Choices.
My life has been defined by a series of choices—some made by me, some made by those I loved. One of the hardest choices was ten years ago, when I left Coraline Campbell and Lilac Harbor in the rearview mirror to play hockey and provide for my father.
Now, I’m back. Back in the small town I grew up in, breathing in the same air of the last person who made me feel whole. Chasing that … that feeling. Coraline has made her own choices. She’s not the same girl I fell in love with, and she has her own secrets to hide. When her final choice brings me to my knees, I have my own decision to make.
Will I let the anger and betrayal consume me, or will I fight for the only thing in my life that makes sense? Can we have a second chance?
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A captivating second-chance romance by a new author.
Cross-Checking is a solid and memorable debut novel by author Evie Graham.
The story involves hockey player, Camden Locke and his former childhood sweetheart, Coraline Campbell. Set in the quaint town of Lilac Harbor, Maine, it is a story of loss, sacrifice and forgiveness needed towards the road ending in happiness. Their reunion is so eloquently portrayed that the reader can almost feel their sadness and heartbreak. From their first encounter years after their separation until the very end, I was sucked into the lives of Camden and his Cora. The book evokes both laughter and tears.
This is the first book in the Lilac Harbor series, in what appears to be an addictive and must read series.
Shock to the Heart
Cross-Checking is a second chance romance filled with nostalgia, longing, and family. This is the debut novel for Evie Graham and she did a wonderful job of weaving memories of the past with present day interactions in this story. The emotional turmoil of the characters felt justified and tangible. Cora and Camden were both fascinating characters, that held my interest. Although, I personally connected more with Camden throughout the story. The story was enhanced by a quirky cast of endearing family and friends. I enjoyed this book, but I also struggled to reconcile some of the actions of the main characters. At times decisions and pacing seemed rushed. Overall this is a wonderful debut novel and I look forward to watching the author’s words bloom in her future endeavors. I am definitely intrigued by quite a few characters that I met in Lilac Harbor.
I was fortunate to read an early copy of Evie Graham’s debut book CROSS-CHECKING and I want y’all to read this book.
Allow me to make case for you.
First, this book has all kinds of romance catnip. There’s the second chance at first love. There’s the pro hockey player with the heart of gold and dick of steel. There’s the spunky hometown gal who is equal parts girl next door and human firecracker. There’s good-natured meddling from friends and parents. There are big feels and deeply emotional moments and tragedy and secrets and history too.
And second, there’s a great story there. Any second chance at first love is thorny, messy, emotional, complex–and CROSS-CHECKING delivers on all counts. I particularly enjoyed flashback from various points in Cam and Cora’s relationship as well as their individual experiences because this isn’t a book about one moment in time but all of the moments that delivered them to the place where they needed and wanted that second chance.
One of the trickiest parts of telling a second chance at first love story is accounting for the fact that first love is often suuuuuper immature. I mean, yes, we can fall in love at 18, 19, 20 but that love is a product of our experiences and worldview. I really appreciated how this story allowed Cam and Cora to be young in love as new adults and then, when they found their way back to each other, be a bit jaded and salty because that’s growing up for you.
This book delivers big steam, big angst, big feels (I cried while reading at 7 in the morning), and big family circles. I hadn’t finished the first chapter before asking if Reece gets a book (you’ll meet Reece). And I hadn’t read much farther before asking if Lucy gets a book (that’s gonna be fun).
The romance is angsty but deeply satisfying. These characters hurt each other and heal each other. I’m really looking forward to more from this author, this small town, and this hockey team.
Fast facts:
debut novel
The first book of a series, therefore, can be read as a standalone
trope: Second chance
Main characters: Coraline and Camden
Settings: small town beach in Maine
Camden is a famous professional hockey player, Coraline is a smart and beautiful young woman. They knew each other since they were little kids and were best friends since then. What could be wrong? Everything… until life tears them apart. The book starts with Cam deciding that he wants to gain back Cora. Then you would think that it would be easy. Any woman would want a hot, sweet, rich hockey player. However, the ten years that they were apart are not that easy to forget for both of them. With flashbacks, @authoreviegraham makes us understand how they came to be so profoundly, devastatingly broke. How the heartache is so intense that the genuine love they feel for each other is not enough. While I read, u2063my heart hurt for Cam and Cora, and I wondered how they would be able to put the past behind them.
I haven’t read many debut novels, but I think Evie Graham is a very promising author.
This is a story that will tug at every heartstring and having you smiling, swooning, tearing up, frustrated, and wondering what the heck they were thinking. It is also full of love. Love at every turn, for the right reasons, for the wrong reasons, for mixed up complicated reasons. When all is said and done it’s simply for love. When you’re in love rarely do you get through it without doing stupid things for what you think are good causes. People seem to lack communication skills. Things are decided by our inept mind reading skills, that actually don’t exist except in our own minds. Yes, all this applies to this story.
Camden, I fell in love with from the get go. You will too. Coraline, frustrated me at times. I think the reason is because she may have been more real to life than I like to think.
This was people all doing what they thought was best for the wrong reasons. Silence is golden but it can be dangerous. Of course everything I’m saying is what makes the story, sweet, dramatic, sexy and hopeful. While I was reading I couldn’t get the song “Home” by Michael Buble out of my mind.
