Tag Archives: Season Vining

Changing Lanes by Season Vining-Review & Guest Post

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Changing Lanes (Welcome to Grace #1) by Season Vining-Review and Guest Post

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ABOUT THE BOOK: Release Date April 1, 2020

Stella Locke is starting over. After an ugly divorce, she picks up her Southern roots and transplants to upstate New York where the air is crisp and no one knows her name. She’s an enthusiastic reader and just so happens to pick the quaint little spot where her favorite author lives. The small town of Grace welcomes Stella with open arms, a new job, and a smoking hot neighbor.

Lane Holder is a bit mysterious with his midnight jogs and brazen flirting. He’s got an adorable corgi named Chap who immediately steals Stella’s heart. In time, Stella is blown away by Lane’s charm, maturity, and undeniable interest in her. Being out of the dating game for 20 years has filled her with self-doubt and the hurt endured from her marriage has made her want to keep that part of her past hidden. Still, Lane convinces her to take a chance on him.

Their relationship is a slow, steamy burn that seems to be building toward something special and permanent. But as with any relationship built on secrets, one wrong move and it all could come crashing down.

•••••••

REVIEW:Changing Lanes by Season Vining is book one in The Welcome to Grace series.

Stella Locke has recently divorced her cheating husband and has decided to pick up her life and move to upstate New York. Stella picks Grace, New York because that is where her favorite romance author Alaina Taylor lives. Her thinking is that if its good enough for Alaina its good enough for her to start over. Upon arriving in Grace she meets her next door neighbor Lane Holder. Mysterious, smoking hot man that jogs every night at midnight. Lane slowly breaks down Stella’s defenses and a beautiful relationship begins.

The sub-characters in this story were amazing and hilarious. Stella’s real estate agent turned best friend is outrageously hilarious and I am praying that she gets her own story soon. She is on of those characters that you want to know more about.

Stella and Lane have amazing chemistry, but when Stella finds out that Lane has been lying to her, all games are off. She has been betrayed before by her ex-husband, but this hurts way worse. Will she be able to forgive him?

And will she even want to take him back?

This was an imaginative, fun romantic read. The story pulls you in and you become invested in small town Grace and the characters that live there.

Looking forward to more books in this series. Recommend highly if you are looking for a boy next door romance with lots of laughs.

Copy supplied for review

Reviewed By Erin K

What makes a cover?
by Season Vining

Along with the apparent upswing in romantic comedy novel sales has been a trend in illustrated covers to go along with them. Maybe both of these things coincide with the madness and chaos of the world today. People need a distraction—something light with moments of hilarity and heart. RomComs and illustrated covers seem to both fit the bill. Plus, they’re fun. And for those of you who like to carry around paperbacks in public, they are not sexually suggestive no matter what the content of the book is.

The first question when building a cover is, do I want a couple or just one person or just an object. This is completely subjective to the author/designer/publisher’s taste and what they think will sell the book. For RomCom, both members of the couple are almost always represented. Then, what do you want your audience to feel when they look at your cover? Turned on? Happy? Inquisitive? The answer will set the tone of the cover, which could covers everything from the style of illustration, background elements, and colors used.

Like in my new RomCom, Changing Lanes. I knew I wanted an illustrated cover and I knew I wanted the couple on there. But I also knew that Chap, the adorable and lovable corgi featured in the story, should have his place too. There are a lot of elements of the story represented on the cover. For example, you can see Stella’s work apron with the name of the bookstore she works at. Chap sits atop a stack of books, so you know that those are important to the theme of the story. There are fall elements, letting you know when the book takes place. And finally, a road to literally represent Changing Lanes.

When the book is part of a series, you’ve really got to think ahead enough to makes sure that you can create a cover for each book that is unique and appealing while fitting in with the rest of the series seamlessly. Changing Lanes is book 1 in the Welcome to Grace series. I added the fall elements, because there are four books and four seasons. Each cover will have its own theme.

In the end, the cover is usually what sells your book. It is what makes people stop and read the blurb. It is the first impression. So, make sure it’s a good one. Most importantly, make sure it represents the story and overall feel so that readers know exactly what to expect. Sure, there can be twists, turns, and surprises… but leave that to the writing.

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Fearless & Falling by Season Vining – a Review

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Fearless & Falling by Season Vining – a Review

 

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Description:
Angela Lavelle has been in love since third grade. A heated argument over superheroes left her reeling in the wake of Logan Sawyer and his charming, know-it-all smile. After a lifetime in the same small town, this art geek still feels invisible to the guy she knows is destined for her. Finally, Angela is ready to give destiny a shove.

Logan Sawyer is adored by the whole town, even taking a place next to his father as a sheriff’s deputy, with aspirations of becoming a detective. When a certain redheaded waitress finally catches his attention, he wonders how he’s been so blind to Angela hiding in plain sight. But there’s the mysterious circumstances of her father’s death tugging at Logan’s detective instincts. Could Angela be the one to break the case wide open? Or will their secrets destroy any chance at a happily-ever-after?

