Swept Up

by Kayla Dawn Thomas

When life breaks you, love can heal you…or run you over.

A broken heart and a preference for solitude leads Web Baker to driving a street sweeper on the night shift for Basil City. His mother wants grandchildren, and his sister is intent on fixing him up with every dimwitted beauty she can find. Add that to the late night antics Web encounters on his nightly shifts and he has more than enough excitement to keep him on his toes, but nothing could prepare him for the woman who stumbles into his sweeper’s headlights.

Kara Deleray has never learned how to be herself, leading to a lifetime of bad decisions. She hits rock bottom and ends up moving in with her best friend and her husband. With their help, she manages to land a job teaching English at Basil State University. Finally pulling her life together, a whiskey soaked night almost tears everything she’s worked for apart.

Genres: Romance, Contemporary, Contemporary Romance, Fiction, Amazon

386 pages, Paperback

First published April 9, 2014

About the author

Kayla grew up on an Idaho cattle ranch, but now calls the wheat fields of the Washington Palouse home with her husband, daughter, and two dogs. She writes romance, chick lit, and now romantic suspense. Her rural roots inspire her writing, and she enjoys giving the world a little taste of a life most folks have never experienced. A rabid reader, when Kayla isn’t writing, ushering dogs in and out of the house, or taking care of the humans in her family, you can find her in a comfy spot with a book or an e-reader in her hands.

Reviews

[Sarah · Rating 4 out of 5]

I really enjoyed Swept Up. Both of the main characters seemed like regular people with regular problems. They were very easy to relate to. I could really identify with Kara. We have all been in relationships that aren't good for us. She and her best friend have such a great relationship and I love how they allow each other to be themselves. I loved that Web is a street sweeper. Sometimes books are full of only doctors, lawyers, and detectives. It was a nice change. The characters also had different hobbies and interests and were not stereotypical.

I also love that the author focused more on the personalities of the characters instead of just their looks. They are described as attractive, but entire pages are not devoted to his "rippling muscles" and her "perfectly petite, but incredibly curvy body". I appreciate that.

All in all, I definitely recommend this book. You will really enjoy it.

[Mandy · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is a very well-written contemporary romance. It's especially exceptional as a first novel!

[Debbie · Rating 5 out of 5]

I found this book to be a wonderfully refreshing change from the usual predictable stories routinely found in romance novels. These characters are both believable and interesting, and well portrayed as real people with a host of problems and quirks. I like both Web and Kara, and liked that their relationship evolved slowly and was not without stumbling blocks. I also think Renata is a really interesting person. She is the best developed of the minor characters. There are no characters that are stereotypes here. The story is plausible and well written, with good pacing.

I’m not usually much interested in romance novels. I stopped reading them long ago, because they were all so much alike that boredom set in. This one was recommended to me, and I’m glad I gave it a shot. I really enjoyed reading it.

[Amy Whipple · Rating 5 out of 5]

Swept Up was a terrific love story! It's hard not to fall in love with the main character Webb as he "saves the day"! The characters were easily relatable and enjoyable to read about. I loved this story!

[C.S. Moore · Rating 5 out of 5]

Beautifully written novel that is a break from the typical romance.

[BJ · Rating 5 out of 5]

Excellent first novel

I'll just start with the fact that I'm not really a romance fan. However... Having read some of Ms. Thomas' other books, I wanted to read her first. This is a great story, well developed characters, good descriptions of the town. I felt this was sort of a calming story for me, a departure from my usual tense thrillers!
I quite enjoyed it! I will definitely read more of hers.

[Wendy Reed · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is a fantastic read. You can't help but relate to the Kara and all of the people who are in her life. The author writes about real life issues and how we deal with them. She gives you the honest truth. The bluntness of it. I absolutely love this book. I received this book and it was autographed by the author. I won this book and six others by different authors, each one autographed and I will cherish each one of them.

[Rose · Rating 3 out of 5]

I'm not sure how to rate this book. It did hold my interest, but I didn't really get invested in either of the main characters. Web seemed to have such a bland personality and Kara was just such a hot mess. I guess that's why they kinda worked together, but I didn't feel it.

I mostly had issues with Kara and her constant drinking. I don't see what would have attracted Web to her in the first place.

Again, not a bad book, but not great either.

[Jadeness · Rating 5 out of 5]

I won the copy from attending a book launch party. Thomas does have a few other books written, and as far as it looks Swept Up is a stand-alone.

I am so used to fantasy, mythical creatures, abnormal problems that involve supernatural creatures, that when reading Swept Up it felt pretty refreshing. It’s about two humans in humanly situations. I found that I connected with Kara a lot more then I thought I would, especially more toward the end. I found Web to be endearing, which is always good, his sister Celeste was a hoot too, along with a few of his friends. Pretty much everyone had me laughing.

