FALLING FOR YOU Former pro-snowboarder Ben Healy has always sensed when to call it quits. He knew when to give up Olympic dreams and settle for lucrative sponsorship deals. He knew when his competition days were ending. And with Colleen Ridge, he knew that something so good couldn’t possibly last. Rather than wait until Colleen realized she deserved better, he pushed her away. Only now, thanks … Only now, thanks to her grandmother’s finagling, they’re back in the same town.
Four years should be long enough to forget someone. But the summer she and Ben spent together is imprinted in Colleen’s soul. While sorting out her grandmother’s estate, Colleen confronts shocking truths about her past. Ben is right by her side, determined to help. And loving him again could be another collision with heartache, or the best mistake Colleen ever made…
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The story, that is. It’s full and rich and…yes, complicated. I read a review of this book that mentioned so much–maybe too much for that reader–was going on, and it was. This was not a book that you skipped any of the middle of. It also wasn’t one that I put down very happily, either, but I stretched it out for several days because Kathleen Gilles Seidel doesn’t write nearly fast enough and I know I have to wait a while before she releases another book. It is a romance, yes, between gorgeous Ben Healy and tiny and interesting and too-nice Colleen Ridge, but more than that for me, it’s women’s fiction at its best. It’s the curving, hilly woman’s journey, and I just loved it. It was the third and final in a series, but it stood alone just fine and–this never happens–it was also my favorite.
Autumn’s Child by Kathleen Gilles-Seidel
Stand ingTall #3
Slow beginning that almost had me give up on the book but knowing that I have enjoyed this author’s books in the past I plugged on. With more than one thread to the story it was a bit of a puzzle about who Autumn even was till much further into the book. There was the sort-of romance and second chance for Ben and Colleen to achieve a HEA. There was the issues of inheritance and some getting more than others. There was the issue of family and adoption and blood. There was a huge media circus with crazies running around. There were friends that came to visit. For some reason I just could not get into this book and really had trouble relating to the characters. I did not see what Colleen and Ben saw in one another or why she was still interested in him as to me he seemed rather selfish. Anyway, I did finish the book but do have to say that I much prefer other books that I have read by this author.
Thank you to NetGalley and Kensington Lyrical Shine for the ARC – This is my honest review.
2-3 Stars
I love that (in my opinion) this author’s writing has gotten stronger with each book in this series. While I enjoyed the first book, The Fourth Summer, quite a bit, I had issues with her writing style. By the time I read The Last Snowfall, her writing had evened out, though there still seemed to be some continuity issues. I’m so glad this story flows beautifully and has more of a depth in the writing than the previous books.
Colleen tugged at my mom-heart from the very beginning. The inner thoughts/responses she had to those around her just killed me. There were times I wish she would have spoken those responses out loud to the intended recipient, yet I could understand why she didn’t.
Ben is a harder cookie to crack. It’s obvious he’s a good person, but he makes some terrible choices. And it seems those choices are made out of fear of failure, although he grew up in a family that is beyond loving and supportive. By the same token, sometimes I felt the connection between him and Colleen and other times they seemed more acquaintances.
Putting the love connection and that part of the story aside, this is a very interesting book. There’s a lot that happens in Colleen’s life through the 300 pages, but it never feels bogged down. In fact, I love the roller coaster of events that is Colleen’s narrative. There are so many emotions to be explored and family aspects that will touch many readers in different ways.
I feel this author is picking up steam with her writing and I’m quite looking forward to reading more from her.
**I received an ARC of this book courtesy of Net Galley and the publisher. All opinions expressed in this review are my own and given freely**