Drawn to You by J.D. Hart
My investigation into Indie reads has led me down some diverging paths. First, I read my very first horror book by Timothy Hammer and Christine Zito, Peripheral Vision. Then, I tackled two poets, Claire Buss - Little Book of Verse and Lester Eugene Mayers - 100 Poems for 100 Voices. Third, I returned to a slightly familiar genre-world featuring Julia Ash's The One and Only (review to come next week!).
Now, I'm looking into yet another genre: romance. It's been a while since I've read this genre, and it isn't one I go to on a regular basis. Some favorites are, of course, Jane Austen's classics and Georgette Heyer's take on Historical and Regency romances. They're good, clean fun, and these are books I typically read and reread. I, also, have some Christian fiction favorites who primarily dabble in the romance realm as well: Lori Wick, Julie Klassen, Karen Witemeyer, Janette Oke, Francine Rivers, and Laura Frantz all come to mind.
There have been other romance writers I enjoyed reading a long time ago: Julie Garwood, Johanna Lindsey, Julia Quinn, Candice Camp, and Celeste Bradley. Though I appreciated their characters, mystery, and humor, I grew a little bored with skipping all of the intimate scenes that come along with these types of romances. So, I've kinda fallen away from reading them as well.
When I started looking for new authors, and more specifically, new Indie authors to love. I stumbled upon this long-lost genre called romance with J.D. Hart's book Drawn to You. The synopsis was familiar, and I was in the mood to try something new, or at least, something I might have picked up in the past. I decided to give the book a try and find out if it would give me reason to return to this category once more.
![Drawn to You by [Hart, J. D.]](https://images-na.ssl-images-amazon.com/images/I/515%2Bsfvi03L.jpg)
As always, please be alerted that there may be *SPOILERS* within my review breakdown.
Numeric Breakdown:
1: didn't like it
2: it was okay
3. liked it
4. really liked it
5. it was amazing
1. Writing Style: 4/5
Set in third person point of view, we are first introduced to the protagonist Sarah Parker on her way to a conference in Seattle; however, there is a Part Two which takes on the second main character's pov, Jace Williams. I did enjoy the red herrings the author delivers throughout the book without making them repetitive. The narrative voice held relevant dialogue, descriptive character development, and proper subterfuge throughout. J.D. Hart utilizes a good balance of drama, emotion, and realistic plot devices to tell her story and bring it to life. The writer utilizes exposition to set-up background of her characters and summarizes through dialogue, at times, what has happened to the character(s). Overall, the writing style is appealing and traditional, and her characters are practical and believable throughout.
2. Overall Content: 3/5
Sarah Parker is a likable character with enough variations in her world to create her as a 3D character. Her sister, best friend, and love interests build a lifestyle around her which emphasizes the loss of her mother, her dedication to her job, and her desire to move forward.
The navigation from one relationship to the next is well-done and adds to the legitimacy of the story as a realistic plot. Her ending one relationship that didn't meet the same goals or appear to be headed in the same direction adds texture to her story, and her new relationship branches out from there. The new love of her life, Jace Williams, is an expected character in the story-line. There are some great red herrings and dramatic scenarios which move the story along satisfactorily between these two characters.
One aspect of the book which helped to create an even more realistic feel were the text messages that pinged between Sarah and the other characters. Another great differentiation between this story and most other romantic plots came when Sarah didn't immediately end up with the character she instantly liked. Instead, the author gave us a reprieve and showed us Sarah's life outside of her initial introduction to him and their budding relationship.
While she was in Seattle at the conference, where she met Jace, they began a "one-night-stand" sort of relationship. Although, Jace did some "boyfriend-like" gestures, signaling his infatuation and possible budding feelings for Sarah. When she leaves Seattle, it appears their relationship is also at an end, but it doesn't stop there. It's just paused.
Sarah ends up coming home and getting into a relationship with a really nice guy, Seth, but they don't seem to see eye to eye on certain aspects of life. With some interference from her best friend - Rachel, and sister - Chloe, Sarah and Jace are thrown back together again. Their attraction is immediate, and they seem to agree on some essential life decisions. He helps introduce her to a woman who will become her new boss; he bonds with her and her family over the holidays and the loss of her mother, and they attempt to navigate a long-distance relationship.
