Carrie Anderson––truth seeker, storyteller, journalist-at-large––is bad at social media and great at getting herself into trouble.
When she’s fired from her dream job for an ill-advised tweet, she has no other choice but to return to the small town where she grew up with her head hung low.
It’s temporary after all. She can work at her family’s bed and breakfast, shore up her finances, and get … finances, and get back to her life and her home in Los Angeles.
There’s only one not-so-little problem…the grouchy ex-NHL star making her rethink what home means.
Jake Turner––great at hockey, bad at people––is not a happy man.
Haunted by his past, all he wants is to disappear into obscurity, to get away from the scrutiny of the press he’s been under since turning pro at nineteen. But when the press finds him, disappearing is no longer an option.
Worse yet, the same journalist he’s trying to avoid is making him reconsider whether being forgotten is what he really wants.
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Carrie Anderson was living her best life. She was working at her dream job and living in L.A. All of that comes to an end when she is fired over a tweet she posted. Now she’s back at her family’s bed and breakfast. This is only supposed to be temporary, but when she meets Jake Turner, he makes her rethink it all.
Jake is a man that wants to be invisible. An ex-NHL player, life in the spotlight isn’t for him, for multiple reasons. When he meets Carrie Anderson and she reveals she’s a journalist, she’s the last person Jake wants to be around. However as the two cross paths more often than not, it’s hard to deny the attraction. When Jake’s past comes knocking, are he and Carrie strong enough to weather the storm?
I absolutely loved this book. Jake is so darn sweet but so sensitive too. Honestly, I couldn’t get enough of him. And Carrie, she cracked me up at some points, she is quirky and fun. They are two polar opposites who bring out the best in each other! The drama, lust, and love in this story is what makes this a great romance!
5 star Review Carried Away by P. Dangelico
P. Dangelico is a relatively new author to me and as with the previous book I read from start to finish she drew me in and captivated me with Carrie Anderson and Jake Turner’s story.
The writing was strong and this book was well written with characters that were easy to relate to and you couldn’t help but fall for.
Carrie has returned to her hometown after losing her dream job? But was it? Forced to work at the family bed and breakfast she is focused in getting back to LA as fast as she can. Jake on the other hand has been in the public eye since he was 19, a professional hockey player, but now all he wants now is to disappear.
When Jake and Carrie meet, sparks will fly and the chemistry will build until it until it is too hard to deny. There is so much more to Jake than what people think and that added layer brought more depth to the story. I really loved Carrie and Jake, separately and together.
There was drama, some angst, romance and humour and the banter between Carrie and Jake lead to some laugh out loud moments that had me smiling. I enjoyed watching the relationship develop between them .
“I promise. I will never do anything to hurt you…”
One of the perks of reading is finding a good romance. But knowing that is a book by P. Dangelico is guarantee that the story you’re about to get lost is going to make you fall in love with the characters; she has a way with words that not only you can see yourself in the place she’s describing, but the emotions her stories triggers are everything you want to feel in a romance book.
After being dismissed from what she thought was her dream job, Carrie finds herself going back to the only place she vowed to never return to, the place that almost broke her, and now she is working for her dad in Comfort Cottages. But she only has one goal in mind, to go back to L.A., but such is her luck that the man who she thought almost as a creature of the woods, is everything she needs to rethink about what she truly wants in life.
Jake’s life hasn’t been easy, and one dreadful accident changed everything he was and after being at the top, he wants nothing to do with that life again. He wants to be away, to get lost and never be found…but the moment he saw Carrie, he knew that his life was about to change again…and maybe after all this time he might want to be found.
I loved this book, Carried Away is just another winner in the romance genre; this book has the exact measure of love, lust, and drama. Get lost in Carrie and Jake’s love story, it is so worth it.
I put down three books before picking this one up – my reader palate is pickier than ever and in these uncertain times, I have no idea what I’m even looking for half the time.
Except, apparently I am always looking for P. Dangelico. There is something about the way she writes that allows me to fall so effortlessly into a story. I didn’t even need to warm up to it. I just cracked this book open and lost time in exactly the way I was hoping to.
