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Flutter
Kit Caruso attends her twenty-year high school reunion mentally prepared to give Matthew (Mac) Warton a piece of her mind. He was her first crush, first love, and first boyfriend who broke her heart without a backward glance.
But what she finds is a changed man. A former Marine who'd gone to war and come back different. A man with a past she has no clue about. Later that night Kit discovers Mac’s military dog tags in her purse. How they got there was anyone’s guess since he never ventured near her.
Mac still wants Kit. Always had, always will, and if she takes the bait and comes to him…he might get what he needs to recover and convince her to take another chance on him.
But what she finds is a changed man. A former Marine who'd gone to war and come back different. A man with a past she has no clue about. Later that night Kit discovers Mac’s military dog tags in her purse. How they got there was anyone’s guess since he never ventured near her.
Mac still wants Kit. Always had, always will, and if she takes the bait and comes to him…he might get what he needs to recover and convince her to take another chance on him.
161 pages, Kindle Edition
Published June 15, 2020
1 person is currently reading
2 people want to read
About the author
Nicole S. Patrick
22 books7 followersNicole S. Patrick writes contemporary romance and romantic suspense and her heroes are those alpha men in uniform—US Marines. She is published and is a founding partner in Timeless Scribes Publishing, LLC. Her short stories have appeared in Timeless Tales anthologies: Timeless Keepsakes, Timeless Escapes and Timeless Treasures.
She lives with her own real-life hero, her husband, two ever-active sons and a fat cat named Hamlet.
visit Nicole on Facebook: Nicole S. Patrick, Twitter @NicoleSPatrick and www.nicolespatrick.com
She lives with her own real-life hero, her husband, two ever-active sons and a fat cat named Hamlet.
visit Nicole on Facebook: Nicole S. Patrick, Twitter @NicoleSPatrick and www.nicolespatrick.com
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Displaying 1 - 2 of 2 reviews
July 8, 2020
A class reunion offers them the chance to air their issues with the past- or, maybe start all over as adults. I enjoyed a previous book by the author with a military hero and was eager to pick up another.
Kit Caruso blows into her class reunion with her temper riding her. After years of hurt and anger, she just hopes she runs into Mac Warton, the guy who broke her teenage heart and made every relationship since then feel it was missing something. But, before she can let him have it with the withering, cutting speech she had prepared, he cuts her off with a sincere need to share how he went wrong back then, ruined what they had, and his new outlook on life. He apologizes. He wants more.
And so does she when she pushes aside the bitterness.
I adore second chance romances and I think they are a great romantic trope to have when the story is a novella and not a lot of pages to develop the characters or their relationship. Granted this one starts with Kit in more of an enemies to lovers situation because she really was like an angry, roiling pot boiling over all over the place. Most of the novella is narrated by Kit though there was a section when it was Mac. They were both hoping to meet at the reunion, but with different motives. Kit wants closure so she can finally move on while Mac wants to fix what he broke.
While I did enjoy the overall premise of this one and thought it had good development, I also felt that there was a whole lot here that required further development if it was to be included. There are mental health issues, childhood abuse, disabilities, cheating, careers, and more brought up. All were addressed, but not addressed enough. The romance and sexy times were off to the races before some of the serious issues between them were fully discussed and revealed let alone dealt with. This made the story feel rushed to me and I couldn't quite buy into the wrap up though my romantic heart was properly swooning for that epilogue.
As to the characters, Kit and Mac were the focus with two or three other characters in the side roles. The focus really was on these two and particularly Kit since she had the majority of the narration. I found myself frustrated with both characters even though I was also wanting to see them untangle their lives and get to a healthy, happy place. Mac, for the most part, had figured stuff out in the intervening years since high school. He came from an abusive home, had an undiagnosed disability, a long stint in the Marines that both centered him and caused him to come home with some PTSD, and then he went about transitioning into civilian life with a career that he could embrace doing good by others like him. Over the same years, Kit didn't really heal from Mac breaking up what they had or losing her dad. She's gone on to be a successful journalist, but has even been seeing a therapist to help move past Mac. At the beginning of the book, she is obnoxious and mean the way she struts into her class reunion and has snarky, bitter thoughts about everything and everybody. Forget more than twelve years has past, she's still holding grudges and lots of anger. She mouths off and loses her temper at the drop of a hat. It wasn't anything I could respect let alone find remotely attractive. So, I was not into it when the pair jumped each other and middle of the book were their sexcapades. Though, it did get pretty fan-yourself-worthy and Mac tried to infuse some romancing in there.
