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By The River (2012)

by Katey Hawthorne(Favorite Author)

3.67 of 5 Votes: 2

languge

English

genre

Romance

publisher

Loose ID

review 1: Not quite four stars due to the abrupt ending that left the story slightly unfinished. I liked the relationship between Adam and Leith, their easy banter and even though it smacked of insta-love, I believed the romance between them.TJ as Adam's younger brother was a good secondary character, even if he only had one major scene. He brought a voice of reason to the table and gave his brother something to think about.I felt like Adam grew into himself in this novella, and for once experienced real love - the one where you love someone so much that you just want them to be happy, no matter what it might cost you. And I very much enjoyed Leith's character - eager to learn, wistful, and more or less dancing to the beat of his very own drummer. He had a supernatural quality about... more him, something ethereal that drew me in from the start, much like Adam was drawn to him. Like a siren song, perhaps, though muted to an extent.The writing was beautiful in some places and too purple in others, but overall well done. A better editor might have suggested the removal of 'impossibly' - one of my pet peeves. At only 70 pages on my Nook, this was a quick read, something to take with you to the beach on a hot Summer day to devour while the wind is in your hair and the sound of crashing waves in your ear. Fitting, too. ** I received a free copy of this book from the author. A positive review was not promised in return. **
review 2: 3.5 starsThe writing style of this was almost poetic, and gave a real sense of magical possibility. And yet, this book didn't work quite as well for me as others I've read by this author.I thought Adam's perception, understanding, and acceptance of Leith's otherness was insufficiently explained. Maybe I was just supposed to accept it as part of Adam's tendency to trust and act on his feelings, but I wanted something more than that. I also wanted more explanation about the significance of his tattoo, since it seemed to be meaningful that he chose exactly the bird he did and no other. Why? I guessed that it was related to his understanding of Leith's otherness, but if Adam is also "other" in some way, that was never made clear enough for me.A few times I found myself thinking, "I'd like to buy a pronoun." Not that it was ever unclear to whom was being referred, but because it became so noticeable it detracted from my ability to stay in the story. If it had just been Adam's speech/thoughts, I would've simply attributed it to his style, and that would've been fine. I might not even have noticed, beyond appreciating the flow. But Leith and everyone else seemed to speak with exactly the same lack of pronouns, and that disconcerted me.The ending also disconcerted me, as it seemed abrupt and I still had so many questions. But then I pondered for a while, and decided that I had enough information to feel good about the HEA, and that while more story would have been nice, it wasn't necessary.Maybe I just needed my hand held more than usual when I read this. Certainly I felt more stupid than usual while reading it. Whether that was me or the story is an open question. less

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