Look, I am powerless against a grumpy hero. This is a surefire way to get me at least one foot in the door every time. I am always charmed by a man who falls in love against his will, and Jake did not disappoint. While there were definitely times where I felt like Jake and Carrie’s connection moved forward without me really understanding or feeling how that happened, there were also times where my heart swelled to bursting and I felt the romance all the way into my bones. Some moments took my breath away. Some moments had me smiling so big. They were adorable, and sexy, and so much fun.
I enjoyed this story so much – in part because it was a lovely story, and in part because I think I might be addicted to this smart, engaging, deliciously romantic writing. Whatever the reason – it left my heart full, happy which is the best way to turn the last page of a romance book. This was another hit!
If you’re looking for a hilarious, romantic comedy to read, then look no further because Carried Away, the latest book from this author will fill your needs just right! I have loved and read most of Ms. Dangelico’s work and Carried Away is again, another sure fire hit.
Jake and Carrie’s back and forth were just so enjoyable, it had me snorting all throughout the book. I especially love Carrie’s inner musings. Oh my gawd, this girl could give any rom-com heroine a run for their money. She’s sassy, funny and klutzy in an endearing way that got me thinking she could be my BFF. Jake is your tortured, grumpy, mysterious and sexy hockey player. That description alone would melt any girl into a puddle. Jake and Carrie’s interactions are hilarious with a lot of pent up sexual tension to sizzle the book pages. Overall, highly recommend for lovers of this trope!
Just call me a P. Dangelico fan for life now.
So, to be honest, I bought this book because I fell in love with P. Dangelico’s You Can Have Manhattan. I LOVED that book! From beginning to end. I wanted to see if she had the same magic in this new one. Nope, the magic was not there but, I thought, I must make sure and I am glad I did!
Carrie Anderson, the heroine of Carried Away, manages to get herself fired from her job as the overworked go-getter for her boss, Ben, the best looking male in the world bar none. She had tweeted that a famous NFL quarterback was rumored to have beaten his then-girlfriend that she sustained serious injuries. Too bad that was four years ago, and he had just died in a ski accident. She was fired.
First, she turned to her sister who unceremoniously refused to help her and banished her home to the Adirondack Mountains in New York in winter. Cold, hard snowy winter. And the hilarity begins.
Carrie manages to rent a bright orange Nissan Cube to drive to her father’s hotel in the middle of a bomb cyclone of snow. All she manages to do is run the car off the road in a deserted area outside of Albany where she thinks she is rescued by a huge gay Santa. Turns out that silent gay Santa is Jake Turner, ex professional hockey player who Carrie calls Scrooge of the Adirondacks. AND, Jake happens to be renting the cabin at her father’s hotel right next to hers.
Throw her mother who left the family when Carrie was 10 for another woman and an alternative life style, a small town newspaper, a boys hockey league, cancer, a pregnant and horny sister, an 85 year-old grandma, Ben who wants her back, and hijinks keep rolling along. I was SO glad I kept reading. SO GLAD.
Just call me a P. Dangelico fan for life now. I am never going to doubt her again. 5 stars all the way!
It pains me to rate this book because I have adored all of Dangelico’s books up until this one. I feel like I missed a chapter that set the stage for Carrie and Jake’s chemistry as it just wasn’t there. And great chemistry is what makes Dangelico’s characters. Sure Jake had some great lines later in the book professing his love but there is NO basis to their relationship at all.
The story just didn’t flow and had too many incomplete parts. You just get a taste of the relationship with her sister, what’s going on with her mom, Jake’s backstory etc but never really sink deep into any of these story lines. Even her issue growing up with bad acne just felt thrown in and I never really got her as a reporter. Then the book just ends. I’m so sad but I’m treating this book as a fluke because I’ll continue to always read Dangelico’s books.
I was carried away by this beautiful story. Fun, light-hearted and delightful! A woman, down on her luck, comes back to her hometown to reassess and regroup and meets a Neaderthalish grumpy guy who is initially scary but then turns out to be a marshmallow with prickles. I had fun and enjoyed this story immensely!
