A False Start by Elsie Silver

This book! If you like small-town romance or characters with troubled pasts or really just like romance at all, A False Start is one you’re not going to want to miss. It’s filled with tension and angst but so much sweetness and steaminess too, and this book is everything I hoped it would be.

When the book begins, we find Nadia and Griffin having an impromptu moment in the men’s room at some divey bar that doesn’t go anywhere. Then two years later, they happen to meet again, and it becomes known that Griffin is Nadia’s brother’s best friend. Sure, that might not be convenient, and they try to not get involved with each other for their own reasons, but eventually a friendship forms with a definite undercurrent of something more waiting to happen lacing their tenuous relationship. During the course of the story, we see Griffin and Nadia fight their attraction and become friends in spite of themselves and then so much more.

Griffin and Nadia are beautifully written characters that have so much good in them despite their personal flaws and troubled pasts. Nadia comes from an awful family life growing up and hasn’t been treated well previously by the men in her life either. However, even though she might be young, she’s got a clearer vision of what she wants in life more than others. It’s that innate strength in her character that I found so endearing and profound. I love that she just refuses to let the cards she’s been dealt determine her future and experiencing her journey to finding herself was lovely.

And Griffin…oh Griffin. He’s this big ‘ol former professional football player who’s been wounded by what he’s done to himself and what’s been done to him in his life, but still there’s a hope to him. For a long time, he let his past get the best of him, and seeing him evolve was heartwarming. Plus, he’s low-key romantic in the best way. Like the things he does and says are unwittingly sweet and kind. They’re the sort of things that will make you fall in love with his character.

Together, these characters compliment each other perfectly. There’s a lot of push and pull between them, but it propels the story forward. The angst that is peppered in makes this book even more interesting, and I found myself unable to put it down. Griffin and Nadia’s banter is cheeky and light at times too, and it lends an unexpected element of fun to the story. Overall, their chemistry, whether it’s physical or otherwise, makes this book a total page turner.

This book is so well done, and it’s definitely a must read. You’re going to fall in love with Griffin and Nadia’s story. I didn’t want it to end, and I think you’ll wind up feeling the same.

No comments:

Post a Comment

NOT MY KIND OF HERO is a March Monthly Deal on Audible BLURB:  From USA Today bestselling author Pippa Grant comes a rollicking romantic co...