Buying Time

Legacy #1

by Paula Kay

Arianna Sinclair had led a privileged life, growing up in an elite neighborhood in Marin County, California. Having only known private schools, fancy country clubs and all things luxurious, Arianna had been prepared for everything in life—except hardship.

At twenty-two, Arianna’s world is rocked by tragedy, and all she wants to do is escape it by taking the trip of a lifetime. All she wants to do is pretend that everything is “normal”, even though her whole world has crashed in around her.

She’s made the decisions about the direction she wants her life to go, until a surprise encounter with someone from her past challenges everything she believes—and everything that she thinks she needs in order to move on.

A meeting with a stranger, an unexpected journey and a shock that goes to the core of who she is—or who she thinks she is—will demand a reaction. A reaction that will have Arianna laying down the foundation for the rest of her life.

Genres: Romance, Fiction, Ebooks, Chick Lit, Amazon, Literary Fiction, Drama

308 pages, Kindle Edition

First published February 14, 2015

Reviews

[Ronda · Rating 2 out of 5]

I didn't care for this book. The plot was fine, although I couldn't relate to the main character in the beginning, having such a hard life when she had an easy life - poor little rich girl. I figured out what was going to happen about halfway through the book and although I wasn't compelled to finish the book I did. The writing structure just plodded along, and then I did this, and then we did that... Boring. But what distracted me the most was that sentences were repeated all through the book - either come up with something else to say or end the book already! For example, "I got up feeling surprisingly refreshed, swiped on some mascara....." Not an exact quote, still. I wouldn't recommend the book.

[Joan · Rating 1 out of 5]

Arianna is 22 and a wealthy orphan whose parents have recently died . Fair enough if a little clichéd.

There is an awful lot of the 'nice hot bath/ nice lazy morning' sort of 'meh' writing but I lost ALL patience with this book when Arianna DROVE to a night club.....

She could use a good night out dancing and a few more drinks. She'd refrain from anything harder than alcohol. WTF??

and then.....

She ..... had a few glasses of water so that she'd feel comfortable making the thirty-minute drive home..

OMG. I mean.. what planet is that girl living on?? And what a thoroughly irresponsible message to give out in a book.

Let's get one thing clear. Drinking water doesn't sober you up. SHE WAS DRUNK and Drink driving kills.

I didn't read on.

[Delia · Rating 5 out of 5]

So glad that my daughter introduced me to this author. I look forward to enjoying more of her stories.

[Arielle · Rating 1 out of 5]

This was certainly not the worst, most poorly conceived, utterly lame and terribly written book I've ever read, but it certainly comes close.

[Pam · Rating 5 out of 5]

I do not know what book those who gave this book a negative report were reading. It obviously wasn't the same one I read. They said it was lacking in action, yes, it was; but it wasn't an action book to begin with. This book is about developing characters and dealing with topics that are ones that we usually do not want to deal with. It is about exploring your own emotions and feelings as does Arianna. First, she had to deal with the emotions of losing her parents suddenly and without warning. When that happens, you feel lost and almost in another world from everyone else.

Buying Time: Legacy Series Book 1 is written by Paula Kay. I have just discovered a new favorite author to add to my collection and I cannot wait to fall into the next book in this series. Paula takes the reader on a roller coaster of a ride in this book and you never know what is beyond the next curve or hill. One minute you are laughing and the next minute you are bawling. Paula takes us on a wonderful journey through Tuscany where she makes us believe we are actually there. Her use of words is amazing.
Arianna has suddenly become an orphan when her parents die in a plane crash. However sad she is, she still is angry with them for not giving her the loving home she felt she deserved. They gave her everything else she wanted; but seemed to withhold their love. However, they made sure she had Gigi, the housekeeper/nanny, to provide her the love they could not express. She also got unconditional love from her best friend, Blu and Blu’s daughter Jemma. Now, with her business finished, she could count Douglas as her friend too, although he was her Father’s friend first. Now she could begin making plans for her long -awaited trip across Europe and maybe around the world. She only had to convince the others to let her go or go with her.
After leaving Blu and Jemma in the city, Arianna made her way home. Gigi had a salad ready for her for dinner. Gigi could make salads but not much of anything else. They are sitting talking when Gigi gets up to answer the phone. Stunned, she tells Arianna that the person on the phone says she is Arianna’s mother, her birth mother! What other surprises lay in wait for Arianna and the others?

