Today, I'm spotlighting ten contemporary romance novels from Tracy Ewens, and reviewing the latest Smooth, which comes out January 23rd! Each Love Story is a standalone, though there are some shared characters throughout the books.
About Smooth:
If only life came with a guarantee.
Patrick McNaughton wants more. More people drinking Foghorn’s beer, more money to push their brewery past the competition, and more cooperation from his brothers, who have no sense of urgency. He’s all about conquering one challenge on his way to the next, so long as there’s a remote chance of winning. That’s why Aspen Pane sits in the office down the hall, oblivious to his attraction. Patrick has always wanted more with her, but he never was one to risk it all.
Aspen Pane has more than enough. As business manager for Foghorn, she keeps the brewery in the black and lives up to the nickname the McNaughton brothers gave her—Wonder Woman. She’s worked hard her whole life for the money she now has in the bank, the small house she calls home, and time with her friends. So, even though it seems everyone close to her, including her brother, is inconveniently falling in love, Aspen sticks with her to-do list. Because love risks everything and she doesn’t do that for anyone.
After an unexpected flight and an eccentric venture capitalist thrust them into a battle of wits and lies even they’re not sure they can win, Patrick and Aspen must learn the difference between making a connection and making money. They may need to face their fears and risk it all in the name of finding a new work-love balance.
Review:
Tracy Ewens's Smooth is a sweet and enjoyable slow-burn romance.
Smooth introduces Patrick and Aspen, former classmates turned coworkers. Both are more similar than they'd ever admit. They're headstrong, hardworking, and a tad bit awkward, and they're also married to their respective jobs. Strong believers in more work and less play.
Aspen is the more serious of the two, especially when it comes to love and romance. She's sworn off "true love," always pursuing men who make her feel safe and secure rather than passionate and reckless. She refuses to become like her mother - forever left high and dry by men who were supposed to be the one. While I could understand her reasoning behind this, I hoped she would discover that love can be good, especially when you have the right person. What I loved the most about Aspen, however, was how close she was to her family. Her relationship with her grandmother ("Grand") always brought a smile to my face. Her grandmother was sassy and fierce, and I found it incredibly sweet that she was always trying to get Aspen to live her life more, to take risks and have fun.
Patrick, on the other hand, is the "thinker" in his family. He wants their brand to be successful, no matter the amount of work involved. I admired his ambition; however, there were more times than one where I wished he would slow down and take a breather. Life didn't always have to be so serious! Patrick is also the classic case of charmingly awkward. The first scene in the airport was hilarious - I felt so bad for Patrick (the poor guy hated flying!) but I couldn't resist laughing.
One of my favorite aspects of Smooth was the brewery. I enjoyed seeing the day-to-day operations as well as the challenges and problems it brought about for Aspen and Patrick. Tracy did a great job with setting the scene.
There were several things about Smooth that I didn't enjoy. One was the pacing. It's incredibly slow. There's not much action or "wow!!" moments. In some cases I'm okay with slowness; however, here it didn't always work. I found myself skimming, hoping to find some more "juice" more times than one. The second aspect I didn't always enjoy was the romance. Don't get me wrong I liked the slow-burn aspect, but I wanted more swoon, more excitement, more big romantic gestures.
If you're a fan of slow moving romance, Smooth is the book for you! But for those of you who like fast-paced romances with lots of swoon, I'd suggest sitting this one out.
Source: eARC provided by publicist
Buy Links:
About Tracy Ewens:
Tracy Ewens's Smooth is a sweet and enjoyable slow-burn romance.
Smooth introduces Patrick and Aspen, former classmates turned coworkers. Both are more similar than they'd ever admit. They're headstrong, hardworking, and a tad bit awkward, and they're also married to their respective jobs. Strong believers in more work and less play.
Aspen is the more serious of the two, especially when it comes to love and romance. She's sworn off "true love," always pursuing men who make her feel safe and secure rather than passionate and reckless. She refuses to become like her mother - forever left high and dry by men who were supposed to be the one. While I could understand her reasoning behind this, I hoped she would discover that love can be good, especially when you have the right person. What I loved the most about Aspen, however, was how close she was to her family. Her relationship with her grandmother ("Grand") always brought a smile to my face. Her grandmother was sassy and fierce, and I found it incredibly sweet that she was always trying to get Aspen to live her life more, to take risks and have fun.
Patrick, on the other hand, is the "thinker" in his family. He wants their brand to be successful, no matter the amount of work involved. I admired his ambition; however, there were more times than one where I wished he would slow down and take a breather. Life didn't always have to be so serious! Patrick is also the classic case of charmingly awkward. The first scene in the airport was hilarious - I felt so bad for Patrick (the poor guy hated flying!) but I couldn't resist laughing.
One of my favorite aspects of Smooth was the brewery. I enjoyed seeing the day-to-day operations as well as the challenges and problems it brought about for Aspen and Patrick. Tracy did a great job with setting the scene.
There were several things about Smooth that I didn't enjoy. One was the pacing. It's incredibly slow. There's not much action or "wow!!" moments. In some cases I'm okay with slowness; however, here it didn't always work. I found myself skimming, hoping to find some more "juice" more times than one. The second aspect I didn't always enjoy was the romance. Don't get me wrong I liked the slow-burn aspect, but I wanted more swoon, more excitement, more big romantic gestures.
If you're a fan of slow moving romance, Smooth is the book for you! But for those of you who like fast-paced romances with lots of swoon, I'd suggest sitting this one out.
3 stars!!
Source: eARC provided by publicist
Buy Links:
Tracy Ewens shares a beautiful piece of desert with her husband and three children in New River, Arizona. She is a recovered theater major who walks her dog Jack, drinks copious amounts of tea, and reads well past her bedtime.
Enter Tracy’s Giveaway:
Check out these love stories:
Premiere - A Love Story
Candidate - A Love Story
Taste - A Love Story
Reserved - A Love Story
Stirred - A Love Story
Vacancy - A Love Story
Playbook - A Love Story
Exposure - A Love Story
Brew - A Love Story
I like the brewery setting on this one, that's pretty cool! We like touring breweries and vineyards. The love story sounds a bit quiet for me, though!
ReplyDeleteThe setting sounds really good, it's too bad about the romance though. Glad you were still able to most of it.
ReplyDeleteBrew and Smooth have such especially great covers!
ReplyDeleteThank you for the great highlight/spotlight.
ReplyDeleteNice review!
ReplyDelete