Carrie starts out in the story in a mess. Out of a job, out of funds, she appealed for help to her older sister but no dice. Her sister Jackie was cruel to be kind and sent her back home, to work for their father and get her life in order. Home is in the mountains near Lake Placid, and there was a snow storm and she got stuck in her miniature rental. Then this huge guy came to save her, wrapped in a rainbow towel, with snow over his hair and beard. That’s when he became Big Gay Santa. Once rescued, Carrie stays in this derelict shack of a house for two days and is taken to her father’s hotel in the mountains. It turns out that Big Gay Santa is Jake and is a guest at the hotel. He was just helping out Carrie’s father.
Jake is continually grumpy and Carrie is intrigued. As time goes by and they get to know each other closer, his nicknames progress. By now, she already knows he’s not gay and his body is a joy to watch, so she does that every time she gets a chance.
“I revise my prior assessment of him being a cousin to the Uni-Bomber. He’s not dangerous, just mean for whatever reason. He’s more Ebenezer Scrooge. Yep, Ebenezer Scrooge of the Adirondack Mountains has a nice ring to it. A hot Scrooge––because fair is fair.”
Jake spends his time painting beautiful and haunting landscapes. Later on, Carrie learns that he used to be someone famous but a tragedy turned him into a recluse and loner. However, no one can resist Carrie, who is a journalist and can’t help being curious and nosy and an investigative champ. She’s not above hiding in bushes and spying, like she did her dad when she found him kissing a woman. Read the book to find out who that woman is!
In spite of the book having hilarious moments, there are moments of great feelings, some angsty moments. The overall feeling is light-hearted but with lots and lots of heart. I found Carrie to be a hoot and Jake to hide very strong feelings inside of his broody manner.
“Jake is unexpectedly thoughtful and kind. He’s selfless and honest. And part of me feels ashamed that I stepped in it once again, assuming the worst about him based on what I learned from the press.”
Carrie has issues with her career, her goals, her mother, and what she wants out of life in general. She’s a great person who just needed a time-out to figure it out and a great guy to kindle her heart. As with previous P. Dangelico’s books, as soon as I finish I go back and read it all over again. She has a style of writing that’s sassy and heartfelt that I just love. Totally enjoyable!
This was just what I needed! Sweet,sexy, swoony and oh so satisfying. I think we all need a Jake Turner in our lives. Gruff and crabby on the outside, his forbidding exterior protects a very tender heart. A heart our heroine eventually gets to see and falls stupid in love with. Carrie is awesome! When her professional life implodes, she moves back to her home town. Some difficult memories await her there, but she tries not to let it bring her down. She is a positive thinker and I loved that about her. The development of her relationship with Jake is both hot and sweet. They go from pugnacious to perfect and the journey was thoroughly entertaining. Both of them are dealing with some issues from their pasts as well and mutual healing is a strong theme here. I would have liked to have gotten a bit of Jake’s POV at some point but otherwise a great read!
~Jamie
Carrie and Jake find each other!
Carrie Anderson is returning home to New York after getting fired from her job after a tweet she probably shouldn’t have sent reminding people that a player many people idolized had feet of clay. Carrie met Jake Turner when he rescued her from an accident, but she thought he was the grumpiest man she had ever met and thought she would never see him again. Big problem, he was staying at the family resort in the cabin attached to where she was staying.
Former hockey player Jake Turner had quit playing after the death of his best friend in a car accident when he was driving but now, he painted landscapes as therapy.
Both Carrie and Jake have issues with letting people close to them for various reasons but it all in the story.
Carried Away by P Dangelico will have you flipping the pages so fast just to know what is going to happen next.
If anything bad could happen to Carrie, I think it did for the first quarter of this book. Carrie has come back to her hometown to put the pieces of her life together after losing everything. Jake is an ex-hockey player just looking to get lost and never found; till Carrie found him. Can Carrie and Jake just be what the other needs in life?
Another great book by this author with excellent writing and easy to love characters. I highly recommend checking out this book.
P. Dangelico’s “Carried Away” gave me all the feels, and I loved it. This heartwarming, funny, and sweet story featured likeable, well-developed characters and an engaging plot that kept me turning the pages well past my bedtime. As an added bonus, the author threw in a few sly little 2020 and pandemic jokes that probably made me laugh harder than they should have, given the situation. (As they say, sometimes laughter is the best medicine, right?)
