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River Rain #2
Chasing Serenity
New York Times and USA Today bestselling author Kristen Ashley brings a new novel in her River Rain series…
From a very young age, Chloe Pierce was trained to look after the ones she loved.
And she was trained by the best.
But when the man who looked after her was no longer there, Chloe is cast adrift—just as the very foundation of her life crumbled to pieces.
Then she runs into tall, lanky, unpretentious Judge Oakley, her exact opposite. She shops. He hikes. She drinks pink ladies. He drinks beer. She’s a city girl. He’s a mountain guy.
Obviously, this means they have a blowout fight upon meeting. Their second encounter doesn’t go a lot better.
Judge is loving the challenge. Chloe is everything he doesn’t want in a woman, but he can’t stop finding ways to spend time with her. He knows she’s dealing with loss and change.
He just doesn’t know how deep that goes. Or how ingrained it is for Chloe to care for those who have a place in her heart, how hard it will be to trust anyone to look after her…
And how much harder it is when it’s his turn.
From a very young age, Chloe Pierce was trained to look after the ones she loved.
And she was trained by the best.
But when the man who looked after her was no longer there, Chloe is cast adrift—just as the very foundation of her life crumbled to pieces.
Then she runs into tall, lanky, unpretentious Judge Oakley, her exact opposite. She shops. He hikes. She drinks pink ladies. He drinks beer. She’s a city girl. He’s a mountain guy.
Obviously, this means they have a blowout fight upon meeting. Their second encounter doesn’t go a lot better.
Judge is loving the challenge. Chloe is everything he doesn’t want in a woman, but he can’t stop finding ways to spend time with her. He knows she’s dealing with loss and change.
He just doesn’t know how deep that goes. Or how ingrained it is for Chloe to care for those who have a place in her heart, how hard it will be to trust anyone to look after her…
And how much harder it is when it’s his turn.
450 pages, Paperback
First published September 7, 2021
752 people are currently reading
7801 people want to read
About the author
Kristen Ashley
138 books39.5k followersKristen Ashley was born in Gary, Indiana, USA. She nearly killed her mother and herself making it into the world, seeing as she had the umbilical cord wrapped around her neck (already attempting to accessorise and she hadn't taken her first breath!).
Kristen grew up in Brownsburg, Indiana but has lived in Denver, Colorado and the West Country of England. Thus she has been blessed to have friends and family around the globe. Her posse is loopy (to say the least) but loopy is good when you want to write.
Kristen was raised in a house with a large and multi-generational family. They lived on a very small farm in a small town in the heartland and existed amongst the strains of Glenn Miller, The Everly Brothers, REO Speedwagon and Whitesnake (and the wardrobes that matched).
Needless to say, growing up in a house full of music, clothes and love was a good way to grow up.
And as she keeps growing up, it keeps getting better.
Kristen grew up in Brownsburg, Indiana but has lived in Denver, Colorado and the West Country of England. Thus she has been blessed to have friends and family around the globe. Her posse is loopy (to say the least) but loopy is good when you want to write.
Kristen was raised in a house with a large and multi-generational family. They lived on a very small farm in a small town in the heartland and existed amongst the strains of Glenn Miller, The Everly Brothers, REO Speedwagon and Whitesnake (and the wardrobes that matched).
Needless to say, growing up in a house full of music, clothes and love was a good way to grow up.
And as she keeps growing up, it keeps getting better.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 572 reviews
September 6, 2021
Good story, not sure I like the writing style!
The following ratings are out of 5:
Romance: 🖤💜🤎💚💙
Heat/Steam: 🔥🔥🔥
Story/Plot: 📙📕📗📘
World building: 🌎🌏🌍🌍
Character development: 🤬🤯☺️😲
The heroine: Chloe Pierce - daughter of a very famous actress and one of the best tennis players to ever play the game. Her Mom’s best friend, Corey is a ruthless billionaire but she calls him uncle and they have a special bond.
The Hero(es): Judge Oakley - runs a program to get suburban kids out of their homes computers and video games and into nature. He loves hiking, sports and his job. He is a flirt and attracted to women who care about how they look.
The story: Chloe and her family have recently gone through major upheaval and she is the type of person that tries to make things better for everyone around her rather than focus on her own issues. When she meets Judge, he flirts in the most unconventional way which does nothing but make her angry with him and they bicker like crazy.
Though when push comes to shove, Chloe is just as attracted to him as Judge is to her. When Judge is worried about her, she can’t deny how much she would like someone to lean on and someone to take care of her for a change. But she knows that things like that always end so she doesn’t want to get used to something like that only to be let down by someone else in her life.
I liked how this book was set up, it went back and forth in time and was told from multiple POV’s including Chloe, Judge, and her uncle Corey. I loved that we got to hear Corey’s voice and I liked him from the start. I felt for him when he expressed guilt and sorrow for something awful he did years before, and for the unrequited love he has always felt. Then I felt even worse for him when Chloe was so angry at him.
Granted I didn’t read After the Climb before reading this. That was the 441 page prequel to this one. It was the story of Chloe’s Mom (Imogen/Genny), her best friend (Corey) and childhood sweetheart (Duncan/Bowie). From the reviews I have read about that, Corey is the villain so I am kind of glad I didn’t read that first.
One thing I thought was odd was that Judge was calling Chloe nicknames like “baby”, “sweetheart” and “honey” before they even went out on a real date. It wasn’t insta-love, but I just thought it was odd. I know some guys just use things like “babe” for all girls they are with right from the beginning, but it just seemed to me that using all the relationship nicknames before they are really in a relationship or even really know each other is a little to personal too soon. But that is just a pet peeve and doesn’t detract from the book at all.
I haven’t read a Kristen Ashley book in years and I found that in this one, especially at the beginning, I had trouble understanding some of the sentences. I don’t know if it was because many were passive and had a lot of comma’s or if I was just overtired (which might very well be the case). But I found myself reading certain sentences or paragraphs over a few times before I understood what it was saying.
Also, I know the heroine was wealthy and semi-famous and runs a fashion store and so I would expect some of the character development/world building to be describing her fashion sense. But it got to be way too much. Every time she got dressed we got the whole shebang about every item of clothing she was wearing, her shoes, her handbag, what jewelry and make-up she had on, even to how she styled her hair. I think if maybe every third outfit was mentioned like that it could have cut out quite a bit of unnecessary filler content.
I voluntarily read & reviewed an advanced copy of this book. All thoughts & opinions are my own.
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The following ratings are out of 5:
Romance: 🖤💜🤎💚💙
Heat/Steam: 🔥🔥🔥
Story/Plot: 📙📕📗📘
World building: 🌎🌏🌍🌍
Character development: 🤬🤯☺️😲
The heroine: Chloe Pierce - daughter of a very famous actress and one of the best tennis players to ever play the game. Her Mom’s best friend, Corey is a ruthless billionaire but she calls him uncle and they have a special bond.
The Hero(es): Judge Oakley - runs a program to get suburban kids out of their homes computers and video games and into nature. He loves hiking, sports and his job. He is a flirt and attracted to women who care about how they look.
The story: Chloe and her family have recently gone through major upheaval and she is the type of person that tries to make things better for everyone around her rather than focus on her own issues. When she meets Judge, he flirts in the most unconventional way which does nothing but make her angry with him and they bicker like crazy.
Though when push comes to shove, Chloe is just as attracted to him as Judge is to her. When Judge is worried about her, she can’t deny how much she would like someone to lean on and someone to take care of her for a change. But she knows that things like that always end so she doesn’t want to get used to something like that only to be let down by someone else in her life.
I liked how this book was set up, it went back and forth in time and was told from multiple POV’s including Chloe, Judge, and her uncle Corey. I loved that we got to hear Corey’s voice and I liked him from the start. I felt for him when he expressed guilt and sorrow for something awful he did years before, and for the unrequited love he has always felt. Then I felt even worse for him when Chloe was so angry at him.
Granted I didn’t read After the Climb before reading this. That was the 441 page prequel to this one. It was the story of Chloe’s Mom (Imogen/Genny), her best friend (Corey) and childhood sweetheart (Duncan/Bowie). From the reviews I have read about that, Corey is the villain so I am kind of glad I didn’t read that first.
One thing I thought was odd was that Judge was calling Chloe nicknames like “baby”, “sweetheart” and “honey” before they even went out on a real date. It wasn’t insta-love, but I just thought it was odd. I know some guys just use things like “babe” for all girls they are with right from the beginning, but it just seemed to me that using all the relationship nicknames before they are really in a relationship or even really know each other is a little to personal too soon. But that is just a pet peeve and doesn’t detract from the book at all.
I haven’t read a Kristen Ashley book in years and I found that in this one, especially at the beginning, I had trouble understanding some of the sentences. I don’t know if it was because many were passive and had a lot of comma’s or if I was just overtired (which might very well be the case). But I found myself reading certain sentences or paragraphs over a few times before I understood what it was saying.
“From the drawer where I locked my purse, I unearthed the file a man apparently named Rhys Vaughan (though, who was named that? it was so perfectly kickass, it sounded like something a bunch of romance novel readers would come up with) had amassed for me.”
Also, I know the heroine was wealthy and semi-famous and runs a fashion store and so I would expect some of the character development/world building to be describing her fashion sense. But it got to be way too much. Every time she got dressed we got the whole shebang about every item of clothing she was wearing, her shoes, her handbag, what jewelry and make-up she had on, even to how she styled her hair. I think if maybe every third outfit was mentioned like that it could have cut out quite a bit of unnecessary filler content.
I voluntarily read & reviewed an advanced copy of this book. All thoughts & opinions are my own.
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September 11, 2021
3.5 stars
I had high hopes for this one for me after reading ‘After the Climb’ because I really liked the kids in that story and this is about Imogen’s oldest daughter, Chloe. I liked Chloe and I liked Judge. Both of them were great characters and I enjoyed Judge’s back story and I as the oldest sibling I could relate to Chloe some.
What I struggled with was the romance. I don’t know why but I never felt connected to them as a couple and I’m not sure why. Because of that it made the story drag a bit. I did find the Corey chapters interesting as I was curious about him after the first book. I’ll for sure be checking out the next book in this series because I’m so interested in Rix book!
I had high hopes for this one for me after reading ‘After the Climb’ because I really liked the kids in that story and this is about Imogen’s oldest daughter, Chloe. I liked Chloe and I liked Judge. Both of them were great characters and I enjoyed Judge’s back story and I as the oldest sibling I could relate to Chloe some.
What I struggled with was the romance. I don’t know why but I never felt connected to them as a couple and I’m not sure why. Because of that it made the story drag a bit. I did find the Corey chapters interesting as I was curious about him after the first book. I’ll for sure be checking out the next book in this series because I’m so interested in Rix book!
Audio book source: Audible
Story Rating: 3.5 stars
Narrators: Stella Bloom, Joseph Discher, & Gregory Salinas
Narration Rating: 4 stars
Genre: Contemporary Romance
Length: 13h 30m
October 2, 2024
What an incredible read! There was so much emotion in this book that I wasn't sure my heart could hold it all. I felt like this was a different take on a Kristen Ashley book. I say that because it has a lot of what I have come to love about her books, but also there was jut more to it. It felt deeper.
The best part is that Judge and Chloe are the kind of couple that I can expect from KA and why I love her books so much. Judge was incredible. I loved his stubborn, flirtatious pursuit of Chloe. He's the kind of man all woman dream about finding.
Chloe is that fun, stylish woman the all woman want to be friends with. She also has a heart of gold while still having a bit of viciousness in her that she only aims at people who hurt her loved ones. I really enjoyed her character.
Chloe did push away a lot in the start, which for me made the beginning a bit of a struggle. However, that also showed us Judge's persistent pursuit of her that I adored. Thankfully that pushing away didn't last long. Then we just got such a fabulous amount of couple time and seeing how they had each others backs against the world. That is my absolute favorite thing to see in a couple.
