Review: Short and sweet
Rating: 3 out of 5
Date: 08 25, 2013
Kate is spending the summer back in her hometown of Winter. She dreads spending her days in a small, quiet town where nothing changes. Then a stranger enter the town's diner. As mysterious events go, this one is a bug one. No one ever comes to Winter, mostly they just want to leave. So when Ben steps off the bus and into the little town of Winter, Kate can't help but be curious about the handsome, quiet stranger.As a short read Ruin packs a punch with its interesting characters, romance and overall plot. I enjoyed getting to know Ben, a lot. He was quiet and strong, considerate and passionate. He didn't want to affect Kate with his past and kept his true reason for arriving in Winter a secret. I liked Kate, but not right away. To me, she came across a bit immature, especially when she kept acting like a brat with her parents. Never mind that she kept announcing how 'imperfect' she was to every one. That was unnecessary.Anyway, as a whole the story was interesting to read. I enjoyed how the author went about bringing Ben's past and his reason for being in Winter to the page. I liked that he hesitated before following his attraction to Kate. It did show a lot about the kind of person he was. I also enjoyed the secondary characters and what they brought to the story. Mrs. M was hilarious and I can't wait to read about Jane. She was kind, shy and a great friend. I wonder what's in store for her.The 'mystery' of why Ben was in Winter wasn't a surprise, but it was interesting to learn all the other details and the reaction of the characters to the news. I loved learning about Ben's past. C.J. Scott brought with it a lot of emotions that I was surprised to see coming from Ben causing my heart to melt for him even more.My biggest hurdle to get through with this story was how fast the romance developed. I don't think a couple of weeks, with a week spent apart at that, would be enough time for two people who just met to develop strong feelings for each other. Lust, of course. But not the kind of deep emotions Ben and Kate were professing.Short and to-the point, with a little mystery and a sweet romance, Ruin is the first book in the Summer in Winter series.I received this title through NetGalley