[Cathy Klein · Rating 3 out of 5]

I can't actually remember how I came to have this particular title, but it was exactly what I needed during a busy week to kick start my summer goal of reading a book a week.

Arianna has suffered one of the unthinkables: losing both of her parents in an airplane crash. Between losing her parents and taking on their estate as her responsibility, she suffers through depression and shock. The entire time, her best friend, Blu, has stood by her side. As we learn about their strong friendship that includes Blu's young daughter, Jemma, Arianna is dealt another shock: being contacted by her birth mom.

As more drama unrolls, the group of "family" stands by Arianna's side until the end. Even though the characters weren't too complex, I did enjoy them all and wanted to pick up the book to see what was going on. It was a good, enjoyable summer read.

[Hallie · Rating 2 out of 5]

Very lit-fic, not really my thing. I figured out what was going on pretty quickly, but the progression of the reveal was actually pretty well done. I had some honest emotional reactions towards the end, especially in the scenes between Arianna and Jemma. But overall it was predictable, and even though the main character was appreciative of her riches and advantages I still couldn't quite bring myself to empathize with her. Plus there were just a couple too many reveals; I could have done without her having also birthed and given up a daughter, for example. That just made it feel overdone.

[Judy · Rating 3 out of 5]

I had a hard time relating to the main character who was a very rich young lady who had lost her adoptive parents in a plane crash before the novel begins. There´s a lot of talk about how wealthy she is and she certainly doesn´t have any problem spending money. Her friends are nice and too proud to take her money which she would like to give them. There´s not a lot of action in the plot until the last part where you find out what the title is referring to. I did like the part where they are traveling in Tuscany, and if you like a tear-jerker ending, this one is for you.

[Ada De Guzman · Rating 2 out of 5]

This book conveys a nice story and characters with lots of potential. I felt like the story was not explore to its greatest possibility. The expression, language and dialogues were poor which made me not enjoy the books as much as I hoped I would. I was disappointed in a lack of descriptions of their travels and it seemed like most of the sentences were repeated a couple of times without adding any useful content to the book.

It is a sad book with a little bit of hope and reflection that can be related to on a personal level.

[Deborah · Rating 2 out of 5]

I was never able to connect to this story or characters (except for Blu and I learned practically nothing about her). The first third was so slow I was wondering if I wanted to finish and that NEVER happens with me. The next third was marginally better and the last third more so but so sad. I normally love books that leave me a crying mess but this one just left me depressed. I think if I had gotten a feel for Ari's character from the beginning this would have been a 4 star read.

[Laura · Rating 2 out of 5]

There were times when the dialogue did not match the character which is annoying. The plot is good. The travel comes in a little too late and the descriptions of the landscape were repeated. All things considered I enjoyed the last few chapters of the book. The author dragged out the early and middle sections which is why I gave it two stars, but she provided a solid ending which was well written. I would like to see if her skills grow as she continues her writing career.

[Sue · Rating 1 out of 5]

The book had promise and I managed to finish but left a lot to be desired. a 2.5 star rating is what I could give if possible. It was redundant to hear over and over how rich Ariana was and how her friend wouldn't take money. When it was realized what was going on, there was potential to make it better but it didn't happen. Needed more depth. I was more bored and found myself skipping around. Hence, why I couldn't give a 2 rating (I didn't like it).

[Amy · Rating 1 out of 5]

For the first time ever, I must say that I am disappointed in a book. The main character was simply not one I could relate to. And the wine drinking seemed to be overkill. Face it, if one were to drink as much as this character, one would be a full fledged alcoholic!

I can understand authors wanting to "reuse" previous settings and plots. But this book seemed to repeat the same lines verbatim in several places.

I wanted to enjoy this book. But that just didn't happen.