And lastly, I felt like family was the biggest take from this book. The good and the bad you can find in family, and everything in between. To me, this was the emotional part of this book. Just seeing all the different ways these characters behaved, and how their family life shaped and molded them.
Their was so much love and so much pain. It really pulled me into these peoples lives and made me care what was happening. By the time I got to the end, I was in love with all of them. I absolutely can not wait to see what more comes from this series.
The best part is that Judge and Chloe are the kind of couple that I can expect from KA and why I love her books so much. Judge was incredible. I loved his stubborn, flirtatious pursuit of Chloe. He's the kind of man all woman dream about finding.
Chloe is that fun, stylish woman the all woman want to be friends with. She also has a heart of gold while still having a bit of viciousness in her that she only aims at people who hurt her loved ones. I really enjoyed her character.
Chloe did push away a lot in the start, which for me made the beginning a bit of a struggle. However, that also showed us Judge's persistent pursuit of her that I adored. Thankfully that pushing away didn't last long. Then we just got such a fabulous amount of couple time and seeing how they had each others backs against the world. That is my absolute favorite thing to see in a couple.
And lastly, I felt like family was the biggest take from this book. The good and the bad you can find in family, and everything in between. To me, this was the emotional part of this book. Just seeing all the different ways these characters behaved, and how their family life shaped and molded them.
Their was so much love and so much pain. It really pulled me into these peoples lives and made me care what was happening. By the time I got to the end, I was in love with all of them. I absolutely can not wait to see what more comes from this series.
April 26, 2022
I went into it hoping for some good feels, and some of those old KA feelings. Did I get it? Well...let me break it down.
The Good: It's always going to come back to the found family scenes for me. Also, there's a comfort in her style, even when it's stream of consciousness. I like the Swan-Pierce-Duncan-Oakley crew she's got going here and the family scenes are the best things about this. The romance itself is fine, if not amazing, for me. The scenes where we get more snippets of Corey (Chloe's uncle and huge part of what started this series in the first place), really gives some nuance to a character who did a very horrible thing and brought alot of pain to those he professed to love. Through Chloe's eyes, you actually can see that love and its bittersweet twinge is a genuinely emotional high point to this story. There's a recurring theme among the older characters that mistakes made aren't the sum total of their value. I've always like the older characters that KA writes because she can give them a history that can be messy but relatable, and even when they make huge, life-altering mistakes, I can find myself sympathizing with them...to a point.
The Bad: Where do I start? Chloe, as a character, is kind of a mess. Surface level annoyances - she's a Josephine from the Will clone with that affected way of speaking that makes me cringe most of the time. She's allegedly 24 years old but she is absolutely NOT believable as an elder Gen Z. Part of KA's problem is she is best when writing older heroines. Her heroines in their 20s sound like they're in their 40s, because of some of their pop culture references. Beyond this, Chloe's positioned as a fixer by nature, always trying to protect those around her, and I didn't hate her but she's a combo of some of the worst KA heroine tics and that drove me batty.
In these later KA books, the plotting is uneven at best. She resolves the romances at around the midway point and any tension that may have been building between the leads kind of disappears. There's no external obstacle that really feels like it's giving that sense of urgency, and the emotional obstacles are just ok. They meander and give some sweet epilogue-style moments, but overall, the storylines kind of peter out. Here, Judge is exactly what you expect from a KA hero but he blends into all the other heroes. His traumatic childhood drives the back end of this story and it's tragic but again, resolves relatively easily.
Everything Else: She has a random rant about cruelty online that felt shoehorned into the narrative as a message KA wanted to deliver, not necessarily one that fits this story. In an attempt to find a positive note to land on, there's a small tie to her Burg series that was unexpected, and frankly, I'm not sure how it's going to work but I absolutely think this is eventually going to bring us a redemption arc with an old, hated character. Also, the tease for the couple for the next book, Rix and Alex, is enough that I'll probably read it. Yes, I know I'm a masochist, I've accepted it.
The Bottom Line: This is a KA book made for KA hardcore fans, and if you love her River Rain series, you'll probably dig this, but it's only ok for me. I think of KA's books as a very particular style of writing that is not for everyone, and the more books she writes, the harder she leans into that style. There are those who adore it. I, personally, can sometimes find small things I enjoy, even if I'm not as easy to forgive the flaws as I once was.
The Good: It's always going to come back to the found family scenes for me. Also, there's a comfort in her style, even when it's stream of consciousness. I like the Swan-Pierce-Duncan-Oakley crew she's got going here and the family scenes are the best things about this. The romance itself is fine, if not amazing, for me. The scenes where we get more snippets of Corey (Chloe's uncle and huge part of what started this series in the first place), really gives some nuance to a character who did a very horrible thing and brought alot of pain to those he professed to love. Through Chloe's eyes, you actually can see that love and its bittersweet twinge is a genuinely emotional high point to this story. There's a recurring theme among the older characters that mistakes made aren't the sum total of their value. I've always like the older characters that KA writes because she can give them a history that can be messy but relatable, and even when they make huge, life-altering mistakes, I can find myself sympathizing with them...to a point.
The Bad: Where do I start? Chloe, as a character, is kind of a mess. Surface level annoyances - she's a Josephine from the Will clone with that affected way of speaking that makes me cringe most of the time. She's allegedly 24 years old but she is absolutely NOT believable as an elder Gen Z. Part of KA's problem is she is best when writing older heroines. Her heroines in their 20s sound like they're in their 40s, because of some of their pop culture references. Beyond this, Chloe's positioned as a fixer by nature, always trying to protect those around her, and I didn't hate her but she's a combo of some of the worst KA heroine tics and that drove me batty.
In these later KA books, the plotting is uneven at best. She resolves the romances at around the midway point and any tension that may have been building between the leads kind of disappears. There's no external obstacle that really feels like it's giving that sense of urgency, and the emotional obstacles are just ok. They meander and give some sweet epilogue-style moments, but overall, the storylines kind of peter out. Here, Judge is exactly what you expect from a KA hero but he blends into all the other heroes. His traumatic childhood drives the back end of this story and it's tragic but again, resolves relatively easily.
Everything Else: She has a random rant about cruelty online that felt shoehorned into the narrative as a message KA wanted to deliver, not necessarily one that fits this story. In an attempt to find a positive note to land on, there's a small tie to her Burg series that was unexpected, and frankly, I'm not sure how it's going to work but I absolutely think this is eventually going to bring us a redemption arc with an old, hated character. Also, the tease for the couple for the next book, Rix and Alex, is enough that I'll probably read it. Yes, I know I'm a masochist, I've accepted it.
The Bottom Line: This is a KA book made for KA hardcore fans, and if you love her River Rain series, you'll probably dig this, but it's only ok for me. I think of KA's books as a very particular style of writing that is not for everyone, and the more books she writes, the harder she leans into that style. There are those who adore it. I, personally, can sometimes find small things I enjoy, even if I'm not as easy to forgive the flaws as I once was.
September 25, 2021
I honestly don't know what to say........
First of all I love the cover.
I found the heroine, Chloe irritating in the last book but I know in her very previous books KA can make the reader see a different POV but grrrrr.
It has to be said I'm not into high maintenance heroine's and Chloe.... I find myself asking why would an author write a heroine like this....
At first the heroine has a vulnerability about her so the OTT is a shield but it really is too much.
She spent 3 years in France so we get that brought up every so often in case you forgot.
And the odd French word, which is really inconsistent.
She calls her mother maman then mother, it seems thrown in here and there.
If she'd been brought up as a child in France I could see her slipping into another language but it's odd words or a sentence.
Or if she was still mixing with friends from France but it's totally random.
The description of deco and clothes are absolutely beyond. I thought the author has got better at this but we have so much detail of designer labels, matching this and that.
I mean 3 pages of deco or paragraphs of outfits, labels, what he was wearing, how she accessorized or styled her hair, where she bought something and then in a another few chapters let's do it again as she can't wear the same outfit twice.... Yawn yawn.
And the money, I'm not keen on millionaire stories but it's so out of touch with reality.
“Excuse me,” I returned, wholly affronted. “I don’t have shoes that cost four hundred dollars. At least not ones with heels on them. They cost far more than that. However, I will admit, my flip-flops cost something around that zone. But they’re Valentinos, and I wouldn’t use them to crush bugs.”
The heroine is so dramatic and OTT I struggled to keep reading.
If she clicked her teeth or sniffed one more time.... Grrr
The Hero is into serious relationships.
At the start both the Hero and heroine are breaking up from long term relationships.
The heroine feels sorry for her dad. He cheated on her mother and she is concerned about his feeling sad and lonely now her mother is moving on.
The dad cheated with none other than Susie Shepherd from At Peace.
KA seems to need to redeem everyone and in a book it's good to have a good villan, not everyone needs a HEA.
Loads of secondary characters for future books in series.
Triple POV, the Hero, heroine and Corey.
No intimate scenes other than the Hero and heroine.
HEA.
First of all I love the cover.
I found the heroine, Chloe irritating in the last book but I know in her very previous books KA can make the reader see a different POV but grrrrr.
It has to be said I'm not into high maintenance heroine's and Chloe.... I find myself asking why would an author write a heroine like this....
At first the heroine has a vulnerability about her so the OTT is a shield but it really is too much.
She spent 3 years in France so we get that brought up every so often in case you forgot.
And the odd French word, which is really inconsistent.
She calls her mother maman then mother, it seems thrown in here and there.
If she'd been brought up as a child in France I could see her slipping into another language but it's odd words or a sentence.
Or if she was still mixing with friends from France but it's totally random.
The description of deco and clothes are absolutely beyond. I thought the author has got better at this but we have so much detail of designer labels, matching this and that.
I mean 3 pages of deco or paragraphs of outfits, labels, what he was wearing, how she accessorized or styled her hair, where she bought something and then in a another few chapters let's do it again as she can't wear the same outfit twice.... Yawn yawn.
And the money, I'm not keen on millionaire stories but it's so out of touch with reality.
“Excuse me,” I returned, wholly affronted. “I don’t have shoes that cost four hundred dollars. At least not ones with heels on them. They cost far more than that. However, I will admit, my flip-flops cost something around that zone. But they’re Valentinos, and I wouldn’t use them to crush bugs.”
The heroine is so dramatic and OTT I struggled to keep reading.
If she clicked her teeth or sniffed one more time.... Grrr
The Hero is into serious relationships.
At the start both the Hero and heroine are breaking up from long term relationships.
The heroine feels sorry for her dad. He cheated on her mother and she is concerned about his feeling sad and lonely now her mother is moving on.
The dad cheated with none other than Susie Shepherd from At Peace.
KA seems to need to redeem everyone and in a book it's good to have a good villan, not everyone needs a HEA.
Loads of secondary characters for future books in series.
Triple POV, the Hero, heroine and Corey.
No intimate scenes other than the Hero and heroine.
HEA.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
January 14, 2023
#1 After the Climb — 3.5 Stars
I liked this one a lot! Meet Jonah & Calla (The Simple Wild) à la Kristen Ashley.
Sooo many interesting side characters whom I’d gladly pay a mint for to have their own books written (KA please get to it!), namely Hale Wheeler, Rhys Vaughan, and John “Rix” Hendrix. Hale because he’s the son of a former ‘anti-hero’ so to speak, and I’d love to know what he has to say about that. Also, because he’s movie-star handsome, and him in his suit... makes me think of the word ‘posh,’ ‘powerful,’ and ‘regal.’ Rhys because he’s all mysterious and dangerous, and he’s Corey’s FIXER. Not to mention, Chloe (h) said he looked like “the hero of that film 365 Days” (Michele Morrone). So yes, nuf said. Lastly, Rix because he’s the first disabled character this author’s ever written. I’d love to read about him as the hero of his own story and how KA portrays the representation.