 

 

 Review;

This is second book by Season Vining that I’ve had the opportunity to read.  I don’t know, maybe it’s just me but there’s something about her writing that causes me to take forever to get through the story.  Maybe it’s the way she sets up the chapters according to the each character’s POV, the backtracking to past events, etc, I’m just not sure.  Don’t get me wrong, the characters were well developed and did manage to carry the story.  I have to say I much preferred Angela and Logan’s story over Wren and Preston’s story.  Fearless and Falling was easier for me to get into thanks in part to Angela and Logan, along with Angela’s best friend Audrey. Now there’s a secondary character you want to learn more about and get to know more, because she was an absolute hoot!!  She cracked me up in every scene she was in.  She helped to move Angela and Logan’s romance along and she did it in a very fun way. 

Fearless & Falling does have more of that small town feel to it this time around and we get to see more of its residents.  Angela and Logan’s romance is slow to build and at times I did find myself wanting to skip ahead hoping the pace of the story would move itself along.  It wasn’t until the last 30% of the book that I finally found the pace picked up and events started unfolding at a much quicker pace for me.   Don’t get me wrong, I do enjoy a slow build romance between the main couple, but I don’t like it when it feels dragged out.  Yes there was the issue with Angela’s fathers suspicious death years ago that gets between Angela and Logan at one point causing drama and angst with their romance.  Funny enough though, it actually helped move the story along creating more depth and intrigue to the overall feel of their story.  However, for me I would’ve liked to have started to discover the clues and facts sooner, rather then later.  For me that part felt a bit rushed.

Overall Fearless & Falling is a well thought out story, with a strong main couple who were able to carry their adventure.  Angela and Logan are a sweet couple and it was fun to watch them finally really see each other.  Actually Angela noticed Logan a lot sooner, it was Logan that didn’t really see Angela and he kept asking her throughout the story ‘where have you been hiding all this time?’   I liked that she kept telling him ‘in plain sight, you just never noticed me’.  Finally though Logan did notice Angela, even if it was with a little help from the ever resourceful Audrey and her not so subtle comments and hints to Logan. 

Until next time, happy reading everyone. 

Reviewed by Marcie

Copy provided by Publisher

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Chaos & Control by Season Vining – a Review

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Chaos & Control by Season Vining – a Review

 

Chaos & ControlAmazon / B&N / Kobo/ BAM / Book Depository

Description:
When Wren Hart returns to her sleepy little Midwest town after years on the road, she finds the last thing she’d ever expect—a reason to stay. And that reason has a hard body, a knowledge of vinyl, and a crooked smile that sends her reeling.

Preston is a gorgeous, mysterious man, whose life is ruled by routine and order. Yet somehow, he finds Wren and her wild ways captivating. While their relationship grows in a delicate dance of chaos and control, the danger Wren thought she’d left behind during her travels is inching ever closer…and just may destroy them both. 

 

Review;

Chaos and Control by Season Vining was an interesting read for me.  It took me a while to really get into the story and the characters driving it.  Don’t get me wrong, Ms. Vining did a good job of creating the story, the characters and their backgrounds, but for me there was just something that I still can’t put my finger on for why it took me so long to get into the story. 

Chaos and Control is a story about coming home and really finding oneself.  Once Wren finally decides to stop running, stand up for herself and take control of her life, she realizes that she is where she is meant to be.  In all her years of running from her abusive ex, she has finally found the one person she needs who balances her wild ways, and makes her see that she can truly be happy in her home town of Crowley. 

Preston who at first I couldn’t quite figure out, but little by little it comes into focus that he suffers from OCD, is mysterious, quiet and keeps to himself.  However, for some strange reason he is drawn to Wren from the first moment he sees her and soon realizes that Wren and her chaotic personality don’t upset his quiet controlled lifestyle.  For two people who couldn’t be more different from the other Wren and Preston are two characters who work well together and fit.  They both help to balance the other out and bring to their lives something that is missing.  Wren’s acceptance of Preston’s OCD from the moment he tells her is endearing, and even though Preston needs to have everything in his life in perfect order and controlled doesn’t bat an eyelash or run the other way when Wren finally opens up about her abusive past.  Instead Preston just flat out tells her that her ex will have to go through him if he thinks he’s getting anywhere near Wren.  It was a cute, yet real and serious scene between the two in that moment.  You can really feel the emotion flowing between the two characters, the intensity of the moment and know that Wren will be safe with Preston no matter what.  Their romance is a very slow build which just added to their story and showed how opposite they are in their personalities and lives, but it also shows how well they work as a couple, understand each other and come to get just who the other is. 

As I said earlier, Chaos and Control by Season Vining took me a while to get into it.  Yes I still can’t put my finger on what or why, but I’m glad I dug in and stuck with it.  The story was well executed, the character development was well thought out and they brought the story to life in their own unique ways.  As they always say, opposites attract and in this instance Wren and Preston are a good example of polar opposites.  Somehow they just made their adventure work and created a story that’s real, honest, endearing and full of emotion. 

Until next time, happy reading.

Reviewed by Marcie

Copy provided by Publisher

 

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