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A review by katemc7
For Better or Hearse by Ava Hunter
emotional
funny
hopeful
lighthearted
reflective
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
5.0
This book was EVERYTHING!! I absolutely loved it. The characters main and side, the setting, the buildup, the background- it was all executed so well. I loved that I didn't have to read the first book and I still felt like I knew Tessie and her hubby (I do plan on reading their book too). Nathaniel Whitford has entered the chat yall!! This man was just YUMMY and GOEY underneath the grumpy exterior we were first presented with. He had SUCH a big heart but was protecting it from being hurt. And Ashabelle....oh Ashabelle. I absolutely loved her. She was SUCH her own person. She gave 0 f***s and I was here for it. The chemistry between these two was amazing. The way their relationship started and then faltered and restarted was chef's kiss. The way that Ash helped Nathaniel come out of his shell. The way she helped open up the whole Whitford/Fox clan. She was just a sight to behold. I really appreciated how Ava handled her anxiety and inner thoughts. She was just such a protector of her people. She made me laugh out loud and smile SO big with how she made Nathaniel and people notice her without intent.
Ash has found her calling. She is a death duola and really liking what she is doing. She is asked by her client to come on a family trip with him for two weeks to Hawaii. He wants her help with closing things up a little bit. Of course she agrees. What she does not expect, is Nathaniel Whitford to be there. The Nathaniel Whitford whose wedding she crashed three years ago. The one who she gave evidence of him cheating to his almost wife. The one who made her change her career afterwards because of how terrible she felt. Now they are stuck on an island together with his family who seems to have nothing in common. This will be great....not. Ash isn't going to let this deter her though. This trip is for Augustus. But then Nathaniel surprises her. She finds herself questioning what she originally thought about him. He has a good heart. He cares about the little things. He is HOT. Things start to slowly shift between them to where they are at a truce and then they are kissing. And all the while she is in awe of the way he is making her feel. No one has done some of the things he has done for her. He is making her feel special and wonderous. But nothing can last beyond this vacation right? Especially since she has sworn off love and all. But this feels too good to let go. Will she be able to put aside her fears and let him know how she feels before it's too late?
Nathaniel is on the trip from hell with his family. He has decided that he will do what he is here to do which is hang out with and enjoy his grandfather while he still can. What he does not expect is her. The woman who he thought ruined his life three years ago. When really she helped him realize how wrong he was leading it. She helped him let loose and become the man he is today. He isn't going to tell her that of course. He knows she is a con woman and doesn't trust her. But then he starts to see how amazing she is. She really is her own person and so so proud of it. He finds himself enamored with her. He can't stop thinking about her and her big black boots and how she doesn't plan for anything and her tiny yellow bikini and the way her lips taste and how he wants more. He finds himself agreeing to whatever he can get from her while they are on this vacation when in reality he knows she is it for him. He just has to find a way to get her to understand that before they leave in 10 days.
I cannot say enough how much I recommend this book! I had ALLLLL the feelings. I am hoping that Babymoon or Bust is just as good.
Favorite Quotes:
- A smile blooms across her red mouth. She laughs, the boisterous sound filling the air like fireworks. "I am truly an elephant at heart." It really f***ing works.
- Immediately, he's snared by the contradictions that are Ash Keller. Her girlish flushed cheeks alongside the sharp, dark cat eye. Her quirky love for cryptids balanced by her love for his grandfather. Now that he's unlocked a little bit of her, he wants more. A hell of a lot more.
- She kisses like a monster. Hungry and electric and savage.
- "You know," Ash muses. "Love and death are so similar. The beginning. The end. It's all a mystery. An unknown. Both are always on our minds. We don't control the ride, the ride controls us. And no matter how hard we prepare, no matter how much we think we've got this, we can't escape. Love. Or death....But finding the grace to get back to one another, to understand, to forgive, is another kind of love on it's own. It's not death."
- "Talking with Ash sometimes feels like trying the password to a vault. Unless you get it right, it'll stay locked up tight. But that doesn't mean he'll stop trying."
- "Handsome. He's so handsome. So calming. He is like the best soft sweater on a rainy day."
-"Grief and love coexist...You can't have one without the other. You have to take the good with the bad. And when you do, you'll find the bad doesn't matter as much as the good."
Thank you Ava for a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review :) Can't wait to read whatever is next by you!
Ash has found her calling. She is a death duola and really liking what she is doing. She is asked by her client to come on a family trip with him for two weeks to Hawaii. He wants her help with closing things up a little bit. Of course she agrees. What she does not expect, is Nathaniel Whitford to be there. The Nathaniel Whitford whose wedding she crashed three years ago. The one who she gave evidence of him cheating to his almost wife. The one who made her change her career afterwards because of how terrible she felt. Now they are stuck on an island together with his family who seems to have nothing in common. This will be great....not. Ash isn't going to let this deter her though. This trip is for Augustus. But then Nathaniel surprises her. She finds herself questioning what she originally thought about him. He has a good heart. He cares about the little things. He is HOT. Things start to slowly shift between them to where they are at a truce and then they are kissing. And all the while she is in awe of the way he is making her feel. No one has done some of the things he has done for her. He is making her feel special and wonderous. But nothing can last beyond this vacation right? Especially since she has sworn off love and all. But this feels too good to let go. Will she be able to put aside her fears and let him know how she feels before it's too late?
Nathaniel is on the trip from hell with his family. He has decided that he will do what he is here to do which is hang out with and enjoy his grandfather while he still can. What he does not expect is her. The woman who he thought ruined his life three years ago. When really she helped him realize how wrong he was leading it. She helped him let loose and become the man he is today. He isn't going to tell her that of course. He knows she is a con woman and doesn't trust her. But then he starts to see how amazing she is. She really is her own person and so so proud of it. He finds himself enamored with her. He can't stop thinking about her and her big black boots and how she doesn't plan for anything and her tiny yellow bikini and the way her lips taste and how he wants more. He finds himself agreeing to whatever he can get from her while they are on this vacation when in reality he knows she is it for him. He just has to find a way to get her to understand that before they leave in 10 days.
I cannot say enough how much I recommend this book! I had ALLLLL the feelings. I am hoping that Babymoon or Bust is just as good.
Favorite Quotes:
- A smile blooms across her red mouth. She laughs, the boisterous sound filling the air like fireworks. "I am truly an elephant at heart." It really f***ing works.
- Immediately, he's snared by the contradictions that are Ash Keller. Her girlish flushed cheeks alongside the sharp, dark cat eye. Her quirky love for cryptids balanced by her love for his grandfather. Now that he's unlocked a little bit of her, he wants more. A hell of a lot more.
- She kisses like a monster. Hungry and electric and savage.
- "You know," Ash muses. "Love and death are so similar. The beginning. The end. It's all a mystery. An unknown. Both are always on our minds. We don't control the ride, the ride controls us. And no matter how hard we prepare, no matter how much we think we've got this, we can't escape. Love. Or death....But finding the grace to get back to one another, to understand, to forgive, is another kind of love on it's own. It's not death."
- "Talking with Ash sometimes feels like trying the password to a vault. Unless you get it right, it'll stay locked up tight. But that doesn't mean he'll stop trying."
- "Handsome. He's so handsome. So calming. He is like the best soft sweater on a rainy day."
-"Grief and love coexist...You can't have one without the other. You have to take the good with the bad. And when you do, you'll find the bad doesn't matter as much as the good."
Thank you Ava for a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review :) Can't wait to read whatever is next by you!