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theowrites 's review for:
Come As You Are
by Jess K. Hardy
I appreciate a romance between two Gen X characters so much, and I just adored the tension and the building romance between Ashley and Madigan. This was the perfect amount of two adults with some of their life together and some not, but they've lived a life. Neither of them is naive to believe that this love will solve their real problems or that their love won't complicate (good and bad) everything currently happening in their lives.
Their paths cross when Ashley needs workers as she's taken over running her family's ski resort mountain, and Madigan needs jobs for the men who live at the recovery adult group home he runs. It was wonderful to see how their romance awoke neglected parts of themselves and to face some of their fears about getting into relationships based on previous relationships, romantic, and sexual experiences.
The newness of the other men's recovery sets a good background for discussing Madigan's recovery without having him relapse or go into extensive flashbacks. Ashley can also go a little out of her comfort zone when running the business, which wasn't wholly her mother's shenanigans. Likewise, the concert "saved" the mountain for Ashley and her family, but it also gave Madigan back a little something he'd taken out of his life.
I appreciated how we saw complex mother-daughter relationships with Ashely and Maude Alice and Ashley and her daughter. The moms each learn how their daughters must be their own humans and when they need motherly advice.
When Maude Alice gets lost in the snow, of course, the dog finds her, but I thought for sure they'd test her for drugs and find she'd eaten a bunch of weed pie. That whole villain turn was apparent but choreographed perfectly.
The push-and-pull of Madigan and Ashley romantically and sexually was so well done. They recognized a lot in each other that past partners or experiences hadn't fulfilled while acknowledging that relationships are hard work, but the great ones are worth it.
I cannot wait to read more romances from Hardy.
Their paths cross when Ashley needs workers as she's taken over running her family's ski resort mountain, and Madigan needs jobs for the men who live at the recovery adult group home he runs. It was wonderful to see how their romance awoke neglected parts of themselves and to face some of their fears about getting into relationships based on previous relationships, romantic, and sexual experiences.
The newness of the other men's recovery sets a good background for discussing Madigan's recovery without having him relapse or go into extensive flashbacks. Ashley can also go a little out of her comfort zone when running the business, which wasn't wholly her mother's shenanigans. Likewise, the concert "saved" the mountain for Ashley and her family, but it also gave Madigan back a little something he'd taken out of his life.
I appreciated how we saw complex mother-daughter relationships with Ashely and Maude Alice and Ashley and her daughter. The moms each learn how their daughters must be their own humans and when they need motherly advice.
When Maude Alice gets lost in the snow, of course, the dog finds her, but I thought for sure they'd test her for drugs and find she'd eaten a bunch of weed pie. That whole villain turn was apparent but choreographed perfectly.
The push-and-pull of Madigan and Ashley romantically and sexually was so well done. They recognized a lot in each other that past partners or experiences hadn't fulfilled while acknowledging that relationships are hard work, but the great ones are worth it.
I cannot wait to read more romances from Hardy.