Series: Evergreen Grove #4
Author: Elisabeth Staab
Release Date: September 20, 2016
Pages: 280 per Goodreads
Format: Ebook received for review
ETHAN’S HIT A ROUGH SPOT
So I caught my dad in bed with my ex-girlfriend.
My best friend cancelled our plans to celebrate my birthday.
Decided to drink away the betrayal.
Made out with a cardboard cutout of a celebrity in front of my new roommates.
Got in a bar fight.
Hooked up with that pretty bartender whose sad smile I’ve secretly been painting pictures of since forever, but she shoved me out the door without a word.
Did I mention the tattoo I don’t exactly remember getting?
And that’s only Saturday.
Now I need to pick up the pieces of my messed-up life.
LEEANNE’S HAD A TOUGH LIFE
What do you do when you’ve lived in the same small town your whole life and you feel as if you’ll always be stuck in the same rut, like a piece of busted wagon wheel? Well, maybe you start by hooking up with the first decent guy who walks into your bar.
Maybe once you do, it’s hard to get him out of your head even though you try. And maybe, just maybe, you find out he makes you laugh even more than he makes you want to shout his name.
If you’re me, you don’t even know what to do with a guy like him. A little piece of happiness…that feels downright dangerous.
If I have said it once, I've said it a thousand times - I love this series. Book four and I am not bored yet. Elisabeth Staab is delivering book after book and each time I am anxious to meet more people from Evergreen Grove. This time around it's Ethan and Leeanne.
I loved both characters, but I loved Ethan just a little bit more than Leeanne. He is this super sweet guy who just had the bad surprise of a lifetime. Your dad in bed with your girl? Um, yeah. Bad on so many levels, ya know? But in that happening he is forced to re-evaluate some things. And you really see him change. He becomes stronger and more confident, and he's just an all around great guy. And he has to work to get Leeanne's attention. He does a great job, for sure.
As for Leeanne. She's had a rough go of it and kind of in this keep your head down and get through the storm phase in her life. It's perfect timing for her, I think, for Ethan to come around. He is funny and romantic and seductive, and she needs that positive energy. To me, it seems like she is the type of girl who can get stuck in her own head a little too easily if she's left alone to do that. I could relate to that, for sure! So when she starts smiling in earnest, I'm super happy for her.
This is a good romance story. It's kind of like a breath of fresh air. I don't know - maybe it's the Grove. I just feel so connected to this little town, I feel like I can almost see it on a map with all of it's shops and streets and different locations from the series. So any time Staab gives us more characters to experience, it only enhances my view of the town as a whole.
I strongly urge you to pick up this series. Start with book one. There are some very delicate issues handled in the books - all of them really. But what I love is the finesse that Staab delivers these issues. She doesn't beat you over the head with what could be a controversial subject, but handles it in such a way that you don't even realize how smooth she really is. I appreciate that. I don't want to read a romance that is grandstanding on this issue or that. I want to read a story where the issue is just a part of life, and the characters deal with it in a way that seems natural for them to handle it.
Four months off from blogging has me at a bit of a loss for words, and I'm a bit rusty in the ways to get my points across. But through Ethan, Leeanne, AJ, Hayden, Dante, Michelle, Jake and Cassie you see how truly wonderful Staab's world-building skills are. You are doing yourself a disservice if you don't pick up this series.
Elisabeth Staab loves passionate stories and happy endings. Her books have been called “emotionally delicious,” “action-packed,” and “gloriously snarky.” When not writing romance, she enjoys date night with her husband, reading Harry Potter with her kids, and marathoning her favorite books or TV series.
Find Elisabeth Staab OnlinePrevious Posts on Fictional CandyExcerpt - One Week
Excerpt - At The Stars
At The Stars - Review
Interview with Elisabeth Staab (Acts of Creation)
Acts of Creation - Review
Review - By The Rules
Excerpt - By The RulesBuy It!
At The Stars on AMAZON
