This is the story of Amber, American tourist in Dublin, and nurse, and River Delaney. He runs a pub that has been in his family for 200 years. Rubbing up against this is drama around IRA violence touching on life in Dublin 30 years after "the troubles".

I don't know what to make of Amber. And on the audiobook, she is played by Elizabeth Louise, who has a voice that makes Amber sound like she's 17 when she's 24 - it's super lightweight, not attractive. Yet the narrator does a good job with friend Ivy, and the most interesting parts of the novel are when Ivy is in the story.

Steve West is fine as River, and once again my complaint is River takes up less time than Amber!

Dublin is on my wishlist of places to visit, though I'm not sure why - not based on this book ( )

This review was originally posted on Bookish Things & MoreReview
K.A. Tucker never fails at pulling me into a story. I'm so happy that we got Amber's story, and that it takes place in Ireland.

I really appreciated Tucker's note in the beginning about the unrest in Ireland. It's something I never knew about, and helped for a bigger understanding of the story. I felt like I was transported to Dublin, and like I was a part of the group. We even get a little bit of Ivy in Chasing River. I didn't think she would ever form a friendship with Amber, but I think they come to a definite understanding of each other.

I like that Amber's boundaries are pushed in this book. She has to come to terms with emotions she's feeling and that she doesn't know how to deal with. She's definitely not a fly by the seat of her pants type of gal, but she finds herself in that situation while traveling around Ireland, and meeting River. River is definitely swoon-worthy, and he has secrets that he's pretty ashamed of. He doesn't want Amber to know about his past, and he's infatuated with her. I love his references to her list throughout the book even though he won't admit that he has it. Watching these two characters react to each other is pretty funny. River gets crap from his brother about his feelings, and Amber feels like she has nobody to talk to about hers.

River's secret could tear the apart, especially with Amber's views on what is right and wrong. She finds out a few things about her family that completely rock her world, and she realizes there's a gray area. I appreciate how she reacted to that bit, and how she struggles to find a balance in this new revelation. (If you've read the previous books, this is something that happens in Burying Water.)

Overall I loved this book, and didn't want it to end. River definitely has a soft side, and shows that actions are more important words in the grand scheme of life.

 

 

 




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And don’t forget BURYING WATER and BECOMING RAIN, the first two books in this thrilling series…
BURYING WATER:
Amazon ** Barnes & Noble ** iBooks ** Kobo ** IndieBound
BECOMING RAIN
Amazon ** Barnes & Noble ** iBooks ** Kobo ** IndieBound
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I keep saying that K. A. Tucker is a fantastic author and it’s because she truly is. I always get so into her stories and leave me wanting for more. Seriously, this book needed another epilogue… It needed to be Epilogue part 2. I wanted more to that ending but it still was a great ending—more than I could have asked for.

You guys know that I always like when I can connect to characters and I’m glad to say that I saw myself in Amber in various occasions. Amber has always been the good girl, she has always followed the rules. Now, she goes travelling in Europe, a place where I dream of going and having a road-trip. Amber made a bucket-list with Alex for when she would go to Europe and I have to say, I’m saving that list for when I travel. She is also very driven and she is a stubborn one, for sure.

When River collides with her and saves her life, she can’t stop thinking about him and goes in search for him, even if she has to chase him. I honestly had no idea how River would be projected. I wasn’t sure how to feel about him in the beginning. I liked him fine but I wasn’t completely drawn to him like I was with Luke from Becoming Rain. As the story progresses, I was drawn to him and Amber. I was definitely not expecting him to be the full-on gentleman he is and how caring he is for Amber, especially since he just met her. Their attraction and chemistry was there, for sure.

The supporting characters, I have nothing to argue against them. Rowen is River’s brother and is the flirt who’s funny and is caring and had me grinning quite a lot. I definitely loved Ivy a lot! She is bad-ass and she deserves her own story because I want more of her. If a story happens there, it will be highly entertaining because she doesn’t take shit from anyone. River’s parents were a lovely addition to the story, even though we don’t read much about them but what we do read, they are fantastic and loving parents. Then there is the Sherriff. He does make appearances in this book, which I’m sure many of you would love. He is still very stubborn but he loves his daughter very much and it shows.

Gabe finally turns and meets my eyes. “You’ll never be good enough for my daughter.”

I smile. “But I’ll never stop trying to be.”

As I mentioned earlier, K. A. Tucker always has me submerged into her stories but I didn’t realize just how much until River is telling a story one night and I literally forgot where I was. I plunged in head-first into River’s story-telling and I was hooked, wanting more and more, which I certainly got—I even want a novella based on this story because it is simply amazing.

The story had it’s intense moments but I will be honest and say, I was expecting more of it—more action, more suspense—since the first two books delivered these two so well and had me on the edge. Still, this story was a marvelous addition to the Burying Water series and will not leave readers disappointed. ( )

Review courtesy of Dark Faerie Tales

Quick & Dirty: Beautiful romance filled with a lush Irish setting and wonderful history. There were a few things that I didn’t love but overall this was a great read!

Opening Sentence: I weave around men and women alike with barely a pardon, struggling not to lose Aengus, nor to let on that I’m tailing him.

The Review:

Amber Welles has finally decided that it is time to expand her horizons. She has never really traveled much and she still lives in the small town she grew up in. After the ending of a serious relationship she decides it is time to do something she has always dreamed about. She is going to take a long trip and travel through Europe. Her trip is going just as planned and she is having a fabulous time until she is almost blown up. She is currently in Dublin, Ireland and late for her tour bus so she decided to take a short cut through St. Stephens Green when a pipe bomb explodes right by her. Lucky for her a very handsome stranger comes to her rescue, but before she has a chance to thank him he runs off. She isn’t injured, but she can’t stop thinking about the mysterious boy that saved her life and she is determined to find him.

