July 9, 2015

BLOG TOUR REVIEW & GIVEAWAY: Chasing River (Burying River #3)


Eep! CHASING RIVER is out, and I'm so excited for you guys to read it. Because... HOT IRISH MEN. And hey - it's K.A. Tucker, and when has she let us down, right? Check out my review, and then enter the giveway!


Chasing River (Burying River #3), by K.A. Tucker
Publish Date: July 7, 2015
Publisher: Atria Books
Format: e-ARC, provided by the publisher
Genre: new adult contemporary romance
To Buy: Amazon * Barnes & Noble
 

Rating: 4.5 STARS

(From Goodreads) Armed with two years' worth of savings and the need to experience life outside the bubble of her Oregon small town, twenty-five-year old Amber Welles is prepared for anything. Except dying in Dublin. Had it not been for the bravery of a stranger, she might have. But he takes off before she has the chance to offer her gratitude.

Twenty-four-year-old River Delaney is rattled. No one was supposed to get hurt. But then that American tourist showed up. He couldn't let her die, but he also couldn't risk being identified at the scene—so, he ran. Back to his everyday life of running his family’s pub. Only, everyday life is getting more and more complicated, thanks to his brother, Aengus, and his criminal associations. When the American girl tracks River down, he quickly realizes how much he likes her, how wrong she is for him. And how dangerous it is to have her around. Chasing her off would be the smart move.

Maybe it's because he saved her life, or maybe it's because he's completely different from everything she's left behind, but Amber finds herself chasing after River Delaney. Amber isn’t the kind of girl to chase after anyone.

And River isn't the kind of guy she'd want to catch.

There are so many awesome things about CHASING RIVER - the setting, the history, the suspense... the romance. I've read all of K.A. Tucker's books, and I can safely say that this one is different - in all the best ways. 

Amber is tired of being the good little sheriff's daughter, so she takes four months off of work and heads off for a trip around the world. To guide her on her journey, she and her brother Jesse's girlfriend Alex develop a bucket list of things she must do. Item number one - have a torrid affair. When Amber is in Dublin, she meets River Delaney when he saves her life from a pipe bomb, and suddenly she realizes she might be able to check off item number one. Except, Amber's not a casual sex kind of girl. Feelings get mixed up, and in this case, only complicate matters. 

When I was in college, I could've studied abroad, but I chose not to. I had my nice, neat box in which I had placed myself and by that time, I was too scared to step out of it. So, Amber's story really spoke to me. She was in the same place, doing what was expected of her, looking pretty, dating duds. And, the last dud finally jump started her adventurous spirit and sent her on a four-month trip around the world. Can you even imagine putting your entire life on hold to do something like this? Alone? 

Amber gets stuck in a wrong place wrong time kind of situation in Dublin when she wanders into a park set up with a pipe bomb, and her savior comes in the form of hot ginger River Delaney. Even though he takes off as soon as he knows she's okay, she can't get him out of her mind, and when she finds him working behind a bar, she is instantly glad she sought him out to thank him for his help.

For River's part, his head is a jumbled mess. He's upset over his brother's continued involvement in a dangerous terrorist organization. He's worried about him and about the blow back from his actions that might fall on both River and their youngest brother Rowen. And, now he can't get Amber out of his head either. So, when she shows up at his bar, while momentarily stunned (I LOVED that part), he is instantly intrigued and wants to know more about her. Thus... a torrid affair begins. 

River is completely amazing. He tries to take care of everyone and everything. He is the middle brother, so he feels responsible for looking out for Rowen, and now that his older brother Aengus is so messed up, River feels like he has to take care of him too. He has to manage his family's pub and make sure his parents are okay. And then after meeting Amber, he wants something just for him. And, damn it, I wanted him to have it. I wanted him to have her. 

One thing I've noticed about K.A. Tucker's Burying Water series is that these books feature these relationships for which the HEA seems completely elusive. Chasing River is no exception. I absolutely loved River and Amber together. They are complete opposites, and because of that are perfect for one another. River is spontaneous and energetic and unpredictable. Amber is grounded and respectable and sensible. River has secrets and his brother is a criminal. Amber's father used to be the sheriff. Not only are they very different, but they live so far apart. It's not in Amber's nature to move to Ireland, and River simply is not capable of moving to the states. How on earth could they ever be together? 

I love that uncertainty. Because when that HEA does come - and it always does - it's even better. Because underneath it all, you're always assured that the two people involved are good people and they are trying to carve a life for themselves out of the crap hand they've been dealt. And you just want them to get there, you know? You want them to find a way to be happy together. And I wanted that for Amber and River so much. 

Chasing River is told in dual POV, which is perfect. There's so much going on in River's life and in his head, it was great that we got to spend so much time with him. I loved the bond he has with Rowen and how they worked together in their pub. I especially loved the Irish setting and all the history. K.A. Tucker really did her homework, and it shows. None of this book takes place in the states, and I was completely okay with that. This was so much better. And, now I can't wait to see what K.A. Tucker comes up with next.

Born in small-town Ontario, K.A. Tucker published her first book at the age of six with the
elementary school librarian and a box of crayons. She currently resides in a quaint town outside of Toronto with her husband, two beautiful girls, and an exhausting brood of four-legged creatures.

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