try the same author?
Yeah, okay, it was kind of similar to the other one. Two men fall in love, both have problems, get through it, find love and happiness. Sickly sweet and frankly, my dear, I don't give a damn. I ate up this book just like the other one and I couldn't get enough of it. I literally started it at 10:30 PM and finished it at 2:30 AM because I read the whole thing cover to cover without stopping.
I still don't want to talk about it. I don't want to recommend it, I don't want to share, I want to bask in this absurdly cosy glow of saccharine goodness and just...yeah.
My only problem is I'm not sure what to do next. The base animal in me just wants to read every single thing she's written to see if all of them leave me this gooey on the inside and the other half of me, the cold, logical side, wants to save the next one for the next Friday night I'm feeling kind of down. Arghhhhhhhhhh what to do?
Oh, I know! You can give me more recommendations! I like LGBT fic, happy endings, and lots of mushy gooey romance stuff. Preferably all three of those things together. Start recommending! I wants things to read!
First of all, I was kind of having a crappy week. Not enough time to read, having to go back to work, just little irritations, all that kind of stuff. Came home tonight in a bad mood. All I wanted was a good book to read.
A couple weeks ago, I chanced upon The Tin Box by Kim Fielding, and read it all in one sitting and couldn't put it down and loved it with all my heart and still don't want to talk about it because it's too perfect and beautiful. Tonight, I was browsing around for another book like it and thought, well, why not try the same author?
Yeah, okay, it was kind of similar to the other one. Two men fall in love, both have problems, get through it, find love and happiness. Sickly sweet and frankly, my dear, I don't give a damn. I ate up this book just like the other one and I couldn't get enough of it. I literally started it at 10:30 PM and finished it at 2:30 AM because I read the whole thing cover to cover without stopping.
I still don't want to talk about it. I don't want to recommend it, I don't want to share, I want to bask in this absurdly cosy glow of saccharine goodness and just...yeah.
My only problem is I'm not sure what to do next. The base animal in me just wants to read every single thing she's written to see if all of them leave me this gooey on the inside and the other half of me, the cold, logical side, wants to save the next one for the next Friday night I'm feeling kind of down. Arghhhhhhhhhh what to do?
Oh, I know! You can give me more recommendations! I like LGBT fic, happy endings, and lots of mushy gooey romance stuff. Preferably all three of those things together. Start recommending! I wants things to read!
So overall I enjoyed this book. It had angsty elements to it but was actually fairly light on the angst in the actual plot. I found Jimmy and Shane enjoyable together and they were adorable at the end when they got their happy ending together.
And really, there was nothing exactly wrong with the book, except I found it hard to stay into a lot of the especially about the first 2/3 of it. I kept checking out and having to force myself to check back into it. Ultimately I'm glad I stayed with it because it ended up being surprisingly adorable and sweet, but...it was slow going, is all. Jimmy kept telling himself, over and over and over and over again, that he would be leaving the next day, kept thing "too bad I won't be here to do this/that" and then he kept not leaving. Which again, is ultimately good because the story wouldn't have gotten to a place where Jimmy would stay, especially stay with Shane. BUT...it felt a little frustrating after the millionth time Jimmy said he was going to leave when it was obvious he wasn't going to.
Also, despite there being sex scenes, the book was pretty low on the steam factor, and I know it's not all about sex, but if a romance book chooses to include sex in it, i kinda expect the sex to be good, and passionate. And I get that Jimmy and Shane had just met and weren't in love yet, but even later in the book when they did it and they had pretty strong feelings for each other, it was still pretty low on the steam.
Anyway, those things aren't TOO big a deal at all, they didn't detract from the story or make it worse by any means, they just frustrated me personally, which is why I gave it 4 stars instead of 5.
Overall it was an engaging story and I enjoyed it a lot, it just took a long time for the story to really pick up and I was somewhat disappointed by the lack of passion between Jimmy and Shane. They still had wonderful chemistry, but...yeah. I mean, I also get that Shane was hurt and that didn't allow for a ton of mobility during sex, but at one point Jimmy rides Shane and that could have allowed for a really hot sex scene. But it felt over and done with pretty quickly.
