Review: Well Hello Private North!
Rating: 4 out of 5
Date: 01 8, 2014
Private North is the perfect book to curl up with and settle in for a quiet night of reading. It’s fast paced and will keep you on the edge of your seat from page to page. I finished it in one sitting, unwilling to put it down or take a break. Ms. Oliver does a fantastic job of pulling you into the story and holding your attention throughout.August (Auggie) Stonefield is not your typical spoiled rich girl. Despite having everything she could possibly need at her finger tips she’s very down to earth and enjoys the simple things in life. All she wants is to spend a “normal” Christmas with her mother, baking and just doing your average mother/daughter activities like most families do. However at the last minute her mother cancels their plans and opts to go on a European vacation instead. Not wanting to spend her break home alone Auggie accepts the Internship offered to her by Professor North, cataloguing ancient artifacts for the University. While it wasn’t entirely believable that Auggie would just agree to stay at her professor’s house as if it wasn’t a big deal or awkward in the least, I went along with it anyway curious to see where the story would go.Auggie’s stay at the professors McMansion is pretty uneventful until she’s woken up by a very sexy and very familiar stranger in her bed. Enter Private Dalton North! Their chemistry is intense right off the bat, and despite her efforts to steer clear of this mystery of a man, Auggie finds herself falling for him anyway. Besides being in constant pain from his war injury, Dalton is also carrying around a tremendous amount of guilt. Letting his emotions get the best of him he self-medicates the only way he knows how, with alcohol.  Aside from the Auggie/Dalton story line there is so much more going on that neither of them is aware of! Private North is more than just a romance novel, it has equal parts mystery and suspense with some pretty good twists & turns. Although I already (correctly) guessed what would happen it was still an enjoyable ride to go on while all the secrets were unveiled.Dalton North is one of those book boyfriends who will stay on your mind for a long while. He’s not your traditional ‘perfect from head to toe’ alpha male, but he’s still all kinds of yummy just in a slightly different package. His war injury and inner turmoil make him seem more “real” and relatable. I really loved his character because he could easily represent your “average joe”. Auggie was also a breath of fresh air. Even though she comes from money, it doesn’t define who she is as a person. She has a backbone and is unwilling to let her parents dictate her life. She’s set on following her dreams no matter what the outcome is.If you’re looking for a quick read with an awesome story line and intriguing characters then Private North is for you. I will say that I felt the ending was a tad bit rushed but it doesn’t detract from the overall appeal of the story. So have no fear, all loose ends will be tied up and you will NOT suffer through an awful cliffhanger. I would definitely recommend this book and look forward to reading more books from Ms. Oliver!