From there, Sarah moves out to Seattle and in with Jace. It feels as if the author is going to use another woman to spice up the story line and make it a dreaded three-way, cheated-on-her or some sort of annoyingly familiar plot device, but thank goodness, Hart uses this plot device as a red herring only, and we are all allowed to sigh in relief. Crisis averted, we find out that all of the secrecy and sneaking ends up being Jace's attempt to set up a party and propose to Sarah. I'm happy the author took it in this direction, and it adds to my enjoyment of the story.
After the proposal and beginnings of planning, we are taken into Jace's world. Part Two is designed to be more from Jace's point of view, and we learn more about his alienated relationship with his parents; his father's death and the fall-out from that revelation; we see how Sarah and Jace deal with their relationship in the evolution of his own family drama; we get to meet his mother and have her introduced as a more stable portion of his character's family; we also find out about a secret Jace's father has kept, and finally, we learn that the secret is about Jace, and that he has a son.
So, there's a lot of drama that plays out on the pages as we get from the beginning to the end. The humor is solid in several areas of the book; Sarah's friendship with Rachel adds pockets of honesty and solid pal dynamics; Jace's and Sarah's relationship is a constantly evolving and reshaping, which is realistic. Each twist and turn is well-used to move the plot along and build anticipation.
3. Hooks/Attention-kept: 3/5
The best hooks were what I felt were red herrings and how the author takes some twists within the telling. My attention was most kept by the fact that the author didn't fall back in terms of usual plot devices when it came to the pretty secretary in the office scenario. The relationships being built or shown throughout the book were lovely to see, and since I'm usually more a character-driven reader, I did appreciate the loyalty and kindness among the characters.
4. Overall enjoyment of the story based on the genre: 3/5
I'm not a huge romance fan and haven't read them in a long time. I think this was a fun and reader-informative entry back into this world. As far as the genre itself, the book fits into this category wonderfully. If one were to look at its definition through the eyes of Romance Writers of America, readers would see works that hold "two basic elements," and those center around "a central love story and an emotionally satisfying and optimistic end." As far as this definition goes, the author delivered.
As far as this book stacking up against others in its genre, I'd say the author does a remarkable job of carrying the burden of ensuring romantics around the world will be enthralled in their writing. They certainly have skill and notably understand their craft. Hart has an eye for details and reaching through familiar and practical daily issues.
For readers looking for a steamy romance, several naughty scenes, sufficient conflict resolution, good character-building worlds, realistic contemporary setting, and a happy ending, then this is your read!
5. Overall enjoyment of the story based on the content: 3/5
I liked the author's attempt to not fall into the usual romance tropes completely, and their plot showed various ploys to make the reader think one thing would happen before blindsiding us with another. I always respect and love when authors do this. If anyone can pull from the customary tropes of their genre, I love it and esteem them highly.
Now, I'm looking into yet another genre: romance. It's been a while since I've read this genre, and it isn't one I go to on a regular basis. Some favorites are, of course, Jane Austen's classics and Georgette Heyer's take on Historical and Regency romances. They're good, clean fun, and these are books I typically read and reread. I, also, have some Christian fiction favorites who primarily dabble in the romance realm as well: Lori Wick, Julie Klassen, Karen Witemeyer, Janette Oke, Francine Rivers, and Laura Frantz all come to mind.
There have been other romance writers I enjoyed reading a long time ago: Julie Garwood, Johanna Lindsey, Julia Quinn, Candice Camp, and Celeste Bradley. Though I appreciated their characters, mystery, and humor, I grew a little bored with skipping all of the intimate scenes that come along with these types of romances. So, I've kinda fallen away from reading them as well.
When I started looking for new authors, and more specifically, new Indie authors to love. I stumbled upon this long-lost genre called romance with J.D. Hart's book Drawn to You. The synopsis was familiar, and I was in the mood to try something new, or at least, something I might have picked up in the past. I decided to give the book a try and find out if it would give me reason to return to this category once more.