I had my reservations going into this book, and that was because of the word “lanky” that I found in the synopsis to describe the H. I know, how very shallow and superficial of me! But that word just turns me off. Makes me think of stick figures, and they’re not attractive. I prefer the word “lean.” So yeah, I already had one against Judge (H) before I even met him. Thankfully, my reservations were unfounded because this book had me on a chokehold from start to finish. I liked that it was centered around characters who were environmentally conscious. I liked that Judge was an outdoorsy person, and he was in charge of a program called Kids and Trails, which meant he was good with kids (and I like kids, so). I liked that Chloe was into fashion, and she was an owner of a thriving, inclusive boutique.
Judge & Chloe reminded me of Jonah & Calla (The Simple Wild) in a way that Judge loved the outdoors, and he was very passionate about his job. Meanwhile, Chloe was VERY high maintenance (even more than Calla), and she was her own boss. They also had similar tendency to meddle. Chloe was a firstborn, and she’s self appointed herself as “The Protector” of the family. The one who looked out for everyone and made sure they were content and live a good life. Hence, she meddled a lot. Her meddling annoyed me at times, but I know she meant well. Judge & Chloe were perfect for each other. I found myself drawn to them from the moment they had their “meet cute.” There was a bit of Chloe pushing Judge away, but overall I really enjoyed their romance (and the cute pets they brought into the mix).
Looking back, there was so much family stuff going on in this book that I think it might’ve overshadowed the romance. However, since I was thoroughly immersed into the story, it didn’t really matter. And I LOVED the family dynamics, both from Judge’s and Chloe’s side. Judge’s was just so heartbreaking. The scene where he visited his childhood home, and the one where he broke down and ranted about his shit of a mother in front of his dad, half-sister, and Chloe HAD ME IN TEARS. As for Chloe’s, hers was chaotic (a little tense because of her parents’ divorce and her ‘rift’ with her siblings), but it was also heartwarming (this mostly coming from her step father’s side of the family). I loved seeing Chloe with Sully & Gage. To put it simply, I just adored how big and warm and supportive all the families were.
I think it’s better to have read the prequel before jumping into this book. Otherwise, it’d be overwhelming and disorienting considering how many characters (both from the prequel and new ones emerging here) there are in this book. Reading Chasing Serenity had felt like coming home. This was just the kind of small town, feel good romance I favored highly from KA. This book had focused mainly on family. There wasn’t any of that suspense/action elements that KA often included in her books. Idk if we’ll have that in future books, either way I’m excited. Based on all the teasing about Rix & Alex, I suspect (HOPE) the next book will be theirs. I also hope we’ll be seeing characters doing more outdoor (in nature) activities since we didn’t get to see any of those here.
Bottom line, this book in five words is FOUND FAMILY AT ITS FINEST.
(Read as an Audiobook)
I liked this one a lot! Meet Jonah & Calla (The Simple Wild) à la Kristen Ashley.
Sooo many interesting side characters whom I’d gladly pay a mint for to have their own books written (KA please get to it!), namely Hale Wheeler, Rhys Vaughan, and John “Rix” Hendrix. Hale because he’s the son of a former ‘anti-hero’ so to speak, and I’d love to know what he has to say about that. Also, because he’s movie-star handsome, and him in his suit... makes me think of the word ‘posh,’ ‘powerful,’ and ‘regal.’ Rhys because he’s all mysterious and dangerous, and he’s Corey’s FIXER. Not to mention, Chloe (h) said he looked like “the hero of that film 365 Days” (Michele Morrone). So yes, nuf said. Lastly, Rix because he’s the first disabled character this author’s ever written. I’d love to read about him as the hero of his own story and how KA portrays the representation.
I had my reservations going into this book, and that was because of the word “lanky” that I found in the synopsis to describe the H. I know, how very shallow and superficial of me! But that word just turns me off. Makes me think of stick figures, and they’re not attractive. I prefer the word “lean.” So yeah, I already had one against Judge (H) before I even met him. Thankfully, my reservations were unfounded because this book had me on a chokehold from start to finish. I liked that it was centered around characters who were environmentally conscious. I liked that Judge was an outdoorsy person, and he was in charge of a program called Kids and Trails, which meant he was good with kids (and I like kids, so). I liked that Chloe was into fashion, and she was an owner of a thriving, inclusive boutique.
Judge & Chloe reminded me of Jonah & Calla (The Simple Wild) in a way that Judge loved the outdoors, and he was very passionate about his job. Meanwhile, Chloe was VERY high maintenance (even more than Calla), and she was her own boss. They also had similar tendency to meddle. Chloe was a firstborn, and she’s self appointed herself as “The Protector” of the family. The one who looked out for everyone and made sure they were content and live a good life. Hence, she meddled a lot. Her meddling annoyed me at times, but I know she meant well. Judge & Chloe were perfect for each other. I found myself drawn to them from the moment they had their “meet cute.” There was a bit of Chloe pushing Judge away, but overall I really enjoyed their romance (and the cute pets they brought into the mix).
Looking back, there was so much family stuff going on in this book that I think it might’ve overshadowed the romance. However, since I was thoroughly immersed into the story, it didn’t really matter. And I LOVED the family dynamics, both from Judge’s and Chloe’s side. Judge’s was just so heartbreaking. The scene where he visited his childhood home, and the one where he broke down and ranted about his shit of a mother in front of his dad, half-sister, and Chloe HAD ME IN TEARS. As for Chloe’s, hers was chaotic (a little tense because of her parents’ divorce and her ‘rift’ with her siblings), but it was also heartwarming (this mostly coming from her step father’s side of the family). I loved seeing Chloe with Sully & Gage. To put it simply, I just adored how big and warm and supportive all the families were.
I think it’s better to have read the prequel before jumping into this book. Otherwise, it’d be overwhelming and disorienting considering how many characters (both from the prequel and new ones emerging here) there are in this book. Reading Chasing Serenity had felt like coming home. This was just the kind of small town, feel good romance I favored highly from KA. This book had focused mainly on family. There wasn’t any of that suspense/action elements that KA often included in her books. Idk if we’ll have that in future books, either way I’m excited. Based on all the teasing about Rix & Alex, I suspect (HOPE) the next book will be theirs. I also hope we’ll be seeing characters doing more outdoor (in nature) activities since we didn’t get to see any of those here.
Bottom line, this book in five words is FOUND FAMILY AT ITS FINEST.
(Read as an Audiobook)
April 16, 2022
4 Giving And Receiving Love Stars
* * * * Spoiler Free
So this is me indulging in my KA reading. This had lots to think about...
Some of The Hard Stuff...
About how children can be nurtured and cared for or unfortunately, become a tool to teach an ex a lesson or become a pawn.
How money helps... And It Truly Does...but it cannot eliminate personal pain.
But Lots of the Great Stuff, Too...
How even though children may have had a very difficult experience if the child has some sort of positive experience somewhere...They can become their own person and be Amazing.
How being the strong one for others is good but also this person needs to have someone be strong for them so they can just be.
That in the end, accepting the love given to you is everything.
And Socially...
There is the insight into where inclusion is everything, in business, retail, nature, and love.
These are the themes that I took from this and it worked for me.
Oh, there is a big story with characters to care about, descriptions of places, clothes, and everything else KA loves. The relationships will touch you and moments that will make your heart hurt. It all came together, I appreciated it, and another entry is coming.
After The Climb (River Rain, #1)
https://www.goodreads.com/review/show...
Chasing Serenity (River Rain, (# 2)
https://www.goodreads.com/review/show...
Taking the Leap (River Rain #3)
https://www.goodreads.com/review/show...
Making the Match (River Rain #4)
https://www.goodreads.com/review/show...
~~~~~ Before Reading ~~~~~
August 15, 2021-doing the twirling dance, dropping EVERYTHING, and going in!
❤️💕❤️💕❤️💕 My Hopes Are High, Fingers Crossed ❤️💕❤️💕❤️
💕❤️💕❤️💕❤️💕❤️💕❤️💕❤️💕❤️💕❤️❤️💕❤️💕❤️💕❤️💕❤️💕❤️💕❤️💕
April 22, 2021-Psssst, If You Read Kristen Ashley's Newsletter, A Blurb Was Shared! This is My "Take" On It...
There Is The Saying, "Opposites Attract"...
You Could Use The Meeting Of...
Chloe Pierce And Judge Oakley...
As A Textbook Example...
Chloe At First Glance...
Seems To Be The Classic City Girl...
Into Shopping, Fancy Drinks, Nothing Down To Earth...
Judge Is The Total Opposite...
More Mountains Than City, Hiking...
And Kicking Back With A Beer...
Oh, And Their First Meeting...
Not So Great...
Second Time Around...
Worse Than Ever...
But Even With All Of These Factors...
Working Against Them...
There is This Special Something...
Causing A Pull Judge Cannot Ignore...
Chloe Is Experiencing A Pain So Deep...
A Loss Of The One Who Taught Her Everything She Knows...
The Knowledge To Be There For Another, To Care For Those You Love...
Judge Knows Of Chloe's Loss...
He Wants To Be There For Her...
Yet Little Does He Know The Depth...
Of Caring Chloe Can Give...
It May Cause The Need To Start...
Chasing Serenity-September 7, 2021
@@@@@@@@@@@
January 23, 2021
Per Kristen's Website: Chloe and Judge’s story is the next in the River Rain Series. I Will Update When More Comes
A gifted copy was provided by author/publisher for an honest review.
For more Reviews, Free E-books and Giveaways
* * * * Spoiler Free
So this is me indulging in my KA reading. This had lots to think about...
Some of The Hard Stuff...
About how children can be nurtured and cared for or unfortunately, become a tool to teach an ex a lesson or become a pawn.
How money helps... And It Truly Does...but it cannot eliminate personal pain.
But Lots of the Great Stuff, Too...
How even though children may have had a very difficult experience if the child has some sort of positive experience somewhere...They can become their own person and be Amazing.
How being the strong one for others is good but also this person needs to have someone be strong for them so they can just be.
That in the end, accepting the love given to you is everything.
And Socially...
There is the insight into where inclusion is everything, in business, retail, nature, and love.
These are the themes that I took from this and it worked for me.
Oh, there is a big story with characters to care about, descriptions of places, clothes, and everything else KA loves. The relationships will touch you and moments that will make your heart hurt. It all came together, I appreciated it, and another entry is coming.
After The Climb (River Rain, #1) https://www.goodreads.com/review/show...
Chasing Serenity (River Rain, (# 2) https://www.goodreads.com/review/show...
Taking the Leap (River Rain #3)https://www.goodreads.com/review/show...
Making the Match (River Rain #4) https://www.goodreads.com/review/show...
~~~~~ Before Reading ~~~~~
August 15, 2021-doing the twirling dance, dropping EVERYTHING, and going in!
❤️💕❤️💕❤️💕 My Hopes Are High, Fingers Crossed ❤️💕❤️💕❤️
💕❤️💕❤️💕❤️💕❤️💕❤️💕❤️💕❤️💕❤️❤️💕❤️💕❤️💕❤️💕❤️💕❤️💕❤️💕
April 22, 2021-Psssst, If You Read Kristen Ashley's Newsletter, A Blurb Was Shared! This is My "Take" On It...
There Is The Saying, "Opposites Attract"...
You Could Use The Meeting Of...
Chloe Pierce And Judge Oakley...
As A Textbook Example...
Chloe At First Glance...
Seems To Be The Classic City Girl...
Into Shopping, Fancy Drinks, Nothing Down To Earth...
Judge Is The Total Opposite...
More Mountains Than City, Hiking...
And Kicking Back With A Beer...
Oh, And Their First Meeting...
Not So Great...
Second Time Around...
Worse Than Ever...
But Even With All Of These Factors...
Working Against Them...
There is This Special Something...
Causing A Pull Judge Cannot Ignore...
Chloe Is Experiencing A Pain So Deep...
A Loss Of The One Who Taught Her Everything She Knows...
The Knowledge To Be There For Another, To Care For Those You Love...
Judge Knows Of Chloe's Loss...
He Wants To Be There For Her...
Yet Little Does He Know The Depth...
Of Caring Chloe Can Give...
It May Cause The Need To Start...