You’ll get all the feels you’re looking for in this book from smiles, frustration, tenderness, anger, sexiness, hope and love.
This is my first book by this author and I expect I will be reading more. I read this book in one sitting. It was that good!
*****I received an ARC for an honest review*****
Cross-Checking is a sweet, second chance romance and – as you may guess from the title – it has a bit of a hockey theme.
This is a pretty great debut. But as love stories go, it was a bit too much on the sweet side for me. However, it still had me crying a fair amount, and readers should be aware that the story contains triggers for some.
Camden’s character was utterly sweet. An absolute dream boyfriend and instantly likable. Cora though…. I had trouble with her. I’m sorry to say that I just couldn’t bring myself to like her. Maybe I’m being harsh, but I perceived her as pretty mean and selfish. There was also an imbalance between the two main characters in that Camden was always the one putting his heart out there and Cora just took without giving anything back.
Also, there are a few telltale signs that this is Graham’s first book. For one, there’s way too little dialogue. Instead most of the story is told through the narrative of either Camden or Cora which makes their interactions appear a bit impersonal. And as a reader I’m not entirely convinced that they’ve actually gotten to know the older, more mature, versions of one another. It’s more like they both hang on to the memory of their teenage love and then ten years later decides to pick up where they left off.
Another thing testifying to Graham’s inexperience is the fact that there’s a bit of a redundancy in the storytelling. And the recollections, the sections telling about events ten years prior aren’t really adding something, aren’t always bringing the story forward. Instead, those parts more often than not just provides an elaborate background to a thought or statement from either of the MCs.
So, obviously, this wasn’t a story meant for me. I prefer less sugar, more conflict and more character development. But Cross-Checking is still a great debut, and I will definitely keep an eye out for Evie Graham’s future writing.
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Although the story was a little slow to start for me, it definitely picked up after Camden went back to Maine – and it kept building momentum after that. By the end, I was totally invested and wanted to know what was going to happen.
It was a little angstier than I anticipated (not a bad thing), a little heavy on flashbacks and I perhaps would have enjoyed more dialogue, but all-in-all, a great debut novel. Although Camden is an NHL player, this doesn’t have a ton of “sport stuff” in it – the hockey kind of bookends the main story, so if you aren’t a “sports romance” or “hockey romance” reader, don’t let that dissuade you from checking this out.
I liked all the side characters introduced – they were great and I’m definitely looking forward to reading any upcoming books that might feature them. Also, the epilogue is, by far, one of my favorite epilogues I’ve read. I won’t go into details because I don’t want to give anything away, but it was a unique (and sweet) way to wrap up the story.
*Advance copy provided by the author. All opinions are my own.*
Evie Graham’s debut novel gives us a delightful glimpse into this small town and its residents in this second chance romance that starts with heartbreak and has a layer of secrets and a touch of betrayal layered in. This was an easy to read, emotional story that I would definitely recommend.
If I hadn’t known before, I would have never expected this book to be from a first time author. It was written by someone who knows how to write and write well. Cora and Camden’s story was full of grief, heartbreak, and love. Their feelings and emotions were written so well it was easy to feel what they were feeling throughout the book! But this book was also their love story and it was beautiful. I also loved the side characters Lucy, Reese, and Mac added so much to the story and I hope to see them in books soon!
Cross-Checking by Evie Graham is a second-chance romance with tons of heart. Graham is a brand new author and her debut novel hit all of the right notes. While it’s a sports story, hockey is not at the center of it all which gives the story way more depth. The characters were dynamic and well-fleshed out and I loved them! Both Coraline and Camden have experienced tragedy and you can truly feel their heartbreak throughout. But while there are sadness and tears, there are also laughs and plenty of comedic moments. I loved how Graham used flashbacks throughout to tell the early parts of Cora and Cam’s backstory. It felt more authentic to experience both their past and their present at the same time as it really helped connect the story for me. Sometimes you don’t know what you’ll get with a debut author but I’m so glad that I gave Graham a chance—-I can’t wait to see what’s next from her and I’m really looking forward to more stories in this wonderful new series! 4.5 stars
A second chance romance with a rollercoaster ride of emotions. I recommend tissues for a couple scenes in the second half.
A debut novel for a new author and the debut of a new series. For this author’s first book, she hit it out of the park (sorry I don’t know the hockey equivalent to this, lol). Camden is not your typical hero, he’s alpha mixed with being full on out vulnerable. He was a breath of fresh air. Cora, I had mixed feelings about her, but once I understood her struggle my compassion grew for her.
There is a lot of angst, which typically isn’t my thing, but when all is revealed, it all comes together beautifully. Romance consistently teaches that communication is key, but it also teaches us that of decisions have rippling effects and can affect our loved ones in so many ways.
Warm and beautiful story about surviving and overcoming tragedy. Both Camden and Cora have been through unimaginable hardship. They have loved each other since school days but when he has to leave town and play hockey to provide for his Dad she can’t go with him because she’s taking care of her young sister.
This story has a big heart. You can feel the love and you can feel the pain as well. The path to hea is long but they do get there and I loved every bit of the journey.