The one thing that bugged me was Web’s past and how it tied into the book. Did it ruin the book for me? Not at all. I was kept interested throughout the whole book.

I completely recommend this to everyone who thinks they would be interested in it. If you would like to read my full review please follow the link (http://bookcrazed-dazed.blogspot.com/...). Thanks!

[Judy Esposito · Rating 5 out of 5]

A Love Story!

I was surprised to know this was Kayla Dawn Thomas's first book because it was so well written and kept my attention from beginning to the very end. I enjoyed this love story and watching it developed as I read the book. I loved Web from the very beginning, so sensitive and caring and carrying a past of lost love and hurt, that he kept buried as he tried to carry on with his life. Kara had to grow on me, kept wanting her to take more control of her life, but as I read further into the book, I started rooting for her to become stronger and give up the one thing that was holding her back from truly being free of the past. This is a wonderful love story and I am happy I found this Author and will be reading more of her books in the future. One or two mild intimate moments for those who want to know. JudyE

[Cynthia · Rating 3 out of 5]

This was an ok listen nothing that really grabbed me. I really didn't care for the sleeping around and drinking with a student. That was a turn off for me yes he was in college but still you just do not do that. The book has some good points but for me the author just didn't draw me in. The narrator I didn't care for at all I didn't like her voice it wasn't smooth and at times it sounded like she was reading. Not everyone can like everything so please do not take my word for it. So many people have totally in enjoy the book and the audio. I do think I will go back at a later date and read to see if that makes a difference.

The characters were likable and it was at times a sweet story. For me the adults seem to come off more as teenagers again it could be the narration and not the story. Give it a try and see what you think.

[Sarah Thornburg · Rating 5 out of 5]

Before I start in on my review, I want to say that I am not a fan of the romance genre. I picked this up on the strong recommendation of a good friend. Plus, Kayla had some really good advice for a fellow budding author as myself.
I thoroughly enjoyed this book. Kayla painted a wonderful picture of a perfect college small town with it's imperfect residences! The two main characters are believable and relatable and thrown into real world situations!
Like one reviewer said, this is definitely one helluva debut novel and I look forward to more from Kayla's imagination!

[Jacqueline · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book was a lot of fun. I will never look at street sweepers the same! I appreciated how every time I thought I’d pegged a particular character as good or bad, competent or incompetent, I’d learn a new detail that added another dimension to his/her personality. This made for a great cast of flawed, quirky characters.
There were also lots of entertaining twists and turns in the plot, and some good, old-fashioned romance. I don’t typically read a lot of romance, but I’m glad I made an exception for this novel. It was a love story but also more than that. I couldn’t put it down!

[Amy · Rating 1 out of 5]

I received a signed copy from the author in a giveaway. It's under my first reads list. Unfortunately I can't rate this book very high because for one thing I couldn't finish it. It had great descriptions, but I found it hard to connect to this book and the characters. It wasn't a typical romance novel that I'd normally read and that's fine. Maybe I'll try this book again in the future or give it to a friend/relative to read. I guess not every author connects with everyone and that's fine. It's not the authors fault it's just the reader's preferences as well as experiences.

[Kerri · Rating 4 out of 5]

I received a copy of this book from the author in a giveaway. If I'm reading romance, it's usually paranormal. I enjoyed this book....normal humans in normal situations. There was one part that had me rolling my eyes, and I'm just assuming it's typical for romance novels. I got over it quickly. The author keeps the pace going, and I was really surprised in the final chapters. They were filled with lots of great action and strong emotions.

[Shanna Hatfield · Rating 5 out of 5]

It's easy to tell the author poured her heart into crafting an engaging story of overcoming the past, embracing the present, and accepting the gift of love. Swept Up will sweep you away into the lives of two very interesting characters and the fascinating world of their college town. I found myself cheering for Web throughout the story. Great debut novel by a new author.

[Lillith Black · Rating 5 out of 5]

I loved the book and couldn't put it down. I liked the story and felt for the characters, as some of the things they had to deal with were so familiar.
I loved the fact that the main character lived in a tiny house, I'm a big supporter of those.
I recommend the book, it's a sweet, but realistic love story and you will not be disappointed!

[Jackie · Rating 5 out of 5]

Great Debut

Great read! The story was engaging, modern and maintained a good pace. Any free time I had, I wanted to get lost in this book.

[KRISTEN LAWRENCE · Rating 4 out of 5]

Sweet story

This was just a sweet story. Nothing in depth, just an easy afternoon read. There were some factual problems with the medical info, but it doesn't affect the storyline.

[Sandra Pagan · Rating 5 out of 5]

Loved it!

This was an amazing story with characters to whom you hate to say goodbye. I thoroughly enjoyed this interesting romance.

[Stephanie Rudd · Rating 5 out of 5]

Great debut novel from a local writer and friend! Who doesn't enjoy a love story?