nuriacarot's review
dark
emotional
funny
lighthearted
tense
medium-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
4.75
kthomas0927's review
emotional
hopeful
inspiring
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.5
jessrt21's review against another edition
emotional
inspiring
mysterious
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
4.0
corbin22's review
4.0
Liam and Tessa are two loving souls in hiding for two totally different reasons. We lean at the beginning of the book Tessa is in hiding because of an abusive relationship. She puts up many walls to stay save and protect herself. Liam is a famous singer. He has problems with an obsessed fan, and is in a slump from writing music. They both find their escape and solace in Sutter Lake. Liam is instantly interested in Tessa although their first few meetings are less than ideal. While Tessa thinks Liam is attractive, she is scared and has so many walls up so it takes a long time for her to let him in. Overtime, they find their way and I love how sweet and patient Liam is. Liam was an all around good guy. I liked how supportive he has been of Taylor and then of Tessa in this book. There was a bit much repetitive stuff with Tessa and some things were a little more predictable in this book but it was still a solid read. The next book includes Tuck and Jensen and I am so excited to read it.
menollyruth's review against another edition
4.0
As a victim of DV myself, this was hard, especially at the beginning. But I really loved how supportive Liam was towards Tessa, and I really enjoyed the story. Like every Catherine Cowles book I've read so far, the timeline is fucked, but I really didn't mind it this time.
etti_mk's review against another edition
emotional
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? N/A
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
cjcharding's review against another edition
3.25
3.5/5🌶️, contemporary, small town, part of a series but can be read as a standalone (some character overlap, no plot overlap), bit of suspense, tortured FMC on the run from an abusive ex-fiancé, rockstar hiding out to beat writers block, slow burn, mild spicy
The good first: narrators did a good job on this book, I thought. It would have suited duet narration but at least we got dual (each person reading their own chapters). This book was your classic small town, romance with a suspense element, no third act breakup/miscommunication, once the couple is together they stay together. I also love when the FMC gets to take revenge against the people that hurt her instead of the MMC playing the knight. Now onto the not go great: this was not a rockstar book. There was really no reason why the MMC was written as famous beyond a very minor (pointless) plot line. Nothing groundbreaking sexy wise. I would classify this as JUST beyond open door, as descriptions were a bit more detailed but infrequent.
Rant incoming: why do authors include casual misogyny to make the MMC seem tough or manly? The MMC says things like “you can’t give a boy cat a weak name like Bubbles” or “are you going to put that girly shit in the bath” - after being invited to share said bath- said in jest but repeatedly. I dislike when authors throw in these little jabs to show how macho their characters are, especially when also trying to establish how gentle and kind he is; the author writes about how the MMC is shedding tears in the next chapter. Off hand comments like this turned me off a bit (probably because this is something I deal with daily - frequent slightly misogynistic comments, especially when said in jest, always leave me a bit fired up and viewing the speaker in a different light.) Also, this is another “it’s ME not the book” thing, but it gets brought up a lot about how some people can’t read a book if a MC shares a name with someone they know, but that doesn’t bother me (kids’ names, nephew’s names, even my mom’s name once - no problems - I think because my family doesn’t have unique names, so I know many people with their names). However, I was uncomfortable when one of the antagonists had a similar name to a close family member. I think because I associate that name with love and happiness, it made it difficult to hear it linked to hate and violence and bitchiness.