Close Knit by Jenny Colgan

 

3*

I have read many of Jenny Colgan’s books, but none in the past couple of years. Either I’ve forgotten her writing style or this story diverged from her norm. Part One was very difficult to get into, and I was tempted to stop reading because very little was happening, too many characters were introduced at once without enough description to make them come alive in my head, and the abundant use of Scottish colloquial words and phrases took me out of the story too many times, often without being able to find a definition (e.g., saltires, dreich, schtum, stocious, etc.). Although I loved her Mure series, it annoyed me that, in describing the fictional town of Carso on the northern rim of Scotland (Thurso perhaps?), she also made up names for all the outer islands and their landmarks. Since I love finding place names on maps and in photos, it was frustrating to realize I couldn’t find visuals for the Mermaid’s Spyglass, the golden beaches, and the village itself.

Fortunately, the perilous adventure in Part Two grabbed my attention and didn’t let go until the very end. It was wonderful seeing both Gertie and Struan, one with the reputation of being a meek daydreamer and the other a failed musician in the eyes of their community, defy all expectations by taking heroic measures to save lives. Although I guess this could loosely be called a clean romance, there was no development of one, just a brief kiss or two near the end. I would categorize it more as women’s fiction and adventure. My 3* rating is the average of 2* for Part One and 4* for Part Two.

I received a complimentary ARC of this book from Avon through NetGalley in exchange for an honest review. Opinions expressed are completely my own.

Something Wilder by Christina Lauren

5*

Christina Lauren have taken a huge departure from their usual style by enfolding this second-chance romance in an action-adventure mystery set in the desert southwest. Ten years prior, Lily Wilder had just taken over her family’s Wyoming ranch with plans to run it with her new love, New Yorker Leo Grady. Her father Duke is a famous treasure hunter whose main focus has been to find outlaw Butch Cassidy’s hidden loot. This obsession led to Lily’s mother’s abandonment and her father’s casual neglect. So, no one is more surprised than Lily when, years later, she is running a wilderness adventure camp that offers horseback riding through the Utah Canyonlands with the added lure of finding (fake) treasure.

When Leo joins a group of friends on their annual trip, he finds himself face-to-face with Lily for the first time since disappearing from her life with no explanation a decade earlier. It’s obvious that they’ve both suffered heartbreak, and know that bitter truths will need to be revealed if they have any hope of forgiving each other and perhaps giving into the attraction that still simmers between them. However, when the trip takes a sinister turn, the two find themselves fighting for survival while following a series of clues left by her father that will either lead to the actual treasure or cost them their lives.

It’s clear that the authors have done their research by how accurately they depict the barren, beautiful but dangerous desert landscape and offer a glimpse of the criminal element of the Wild West during and following the Gold Rush. As usual, they’ve done a masterful job of building tension in the couple’s relationship, in this case with the added element of terror. If you like your romances full of intrigue and heart-pounding thrills, you can’t go wrong with Something Wilder. Highly recommended.

I received a complimentary ARC of this book from Gallery Books through NetGalley in exchange for an honest review. Opinions expressed are completely my own.