Lovin' los libros

A book blog dedicated to young adult and new adult novels

Blog Tour: A Risk Worth Taking by Heather Hildenbrand {Review+Giveaway}

By 7:40 AM , , , , , , ,

Welcome to my stop on the A Risk Worth Taking blog tour hosted by InkSlingerPR!
Today I am excited to share my review and a giveaway with you all!




A Risk Worth Taking
   by: Heather Hildenbrand

Publication Date: Oct. 22, 2013
Publisher: Accendo Press
Genre: Contemporary
Age Group: New Adult
Source: e-ARC received from InkSlingerPR and the author in exchange for a fair and honest review.
Page Count: 265 pages
Order Links: Amazon | B&N
My Rating: 4/5 stars


When 22-year-old Summer Stafford’s parents split halfway through her senior year at college, Summer’s world is rocked. Everything she thought she knew—heck, everything she thought she wanted for her own life—feels like a lie. The truth is love is a risk. And the true kind, the kind that lasts, might even be a fairy tale.

Reeling from the divorce, Summer derails her own future by breaking up with her parent-approved boyfriend and giving up her lifelong plans for a big-city career. She moves back home, business degree in hand. Dad needs her to fill the gaps her mother left behind; Summer needs to find who she is outside of the cookie-cutter life that failed so miserably for her parents.

Ford O’Neal’s future involves one person: himself. He doesn’t have a permanent address and he definitely doesn’t commit. To a place or a person. Raised by hippies, he plans just far enough ahead to secure his next stop, this one landing him at a work-study program at Heritage Plantation where he can grow his own herbal and medicinal creations.

Summer is gorgeous and smart and fun to be with, the perfect way to pass five months. It won’t be love—Ford’s got too many things to accomplish, too many places to go, before he settles down. Yet Summer pulls him in, challenging him to rethink his own philosophy.

When Ford’s five months are up, each of them must decide if love is really worth the risk.

 
My Review:
 
I am really big into the contemporary genre right now so when I saw the opportunity to review A Risk Worth Taking I had to take it! I am such a sucker for small town romances and I thought this was just a beautiful, heartwarming story about two people falling in love and realizing that life is all about the journey- not the destination.
 
I liked our main character Summer a lot. Upon graduating college, she has decided to come home and help out and do the books and inventory for her father's farm. Her parents have recently divorced and upon finding out about their separation Summer's world has been rocked to the core. She is at a loss for how two people, who she thought loved one another and didn't have problems, suddenly decide to part ways. We are under the impression that it is Summer's mother who is the instigator in the divorce, therefore causing a huge rift between them. Summer refuses to speak to her mom and she doesn't understand how her dad can be so okay with the fact that she left him. Summer really begins questioning everything she ever knew about life and love after this. She breaks up with her boyfriend, not able to provide him a reason as to why she does this- but once she does, she realizes she's not upset or hurting like she should be after breaking up with him. Summer has always been a planner- she has a logical brain and therefore tends to only see the practicality of life. Meeting Ford O'Neal changes everything for Summer and soon she finds the walls she's constructed around her heart against love and passion are being destroyed by a blue-eyed farmhand with a passion and zest for life.
 
Oh, Ford. He was such a great character. I love his free spirit, how philosophical and introspective he is, and oh boy can he make a girl swoon! He and Summer are immediately attracted to one another, but she is not interested in getting to know him on a deeper level. She is insistent she needs to find herself again and discover who she is as a person, since she feels lost. Her life does not have that stability it used to have and she is teetering on the edge of dangerous precipice. She now has to make the decision to jump headfirst into the exciting, new, unknown Ford offers or if she is going to hang back and play it safe. Ford challenges Summer in every way and that is why I like their relationship so much. They communicate with one another and he is determined to make her see things from a more open perspective. Ford is all about spontaneity and freedom of choice- yet he is just looking to live in and for the moment. He is not a planner like Summer- logic doesn't work for him. He is about the excitement of the unknown. He doesn't know where he will end up or where life will take him and that's what makes life worth living for him. Meeting Summer complicates these ideals, as the more time he spends with her and the more time he opens his heart to her- he realizes that maybe his goals and dreams for life are changing. There is a deadline on Summer and Ford's time together and as much as they try to ignore it and live in the moment, both are very aware that their time together will come to an end and they will have to say goodbye.
 