Chasing Serenity-September 7, 2021
@@@@@@@@@@@
January 23, 2021
Per Kristen's Website: Chloe and Judge’s story is the next in the River Rain Series. I Will Update When More Comes
A gifted copy was provided by author/publisher for an honest review.
For more Reviews, Free E-books and Giveaways
October 30, 2021
2.5 Stars
Overall Opinion: I hate I’m rating this so low! I’m glad I read this because it’s been bugging me that I didn’t just jump right in when it was released. I enjoyed the potential of these two that was teased in the first book, After the Climb. Sadly, this was a total flop for me. The pacing felt slow, the connection between them felt forced, the sexy times were off because I didn’t feel the chemistry, and the ending felt incomplete. There was too much focus on side characters in this one. I know side characters are a typical feature for KA, but these were mostly just causing drama and not the kookie, fun side characters I usually enjoy in her books. Overall, I’m not sure I even want to continue with this series, because the first book wasn’t all that and this was such a flop…😢
Brief Summary of the Storyline: This is Chloe and Judge’s story. Chloe is in town due to her mom recently moving there with her rekindled love, Duncan. She has a tense first encounter with Judge, who works for Duncan. Chloe’s world has been turned upside down recently and when she keeps on having these tense encounters with Judge that really mean more, she gets scared of the potential hurt quickly. Judge knows what he wants, and that’s Chloe — and he starts his pursuit. There is a lot of family drama, some sexy times, and some past baggage handled…and they get a HFN ending.
Point Of View (POV): This alternated between Chloe’s POV and focusing on Judge in 3rd person narrative.
Overall Pace of Story: Slow at times, but I never skimmed.
Instalove: Kind of. It wasn’t all that developed IMO.
H (Hero) rating: 3.5 stars. Judge. I liked how he took care of the h and saw through her tough exterior.
h (heroine) rating: 3.5 stars. Chloe. I liked her strength and protectiveness.
Sadness level: Low, no tissues needed
Push/Pull: Yes
Heat level: Alright. They have some tension, chemistry, and scenes -- but not so much it takes away from the story. I felt like something was off with the scenes and it might’ve been a lack of chemistry.
Descriptive sex: Yes
OW (Other Woman)/OM (Other Man) drama: No
Sex scene with OW or OM: No
Cheating: Yes, but not between mcs
Separation: Yes
Possible Triggers: Yes
Closure: This ends with an epilogue that I felt was more about closure with a side character than with the mcs. I was super frustrated! I would call this a HFN ending and I think it’s one of the worst endings by KA, whom I typically expect to get my great endings with.
Safety: This one should be Safe for most safety gang readers
Overall Opinion: I hate I’m rating this so low! I’m glad I read this because it’s been bugging me that I didn’t just jump right in when it was released. I enjoyed the potential of these two that was teased in the first book, After the Climb. Sadly, this was a total flop for me. The pacing felt slow, the connection between them felt forced, the sexy times were off because I didn’t feel the chemistry, and the ending felt incomplete. There was too much focus on side characters in this one. I know side characters are a typical feature for KA, but these were mostly just causing drama and not the kookie, fun side characters I usually enjoy in her books. Overall, I’m not sure I even want to continue with this series, because the first book wasn’t all that and this was such a flop…😢
Brief Summary of the Storyline: This is Chloe and Judge’s story. Chloe is in town due to her mom recently moving there with her rekindled love, Duncan. She has a tense first encounter with Judge, who works for Duncan. Chloe’s world has been turned upside down recently and when she keeps on having these tense encounters with Judge that really mean more, she gets scared of the potential hurt quickly. Judge knows what he wants, and that’s Chloe — and he starts his pursuit. There is a lot of family drama, some sexy times, and some past baggage handled…and they get a HFN ending.
Point Of View (POV): This alternated between Chloe’s POV and focusing on Judge in 3rd person narrative.
Overall Pace of Story: Slow at times, but I never skimmed.
Instalove: Kind of. It wasn’t all that developed IMO.
H (Hero) rating: 3.5 stars. Judge. I liked how he took care of the h and saw through her tough exterior.
h (heroine) rating: 3.5 stars. Chloe. I liked her strength and protectiveness.
Sadness level: Low, no tissues needed
Push/Pull: Yes
Heat level: Alright. They have some tension, chemistry, and scenes -- but not so much it takes away from the story. I felt like something was off with the scenes and it might’ve been a lack of chemistry.
Descriptive sex: Yes
OW (Other Woman)/OM (Other Man) drama: No
Sex scene with OW or OM: No
Cheating: Yes, but not between mcs
Separation: Yes
Possible Triggers: Yes
Closure: This ends with an epilogue that I felt was more about closure with a side character than with the mcs. I was super frustrated! I would call this a HFN ending and I think it’s one of the worst endings by KA, whom I typically expect to get my great endings with.
Safety: This one should be Safe for most safety gang readers
September 8, 2021
DNF at 50% - I tried. I really REALLY tried. But Chloe is maybe in the top 3 of most unlikable characters for me. There is literally not one thing about her that I don't find annoying, infuriating or just plain ridiculous. I hated her from chapter 1 and I read 18 more hoping that I'd come around but if anything it got much worse.
September 15, 2021
I can't help but wax poetic about Kristen Ashley's books. They're fabulous just like her characters, but mostly because of the heartwarming, feel-good sensation you're left when you get to the end.
Thoughts on why I loved this book:
💜 I want to be friends with any & all of these characters. They're all imperfectly perfect.
💜 I love the ideas about the environment & how to care for it through education, it's an important matter & a wonderful background subject.
💜 I adored all the great causes that were being championed like Kids & Trails, Fabulous Foot Forward, it made me want to find out if something like this exists so I can sign up to volunteer.
💜 I adored both Chloe and Judge's family. They were all about love & it was beautiful.
💜 Judge & Chloe's romance was sweet, sexy & swoony.
"𝘏𝘦 𝘸𝘢𝘴𝘯'𝘵 𝘪𝘯 𝘭𝘰𝘷𝘦 𝘸𝘪𝘵𝘩 𝘩𝘦𝘳.
𝘐𝘵 𝘸𝘢𝘴 𝘦𝘢𝘴𝘺 𝘧𝘰𝘳 𝘢 𝘮𝘢𝘯 𝘵𝘰 𝘧𝘢𝘭𝘭 𝘪𝘯 𝘭𝘰𝘷𝘦 𝘸𝘪𝘵𝘩 𝘢 𝘸𝘰𝘮𝘢𝘯 𝘭𝘪𝘬𝘦 𝘊𝘩𝘭𝘰𝘦 𝘗𝘪𝘦𝘳𝘤𝘦.
𝘕𝘰.
𝘏𝘦 𝘭𝘰𝘷𝘦𝘥 𝘩𝘦𝘳.
𝘉𝘰𝘵𝘵𝘰𝘮 𝘭𝘪𝘯𝘦, 𝘩𝘦𝘢𝘳𝘵, 𝘨𝘶𝘵𝘴 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘴𝘰𝘶𝘭, 𝘭𝘰𝘷𝘦𝘥 𝘩𝘦𝘳.
𝘛𝘩𝘪𝘴 𝘸𝘢𝘴 𝘪𝘵.
𝘚𝘩𝘦 𝘸𝘢𝘴 𝘪𝘵.
𝘍𝘰𝘳𝘦𝘷𝘦𝘳."
~
“𝘠𝘰𝘶 𝘣𝘦𝘤𝘢𝘮𝘦 𝘺𝘰𝘶. 𝘐𝘯 𝘺𝘰𝘶𝘳 𝘤𝘪𝘳𝘤𝘶𝘮𝘴𝘵𝘢𝘯𝘤𝘦𝘴, 𝘵𝘩𝘢𝘵’𝘴 𝘢𝘭𝘮𝘰𝘴𝘵 𝘪𝘮𝘱𝘰𝘴𝘴𝘪𝘣𝘭𝘦. 𝘉𝘶𝘵 𝘺𝘰𝘶 𝘥𝘪𝘥. 𝘠𝘰𝘶’𝘳𝘦 𝘮𝘺 𝘮𝘪𝘳𝘢𝘤𝘭𝘦, 𝘑𝘶𝘥𝘨𝘦. 𝘈𝘯𝘥 𝘐’𝘮 𝘴𝘰 𝘨𝘭𝘢𝘥 𝘺𝘰𝘶 𝘢𝘳𝘦, 𝘣𝘦𝘤𝘢𝘶𝘴𝘦 𝘺𝘰𝘶 𝘩𝘰𝘭𝘥 𝘮𝘺 𝘩𝘦𝘢𝘳𝘵 𝘪𝘯 𝘺𝘰𝘶𝘳 𝘩𝘢𝘯𝘥𝘴, 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘵𝘩𝘦𝘳𝘦’𝘴 𝘯𝘰 𝘮𝘢𝘯 𝘰𝘯 𝘵𝘩𝘪𝘴 𝘱𝘭𝘢𝘯𝘦𝘵 𝘸𝘩𝘰 𝘩𝘢𝘴 𝘸𝘩𝘢𝘵 𝘐 𝘯𝘦𝘦𝘥 𝘵𝘰 𝘵𝘢𝘬𝘦 𝘤𝘢𝘳𝘦 𝘰𝘧 𝘪𝘵, 𝘦𝘹𝘤𝘦𝘱𝘵 𝘺𝘰𝘶.”
Chasing Serenity is book #1 of the River Rain series by Kristen Ashley. It is told from various points of view and has an incredible happy ending. Genres: Contemporary romance
★ I was given an ARC of this book courtesy of the author via Social Butterfly. The excerpts are from that copy. I am voluntarily reviewing this title. ★
Stalk me on FaceBook ★ Instagram ★ More reviews
Thoughts on why I loved this book:
💜 I want to be friends with any & all of these characters. They're all imperfectly perfect.
💜 I love the ideas about the environment & how to care for it through education, it's an important matter & a wonderful background subject.
💜 I adored all the great causes that were being championed like Kids & Trails, Fabulous Foot Forward, it made me want to find out if something like this exists so I can sign up to volunteer.
💜 I adored both Chloe and Judge's family. They were all about love & it was beautiful.
💜 Judge & Chloe's romance was sweet, sexy & swoony.
"𝘏𝘦 𝘸𝘢𝘴𝘯'𝘵 𝘪𝘯 𝘭𝘰𝘷𝘦 𝘸𝘪𝘵𝘩 𝘩𝘦𝘳.
𝘐𝘵 𝘸𝘢𝘴 𝘦𝘢𝘴𝘺 𝘧𝘰𝘳 𝘢 𝘮𝘢𝘯 𝘵𝘰 𝘧𝘢𝘭𝘭 𝘪𝘯 𝘭𝘰𝘷𝘦 𝘸𝘪𝘵𝘩 𝘢 𝘸𝘰𝘮𝘢𝘯 𝘭𝘪𝘬𝘦 𝘊𝘩𝘭𝘰𝘦 𝘗𝘪𝘦𝘳𝘤𝘦.
𝘕𝘰.
𝘏𝘦 𝘭𝘰𝘷𝘦𝘥 𝘩𝘦𝘳.
𝘉𝘰𝘵𝘵𝘰𝘮 𝘭𝘪𝘯𝘦, 𝘩𝘦𝘢𝘳𝘵, 𝘨𝘶𝘵𝘴 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘴𝘰𝘶𝘭, 𝘭𝘰𝘷𝘦𝘥 𝘩𝘦𝘳.
𝘛𝘩𝘪𝘴 𝘸𝘢𝘴 𝘪𝘵.
𝘚𝘩𝘦 𝘸𝘢𝘴 𝘪𝘵.
𝘍𝘰𝘳𝘦𝘷𝘦𝘳."