Anyway, it wasn't my favorite, but it was good. Definitely worth a read if you have the time :)
And really, there was nothing exactly wrong with the book, except I found it hard to stay into a lot of the especially about the first 2/3 of it. I kept checking out and having to force myself to check back into it. Ultimately I'm glad I stayed with it because it ended up being surprisingly adorable and sweet, but...it was slow going, is all. Jimmy kept telling himself, over and over and over and over again, that he would be leaving the next day, kept thing "too bad I won't be here to do this/that" and then he kept not leaving. Which again, is ultimately good because the story wouldn't have gotten to a place where Jimmy would stay, especially stay with Shane. BUT...it felt a little frustrating after the millionth time Jimmy said he was going to leave when it was obvious he wasn't going to.
Also, despite there being sex scenes, the book was pretty low on the steam factor, and I know it's not all about sex, but if a romance book chooses to include sex in it, i kinda expect the sex to be good, and passionate. And I get that Jimmy and Shane had just met and weren't in love yet, but even later in the book when they did it and they had pretty strong feelings for each other, it was still pretty low on the steam.
Anyway, those things aren't TOO big a deal at all, they didn't detract from the story or make it worse by any means, they just frustrated me personally, which is why I gave it 4 stars instead of 5.
Overall it was an engaging story and I enjoyed it a lot, it just took a long time for the story to really pick up and I was somewhat disappointed by the lack of passion between Jimmy and Shane. They still had wonderful chemistry, but...yeah. I mean, I also get that Shane was hurt and that didn't allow for a ton of mobility during sex, but at one point Jimmy rides Shane and that could have allowed for a really hot sex scene. But it felt over and done with pretty quickly.
Anyway, it wasn't my favorite, but it was good. Definitely worth a read if you have the time :)
At the very beginning I couldn’t see where the story was going. But I guess that’s alright, cause Jimmy himself didn’t know it either. ;)
I’m not sure which MC I admire more. Jimmy, because he’s been „living” as a drifter for so long. I would have given up a long time ago. He went through a lot of shit, even though he didn’t talk about it in detail. Or Shane, who also suffered a lot after his accident. And despite that he somehow remained cheery and lively, as much as someone can be lively in a small town, but he also wasn’t depressed or tried to off himself. There was plenty of guilt, and I was surprised he wasn’t crushed under the weight of it. He’s strong, despite the physical and emotional scarring.
And I liked that the focus wasn’t necessarily on their past, but on the present and the future. Yes what happened to them played a big part of their lives, but they didn’t gravitated to one another because of their past. They only confided in each other when they were already all tangled up. No, what brought them closer (in my opinion at least), was the prospect of the future. Possibly together. That they can move forward. Even though Jimmy tried to leave several times, he always found excuses to stay, like „oh, it’s raining” or „the tiles needs fixin’ in the bathroom, I can’t leave them hanging” or „Thursday is pancake day, I can’t leave on pancake day”. It was hilarious, watching Jimmy war with himself. He’s heart wanted to settle, he never had that, but he also felt caged in. He was only in Rattlesnake for 2-3 weeks, but it was enough to hope for something, he couldn’t possibly have. He couldn’t be the man Shane wanted, no one ever wanted him, why would Shane. There’s a lot of doubt in him. Without realizing it, they gave each other that hope.
At first I thought the tales Jimmy has been telling everyone were true, though there was some indication they weren’t, but I just couldn’t decide. Yep, I was fooled. ;) So in the end, I knew nothing about Jimmy’s past, well nothing concrete. Just some bits and pieces. But he was on the road for… holy shit, almost 30 years! So he had to have some real stories, just maybe not those cheery and interesting ones he’s been telling. But I didn’t care that much, because even though I didn’t know about his adventures in the past, I got to know him pretty well based on that little time he spent in Rattlesnake. Jimmy is a softie, he’s very polite, he thinks very little of himself, and he cares, even though he doesn’t want to. Deep down, he wants to belong, he wants a family, a permanent place to stay and he unconsciously found reasons to stay in town. The most evident reason was Shane.
Told only from Jimmy’s point of view, this is a story about second chances in life, about fitting in and finding a home.
First time I have read this author. This is a MMS contemporary story set in the USA. Main characters are Jimmy and Shane. Told from Jimmy's POV. A wonderful story of a drifter finding his home and forever person. This book will be on my re read list.
You will not be sorry to spend your time with Jimmy and Shane and the folks in Rattlesnake. This was a beautiful story about finding home.
challenging
emotional
hopeful
reflective
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
No
There's some great philosophical stuff in this tale of a drifter who finds himself staying in a town while keeping a secret. I feel like there aren't enough hopeful tales of hardscrabble life out there.