River Delany has lived his whole life in Ireland and he helps to run a pub that has been in his family for generations. He was in St. Stephens Green that day because he knew his older brother Aengus was up to no good. River thought that once Aengus got out of prison he would change his ways, but instead he has gone right back to the terrorist group he was a part of before his imprisonment. He planted a pipe bomb to scare a rival gang, but no was suppose to be around when it went off. Luckily River was there to save the American tourist, but he didn’t stick around after because he doesn’t have the cleanest record. Now the beautiful American girl has tracked him down, and even though he knows that he’s no good for her he can’t seem to stay away.

Amber is sweet girl and she was very easy to like. I loved that she took the initiative to follow her dreams to travel. Most people would just ignore the urge and live their life like everyone expects you too, but I respected that Amber did what she wanted even though her family and friends thought it was crazy. Branching out and leaving home was a really big deal for Amber because she has never done anything like it in her life. She is a planner, but she also had a sporadic streak in her personality that made her a little unpredictable. But the thing I liked best about her was that she is a lost girl trying to figure out her life. Her flaws made her a much more realistic character and they made her easier to relate to. I really enjoyed watching Amber discover herself and become the person she wanted to be.

River is a sexy guy that is totally swoon worthy. He is very loyal and I loved how patriotic he is. He is proud of his Irish lineage and he’s not afraid to talk about it. His relationship with his family is very endearing and it made him even more attractive. He is quite the charmer when he wants to be, but he isn’t really a player which I liked. His past is obviously full of some serious mistakes, but he learned from then and has turned his life around. The relationship between Amber and River is pretty intense. They have an instant connection and there is some pretty hot chemistry between them. But I felt like their relationship developed quicker then I would have preferred. I still loved their romance, I just wish it wouldn’t have felt so rushed.

Chasing River was a great read filled with steamy romance, great drama, and loveable characters. Probably my favorite thing about this book was how Tucker integrated all the historical things about Ireland. I actually learned a lot of new things about this country while being totally entertained by the story. That to me takes a great talent and not many authors can pull it off as well as Tucker did. Her writing is beautiful and she does a wonderful job of keeping you totally engrossed in her stories. The one complaint I did have was that I felt like the romance was rushed and it was a little overpowering. I realize that this was a romance novel, but I wish the subplot would have been featured more. I liked the idea of the whole terrorist/gangster vibe that was present, I just wish it would have been explored a little bit more. Overall, I found this to be a very enjoyable read and I would highly recommend it to new adult contemporary romance fans.

Notable Scene:

The second we locked eyes, I knew it was him. Those eyes, I don’t think I’ll ever forget them. Except they were deeper, greener than I remembered, like the lush highlands that decorate the Irish tourism magazines. Couple them with a wide, playful smile and an angular jaw hidden behind a few days’ worth of golden scruff, and his face is a perfect blend of handsome features. And I had forgotten his voice—masculine yet melodious, his rich Irish accent obvious not overbearing.

River … It’s an odd name, and yet it seems to suit him.

FTC Advisory: Atria Books/Simon & Schuster provided me with a copy of Chasing River. No goody bags, sponsorships, “material connections,” or bribes were exchanged for my review. ( )

4.5 "Fall in Love with a Foreigner" Stars! Lovers of the Burying Water Series will not want to miss KA Tucker's latest installment, Chasing River. Providing a familiar theme--an arguably badboy hero who is willing to reform his questionable ways for love--in an all new setting--the politically fraught backdrop of Ireland; Ms. Tucker manages to keep this series fresh and new, while still providing an overarching unifying theme.

For those of you who have not had a chance to read the prior books in the Burying Water Series, no worries. As Chasing River fully contains both the entire underlying danger filled plot and the love story of the hero and heroine within its pages, and therefore can be easily read as a standalone. For those of you who have read this series, however, the heroine, Amber Welles, is the sister of Jesse Welles, the hero from the first book, Burying Water.

Amber has always been the good girl. Having previously always settled for the golden boy, and still having failed to find true love, she is determined on discovering herself while taking a sabbatical, from her nursing career in Oregon, to travel abroad. On that journey she finds herself in Dublin, Ireland where she very nearly prematurely ends, not only her trip around the world, but almost her very own life when she happened to be in the wrong place at the wrong time.

Fortunately for Amber, before River even meets her, a split second decision, driven by his conscience, causes him to risk everything to save her. Just as quickly as he appears in her life, however, River disappears leaving Amber full of questions.

As fortune would have it, a glimpse of a memory allows Amber to find her savior, but the more she gets to know him, the more she begins to question just how much of a saint he is. Nonetheless, she can't help but feel their chemistry. Should she indulge that connection, or run away from the imminent danger that no doubt lurks near him? Moreover, with only a few days remaining in her stay in Dublin, just what kind of a future could they possibly have anyway?

Having previously highly enjoyed Burying Water and Becoming Rain, I was confident that I would enjoy the romance and danger tinged background that would no doubt be contained in Chasing River. Fortunately, I was not disappointed, but perhaps what I enjoyed the most, and which was completely unexpected, was the interesting view into Irish politics. Ms. Tucker does a fantastic job of not only laying out the sordid history between the Catholics and Protestants and horrible events that shaped Ireland's history, such as the potato famine, but she also provides an interesting glimpse into the current state of continuing political unrest.

All in all, Chasing River is an interesting addition to the Burying Water Series. Now I can't wait to read Surviving Ice which is scheduled for release later this year.

Source: Review copy provided in exchange for an honest review. ( )