After saying all that, you would be forgiven if you thought I hated the story. I didn't. I zipped through it and finished with a smile on my face. But, I had some issues with it. I am eager to press on to more of the author's military romances because I think she has a wonderful grasp of the life and the people which she brings into her stories. I think if someone is looking for something quick, super spicy, and paired with complex characters than this would most definitely fill the bill.
My thanks to Caffeinated PR services for the opportunity to read this book in exchange for an honest review.
Kit Caruso blows into her class reunion with her temper riding her. After years of hurt and anger, she just hopes she runs into Mac Warton, the guy who broke her teenage heart and made every relationship since then feel it was missing something. But, before she can let him have it with the withering, cutting speech she had prepared, he cuts her off with a sincere need to share how he went wrong back then, ruined what they had, and his new outlook on life. He apologizes. He wants more.
And so does she when she pushes aside the bitterness.
I adore second chance romances and I think they are a great romantic trope to have when the story is a novella and not a lot of pages to develop the characters or their relationship. Granted this one starts with Kit in more of an enemies to lovers situation because she really was like an angry, roiling pot boiling over all over the place. Most of the novella is narrated by Kit though there was a section when it was Mac. They were both hoping to meet at the reunion, but with different motives. Kit wants closure so she can finally move on while Mac wants to fix what he broke.
While I did enjoy the overall premise of this one and thought it had good development, I also felt that there was a whole lot here that required further development if it was to be included. There are mental health issues, childhood abuse, disabilities, cheating, careers, and more brought up. All were addressed, but not addressed enough. The romance and sexy times were off to the races before some of the serious issues between them were fully discussed and revealed let alone dealt with. This made the story feel rushed to me and I couldn't quite buy into the wrap up though my romantic heart was properly swooning for that epilogue.
As to the characters, Kit and Mac were the focus with two or three other characters in the side roles. The focus really was on these two and particularly Kit since she had the majority of the narration. I found myself frustrated with both characters even though I was also wanting to see them untangle their lives and get to a healthy, happy place. Mac, for the most part, had figured stuff out in the intervening years since high school. He came from an abusive home, had an undiagnosed disability, a long stint in the Marines that both centered him and caused him to come home with some PTSD, and then he went about transitioning into civilian life with a career that he could embrace doing good by others like him. Over the same years, Kit didn't really heal from Mac breaking up what they had or losing her dad. She's gone on to be a successful journalist, but has even been seeing a therapist to help move past Mac. At the beginning of the book, she is obnoxious and mean the way she struts into her class reunion and has snarky, bitter thoughts about everything and everybody. Forget more than twelve years has past, she's still holding grudges and lots of anger. She mouths off and loses her temper at the drop of a hat. It wasn't anything I could respect let alone find remotely attractive. So, I was not into it when the pair jumped each other and middle of the book were their sexcapades. Though, it did get pretty fan-yourself-worthy and Mac tried to infuse some romancing in there.
After saying all that, you would be forgiven if you thought I hated the story. I didn't. I zipped through it and finished with a smile on my face. But, I had some issues with it. I am eager to press on to more of the author's military romances because I think she has a wonderful grasp of the life and the people which she brings into her stories. I think if someone is looking for something quick, super spicy, and paired with complex characters than this would most definitely fill the bill.
My thanks to Caffeinated PR services for the opportunity to read this book in exchange for an honest review.
December 2, 2020
Flutter is a second chance story of a love that never died, full of angst, and deep seeded emotions. Life happens and when they become 30 something adults, they reconnect and rediscover each other. The character development and chemistry between Kit and Mac is off the charts!!! I laughed. I signed. I loved this novella. I received an advanced copy of this book and am enthusiastically leaving an honest review.
Displaying 1 - 2 of 2 reviews