[Jana · Rating 3 out of 5]

My mother encouraged me to read the Legacy series, and this was the first book. It was a nice, but somewhat sad, story about a young woman learning to develop relationships with family and friends after a series of tragic events. I enjoyed the author's descriptions of the main characters' trip to Italy along with the food, wine, and opera music. The book definitely made me hungry for each of those things!

[Susan · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was a bit drawn out initially and the reason for the main charcter 'Buying Time' not revealed but hinted at. I found it all a little too 'nice'. Everyone in the story was lovely, kind, thoughtful etc. Whenever the characters were doing something I kept expecting something to happen but not a lot does to be truthful and it is all a bit too sugary sweet and unrealistic.

[Janet · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is a tearjerker! It is a story about Arianna whose parents have died in a horrible accident. Ari forms her own “family “ and ends up happier than ever. It is well written. The characters are some you would invite into your own family. It might be a tearjerker but it also warms the heart and will be a book I remember for a long time. I will recommend this book to family and friends.

[Joan · Rating 2 out of 5]

I just skimmed most of this one. Although the book was very boring in its extreme repetitious verbiage and extensive detail, there was something that made me want to know the ending. So I kept tapping the pages past catching a few words per page to follow the story to the end.

[Linda · Rating 2 out of 5]

Way too much repetition. How many times does it need to be noted that she put on designer jeans? How many glasses of wine need to be consumed without any interesting information about the wine? Too many for me.

[Kristine · Rating 3 out of 5]

Meh, I finished it , because I hate to not finish a book. It was a bit formula and you can tell where it is going. Would I recommend it? If you need a beach read , or something you can put down and not feel a desperate need to finish.... than this is the book for you.

[heather steigler · Rating 5 out of 5]

Heartfelt

Ari made me laugh and cry. I couldn't put it down! I kinda guessed what was happening but wasn't prepared for my own tears at the end. I highly recommend this book for a story of love, hope, forgiveness and strength.

[CJ · Rating 4 out of 5]

Be ready to shed some tears.
This is a bit of a bitter/sweet book about the interactions of 4 women each of which has her own regrets. They are an adopted and now orphaned young woman, a single mom working 2 jobs, a house keeper who might as well as be a mom, and a mom who gave up her child.

[Thumper · Rating 4 out of 5]

Had my attention

I couldn’t not put this book down and enjoyed it! She’s some tears along the way. Cover caught my attention as I travel the GG bridge often and love the city. Can’t wait to read to other books in the series to see how the other characters evolve.

[Julie · Rating 1 out of 5]

I found it too boring.

[Nancy Szakats · Rating 3 out of 5]

Didn't love it. Found the writing fairly contrived and the dialogue bland and predictable. Everything was always "perfect". I won't continue with the series.

[Mara · Rating 3 out of 5]

Good but took too long...

It was good, but took way way way too long to get to the crux of things. I just kept waiting for more...

[Jean Browne · Rating 1 out of 5]

Quick read, however I never really felt connected to any of the characters. I won't be continuing the series.

[Lisa · Rating 2 out of 5]

Just not my cup of tea. Slogged through the first third, skimmed the rest. Glad it was free.

[Mary · Rating 1 out of 5]

DNF

[Sue · Rating 2 out of 5]

This book was filled with the non-word, "anyways". Drove me crazy!! Don't these authors have editors and advisors?

[Rachel Sekola · Rating 2 out of 5]

Good idea for a storyline, but poorly executed. The time line was often inconsistent, making it difficult to keep up with (we would randomly jump ahead hours or days, only to be mired in unimportant details).
Things that should have been detailed descriptions for barely passing mentions, while we were inundated with details about things that were unimportant; you would then think that extremely detailed bit would be an important plot point, but it rarely was.
I still teared up at the end, and the last 20% of the book seemed to be more well-written than the first 80% (likely because “time” slowed down and the pacing made more sense).
As a side note, there were several misused works (“her interest was peeked”) and a few misspellings (“Docter Jones”), and that got under my skin too.

Overall, I’d give the story idea a 9/10, and the execution of the story a 2/10.