The soul is not where it lives, but where it loves.
A countryside ranch, naughty notes and a neighbor boy. Kissing in silos and skinny dipping under a full moon. Ten years gone. An ocean, a tragedy...secrets and buried things. Letting go and hanging on. Remembering to forget.
My reality became his nightmare, but then my nightmare became reality.
Hawke Slater was not only my brothers’ best friend, he was a tender, sweet country boy. I never wanted to leave, but there was no choice for me at fifteen. Two things kept my soul alive, and I’m hanging onto hope that one might be an option for my future.
I wish none of it had been my fault, but it was.
Sloan Story McQueen has returned. Why would I hold out an ounce of hope that she’d want me once she finds out what I do for a living. Some call it obscene, but I’m just chasing storms and rainbows.
She’s holding onto something big. If only it were me.
This novel contains copious amounts of sex, harsh language and other grown up topics.
REVIEW:
Hawke became an unofficial part of Sloan's family since he started playing with her and her brothers when he was ten and she was seven. At first, he treated her just like her brothers, but as they grew up, feelings started to change. Sloan and Hawke spent most of their childhood playing on the family farm, skinny dipping in the lake, and learning the art of flirting with each other. One way Hawke flirts is by leaving dirty notes for Sloan in very unexpected places. One day she'd find a note in her tampon box, another day one would be wrapped around her curling iron. The notes started out silly, but eventually became more serious.
The book opens on a scene when Sloan is fifteen and Hawke is eighteen. They are in the middle of a goodbye because Sloan is going to Amsterdam to stay with her grandmother. Both are heartbroken, but Sloan knows she is doing the right thing. We don't know exactly what the problem is (but a skilled reader will have a guess), but Sloan is determined not to ruin Hawke's future by derailing his plans to be a filmmaker.
Hawke is beside himself when he can't get any information about Sloan once she leaves. While he is still best friends with her brothers, no one in the family will give him any updates. Soon, Hawke comes to terms with the fact that Sloan is lost to him and moves on with his life. He ends up making movies, just not the kind he intended.
Ten years later, on the eve of Sloan's brother's wedding, Sloan comes home. Hawke is filled with many emotions. He's excited, he's nervous, he's angry. In order to calm down he goes to the place that is filled with happy memories, the lake. Turns out when he gets there, Sloan is already out on the floating raft - naked. Seems she needed to calm down, too.
Soon, Hawke and Sloan are reacquainted. It is almost like she never left, except Hawke can tell there are things she is keeping from him. Big things. He has a big secret of his own, but he knows he'll share it with her because he doesn't want anything to stand in the way of them being together. He loves Sloan. Always has and always will. He just doesn't know if Sloan feels the same way. Where was she for ten years? Why did she stop all contact with him and ask her family not to share anything with him?
Hawke and Sloan's second chance is so sweet. Sloan suffered more than he could ever understand. She's embarrassed and ashamed of what she did and what happened to her as a result. Can he ever forgive her? Will he think less of her?
Hawke is determined to get HIS Sloan back. The problem is, Sloan doesn't know if she exists anymore. Will Hawke have the patience to stay around to find out?
A FIELD GUIDE TO CATCHING CRICKETS is amazing. It is a book that I couldn't put down. The story is filled with joy, sadness, and hope. Hawke is a fantastic man. His devotion to Sloan, even after all the years apart, makes you melt. UGH! If only all women had a Hawke of their own.
A. Wilding Wells has a knack for writing a sweet romance that is smoking hot at the same time. If you aren't familiar with her, check out her other books. I loved HOW TO TAME BEASTS AND OTHER WILD ANIMALS, but haven't read A MESS OF REASON. I just ordered it though.
Check out my post about HOW TO TAME BEASTS.
This book isn't available for preorder yet, but be looking for it soon.
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