The book’s female lead, Carrie, was funny and adorably quirky even as she faced serious problems like losing her job and having to move back home to a town she didn’t particularly like. I especially loved that she so often wore her hair in Princess Leia buns! Carrie’s love interest, Jake, was a delightfully grumpy hero who had completely valid reasons for being grouchy and withdrawn. My heart hurt for him for a lot of reasons, and I was glad that Carrie was eventually able to help him come out of his shell and find a path to happiness. Their enemies-to-lovers, slow burn relationship dynamic was a lot of fun, and their witty banter along the way made me laugh out loud more than once.
The secondary characters in this story were a lot of fun as well, particularly Carrie’s family members and her friend Gina. Carrie’s sister Jackie, with her pregnancy hormones and one-track mind, were often hilarious. I enjoyed Gina’s maybe-relationship with Carrie’s newspaper colleague, Gray, too.
Overall, “Carried Away” was a wonderful story and I am happy to recommend it for all fans of contemporary romance and romantic comedy. I look forward to reading more of P. Dangelico’s books in the future!
*ARC provided by the author via Valentine PR. All opinions expressed are my own.
A fiery and emotional romance that will melt your heart!
Ever since reading Nothing But Trouble, I’ve become addicted to anything written by this author! I didn’t even know what this book was about, I just knew I had to read it. And the author does not disappoint!
Carried Away is a slow burn, strangers-to-enemies-to-lovers romance with an undercurrent of humor and raw, heartfelt emotions. The intriguing dynamic between Carrie and Jake was pure entertainment. Their relationship evolves smoothly throughout the story line, layering the slow burn tempo with anxiousness and anticipation. Will they? Won’t they? I couldn’t flip the pages fast enough to find out what situation they’d find themselves in next.
Carrie and Jake each have their own inner turmoil. Their problems are seem quite opposite, but deep down they share a common bond. Both have a past they’d rather forget, but it’s that same past that keeps resurfacing and opening old wounds that never healed. The emotion and conflict within the pages of the story gives us two people just living day-by-day instead of living life to its fullest. And as much as these two clashed, the chemistry between them couldn’t be denied and they were exactly what each other needed.
Carried Away is a touching, swoony, and highly enjoyable quick read! It’s easily the type of book you can read from cover to cover in one sitting. The outstanding writing and the low-angst, comedic story line is the perfect summer read!
This book was simply beautiful, I was blown away by this story and its characters, P. Dangelico has become one of my favorite authors, whenever she writes something, I know I need to signup!
Carried Away was such a good read that kept me up late at night. This is only the second book I have read by this author and it won’t be the last. The cover is gorgeous and one of the reasons I couldn’t wait to get my hands on this book.
Carrie is a reporter who loves being a journalist. She is going back home after being fired from her job. Things don’t quite go as planned on her way back home. She ends up losing control of her car in a snowstorm, thankfully she was rescued. It takes a while for Carrie and Jake to get along. He is trying to stay off the grid, he’s an ex hockey player haunted by his past.
I couldn’t get enough of Carrie and Jake’s story. This was a fast paced read that I devoured and couldn’t put down.
Carried Away by P. Dangelico a charming slow burning story about finding someone you were never looking for but may just be perfect for you. Carrie is back home but not because she wants to be. This is a temporary stop before getting her life back in order. Jake is surly and trying to hide. Then he meets Carrie. They are slowly getting to know each other and finding something there. Though he was a bit grouchy at the start, we got to see a different side of him as well. Carrie is positive and happy. I loved their story. It was sweet and delightful.
Read and reviewed for Sultry Sirens Book Blog.
Happy reading!
Paola Dangelico never fails to entertain me. I’ve been struggling with reads in recent weeks. I really needed one of her books! The kind that is low on drama and high on the humour. The dialogue between the characters is nothing short of amazing, it is fast paced and entertaining.
The characters of Carrie and Jake were layered. They both had issues that they carried into their relationship. These issues were handled with sensitivity. I loved the dynamic between these two characters, nothing was forced or rushed. Their relationship is definitely rocky from the start, but it was wonderful to see that change slowly.
