Review: Surprisingly good...
Rating: 4 out of 5
Date: 12 7, 2012
3.75 starsThis book was an interesting mix of would-be lovers drama, pent-up lust and hope for a happily-ever after.Katie is a 20-something woman who returns to her home in Texas when her father falls ill. She fled her home at 18 after being rejected by Cole and hasn't looked back. Meanwhile, Cole is an old soul with a painful past that made him mature before his time. His life revolves around his ranch, his horses and ultimately his love for Katie. Try as she might, Katie could not get Cole to see her as something more than a child or so she thought. Until a fateful night when she put it all on the line and Cole - so strong and honorable - just lets her go.I enjoyed how the story was weaved between the present and the past. It gave me a lot more glimpses into the character's thoughts, feelings and personalities. Which in the end helped me connect to them. I liked that Katie was strong-willed and stood her ground. She was determined to win Cole's heart before having to leave for college and she gave it her all. I admired that. Just as much as I admired Cole's understanding that she needed to leave and discover the world beyond the ranch.The author, K.C. Klein, made their journey in finding their happily ever after an interesting one. My major complain was that she included Jett and Nikki's story in there as well, which side-tracked me from Katie's and Cole's story. Mind you, theirs was a very interesting coming together and I would love to read more about them, but the switching of point of views was very distracting. At last count, there were 5 point of views and that is a first for me. Add to that the lack of a clear transition between past and present in some parts of the book and you get total confusion on my part.That said, the author did a marvelous job of letting me connect to the characters. I felt Katie's desperation and need to be loved by Cole, while at the same time I could feel Cole's apprehension and his conflicted emotions. Their chemistry was very palpable and when it finally happened it was amazingly written. I liked that it wasn't explicit and that it wasn't immediate. All I will say is that the anticipation was well rewarded. I feel that some events could have been left out even it if made for a shorter read - mainly Jett and Nikki's story. While others should have been explored more. For example, an epilogue would have gone a long way into increasing my rating.