Review: Great Read, Unusual Setting.
Rating: 4 out of 5
Date: 02 6, 2014
4 Stars.I absolutely adored Shredded, Tracy Wolff has put together a really enjoyable and slightly different read. I have to admit that I don’t really have any prior knowledge when it comes to snowboarding, and although I got a little lost on some of the terminology used with regards to it, I was enjoying Z (not sure whether we are pronouncing it Zed or Zee) and Ophelia’s story, so it didn’t really bother me.I have to admit, after reading the synopsis I was expecting a tale full of angst and self-denial. And what I got was a well crafted piece of romantic fiction about two people in their early twenties trying to deal with the shitty hand of cards that life has so-far dealt them.Ophelia – “It’s a long story”Z – “Seems like we have a lot of those between us, don't we?”Z Michaels (still don’t know whether he is a Zed or a Zee) has suffered the most unimaginable losses in his life and at a very young age, and has found the best way to cope with that and the subsequent abandonment of his father is too snowboard, drink, get high and have sex. Born and raised in Park City, Utah, he is something of a local celebrity on the snowboarding scene, along with his friends Luc, Cam and Ash.Ophelia Richardson has moved from New Orleans to the resort owned by her Aunt and Uncle in Park City. After suffering her own devastating loss, she is looking to keep her head down, get on with her job and try and heal from her injuries, both mental and physical. Z is everything she wants to avoid, but also exactly what she is drawn to…This is Z Michaels – The fastest zipper in the West.There are some really great moments between these two in this book, I loved that they both saw what the other needed, and tried to support them in the best way.Ophelia – “Why don’t you just let it go?”Z – “Because I never let anything go.”.As I have come to expect with a Tracy Wolff novel the sex is hot, original and expertly written. The story grabbed me, I liked the characters, and I eagerly await the next book in the series – Shattered, this will be Ash’s story, and I think it is going to be a heartbreaker!The only niggles, (and they are very minor). There-is-a-lot-of-writing-like-this. And there was also a Lot. Of. Sentences. Written. Like. This. Too!ARC provided via Netgalley, and it is my pleasure to provide the above honest review.