Summer and Ford's relationship was a beautiful one and I loved the direction their romance took. Summer is all about keeping Ford at a distance, claiming she needs to find herself. However, what she doesn't realize is that by spending time with him she is slowly opening her heart back up again and he is showing her what it is like to live freely and fiercely. He shows her that love and life are full of risks, and she can't hold back from taking them or she will miss out on the opportunities life presents her.
 
We have some incredible side characters in this book too! I love Casey, Summer's best friend and Ford's roomie, the most. Casey is essentially the brother Summer never had and their playful banter is a lot of fun. Casey and Summer care for each other and have each other's backs too. Casey doesn't want Summer getting hurt and he doesn't hesitate in letting Ford know that- friends or not. Uncle Frank and Summer's dad are also great. I like seeing families play a greater role in novels and both of these guys are great. Summer has a really supportive family and even though her and her dad don't see eye to eye on the mom situation, I still like seeing how close they are. Summer's mom, Cathy, does not have a large physical role in the story, but her and Summer's tumultuous relationship is very important to Summer realizing certain truths about her family and herself.
 
Overall, this is a sweet story about two people falling in love, challenging each other to be better and learning to think about the world in a different way. Both Ford and Summer will have to make decisions that will shape the rest of their lives and realize that sometimes it's not about giving up your dreams- it's about finding new ones.
 
About Heather:
 
Heather Hildenbrand was born and raised in a small town in northern Virginia where she was homeschooled through high school. She now lives in coastal VA, a few miles from the Atlantic Ocean, with her two adorable children. She works from home, part time, as a property manager when she's not furiously pounding at the keyboard, or staring off into space whilst plotting a new story, she's lying on the beach, soaking in those delicious, pre-cancerous rays.
 
Heather loves Mexican food, hates socks with sandals, and if her house were on fire, the one thing she'd grab is her DVR player.
 
Heather is co-founder of Accendo Press, a publishing group she operates with fellow authors: Angeline Kace and Jennifer Sommersby. Accendo (a-CH-endo), a Latin word, means "to kindle, illuminate, inflame, or set fire" This is something Accendo strives to do inside a reader's imagination with every title released. For a complete list of titles and author bios, visit www.accendopress.com
 
 
 
 
Giveaway:
 
a Rafflecopter giveaway


You Might Also Like

17 comments

  1. Ohhh this does sound like a really sweet read. I always need sweet stories to fill in between all my angst haha. Great review!

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Right?! Me too! This worked out perfectly because I had read the heaviness that was AMOT!!!

      Delete
  2. Great review, Jess! I saw this cover around the internets, loved it instantly, and was curious to see what it would be like. I am happy to see you enjoyed it. Any chance the small town is in the South? I see she is sporting some cowboy boots on the cover, but couldn't tell. I have been big into stories taking place in the south lately. Maybe because it is snowing in Boston today and I need an escape from the cold : ( or maybe it is because men with southern drawls are super sexy. *drools* okay this comment got off topic. sorry! <3

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. The town is in the South! :) I have also been loving the Southern stories lately! And yes- southern drawls can be very sexy! :)

      Delete
  3. Great review girl! I really enjoyed this one too. I loved that it was a romance relatively drama free and Ford and Summer were so sweet together.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Thanks girl! I like drama free every now and again! And they were precious! I loved Ford!

      Delete
  4. Love the review. I am halfway through this one and I am loving it.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Oh I'm glad you're enjoying it Ellen! I can't wait to read your review!

      Delete
  5. I love Heather's writing, and have been very curious about this book. I'm so glad to see you enjoyed it. It seems like a really thoughtful story.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. I am excited to try out some of Heather's paranormal books! I've heard great things. This was a thoughtful, sweet read- just what I needed.

      Delete
  6. I adore small town romances too!! Gosh, I've been craving contemp. books lately, and I think this one will have to be added to my listen! It sounds so good! The characters sound good, and so does the romance/development of the story!!

    Amazing review!!

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. I have been too Magen! Contemps are the only things I'm reading lately!!! I can't get enough!

      Delete
  7. thanks so much for reviewing! Glad you enjoyed it!

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Thank you for the review opportunity Heather! It was such a sweet read! <3

      Delete
  8. this books seems so good!

    ReplyDelete
  9. Great review love! As soon as I read the blurb about her experiencing her parents breakup later in life I knew I had to pick this one up, so glad you liked it!

    ReplyDelete

Leave me some comment love! And I will get around to commenting back!

My blog is an award-free blog, however, as I just do not have the time to follow-up.

Search This Blog

Powered by Blogger.