~
“𝘠𝘰𝘶 𝘣𝘦𝘤𝘢𝘮𝘦 𝘺𝘰𝘶. 𝘐𝘯 𝘺𝘰𝘶𝘳 𝘤𝘪𝘳𝘤𝘶𝘮𝘴𝘵𝘢𝘯𝘤𝘦𝘴, 𝘵𝘩𝘢𝘵’𝘴 𝘢𝘭𝘮𝘰𝘴𝘵 𝘪𝘮𝘱𝘰𝘴𝘴𝘪𝘣𝘭𝘦. 𝘉𝘶𝘵 𝘺𝘰𝘶 𝘥𝘪𝘥. 𝘠𝘰𝘶’𝘳𝘦 𝘮𝘺 𝘮𝘪𝘳𝘢𝘤𝘭𝘦, 𝘑𝘶𝘥𝘨𝘦. 𝘈𝘯𝘥 𝘐’𝘮 𝘴𝘰 𝘨𝘭𝘢𝘥 𝘺𝘰𝘶 𝘢𝘳𝘦, 𝘣𝘦𝘤𝘢𝘶𝘴𝘦 𝘺𝘰𝘶 𝘩𝘰𝘭𝘥 𝘮𝘺 𝘩𝘦𝘢𝘳𝘵 𝘪𝘯 𝘺𝘰𝘶𝘳 𝘩𝘢𝘯𝘥𝘴, 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘵𝘩𝘦𝘳𝘦’𝘴 𝘯𝘰 𝘮𝘢𝘯 𝘰𝘯 𝘵𝘩𝘪𝘴 𝘱𝘭𝘢𝘯𝘦𝘵 𝘸𝘩𝘰 𝘩𝘢𝘴 𝘸𝘩𝘢𝘵 𝘐 𝘯𝘦𝘦𝘥 𝘵𝘰 𝘵𝘢𝘬𝘦 𝘤𝘢𝘳𝘦 𝘰𝘧 𝘪𝘵, 𝘦𝘹𝘤𝘦𝘱𝘵 𝘺𝘰𝘶.”
Chasing Serenity is book #1 of the River Rain series by Kristen Ashley. It is told from various points of view and has an incredible happy ending. Genres: Contemporary romance
★ I was given an ARC of this book courtesy of the author via Social Butterfly. The excerpts are from that copy. I am voluntarily reviewing this title. ★
Stalk me on FaceBook ★ Instagram ★ More reviews
November 11, 2022
TWO POINT FIVE STARS
Audiobook source: Audible
Narrator: Stella Bloom, Joseph Discher, & Gregory Salinas
Length: 13H 30M
October 31, 2021
Super disappointed by this won't be trying any more new KA books.
Chloe was a messy mishmash of previous KA heroines.
Things were too choppy for me, and I didn't find myself sinking into the read.
Chloe was a messy mishmash of previous KA heroines.
Things were too choppy for me, and I didn't find myself sinking into the read.
November 8, 2021
DNF. Literally can't. Hated this crap so much I'm writing a review.
This was horrible, just horrible. I've been with KA through thick and thin and even fkn finished Still Standing (*gag*) but I can't take it anymore.
What has happened to these books? It's not even that KA can't do younger heroines -- she pulled it off in Rock Chick well enough --- it's the fact that for some goofy as hell reason all these "contemporary" books are about "Millennials" and their "Millennial" lives. Oh and pandering.
Just RELAX. You don't gotta say that a trans person was transing their trans thing in a trans way and because you are "such a great person af" you are oh so okay with that, ya weirdo. What do you want, an applause? For not spitting in their face? I think it's the last Chaos book where someone goes "he'll fuck anything male, female -- even trans" and it completely captures how out of touch these books have become.
Acting like people of colour, trans folk, queer folk, and all other minorities sprung up outta thin air in the great year of 2020 and because SOMEONE clearly opened Twitter dot com the other day, now I gotta read about how you've decided to accept them?
Girl, shut up. I let that whole tandoor/ "I like Indian food and Indian everything but yeah, this book and this entire series has no brown people because of course" go in Kaleidoscope (although Jacob Decker can eat my whole ass cause I hate that guy) but I cant stand this crap anymore.
You're not doing fuck all with this weird and unnatural righteous bs. Minority folk have always existed -- it's you that's never included them and now what??? It's you that wants the credit and the standing ovation for "accepting them"??
And why was this entire book centred around the fact that Chloe Pierce was such a Good Person because her wealth and 'fame', didn't turn her into a smacked arse and how boo freaking hoo her life was? Please get off your high horse cause I think that golden spoon is buried too deep up your hole.
Especially when you paint these heroes out to be like the second coming of wokeness with their infinite wisdom, patience, and weird and unnatural as hell faux feminist speeches --- yet your heroines are obnoxious, melodramatic, mean, cranky, rude, and selfish haughty snots.
I dunno why, but her leaving Judge out in the cold for 20 mins because she was having her random unexplained hissy fit just made me wanna commit murder.
If it were the opposite, you'd cry seven buckets and I'd have to read 3 chapters of grovel from him where he eventually buys you 500 dollar Nordstrom booties with tassles or some other tacky sh*t and you realise you're In Love With Him. Just stop. It's horrible reading these books: I'm always rooting for the hero to dump her ass and wondering what he sees in her when all I wanted was to read some cute sunshine/grumpy "there's only one bed" escapist nonsense. But nooo, now I'm angry and have to write this thing.
Chloe was 24(?) Going on 40 going on 16 going on the most unappealing woman I've ever met. When you get a boring and bland protagonist like her and you pair her with a guy that possesses only flawless characteristics -- you're simply confirming that you don't need a personality as long as youre rich and skinny and white with an ass that won't quit and legs that Go On For Days-- but you're pandering to spread the opposite messages? Sure, hon.
And STOP STOP STOP SAYING "AF". These books have enough toxically masculine (but somehow hyper feminist?) men in them that reading the words "AF" in an ADULT male perspective makes me want to A-off myself.
I think I might be most upset about the fact that I'll probably still buy the next book she writes because I miss the old stuff and still hold out hope, but this crap is horrible, harmful, and hurtful. Just slow down and smell the flowers before churning out more of this horse-shit because it's breaking my heart to see how awful these books have become.
It used to be a running gag that there would be long outfit descriptions in these books and reluctant heroines with forceful and macho-talky alphas and me having to read every. Single. Thought. That this girl has but I just can't do it anymore.
I miss my Sadies, and Laurens, and Fayes, and Circes, and Lexies and Logans and Tacks and Hectors. please bring them back.
This was horrible, just horrible. I've been with KA through thick and thin and even fkn finished Still Standing (*gag*) but I can't take it anymore.
What has happened to these books? It's not even that KA can't do younger heroines -- she pulled it off in Rock Chick well enough --- it's the fact that for some goofy as hell reason all these "contemporary" books are about "Millennials" and their "Millennial" lives. Oh and pandering.
Just RELAX. You don't gotta say that a trans person was transing their trans thing in a trans way and because you are "such a great person af" you are oh so okay with that, ya weirdo. What do you want, an applause? For not spitting in their face? I think it's the last Chaos book where someone goes "he'll fuck anything male, female -- even trans" and it completely captures how out of touch these books have become.
Acting like people of colour, trans folk, queer folk, and all other minorities sprung up outta thin air in the great year of 2020 and because SOMEONE clearly opened Twitter dot com the other day, now I gotta read about how you've decided to accept them?
Girl, shut up. I let that whole tandoor/ "I like Indian food and Indian everything but yeah, this book and this entire series has no brown people because of course" go in Kaleidoscope (although Jacob Decker can eat my whole ass cause I hate that guy) but I cant stand this crap anymore.
You're not doing fuck all with this weird and unnatural righteous bs. Minority folk have always existed -- it's you that's never included them and now what??? It's you that wants the credit and the standing ovation for "accepting them"??
And why was this entire book centred around the fact that Chloe Pierce was such a Good Person because her wealth and 'fame', didn't turn her into a smacked arse and how boo freaking hoo her life was? Please get off your high horse cause I think that golden spoon is buried too deep up your hole.
Especially when you paint these heroes out to be like the second coming of wokeness with their infinite wisdom, patience, and weird and unnatural as hell faux feminist speeches --- yet your heroines are obnoxious, melodramatic, mean, cranky, rude, and selfish haughty snots.
I dunno why, but her leaving Judge out in the cold for 20 mins because she was having her random unexplained hissy fit just made me wanna commit murder.
If it were the opposite, you'd cry seven buckets and I'd have to read 3 chapters of grovel from him where he eventually buys you 500 dollar Nordstrom booties with tassles or some other tacky sh*t and you realise you're In Love With Him. Just stop. It's horrible reading these books: I'm always rooting for the hero to dump her ass and wondering what he sees in her when all I wanted was to read some cute sunshine/grumpy "there's only one bed" escapist nonsense. But nooo, now I'm angry and have to write this thing.
Chloe was 24(?) Going on 40 going on 16 going on the most unappealing woman I've ever met. When you get a boring and bland protagonist like her and you pair her with a guy that possesses only flawless characteristics -- you're simply confirming that you don't need a personality as long as youre rich and skinny and white with an ass that won't quit and legs that Go On For Days-- but you're pandering to spread the opposite messages? Sure, hon.
And STOP STOP STOP SAYING "AF". These books have enough toxically masculine (but somehow hyper feminist?) men in them that reading the words "AF" in an ADULT male perspective makes me want to A-off myself.
I think I might be most upset about the fact that I'll probably still buy the next book she writes because I miss the old stuff and still hold out hope, but this crap is horrible, harmful, and hurtful. Just slow down and smell the flowers before churning out more of this horse-shit because it's breaking my heart to see how awful these books have become.
It used to be a running gag that there would be long outfit descriptions in these books and reluctant heroines with forceful and macho-talky alphas and me having to read every. Single. Thought. That this girl has but I just can't do it anymore.
I miss my Sadies, and Laurens, and Fayes, and Circes, and Lexies and Logans and Tacks and Hectors. please bring them back.
June 2, 2024
It truly pains me, but I had a difficult time with this latest release.
I was curious to see where this series was going and gave it a go knowing Chloe was a bit annoying in After the Climb. Unfortunately, her character was unbearable for the first 60% of the book. I found her overly dramatic and highly argumentative behavior vexing. It seemed as if each time Judge attempted to have a conversation with Chloe, she purposefully parsed his words and spun the entire situation into a quarrel. She was beyond frustrating - acting spoiled and juvenile. I think the intention was to portray this heroine as a strong-minded, independent woman despite her vulnerabilities. If so, it was a fail for me, and I'm so disappointed in how Chloe was portrayed. For these reasons, in addition to the extremely wordy endless clothing and decor descriptions, it saddens me to rate this 2.5 stars.
Fortunately, Judge and some of the secondary characters (except for Sasha and Matt who were basically nasty brats) made this read tolerable and managed to keep my interest. Thankfully, I made my way through the second half of this book, happy to see some of my favorites from J&J make a cameo appearance, and now looking forward to the future installments - especially Bowie's sons, Hale, and Tom (although I’m not thrilled about the whole Susie Shepherd situation). Hoping Rhys has his own story, as his character fascinated me the most.
Side note - I've mentioned in prior reviews, but worth repeating. I read romances for entertainment and as a form of escape from the everyday grind - not as an opportunity for an author to use their characters' overly animated rants to pander to social/political causes (whether I agree with those views or not). I'm interested in reading good love stories and not someone pushing an agenda. This seems to be happening more and more in the novels, and *deep sigh* it's tiring.
September 7, 2021
Extremely disappointing, unlikable female MC
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
September 15, 2021
3.5 stars
I was really looking forward to Chasing Serenity after reading the prequel to this series. While there were parts of this book I loved, there were parts that drove me completely crazy, but let me say that’s kind of the norm for me with author Kristen Ashley. I love some of her books and others I’m ambivalent about, so maybe it’s just me. That being said, I appreciated that this book was emotional on several levels, I enjoyed the opposites attract angle even when they were more alike than they wanted to admit, and the crazy extended family that made up this story.
