Tuesday, December 22, 2020

Happy Trail by Daisy Prescott...

 

JAY:  "I'm a national park ranger, not some Prince Charming, who swoops in on his noble steed to save the princess and falls in love at first sight. Rescuing a damsel in distress is something best left to fairy tales."

DAISY:  "For his thirtieth birthday, my boyfriend Tye decided to hike the Appalachian Trail. For the record, that's over two thousand miles. He promised it would be an 'epic adventure.' I said yes. Love makes us do crazy things."


THE PLOT IN BRIEF:  When an early snowstorm sweeps through the Great Smoky Mountains, Jay and Olive take shelter in a small moonshiner cabin to wait out the storm. It's Jay's job to protect the thru-hikers. And Olive? She broke up with her boyfriend back in the Berkshires and is now hiking alone. They're both a bit prickly, and neither are looking for love, but they can't deny the attraction they feel for each other. And there's nothing to do at the cabin but talk and get to know each other better. There's a definite spark between them, but then the snow clears and they have to return to the real world.

WHAT I LIKED:  I've always loved books where people get snowed in; I just can't resist them. And I've always wanted to hike the Appalachian Trail, so that was another draw. Plus, Jay's an ornithologist and Olive's become an enthusiastic birder, so that was fun, too. I enjoyed Jay's and Olive's humorous banter and sarcastic digs. And I liked that they were both characters with layers. And the romance? I liked that a lot, too. This was a fun read, and I look forward to reading Prescott's next book.

THE ONE THING I DIDN'T LOVE:  It's written in present tense, which is NOT my favorite, but Prescott did it so well I ended up not minding it at all.

HAPPY READING!


28 comments:

  1. This sounds like such a fun read! I love those quotes. :)

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  2. I love "snowed in" books, too. And the Appalachian Trail. This does sound like a fun book to read now. :)

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    1. Snowed in books, whatever the rest of the plot, are always fun. :)

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  3. Present tense books always seem to throw me off a bit, and by the time I get into the rhythm of the things they are almost over. I think that style limits the novel's possibilities because it's hard for the writer to give the kind of foreshadowing that makes reading mysteries fun.

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    1. I'm always thrown off by present tense narratives, too. And most of the time, they're not done well. And they are limiting. It makes me wonder why authors choose to write that way.

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  4. Oh me too with 'snowed in' books! And birding books. Love them. (We have very similar reading tastes...) I think I need to look this one up. :-)

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    1. We do have similar reading tastes! :D That's why we're such good blogging friends.

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  5. I love "snowed in" books too, no matter if it's a romance or a thriller. ;) This one sounds like a good read.

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  6. Sounds like a fun one! Snowed-in settings are great for romantic stories, thrillers, ghost stories, survival stories - pretty much anything. I'll have to check this one out.

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    1. Ooh...snowed in ghost stories are the best! I wish people would write more of them. :)

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  7. Present tense isn't usually my favorite either, but still... this sounds quite good!

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    1. I'm never happy when I open a book up and discover the author is writing in present tense. This one I ended up not minding, but that's unusual for me.

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  8. What an adventure for the main characters. Sounds like a fun modern romance.

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  9. I've only read one Prescott book and it was just okay for me. This one sounds really good, though! And I'm a fan of present tense, too. Great review!

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    1. I wouldn't give this one 5 stars, but I did enjoy it. :)

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  10. Present tense narrative can be a bit disconcerting at first for me. I like the sound of this even so.

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    1. I don't know why authors choose to use present tense. But Prescott manages to do it well in this book.

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  11. I've always wanted to do some massive trail like the Appalachian Trail, too! I just clicked over and downloaded the audio and book after reading your review, Lark! This sounds really good! :)

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    1. I hope you like it. I thought it was fun, especially the way the two characters interact with each other. :)

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  12. This sounds good. I like novels where both characters are not looking for love because they've been hurt in the past but the attraction begins to grow anyway. Jay and Olive sound like just those sort of characters and trapped together in a snowy mountain cabin is an added plus!

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    1. I thought it was fun. Not perfect, but fun. :)

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  13. So agree. I loved Lily King's Lovers and Writers but the continuous present tense was incredibly annoying. I liked a snowed in novel, too. Will look out for this.

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    1. I wish authors would stop using the present tense. ;D

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  14. Interesting. As one who has hiked the AT, you do get to know folks pretty well. But I never saw any moonshiners cabins in the Smokies (they might have been some 75 years ago--but I did see a pot operation being destroyed by the law in VA, but there wasn't anything romantic about that)

    https://fromarockyhillside.com

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    1. That's so cool that you've hiked the AT! I'd love to do it someday. :D Thanks for commenting.

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