I loved Carrie almost immediately. She has had a rough time and is trying to find herself. She is sassy and vulnerable and I loved her quirky, goofy sense of humour. She has a colorful personality, but she is often misunderstood. Jake is somewhat rough around the edges, but also caring and gentle. His hockey career has been on a hiatus since the accidental death of his long-time friend, and he is trying to figure out how to move on. His grumpiness hid a layer of vulnerability and loneliness.
I loved seeing their relationship blooming and growing, as they both come to terms with their feelings and emotions. This story is a believable romance between two memorable characters. Their chemistry felt genuine and while the plot was predictable, the characters made it enjoyable.
Ooh. Enemies to lovers ish, Jake Turner (Mr Grumpy) and Carrie Anderson (Little Miss Nosey), are opposites, both very much in denial about their feelings, even if they might be a ‘little bit’ attracted to each other, they’ll never admit it. All Jake wants is peace and quiet, and that all gets blown to the wall when he rescues Carrie in the middle of a blizzard. When Jake discovers Carrie is a journalist he automatically assumes the worst. Problem is, both these guys speak first and think later. Although the more time they spend together, the more they discover a softer and more tender side to each other. Both Jake and Carrie are super stubborn, super impulsive, and lacking in love (so they’ve got that in common at least). Great story, wonderful writing, I love grumpy alpha male leads, and Jake had that down to perfection. Everyone loved him, apart from, of course, Carrie Anderson, the one who pushed all his buttons. Talk about getting off on the wrong foot. I’m so looking forward to what P Dangelico has next for us.
This was another heartwarming read from P. Dangelico. We start off by being introduced to Carrie who is a journalist who returns to her hometown to try to put the pieces back together after being let go from her job. She does not have the best memories of growing up there and definitely struggles with having to be back. She meets Jake Turner upon her arrival back into town and he definitely comes across as grouchy and difficult. He is a retired former hockey player who is in town trying to recover from a tragic accident and is very much looking to avoid the public eye. It is amusing that Carrie doesn’t really know who he is at first and gets to know him outside of his famous personality. Definitely enjoyed the story once the romance started to pick up and it was great to see Jake actively pursue Carrie. Not too much angst with a happy ending after makes this book a great summer read!
Carried Away was a beautiful and refreshing read. I couldn’t finish it fast enough yet I was so distraught when it ended. This feel good romance had me swooning and falling in love.
Carrie has been fired from her job and has to return home after been gone for many years. She has vowed to only return home when she has won numerous accolades and has made a name for herself. Upon her return she gets stuck in a snow storm and has to be rescued by someone she refers to as a ‘Neanderthal’. Jake is a man a very few words and is a new resident in Lake Placid. He keeps to himself and is a closed book. They don’t get off on a good note and each meeting is even more disastrous until one night Jake points out something really unexpected. Carrie discovers just how much she is attracted to this Neanderthal and the sexual tension gets kicked up a notch during every interaction. Carrie’s time in her home town is just temporary and Lake Placid has become Jake’s safe haven. She is also a reporter who hunts stories and Jake wants to be away from the press especially after an accident that has left them harassing him.
There’s something deeply satisfying about discovering someone I thought was a self-centered ogre is actually a good person.
Jake has to be one the sweetest and swooniest heroes I have had the pleasure of reading. He was so unlike anyone I have read before and that is why I found this book refreshing. He was the one that took the risk first and made his feelings known. He was so caring and soft which I found so endearing. He opened up and became so transparent with his feelings. Discovering all the different sides to Jake was the highlight of the story for me. I just love a story where the hero falls first. I am so in love with this book and the characters. They took a while to get to know each other and eventually fall. Carrie made me laugh with her comments and she became an all star in my book when she defended Jake. He did make me angry towards the end–why do guys rush to conclusions?! But he is adorable and totally redeemable because of his past actions.
“Carrie, not only can I––check your contract––but I have to.”He points to the ceiling. “Order came from up above.”
“God wants me fired?”
I cracked up for this line!
I would have liked the ending to be longer and more drawn out but I am a sucker for a P. Dangelico book! I’m always on a look out for her new books and count down the days until I can get my hands on it. So I guess the waiting and anticipation for the next book begins.