Chloe Pierce and Judge Oakley met in After the Climb, the River Rain series prequel, and let’s just say they didn’t get off on the best foot. In fact, Judge kind of stuck his foot in his mouth and made some assumptions about Chloe that while true, he really had no business making. There was this spark, this heat between them, both knowing they should walk away from each other yet so drawn in they allowed it to continue and as we find in this book, to spill over into a second meeting the next day. Chloe doesn’t want to admit her attraction or the way Judge makes her think and feel and while Judge is happy to let the world know his attraction, he’s been burned by high maintenance women before so he knows he needs to steer clear, yet they keep being drawn together and each time it gets harder to stay away.
First up I need to admit I don’t like Chloe very much, I really did not like her in the first book, and honestly for most of this one she got on my nerves a lot. I was happy that Ms. Ashley did a great job of showing us why Chloe is the way she is (groomed to be so) and softening her somewhat, making her feel more human. Still her lofty attitude and breaking out in French when it suits her made me roll my eyes a lot and it was hard to take. In fact it was distracting.
Judge seemed like a super chill laid back guy, but again in this book we see that he has some emotional baggage he’s never dealt with from his childhood. He’s simply swept in under the carpet and gone on with his life which catches up to him when he suffers a loss in this story. Both these characters have some emotional damage they must deal with and I liked that once Chloe realized Judge wasn’t going to let her bolt, they both met their challenges head on and dealt with them with the support of the other one.
I felt Chloe and Judge balanced one another out while also learning early on how to read what the other one needed especially during emotional crisis. I liked them together; I think they were a good fit.
Things I really loved about this book; the large, strange, extended family that has become the Pierce-Swan-Holloway-Oakley family unit. It may be odd, but there is something special when adults can act like adults and accept exes into their new life for the good of the family or when past hurts can be healed with understanding and compassion. The fact that these people want to do good for others less fortunate or those that are sometimes disregarded by society. Two very different people figuring out their common ground and COMMUNICATING what their expectations are and what they need from one another.
Things that don’t work for me in this book (series); again this is probably me, but I seriously DGAF about wealthy celebrities, I never had and I never will so my favorite times are when they aren’t flaunting their wealth, when they are just enjoying time as a family and doing normal every day things. While I appreciate the character descriptions and even the scene descriptions, I detest the pages of fashion descriptions, I do not care in the least what these people are wearing and I certainly don’t need to know what they are wearing every damn time they change their clothes. The over the top drama between Chloe and her real siblings felt contrived. Corey Szabo, I don’t care what he put in place before he took his own life or the fact he left Rhys Vaughn to help Chloe when she needed it. I feel like with Rhys in the picture this is going to turn into some big romantic suspense plot which is totally going to ruin this series for me. I get while Corey was prominent in this book because of his relationship with Chloe, but he’s dead and I need him to stay buried; the man was selfish no matter how Ms. Ashely tries to spin why Corey did what he did, it’s not going to matter to me.
While overall I did enjoy this book because this family’s dynamics really interest me, the pacing of this book was slow, way too slow. It dragged in some places and then others where I was really interested it moved too quickly. Did I love Chasing Serenity? Not really. Will I continue to read this series? More than likely the next one and then I’ll go from there.
Opposites attract in this emotionally charged story that was filled with family drama and quite a few surprises, Chasing Serenity was an interesting addition to the River Rain series.
Review copy provided for a voluntary review.
I was really looking forward to Chasing Serenity after reading the prequel to this series. While there were parts of this book I loved, there were parts that drove me completely crazy, but let me say that’s kind of the norm for me with author Kristen Ashley. I love some of her books and others I’m ambivalent about, so maybe it’s just me. That being said, I appreciated that this book was emotional on several levels, I enjoyed the opposites attract angle even when they were more alike than they wanted to admit, and the crazy extended family that made up this story.
Chloe Pierce and Judge Oakley met in After the Climb, the River Rain series prequel, and let’s just say they didn’t get off on the best foot. In fact, Judge kind of stuck his foot in his mouth and made some assumptions about Chloe that while true, he really had no business making. There was this spark, this heat between them, both knowing they should walk away from each other yet so drawn in they allowed it to continue and as we find in this book, to spill over into a second meeting the next day. Chloe doesn’t want to admit her attraction or the way Judge makes her think and feel and while Judge is happy to let the world know his attraction, he’s been burned by high maintenance women before so he knows he needs to steer clear, yet they keep being drawn together and each time it gets harder to stay away.
First up I need to admit I don’t like Chloe very much, I really did not like her in the first book, and honestly for most of this one she got on my nerves a lot. I was happy that Ms. Ashley did a great job of showing us why Chloe is the way she is (groomed to be so) and softening her somewhat, making her feel more human. Still her lofty attitude and breaking out in French when it suits her made me roll my eyes a lot and it was hard to take. In fact it was distracting.
Judge seemed like a super chill laid back guy, but again in this book we see that he has some emotional baggage he’s never dealt with from his childhood. He’s simply swept in under the carpet and gone on with his life which catches up to him when he suffers a loss in this story. Both these characters have some emotional damage they must deal with and I liked that once Chloe realized Judge wasn’t going to let her bolt, they both met their challenges head on and dealt with them with the support of the other one.
I felt Chloe and Judge balanced one another out while also learning early on how to read what the other one needed especially during emotional crisis. I liked them together; I think they were a good fit.
Things I really loved about this book; the large, strange, extended family that has become the Pierce-Swan-Holloway-Oakley family unit. It may be odd, but there is something special when adults can act like adults and accept exes into their new life for the good of the family or when past hurts can be healed with understanding and compassion. The fact that these people want to do good for others less fortunate or those that are sometimes disregarded by society. Two very different people figuring out their common ground and COMMUNICATING what their expectations are and what they need from one another.
Things that don’t work for me in this book (series); again this is probably me, but I seriously DGAF about wealthy celebrities, I never had and I never will so my favorite times are when they aren’t flaunting their wealth, when they are just enjoying time as a family and doing normal every day things. While I appreciate the character descriptions and even the scene descriptions, I detest the pages of fashion descriptions, I do not care in the least what these people are wearing and I certainly don’t need to know what they are wearing every damn time they change their clothes. The over the top drama between Chloe and her real siblings felt contrived. Corey Szabo, I don’t care what he put in place before he took his own life or the fact he left Rhys Vaughn to help Chloe when she needed it. I feel like with Rhys in the picture this is going to turn into some big romantic suspense plot which is totally going to ruin this series for me. I get while Corey was prominent in this book because of his relationship with Chloe, but he’s dead and I need him to stay buried; the man was selfish no matter how Ms. Ashely tries to spin why Corey did what he did, it’s not going to matter to me.
While overall I did enjoy this book because this family’s dynamics really interest me, the pacing of this book was slow, way too slow. It dragged in some places and then others where I was really interested it moved too quickly. Did I love Chasing Serenity? Not really. Will I continue to read this series? More than likely the next one and then I’ll go from there.
Opposites attract in this emotionally charged story that was filled with family drama and quite a few surprises, Chasing Serenity was an interesting addition to the River Rain series.
Review copy provided for a voluntary review.
September 15, 2021
This is a hard one and will likely be a mess of a review. I liked it, most definitely, but there was just something different about this book and I can’t put my finger on it. Not different like I didn’t like it or anything, just different in the fact that it didn’t grab me in the same way KA’s books normally do. Most times I need a plan if I am going to read a KA book. I need to know I have the time to get sucked in and nothing else needs to be done. Part of that was missing here. I didn’t want to put it down, but I could if I had to.
I can’t relate at all with the money, the brand names, any of that. I wasn’t like that when I was younger and I’m not like that now so that part of this series could be part of the “different” for me. I never wear heels and well, I’m not fashionable at all. Jeans, t-shirts and flip flops are pretty much my wardrobe. Hoodies and my Bearpaws when it is cold. I can’t even imagine putting fake eyelashes on! All that was Judge was a lot foreign to me too. Not as much, I do love being outside and I actually live in a Wildlife Area so I am pretty connected and into nature but still. He’s pretty extreme.
But yeah, I liked this but my favorite parts weren’t the romance between Chloe and Judge, my favorite parts were all the things surrounding that romance.
This book set a different tone in regard to Imogen Swan. It’s interesting to see parents through their grown children’s eyes. I can’t believe the different feelings I have toward Genny based on Chloe’s POV. I didn’t start to dislike her or anything, but it was quite eye opening to see it from the other side. This might have been one of the best parts of the book. I think children love their parents but as we get older, we start to see they are human and our feelings are still loving but well, we just might see then differently. I feel like it came back around but I love that KA went there at all. We are allowed to be angry and at times dislike our parents just like they are allowed to do and feel the same towards us. Believe me, there were a lot of times my Mom loved me but did not like me.
There were a lot of really emotional moments throughout the story that really got to me. I always claim I’m not emotional but well, sometimes I just am. I was moved to watery eyes more than once.
I really had a hard time in Texas. I’m still struggling over how it could have happened and I feel like someone needs to be held accountable. I’m angry. I’m also shocked. It’s unbelievable that Judge is who he is. Unbelievable. The rest though? Yeah.
The real best part of this story was family. Good, bad and ugly, family. Blood or found, family. The rally around Judge was so freaking moving, I just can’t. Same with Judge for Chloe, lovely. Gage and Sully are going to be amazing men, they are so already on their way.
Since it is their story I have to at least comment on Chloe and Judge. I couldn’t wait to see how this was going to play out and really, although I didn’t love it like some of KA’s other books, I can’t say I was disappointed. Chloe wore on me for a bit at the beginning, but I loved, loved, loved how Judge laid it out for her and she just said “ok”. She was so different from the Chloe we were introduced to in After the Climb and it goes to show just how “on” she was in that book. Seems there is more than one actress in the family. I’m so glad she has exactly the perfect man in her life. Judge was definitely made for her. Same goes for him though. There was something missing for him and I don’t even know if he realized what it was until he met Chloe. He needed a woman that could erase what his Mother did to him. He needed a woman to stand up for him. Do the best for him. And mostly, he needed a woman who would let him take care of her. I loved so much once they connected how it just seemed a natural fit. Finding out he also comes from money and a whole Hell of a lot of it helps. It for sure puts them on common ground. I’m not sure just a regular guy could have made it work with Chloe.
And well, I’ll wrap with this three things.
First, how about that setup for Tom's book? Yikes for that crossover. Yikes, yikes, yikes! I'm still not completely sold on him getting a book and well, maybe getting a book with his mistress but still. Dennis fucking Lowe will never die! God!
Second, I just saw that there was going to be a book about AJ in this series. I don't even think KA can pull that off. No offense, you are one of the best but COME ON!
And last but not least, or well, maybe the very least. Only KA could get me to almost completely forgive Corey for his awful, appalling, frightful, hideous, grim, ghastly, shocking, revolting, repulsive, horrid, horrendous, horrifying behavior (thank you Thesaurus.com).
Almost.
I can’t relate at all with the money, the brand names, any of that. I wasn’t like that when I was younger and I’m not like that now so that part of this series could be part of the “different” for me. I never wear heels and well, I’m not fashionable at all. Jeans, t-shirts and flip flops are pretty much my wardrobe. Hoodies and my Bearpaws when it is cold. I can’t even imagine putting fake eyelashes on! All that was Judge was a lot foreign to me too. Not as much, I do love being outside and I actually live in a Wildlife Area so I am pretty connected and into nature but still. He’s pretty extreme.
But yeah, I liked this but my favorite parts weren’t the romance between Chloe and Judge, my favorite parts were all the things surrounding that romance.
This book set a different tone in regard to Imogen Swan. It’s interesting to see parents through their grown children’s eyes. I can’t believe the different feelings I have toward Genny based on Chloe’s POV. I didn’t start to dislike her or anything, but it was quite eye opening to see it from the other side. This might have been one of the best parts of the book. I think children love their parents but as we get older, we start to see they are human and our feelings are still loving but well, we just might see then differently. I feel like it came back around but I love that KA went there at all. We are allowed to be angry and at times dislike our parents just like they are allowed to do and feel the same towards us. Believe me, there were a lot of times my Mom loved me but did not like me.
