Today, I have the tour for A Risk Worth Taking by Heather Hildenbrand, hosted by Inkslinger PR, on the blog. I am super excited to share a review for this new contemporary romance. Check it out and enter the awesome giveaway!
A Risk Worth Taking
Author: Heather Hildenbrand
Publisher: Accendo Press
Publication Date: October 22, 2013
Genre: New Adult/Contemporary
Source: eARC via Insklinger PR
~Synopsis~
When 22-year-old Summer
Stafford’s parents split halfway through her senior year at college, Summer’s
world is rocked. Everything she thought she knew—heck, everything she thought
she wanted for her own life—feels like a lie. The truth is love is a risk. And
the true kind, the kind that lasts, might even be a fairy tale.
Reeling from the divorce, Summer derails her own future by breaking up with her parent-approved boyfriend and giving up her lifelong plans for a big-city career. She moves back home, business degree in hand. Dad needs her to fill the gaps her mother left behind; Summer needs to find who she is outside of the cookie-cutter life that failed so miserably for her parents.
Ford O’Neal’s future involves one person: himself. He doesn’t have a permanent address and he definitely doesn’t commit. To a place or a person. Raised by hippies, he plans just far enough ahead to secure his next stop, this one landing him at a work-study program at Heritage Plantation where he can grow his own herbal and medicinal creations.
Summer is gorgeous and smart and fun to be with, the perfect way to pass five months. It won’t be love—Ford’s got too many things to accomplish, too many places to go, before he settles down. Yet Summer pulls him in, challenging him to rethink his own philosophy.
When Ford’s five months are up, each of them must decide if love is really worth the risk.
Reeling from the divorce, Summer derails her own future by breaking up with her parent-approved boyfriend and giving up her lifelong plans for a big-city career. She moves back home, business degree in hand. Dad needs her to fill the gaps her mother left behind; Summer needs to find who she is outside of the cookie-cutter life that failed so miserably for her parents.
Ford O’Neal’s future involves one person: himself. He doesn’t have a permanent address and he definitely doesn’t commit. To a place or a person. Raised by hippies, he plans just far enough ahead to secure his next stop, this one landing him at a work-study program at Heritage Plantation where he can grow his own herbal and medicinal creations.
Summer is gorgeous and smart and fun to be with, the perfect way to pass five months. It won’t be love—Ford’s got too many things to accomplish, too many places to go, before he settles down. Yet Summer pulls him in, challenging him to rethink his own philosophy.
When Ford’s five months are up, each of them must decide if love is really worth the risk.
~Review~
I was interested in this book the moment I saw
the cover and read the blurb. I definitely wasn’t disappointed. I really liked
the characters and the plot was sweet and heart-warming. I liked that there
wasn’t much angst and it was more of just a love story. This is always a nice reprieve.
I liked Summer and I felt like she was a fairly
strong character. She has just graduated college and come home to help her dad
run his successful farm after her parents have divorced and her mom is gone
doing her own thing. Summer holds a lot of anger and resentment towards her
mother and this has changed her outlook on love and relationships. I can
understand why she would feel this way since she has put her parent’s marriage
and relationship up on a pedestal so to see if fall definitely alters her whole
world and perspective. Meeting Ford definitely makes her question everything.
I also really enjoyed Ford’s character as well.
He is so laid back and very much about living for now. He doesn’t make plans
and he wants to make sure he lives his dreams. I liked that he was hot and
brainy. I’m a sucker for hot nerds and Ford was just that. He is also very
ambitious and I really liked that but I felt like his ambitions blinded him a
bit and made him a little narrow minded. He is so busy worrying about regrets
regarding his dreams that he may ended up regretting decisions he makes about
love. He never anticipated meeting someone like Summer.
I really liked Kasey, Summer’s childhood friend
who is like a brother to her. He also becomes friends with Ford and I loved the
way he helped both of them find each other. As an outsider, he could see the
potential for great love between them and he wanted to see them both happy. I
also really liked Summer’s dad and her “Uncle” Frank. They were supportive and
protective of Summer and they saw the good guy in Ford. They were also pretty
entertaining, especially Frank. He gossiped worse than a bunch of old ladies in
a hair salon and it was hilarious.
It’s obvious Ford and Summer are attracted to
one another the moment they first meet. Ford isn’t looking for a relationship
and neither is Summer so it would seem like the perfect fling for both of them.
Ford is all about having some fun and living for the now. Summer is a bit more
of a planner and always looking to the future so she is a bit more hesitant
about starting anything with Ford. In the spirit of starting over, she is
convinced to try and just have a little fun with Ford and not think so much
into life. I think falling in love was impossible to avoid because their
connection was so much more than physical. They both opened each other up to
new possibilities and really helped each other grow for the better. They had
incredible passion and I really liked the way Summer opened herself up to Ford
and put her heart on the line to ask him to stay. Ford has never wanted to
change his plans before Summer and I could tell he was truly conflicted with
the decision he had to make.
Overall, this was a very enjoyable read. I
really liked the writing and I was definitely swept up in the romance between
Summer and Ford. I enjoyed the fact that there was no drama between the two of
them and there was no sordid past either. They were two people just afraid to
make a commitment for their own reasons until they walked into each other’s
lives.
~IPOD Picks~
“Drunk on You” by Luke Bryan
“Give it to Me” by Sheryl
Crow
“I Will Be” by Leona Lewis
PURCHASE LINKS:
About Heather:
Heather Hildenbrand was born and raised in a small town in northern Virginia where she was homeschooled through high school. She now lives in coastal VA, a few miles from the Atlantic Ocean, with her two adorable children. She works from home, part time, as a property manager and when she's not furiously pounding at the keyboard, or staring off into space whilst plotting a new story, she's lying on the beach, soaking in those delicious, pre-cancerous rays.
Heather loves Mexican food, hates socks with sandals, and if her house was on fire, the one thing she'd grab is her DVR player.
Heather is a co-founder of Accendo Press, a publishing group she operates with fellow authors: Angeline Kace and Jennifer Sommersby. Accendo (a-CH-endo), A Latin word, means “to kindle, illuminate, inflame, or set fire.” This is something Accendo strives to do inside a reader’s imagination with every title released. For a complete list of titles and author bios, visit www.accendopress.com.
Website: www.heatherhildenbrand.
Facebook Fan Page: https://www.facebook.com/
Twitter: https://twitter.com/
Newsletter: http://blogspot.us4.list-
*An eARC was provided to me for a fair and honest review. All opinions expressed are my own and unbiased.*
I love it when the story is low on drama. Sometimes it is just nice to read a story like that... something without all the crazy. Also I adore this cover. Great review!
ReplyDeleteI love the sound of this one, especially since it doesn't seem so... dramatic? (probably not the best word)
ReplyDeleteGreat review hon!
thanks for posting! so glad you enjoyed it!
ReplyDeleteYay! I really liked this one! I am so hung up on small, southern town feels and I thought Ford was just perfect. I loved watching those two realize that things don't always go according to plan!
ReplyDeleteI love the whole small town thing too. I grew up in a town of 3,000 so it brings back nostalgia :-) Oh, Ford! I loved him so.
ReplyDeleteThanks for the opportunity! Loved the book!
ReplyDeleteGreat word choice! :-) One of the things I liked the most was the lack of serious drama.
ReplyDeleteAgreed! Sometimes I just need a sweet story without all of the angst!
ReplyDelete