Cara Bastone

Cara Bastone has done it! Given me a romance that has restored my faith in old-fashioned, slow burn, storytelling Romance with heterosexual MCs. I'd become convinced that all the good writing had moved to M/M Romance.

It's been a while coming, that a mainstream Romance succeeded in snaring my attention.

Made possible by Bastone's irresistible MC Sebastian Dorner, and the troubled Via DeRosa, Seb's son's teacher.

But the doorstopper is that there is so much story in this. Every part of it is story - as important as the MCs were, they were tethered to, moved along by the steady stream of the story. I think I've missed that in Romance. Often, all aspects of the novel are so heavily dominated by the personality of the two leads and their interactions. I'm not complaining because It's one of the appeals of Romance for me, how character driven it is - but strong story - I'd forgotten how good that is.

Seb is such an appealing man: a craftsman, a devoted father to his small son Matty, so social and conscientious he volunteers at school, he's liked by all, and all women in his town follow him as if he was on Instagram, which he's not.

It's the unassuming, and somewhat damaged former foster kid, Via, who interests him, but he treads so carefully. It takes a while for this romance to leave the ground, but it's not a boring wait - it's a showcase of the storyteller's craft.… (mehr)

I'm not really big on the romance genre, but I find it "soothing" at times. It's sort of a "comfort" read. I decided on this book when attempting to reignite my reading passion that has been dormant for five years while recovering from a heinous period in my life.

This book is a very easy read. I’m a very slow reader, but I found myself breezing through it effortlessly. It’s not a deep-think, but a lazy Sunday read. And that's what I needed right now as I ease back into reading. The author has a very informal writing style that feels like a conversation between girlfriends, writing with a bit of a dry wit, a little tongue-in-cheek.

Some things felt over-simplified or required a fair bit of suspension of disbelief, but I think that is the nature of romance novels in general and probably why I don't read them a great deal, but what I needed right now.

Five words: funny, restrained, engaging, predictable, uncomplicated

My final word: I found this novel to be a lighthearted and fun read. Eve is dealing with her own internal turmoil and confusion, coming to terms with an unplanned pregnancy. But at the heart of it, this is a love story in every sense of the word. Not only a love story between a man and a woman, but a story of a woman falling in love with the child she carries and the life she lives. If you are a fan of contemporary romance, this is one for you! Or if, like me, you just like to dabble in a little romance every now and again, this is a light read to just get your feet wet. Despite the fact that the story was a bit on the predictable side, I still found it enjoyable.… (mehr)

Once Eve Hatch finds out that she is pregnant, her world completely changes. Everyone from family to friends treat her differently, and she is unprepared for how different her body feels. Her best friend, Willa, who has suffered fertility problems is less help than Eve had hoped she would be. Another issue Eve must confront is telling Ethan, the man who is the father of the baby, that their one night stand and condom failure have resulted in pregnancy. The one constant is Eve's friendship with Willa's brother, Shep, and it isn't long before Eve must decide if what she feels for him is more than friendship or just the result of pregnancy hormones.

Ready or Not is not a romance. There are definitely romance elements, but they are not the central aspect of this story. The majority of the narrative is about the ups and downs of being pregnant. The first part of the novel is cute and funny as Eve's quirks shine while she struggles through the first trimester, but the plot bogs down considerably during Eve's second trimester when the details of the pregnancy are described ad nauseam. Also, the love interests dance around each other so much, that it becomes tedious by the end of the book. Overall, Ready or Not is a good story but is not a romance as advertised.… (mehr)