There were a lot of really emotional moments throughout the story that really got to me. I always claim I’m not emotional but well, sometimes I just am. I was moved to watery eyes more than once.
I really had a hard time in Texas. I’m still struggling over how it could have happened and I feel like someone needs to be held accountable. I’m angry. I’m also shocked. It’s unbelievable that Judge is who he is. Unbelievable. The rest though? Yeah.
The real best part of this story was family. Good, bad and ugly, family. Blood or found, family. The rally around Judge was so freaking moving, I just can’t. Same with Judge for Chloe, lovely. Gage and Sully are going to be amazing men, they are so already on their way.
Since it is their story I have to at least comment on Chloe and Judge. I couldn’t wait to see how this was going to play out and really, although I didn’t love it like some of KA’s other books, I can’t say I was disappointed. Chloe wore on me for a bit at the beginning, but I loved, loved, loved how Judge laid it out for her and she just said “ok”. She was so different from the Chloe we were introduced to in After the Climb and it goes to show just how “on” she was in that book. Seems there is more than one actress in the family. I’m so glad she has exactly the perfect man in her life. Judge was definitely made for her. Same goes for him though. There was something missing for him and I don’t even know if he realized what it was until he met Chloe. He needed a woman that could erase what his Mother did to him. He needed a woman to stand up for him. Do the best for him. And mostly, he needed a woman who would let him take care of her. I loved so much once they connected how it just seemed a natural fit. Finding out he also comes from money and a whole Hell of a lot of it helps. It for sure puts them on common ground. I’m not sure just a regular guy could have made it work with Chloe.
And well, I’ll wrap with this three things.
First, how about that setup for Tom's book? Yikes for that crossover. Yikes, yikes, yikes! I'm still not completely sold on him getting a book and well, maybe getting a book with his mistress but still. Dennis fucking Lowe will never die! God!
Second, I just saw that there was going to be a book about AJ in this series. I don't even think KA can pull that off. No offense, you are one of the best but COME ON!
And last but not least, or well, maybe the very least. Only KA could get me to almost completely forgive Corey for his awful, appalling, frightful, hideous, grim, ghastly, shocking, revolting, repulsive, horrid, horrendous, horrifying behavior (thank you Thesaurus.com).
Almost.
October 19, 2021
3.5 ⭐'s
I did not read the prequel but I felt I got the gist of it about three friends who grew up together. This book still has them in it but mainly focuses on one daughter, Chloe.
Chloe's been raised in a famous family so she knows very well how to handle herself and she hates being judged. And that's exactly what Judge does. They actually go at each other a few times.
Then, they decide to take the leap. Both have been through some heavy stuff. You would think in such a small world they would know more about each other.
I enjoyed both Judge and Chloe and how their relationship evolved. We also get to know their family and friends and one in particular that is quite intriguing. (Rix's book is up next, Taking the Leap, is scheduled to come out February 15, 2022.)
To be fair, Kristen Ashley is gonna keep on doing what Kristen Ashley does and that's write very flowery, detailed, seemingly unedited stories. It's not my thing per se but every once in a while, it scratches that itch.
I did not read the prequel but I felt I got the gist of it about three friends who grew up together. This book still has them in it but mainly focuses on one daughter, Chloe.
Chloe's been raised in a famous family so she knows very well how to handle herself and she hates being judged. And that's exactly what Judge does. They actually go at each other a few times.
Then, they decide to take the leap. Both have been through some heavy stuff. You would think in such a small world they would know more about each other.
I enjoyed both Judge and Chloe and how their relationship evolved. We also get to know their family and friends and one in particular that is quite intriguing. (Rix's book is up next, Taking the Leap, is scheduled to come out February 15, 2022.)
To be fair, Kristen Ashley is gonna keep on doing what Kristen Ashley does and that's write very flowery, detailed, seemingly unedited stories. It's not my thing per se but every once in a while, it scratches that itch.
September 7, 2021
3.5 stars. This was an okay read for me. Chasing Serenity is book one in the River Rain series and is Chloe and Judge's book. We met Chloe in After the Climb, the prequal to this book and her mother's book. Chloe came off as a very flighty woman who talked in French half the time because she spent time there. In Chasing Serenity, we see that there is much more to Chloe and she is in fact a complicated person. Judge works for Bowie, Chloe's new step father, running outdoor camping adventures for young kids. When Chloe and Judge meet, she is not in a good place in her life but they have an immediate connection of some kind. But Chloe has some personal issues to work through before she is ready for a relationship, dealing with her father's cheating and her parents' divorce. Judge is willing to help her work out those things and sees she is worth it.
This was an okay story for me. Most of the story was Chloe internally dealing with her parents' divorce, her father's cheating, and the beytrayal and suicide of her uncle-figure/family friend Corey. It was more of a character driven book, instead of action driven. And I didn't completely love either Chloe or Judge's characters. Judge was fine. I liked him in general. He was nice, but not an alpha and didn't have a ton of personality. Chloe, I had a harder time with. She was a deparature from the usual KA heroines, which I didn't mind. She was different, but I still didn't love her. She was the alpha in her relationship with Judge. Chloe was supposed to come off a someone who cared so much about her friends and family and wanted to fix all of their problems for them. But, instead, to me she came off as someone who took on everyone's problems and made them about her, letting them overwhelm her and loving the drama. I found her self-centered and childish in her temper and reactions. She often came off as b-itchy, yuppie and unrelatable. I do think she improved somewhat by the end and I did like her more by then. Chloe and Judge's relationship was a slow burn with some pushing away by Chloe until midway and then once they got together, it was smooth sailing relationship-wise. But I just didn't feel any chemistry between them and their sexy times were boring. There were also some questions I had left unanswered concerning Chloe's relationship with her father and conversations they should have had about his cheating, why it happened and how it affected her. Still, I did like the Arizona setting. I also enjoyed that this felt like a bit of a new and different KA and not just a clone of her previous work. This series has potential and I look forward to reading it.
Overall, while I did not fall in love this book, I still enjoyed it in general. It was entertaining and kept my attention. I was happy that Chloe worked out all of her issues over her parents' divorce and losing her Uncle Corey, so that she could find peace and move on in her life to a happy relationship. I like the set up for this series and I have hope that I enjoy the future books.
*arc provided in exchange for an honest review*
This was an okay story for me. Most of the story was Chloe internally dealing with her parents' divorce, her father's cheating, and the beytrayal and suicide of her uncle-figure/family friend Corey. It was more of a character driven book, instead of action driven. And I didn't completely love either Chloe or Judge's characters. Judge was fine. I liked him in general. He was nice, but not an alpha and didn't have a ton of personality. Chloe, I had a harder time with. She was a deparature from the usual KA heroines, which I didn't mind. She was different, but I still didn't love her. She was the alpha in her relationship with Judge. Chloe was supposed to come off a someone who cared so much about her friends and family and wanted to fix all of their problems for them. But, instead, to me she came off as someone who took on everyone's problems and made them about her, letting them overwhelm her and loving the drama. I found her self-centered and childish in her temper and reactions. She often came off as b-itchy, yuppie and unrelatable. I do think she improved somewhat by the end and I did like her more by then. Chloe and Judge's relationship was a slow burn with some pushing away by Chloe until midway and then once they got together, it was smooth sailing relationship-wise. But I just didn't feel any chemistry between them and their sexy times were boring. There were also some questions I had left unanswered concerning Chloe's relationship with her father and conversations they should have had about his cheating, why it happened and how it affected her. Still, I did like the Arizona setting. I also enjoyed that this felt like a bit of a new and different KA and not just a clone of her previous work. This series has potential and I look forward to reading it.
Overall, while I did not fall in love this book, I still enjoyed it in general. It was entertaining and kept my attention. I was happy that Chloe worked out all of her issues over her parents' divorce and losing her Uncle Corey, so that she could find peace and move on in her life to a happy relationship. I like the set up for this series and I have hope that I enjoy the future books.
*arc provided in exchange for an honest review*
August 27, 2021
I have been a long time fan of Kristen Ashley. I absolutely love her character development and the ride her stories take us on. Chloe and Judge's story was just so delicious. They had banter for days and their back and forth was just off the charts. I loved this story so much!
I especially loved how independent Chloe was. Like so many of Ashley's heroines, Chloe was sassy, spirited and independent but knew a good man when she saw him. There was something about her chemistry with Judge that I loved even when they were bickering and arguing. This was such a fantastic story and it was amazing seeing Corey again. I love this series and can't wait for more! 4 stars! ~Ratula
I especially loved how independent Chloe was. Like so many of Ashley's heroines, Chloe was sassy, spirited and independent but knew a good man when she saw him. There was something about her chemistry with Judge that I loved even when they were bickering and arguing. This was such a fantastic story and it was amazing seeing Corey again. I love this series and can't wait for more! 4 stars! ~Ratula
January 26, 2022
There’s just something about a book by Kristen Ashley that just takes me to my happy place.
September 7, 2021
Review by Lisa Kane
This one started a little slowly for me, but once it picked up, it kept my attention. Chloe Pierce is fiercely independent and has no problem letting the man she is involved with at any time, that the relationship is going nowhere. She comes across a little harsh, but that's just her nature. She's the child of two famous parents and is witness to drama and divorce and feelings that cut to the bone. But she's determined to make her own way regardless of things going on around her.
Judge Oakley's parents are equally impressive, although his childhood was a lot different than Chloe's. Despite his family's objections, Judge has chosen a life of service, of working for non-profits. His work changes lives, and gives him a satisfaction that the corporate world never could.
Chloe and Judge meet under rather forced circumstances. Lots of fighting, lots of spark. Judge is not the kind of man to bulldoze his way with Chloe. He's a slow, but steady sort of guy. that works best with Chloe. Getting to know each, the hurts and the scars each carry, makes the story flow. Life is real and has wonderful, romantic moments, but it has those moments that cut to the core. The ones that we learn from, the ones that even years later, we can barely stand to remember.
I love when you, the reader get to sink your teeth into a story that captures your interest. Sometimes Chloe got on my last nerve, not to the extent that I didn't like her. Now Judge, I had no problem with that man! He's not childish, or temperamental, or self-centered. He's all man, and yet he's not obnoxious, he's comfortable in his own skin. He is the yin to Chloe's yang.
There are so many secondary characters that frame this story. I'm willing to bet that almost all of them have colorful, rich stories dying to be shared. There's plenty of material to keep this series going for years to come!
This one started a little slowly for me, but once it picked up, it kept my attention. Chloe Pierce is fiercely independent and has no problem letting the man she is involved with at any time, that the relationship is going nowhere. She comes across a little harsh, but that's just her nature. She's the child of two famous parents and is witness to drama and divorce and feelings that cut to the bone. But she's determined to make her own way regardless of things going on around her.
Judge Oakley's parents are equally impressive, although his childhood was a lot different than Chloe's. Despite his family's objections, Judge has chosen a life of service, of working for non-profits. His work changes lives, and gives him a satisfaction that the corporate world never could.
Chloe and Judge meet under rather forced circumstances. Lots of fighting, lots of spark. Judge is not the kind of man to bulldoze his way with Chloe. He's a slow, but steady sort of guy. that works best with Chloe. Getting to know each, the hurts and the scars each carry, makes the story flow. Life is real and has wonderful, romantic moments, but it has those moments that cut to the core. The ones that we learn from, the ones that even years later, we can barely stand to remember.
I love when you, the reader get to sink your teeth into a story that captures your interest. Sometimes Chloe got on my last nerve, not to the extent that I didn't like her. Now Judge, I had no problem with that man! He's not childish, or temperamental, or self-centered. He's all man, and yet he's not obnoxious, he's comfortable in his own skin. He is the yin to Chloe's yang.
There are so many secondary characters that frame this story. I'm willing to bet that almost all of them have colorful, rich stories dying to be shared. There's plenty of material to keep this series going for years to come!
September 9, 2021
Utterly Magnificent!
