Series Review Tour ~ Accidental Roots by Elle Keaton (Review + Giveaway)
Length: 308 Pages
Blurb
They say you can’t go home again, Adam Klay doesn’t intend to until the death of his father, a famous artist, forces his return to Skagit, Washington. Cleaning up his father’s chaotic life was never on Adam’s bucket list. Worse, Adam finds himself inexplicably drawn to the elusive, terminally-clumsy, gorgeous, Micah Ryan. No way is he getting involved with someone from his hometown, he’s always insisted the best view of Skagit was in his rearview mirror.
Micah Ryan has been coasting on auto-pilot since his family was killed in a car accident a decade earlier. He runs a web business and has an irritable cat. He hardly leaves his house, unless it is for his afternoon espresso. His world tips upside down when Adam Klay rolls into town. For the first time in years, he feels alive. Unfortunately, Micah’s return to the living has been noticed and is not appreciated.
Someone has a secret. Someone is exploiting the vulnerable youth population in Skagit. Teenagers are disappearing, young women turning up dead, the dirty secrets of Skagit are surfacing.
*Copy provided to Bayou Book Junkie by Signal Boost Promotions for my reading pleasure in hopes of an unbiased opinion, a review was not a requirement.*
Storm Season is Book 1 in Elle Keaton's Accidental Roots series and was her debut book. Adam's life revolves around being a FBI agent. He has no time for anything but his job and lives a solitary life by choice. He has no relationship with his parents or co-workers and has no friends. Though he never planned to return to his hometown, when his father dies, he forces himself to go back and clean up the mess left behind. Going back brings out a lot of memories that Adam would have preferred to keep locked up. He didn't have a childhood, he was the parent to his father and his father's friends while they spent their time with alcohol and women. And his father's property is a junk heap, that overwhelms Adam. Adam is forced to interact with people of his past and will get some needed closure. While in his hometown, Adam can't help but notice Micah. Micah is awkward and clumsy and as much as he hates it, can't help drawing attention to himself when he's out in public. After the death of his family, Micah has struggled with leaving his house and interacting with others. His daily trip to the coffee shop is his way of forcing himself into the world.
It was hard for me to get into this story. At times the story jumped with ideas and left other ideas/storylines unfinished. Though I enjoy mysteries and crime stories, this wasn't a cohesive story. Many times I had no idea what was going on. The story would be going along and then the next paragraph they were in a different location, or on a completely different topic randomly. The mystery/crime elements had all the basis for a great crime story, if it had been focused on. There was just a lot going on within the story. This is a long book, 308 pages and it felt that way when reading it, but there were storylines not finished by the end, including the mystery/crime part of the story.
Micah really grew through the story and was a completely different character at the end then he was in the beginning. Adam became a little more likable by the end of the story and he was able to recognize that he had found a family in his hometown. This was a good first book from the author, and having read Book 2, I can tell you her storytelling just gets better.
Rating: 3 stars
Length: 224 Pages
Blurb
Joey James has given up on finding his 'Prince Charming'. There is no such thing, he needs to be realistic about his chances of a lasting relationship. A chance encounter with a former school mate at the local grocery store changes everything-maybe. Before Joey can decide what to do about it, he is swept into a terrifying scheme. Forced into helping a dangerous stranger in exchange for his family's safety, Joey begins a perilous journey into the criminal underbelly of Skagit. He will do whatever is needed to protect his family.
Buck Swanfeldt had a secret crush on Joey James in high school. Social anxiety and a two-year age difference made it impossible for him to approach Joey then. Life since high school has been challenging. And lonely. Eight years later, fate brings them together and Buck decides to act. He utterly fails. He would have left it at that, except fate seems to be intent on pushing Joey in his direction, and clearly Joey needs someone at his back.
Dark, sordid secrets hiding in Skagit are bubbling to the surface, danger lurks in unexpected places. Buck has never been anyone's hero but something about Joey has him throwing caution to the wind. Together the two men take on a dangerous force greater than themselves. But sometimes our worst enemy is ourselves.
*Copy provided to Bayou Book Junkie by Signal Boost Promotions for my reading pleasure in hopes of an unbiased opinion, a review was not a requirement.*
No Pressure is Book 2 in the Accidental Roots series. I expected this story to be a continuation of Book 1 and about Micah and Adam but it was not. I highly recommend you read this series in the appropriate order, though. The crime story from the first book continues in this one so all that background will be necessary for this one. The MC's in this book, Joey and Buck were introduced in Book 1.
Joey is a nurse at the hospital and has a pretty good life. He has a good relationship with his parents, and always had. He loves his job, and he enjoys volunteering at the local dog shelter taking dogs for walks. The one area his life is lacking is love. He'd love to find love but has given up and accepted that he will remain single. Joey doesn't realize it but Buck has had a crush on him since high school. Buck has decided to make his interest known but he's awkward and Joey is distracted by messages he's receiving. Joey is forced into helping criminals and it's taking a toll on him. Adam notices the changes to Joey and calls his friend Micah to share his suspicions and to get Adam's help.
I really enjoyed this book! Both MC's were likable from their introduction in the first book and I was happy to get to know them better. Buck did not have a happy childhood and what we learn throughout this story is that this town is full of secrets. Buck is working to overcome the way he was raised and to not allow his father's actions control him from the grave. He has a good support system of friends and his business is growing. We also got to see characters from the first book, including Adam and Micah and were introduced to new characters.
This story and the continuing mystery felt more cohesive than the first book and it felt like there was a more conclusive HEA ending. I think the author's writing showed a lot of improvement from the first book and definitely makes me want to read the next book in the series.
Rating: 4 stars
May 23 - Dirty Books Obsession, Bike Book Reviews, Booklove
May 25 - The Geekery Book Review, Keysmash, MM Good Book Reviews
May 27 - Dog-Eared Daydreams, Jim's Reading Room, Padme's Library, Reading Is My Satisfaction
May 29 - Sarandipity, Wicked Faerie's Tales & Reviews
May 31 - Bayou Book Junkie, Urban Smoothie Read, Diverse Reader, BooksLaidBareBoys, Abbey's 1-Click Book Blog
Author Bio
A graduate of Western Washington University, Elle has a BS in biology which taught her to be tenacious. The closest she has come to biology since then is having two kids. Like an experiment or something. She’s lived in four states (none of which were gaseous), London England, and Hong Kong; always knows what time it is, and has no problem finding parking even in the most difficult places. Cannot balance a checking account.
Elle's series Accidental Roots, mostly set in the Skagit Valley of Western Washington, will make its debut spring of 2017. Storm Season is tender, sometimes irreverent, full of nosy neighbors and help when the hero didn’t think he needed it. Writing has always been a passion but not something she was able to take seriously until recently. Now her head is full of ideas and not enough time in each day.
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