Saturday, November 9, 2013

If I Return by Sawyer Bennett ~ Review

Source:  Received an eBook in exchange for a fair and honest review.

Would you wait?

College student, Hope Camden, is relentlessly serious, awkwardly shy and in complete need of taking a walk on the wilder side. At least, that’s what her sister tells her when she drags her off for an impromptu Christmas getaway in the Blue Ridge Mountains.

Hope’s plans to keep her nose in a book the entire vacation are thwarted when she meets Jack Freeman, the gorgeous and enigmatic Army helicopter pilot staying at the same resort. What was supposed to be a quiet Christmas holiday turns into a life changing event for Hope and Jack. The only problem? Jack is headed off to war, and there is no guarantee he will come back.



http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00G6N3IA4?ie=UTF8&tag=httpwwwgoodco-20&linkCode=as2&camp=1789&creative=9325&creativeASIN=B00G6N3IA4&SubscriptionId=1MGPYB6YW3HWK55XCGG2http://www.barnesandnoble.com/noresults?store=book&pt=bk&ern=210&isbn=b00g6n3ia4&r=1,%201&cm_mmc=affiliates-_-linkshare-_-gwez7vxblvu-_-10:1Would you wait?  College student, Hope Camden, is relentlessly serious, awkwardly shy and in complete need of taking a walk on the wilder side. At least, that’s what her sister tells her when she drags her off for an impromptu Christmas getaway in the Blue Ridge Mountains.  Hope’s plans to keep her nose in a book the entire vacation are thwarted when she meets Jack Freeman, the gorgeous and enigmatic Army helicopter pilot staying at the same resort. What was supposed to be a quiet Christmas holiday turns into a life changing event for Hope and Jack. The only problem? Jack is headed off to war, and there is no guarantee he will come back.


My Thoughts:




5 stars - Did I just give a novella 5 stars? Damn straight! Jack deserves it.

I have never read a Sawyer Bennett book that wasn't hot and sexy.  This one is no different.  Sawyer has writing swoon down!  What makes the difference for this book is Jack.

I love all the guys that Sawyer has thought up - I do think her military ones have touched me this most, though.  Jack is a helicopter pilot in the army.  Perhaps it's the military aspects of his personality, but I just love him.  Hope is expecting a fling.  It's totally not her character but she throughs caution to the wind and went for it - go her!  But she wasn't expecting the tender care that Jack treats her with.  He is totally into the sex but he just as happy spending time with her for the time they have.  His concern for what she wants to do and how he wants to pamper her really touched me.  I so can't explain this as much as I want without giving away something that happens during a bath.  Since I'm not willing to say, you will just have to believe me - or read it yourself.  Tender.  Jack is tender.

Something that I don't tend to see done well in novellas but Sawyer Bennett did awesome with was the character development.  Longer books tend to give us tons of details and experiences to let us get to know characters.  Novellas often jump around or summarize to make up for length.  It doesn't always allow for strong characters and connections and often I am not satisfied with them  So not the case here.  The parts that needed lots of time and detail, got it.  The parts that could be summarized were done well.  I didn't feel like I missed stuff.  I really liked how time was handled.  There are two full years of time that spans 3 Christmas eves but it's still a novella.  Makes for a sexy fast read. It's perfect.

I loved the ending so much.  The epilogue is just a little different - can't really say how - and I really, really loved it.  I had one idea of what was coming and then a little twist made it just different enough that I was squealing. 

I'm just in the mood for the holiday books and if you are too, then don't miss this one.  The New Adult part is sexy.  Not typical NA, it's a must read for Sawyer Bennett fans and fans of all Christmas books.



About the author:

USA Today Best-Selling Author, Sawyer Bennett is a snarky southern woman and reformed trial lawyer who decided to finally start putting on paper all of the stories that were floating in her head. She is married to a mobster (well, a market researcher) and they have two big, furry dogs who hog the bed. Sawyer would like to report she doesn't have many weaknesses but can be bribed with a nominal amount of milk chocolate.


https://www.facebook.com/bennettbookshttps://twitter.com/bennettbookshttp://sawyerbennett.com/https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/6950682.Sawyer_Bennett







3 comments:

  1. This sounds great! I like novellas when they feel like a complete story. I might have to check this out!! Jack sounds like a great guy to get to know! Fabulous review.

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  2. I'm actually finding novellas to be great reads right now. They don't waste time on all the frivolous stuff but the writers are really developing the characters in a way I didn't think possible.

    Sounds great.

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  3. Yay! I adored this one too. And boy, did I sob at the end!

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