If I could give this book more than five stars I would, I just loved everything about it. The banter between Judge and Chloe was great, the chemistry was scorching, and the angst wasn't over the top...pure perfection.
Chloe finds herself a bit lost after the loss of a loved one, upon his death she found out had betrayed her family and now she doesn't know what to do about certain things because he was the one that always looked after her while she looked after everyone else. It's a bit complicated but if you read AFTER THE CLIMB you'll know what I'm referring to and if you haven't you should because it was really good, just know that you do not have to read it in order to enjoy this book.
Judge hasn't had an easy life and when we find out how hard his life was I was gutted, tears upon tears strolled down my face for the little boy that had to grow up to soon. I'm getting choked up just thinking about it and I read this book a few weeks ago! There is a very poignant scene that takes place with his father and I am not kidding, I had to put the book down and walk away for a little bit to get my emotions under control.
This book was written in true Kristen Ashley fashion, every detail was given and nothing was left for you to wonder about. I cannot wait to read the next book in the series TAKING THE LEAP
I would recommend this book to anyone that has enjoy Kristen Ashley's books before. If you enjoy Steamy Contemporary Romances or the Opposites Attract Trope I would recommend this book to you as well.
Happy Reading!!!
Read an Excerpt here: http://bit.ly/NBReviewCS1
**I have voluntarily reviewed an Advanced Readers Copy of this book for my Blog, Nadine's Obsessed with Books**
You can find me here: https://linktr.ee/NadineBookaholic
If I could give this book more than five stars I would, I just loved everything about it. The banter between Judge and Chloe was great, the chemistry was scorching, and the angst wasn't over the top...pure perfection.
Chloe finds herself a bit lost after the loss of a loved one, upon his death she found out had betrayed her family and now she doesn't know what to do about certain things because he was the one that always looked after her while she looked after everyone else. It's a bit complicated but if you read AFTER THE CLIMB you'll know what I'm referring to and if you haven't you should because it was really good, just know that you do not have to read it in order to enjoy this book.
Judge hasn't had an easy life and when we find out how hard his life was I was gutted, tears upon tears strolled down my face for the little boy that had to grow up to soon. I'm getting choked up just thinking about it and I read this book a few weeks ago! There is a very poignant scene that takes place with his father and I am not kidding, I had to put the book down and walk away for a little bit to get my emotions under control.
This book was written in true Kristen Ashley fashion, every detail was given and nothing was left for you to wonder about. I cannot wait to read the next book in the series TAKING THE LEAP
I would recommend this book to anyone that has enjoy Kristen Ashley's books before. If you enjoy Steamy Contemporary Romances or the Opposites Attract Trope I would recommend this book to you as well.
Happy Reading!!!
Read an Excerpt here: http://bit.ly/NBReviewCS1
**I have voluntarily reviewed an Advanced Readers Copy of this book for my Blog, Nadine's Obsessed with Books**You can find me here: https://linktr.ee/NadineBookaholic
September 21, 2022
First, I wasn’t going to read any more Kristen Ashley. Then promised I wasn’t going to review any more Kristen Ashley as I was repeating myself.
Oh well.
Kristen Ashley is one of the few authors that gives Diana Palmer some pretty stiff competition in the countdown to Crazytown.
CS was pretty fun and harkens back to older KA times, pre-Free without any chin-lifting. Yes, I said ...There. Is. No. Chin. Lifting. Or "babes".
Some things stayed the same, so many shoes, so much hair product and so much name dropping not to mention the attention to each ruched top, asymmetrical dress and off the shoulder outfit that was to die for. You can take the girl away from her Barbie, but you can’t take the Barbie out of the girl.
So many books start out great then fizzle out about half way, so it was a nice change that this started out as a big dud then improves dramatically. The couple is annoying as hell together, and Chloe is annoying on her own. She is a huge Big Fat Buttinski, but it's out of the goodness of her heart. She gets her heart handed back to her in a cruel way which I wrongly thought would curb her ways.
Family drama abounds from all the families, Chloe and Judge’s relationship heats up, and there are hints that the After the Climb evil doer still has his fingers in the pie from the grave which was pretty interestingly creepy and enticing for the next book.
Oh well.
Kristen Ashley is one of the few authors that gives Diana Palmer some pretty stiff competition in the countdown to Crazytown.
CS was pretty fun and harkens back to older KA times, pre-Free without any chin-lifting. Yes, I said ...There. Is. No. Chin. Lifting. Or "babes".
Some things stayed the same, so many shoes, so much hair product and so much name dropping not to mention the attention to each ruched top, asymmetrical dress and off the shoulder outfit that was to die for. You can take the girl away from her Barbie, but you can’t take the Barbie out of the girl.
So many books start out great then fizzle out about half way, so it was a nice change that this started out as a big dud then improves dramatically. The couple is annoying as hell together, and Chloe is annoying on her own. She is a huge Big Fat Buttinski, but it's out of the goodness of her heart. She gets her heart handed back to her in a cruel way which I wrongly thought would curb her ways.
Family drama abounds from all the families, Chloe and Judge’s relationship heats up, and there are hints that the After the Climb evil doer still has his fingers in the pie from the grave which was pretty interestingly creepy and enticing for the next book.
March 24, 2024
Finished Reading August 30, 2022
Oh Dear! Somehow I missed the Buddy Read in Nov 2021!
Hope TPAM doesn't spank me.
Making up for that now & catching up on the series.
BR link
https://www.goodreads.com/topic/show/...
3.5 Stars.
Definitely not my favorite KA book.
KA outdid herself with her rambling descriptions and most of them were Very unnecessary. Maybe one of the slowest of her books I've read.
I did love learning more about Cory and how much he cared for her and her family.
I also loved Chloe (aka Coco) and Judge.
But super slow read and super slow burn.
The sex scenes were there but .... not really all that intense.
Oh Dear! Somehow I missed the Buddy Read in Nov 2021!
Hope TPAM doesn't spank me.
Making up for that now & catching up on the series.
BR link
https://www.goodreads.com/topic/show/...
3.5 Stars.
Definitely not my favorite KA book.
KA outdid herself with her rambling descriptions and most of them were Very unnecessary. Maybe one of the slowest of her books I've read.
I did love learning more about Cory and how much he cared for her and her family.
I also loved Chloe (aka Coco) and Judge.
But super slow read and super slow burn.
The sex scenes were there but .... not really all that intense.
September 14, 2021
3.5
Liked. But the main characters in this entry are just so damn young and childish so my old lady interest is a bit…depleted. Bring back the old folks…if not the remaining parents, can we get the H/h in their late 30s at the least. Ashley’s good at sex scenes but when the main characters are babies like these kids, I expect thumb sucking not…well.
Liked. But the main characters in this entry are just so damn young and childish so my old lady interest is a bit…depleted. Bring back the old folks…if not the remaining parents, can we get the H/h in their late 30s at the least. Ashley’s good at sex scenes but when the main characters are babies like these kids, I expect thumb sucking not…well.
November 24, 2021
3 1/2 "Family" Stars!
This was a super easy read. Dare I say a bit boring. It was just like a day in the life type story. Two people meeting and falling in love. No real outside drama or mystery or anything like that. There was some family drama but...
It wasn't bad. I'm sure I'll read the next one. Happy reading!
This was a super easy read. Dare I say a bit boring. It was just like a day in the life type story. Two people meeting and falling in love. No real outside drama or mystery or anything like that. There was some family drama but...
It wasn't bad. I'm sure I'll read the next one. Happy reading!
September 25, 2021
DNF AT 60%
Bored AF.
Bored AF.
September 7, 2021
3.5 Stars!
“Life was not easy. You suffered for what you earned. Worked for it. Cheated for it. Stole for it. Whatever you had to do to get it.”
Chloe Pierce was trained by the best to look out for the ones she loves. But when that special someone passes, Chloe’s foundation breaks into pieces. If that wasn’t enough, she just has to bump into Judge Oakley. He’s her opposite in every way and drives her absolutely crazy. Each encounter with him ends up in disaster. Unfortunately for Chloe, Judge likes a challenge and isn’t going to back off anytime soon…
It’s no secret that I am a huge Kristen Ashley’s books, so when I heard about Chasing Serenity, I couldn’t get it in my hands fast enough.
Chasing Serenity follows the story of Chloe and Judge. Now, I’m going to be 100% honest, I did not love Chloe in the beginning. While I admired her independence, she was super rude, high maintained, and completely unlikeable. Judge certainly had his work cut out for him when it came to Chloe. But, Judge likes a good challenge and Chloe is unlike any woman he’s ever encountered. Together these two couldn’t be more opposite if they tried. Their relationship was slow to develop, but in the end had me rooting for their happily ever after.
While I did find Chasing Serenity to be an enjoyable read. I did have a few issues with this book. The first one being the pacing. The pacing in the beginning was extremely slow to the point that it was hard to stay focused. I found myself getting easily distracted and have no problem taking a break, which is not the norm for me when it comes to a KA read. That being said, the pacing does pick up after you reach the 50% mark. So, be aware that this book starts off on the slow side and the romance is very slow building. My other issue was the drama. Yes, I know that KA books tend to be a little over the top, but this book had way too much drama for this reader. To be quite honest, I feel like this book was missing the signature KA flare that I have come to know and love.
In the end, I think that Chasing Serenity is going to be one of those books that will be a hit for some, and a miss for others. And for this reader, it was just an ok read. Did I enjoy it? Once the pace picked up, I couldn’t put it down, but getting there just took forever for me. Did I like Chloe and Judge’s story? Yes, I found it entertaining and even though Chloe drove me absolutely nuts, in the end she won me over.
So, even though this book wasn’t a 100% hit for me, I’m still glad to have checked it out and look forward to the next adventure Kristen Ashley has lined up for us readers.
*I was provided an ARC copy of this book, in exchange for an honest review*
“Life was not easy. You suffered for what you earned. Worked for it. Cheated for it. Stole for it. Whatever you had to do to get it.”
Chloe Pierce was trained by the best to look out for the ones she loves. But when that special someone passes, Chloe’s foundation breaks into pieces. If that wasn’t enough, she just has to bump into Judge Oakley. He’s her opposite in every way and drives her absolutely crazy. Each encounter with him ends up in disaster. Unfortunately for Chloe, Judge likes a challenge and isn’t going to back off anytime soon…
It’s no secret that I am a huge Kristen Ashley’s books, so when I heard about Chasing Serenity, I couldn’t get it in my hands fast enough.
Chasing Serenity follows the story of Chloe and Judge. Now, I’m going to be 100% honest, I did not love Chloe in the beginning. While I admired her independence, she was super rude, high maintained, and completely unlikeable. Judge certainly had his work cut out for him when it came to Chloe. But, Judge likes a good challenge and Chloe is unlike any woman he’s ever encountered. Together these two couldn’t be more opposite if they tried. Their relationship was slow to develop, but in the end had me rooting for their happily ever after.
While I did find Chasing Serenity to be an enjoyable read. I did have a few issues with this book. The first one being the pacing. The pacing in the beginning was extremely slow to the point that it was hard to stay focused. I found myself getting easily distracted and have no problem taking a break, which is not the norm for me when it comes to a KA read. That being said, the pacing does pick up after you reach the 50% mark. So, be aware that this book starts off on the slow side and the romance is very slow building. My other issue was the drama. Yes, I know that KA books tend to be a little over the top, but this book had way too much drama for this reader. To be quite honest, I feel like this book was missing the signature KA flare that I have come to know and love.
In the end, I think that Chasing Serenity is going to be one of those books that will be a hit for some, and a miss for others. And for this reader, it was just an ok read. Did I enjoy it? Once the pace picked up, I couldn’t put it down, but getting there just took forever for me. Did I like Chloe and Judge’s story? Yes, I found it entertaining and even though Chloe drove me absolutely nuts, in the end she won me over.
So, even though this book wasn’t a 100% hit for me, I’m still glad to have checked it out and look forward to the next adventure Kristen Ashley has lined up for us readers.
*I was provided an ARC copy of this book, in exchange for an honest review*
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