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doseofromance 's review for:
Come As You Are
by Jess K. Hardy
I wanna start of by saying I LOVE to see a couple in their 40s/50s. Often we do have an older man, but just because of a large age gap, so seeing a heroine that is a bit more age appropriate is great. Madigan (the pirate) and Ashley are so sweet together and I loved seeing how both of them overcame their reservations when it came to relationships. Madigan has such a wonderfully supportive dad (and family), that encouraged him and shoved him in the right direction, when he kind of started questioning himself. I really felt for Ashley, not being able to lean on her mom the same way and kind of have to figure things out on her own and by talking through stuff with Madigan.
We've also got a great supporting cast, that I expect to see in later books as well as an adorable puppy trying to become a rescue dog. As a skier myself I really enjoyed the ski hill setting, the subtle snowboarder slander (sorry lol), and the last chair talks.
I do wish there had been a bit more of a resolution between Ashley and her mom. While her mom does apologize for one particular thing (no spoilers), I don't think she really understands the underlying issue between them, which is that she is inherently selfish and doesn't take Ashley's feelings or the reality of their situation into consideration.
The only thing that kind of bugged me though was the side story of Sam (one of the recovering addicts staying with Madigan) and his ex-wife Izzy. I really felt for Sam, but I don't think it was Ashley's or Madigan's place to get involved. Neither of them, but especially Ashley, know what kind of person he was while he was using and how he treated Izzy. Izzy herself says he left her completely alone with their child while she was struggling. I understand that addiction is a disease and Sam was using while all of this happened, but Izzy was not obligated to forgive him. It was well within her rights to say she understands he's sorry, but she doesn't want to forgive him or take him back. There really are things that can't be forgiven and it felt like by Ashley pushing Izzy to give Sam a chance, she was somewhat invalidating Izzys experience when Sam was using, just because Sam was suffering now from consequences. This didn't really affect my enjoyment of the book, but it also didn't really fit with Ashley's or Madigan's character.
Overall an absolutely lovely holiday/winter romance with fantastic characters and spice.
I received an advanced copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.
We've also got a great supporting cast, that I expect to see in later books as well as an adorable puppy trying to become a rescue dog. As a skier myself I really enjoyed the ski hill setting, the subtle snowboarder slander (sorry lol), and the last chair talks.
I do wish there had been a bit more of a resolution between Ashley and her mom. While her mom does apologize for one particular thing (no spoilers), I don't think she really understands the underlying issue between them, which is that she is inherently selfish and doesn't take Ashley's feelings or the reality of their situation into consideration.
The only thing that kind of bugged me though was the side story of Sam (one of the recovering addicts staying with Madigan) and his ex-wife Izzy. I really felt for Sam, but I don't think it was Ashley's or Madigan's place to get involved. Neither of them, but especially Ashley, know what kind of person he was while he was using and how he treated Izzy. Izzy herself says he left her completely alone with their child while she was struggling. I understand that addiction is a disease and Sam was using while all of this happened, but Izzy was not obligated to forgive him. It was well within her rights to say she understands he's sorry, but she doesn't want to forgive him or take him back. There really are things that can't be forgiven and it felt like by Ashley pushing Izzy to give Sam a chance, she was somewhat invalidating Izzys experience when Sam was using, just because Sam was suffering now from consequences. This didn't really affect my enjoyment of the book, but it also didn't really fit with Ashley's or Madigan's character.
Overall an absolutely lovely holiday/winter romance with fantastic characters and spice.
I received an advanced copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.