Numeric Breakdown:
1: didn't like it
2: it was okay
3. liked it
4. really liked it
5. it was amazing
1. Writing Style: 4/5
Set in third person point of view, we are first introduced to the protagonist Sarah Parker on her way to a conference in Seattle; however, there is a Part Two which takes on the second main character's pov, Jace Williams. I did enjoy the red herrings the author delivers throughout the book without making them repetitive. The narrative voice held relevant dialogue, descriptive character development, and proper subterfuge throughout. J.D. Hart utilizes a good balance of drama, emotion, and realistic plot devices to tell her story and bring it to life. The writer utilizes exposition to set-up background of her characters and summarizes through dialogue, at times, what has happened to the character(s). Overall, the writing style is appealing and traditional, and her characters are practical and believable throughout.
2. Overall Content: 3/5
Sarah Parker is a likable character with enough variations in her world to create her as a 3D character. Her sister, best friend, and love interests build a lifestyle around her which emphasizes the loss of her mother, her dedication to her job, and her desire to move forward.
The navigation from one relationship to the next is well-done and adds to the legitimacy of the story as a realistic plot. Her ending one relationship that didn't meet the same goals or appear to be headed in the same direction adds texture to her story, and her new relationship branches out from there. The new love of her life, Jace Williams, is an expected character in the story-line. There are some great red herrings and dramatic scenarios which move the story along satisfactorily between these two characters.
One aspect of the book which helped to create an even more realistic feel were the text messages that pinged between Sarah and the other characters. Another great differentiation between this story and most other romantic plots came when Sarah didn't immediately end up with the character she instantly liked. Instead, the author gave us a reprieve and showed us Sarah's life outside of her initial introduction to him and their budding relationship.
While she was in Seattle at the conference, where she met Jace, they began a "one-night-stand" sort of relationship. Although, Jace did some "boyfriend-like" gestures, signaling his infatuation and possible budding feelings for Sarah. When she leaves Seattle, it appears their relationship is also at an end, but it doesn't stop there. It's just paused.
Sarah ends up coming home and getting into a relationship with a really nice guy, Seth, but they don't seem to see eye to eye on certain aspects of life. With some interference from her best friend - Rachel, and sister - Chloe, Sarah and Jace are thrown back together again. Their attraction is immediate, and they seem to agree on some essential life decisions. He helps introduce her to a woman who will become her new boss; he bonds with her and her family over the holidays and the loss of her mother, and they attempt to navigate a long-distance relationship.
From there, Sarah moves out to Seattle and in with Jace. It feels as if the author is going to use another woman to spice up the story line and make it a dreaded three-way, cheated-on-her or some sort of annoyingly familiar plot device, but thank goodness, Hart uses this plot device as a red herring only, and we are all allowed to sigh in relief. Crisis averted, we find out that all of the secrecy and sneaking ends up being Jace's attempt to set up a party and propose to Sarah. I'm happy the author took it in this direction, and it adds to my enjoyment of the story.
After the proposal and beginnings of planning, we are taken into Jace's world. Part Two is designed to be more from Jace's point of view, and we learn more about his alienated relationship with his parents; his father's death and the fall-out from that revelation; we see how Sarah and Jace deal with their relationship in the evolution of his own family drama; we get to meet his mother and have her introduced as a more stable portion of his character's family; we also find out about a secret Jace's father has kept, and finally, we learn that the secret is about Jace, and that he has a son.
So, there's a lot of drama that plays out on the pages as we get from the beginning to the end. The humor is solid in several areas of the book; Sarah's friendship with Rachel adds pockets of honesty and solid pal dynamics; Jace's and Sarah's relationship is a constantly evolving and reshaping, which is realistic. Each twist and turn is well-used to move the plot along and build anticipation.
3. Hooks/Attention-kept: 3/5
The best hooks were what I felt were red herrings and how the author takes some twists within the telling. My attention was most kept by the fact that the author didn't fall back in terms of usual plot devices when it came to the pretty secretary in the office scenario. The relationships being built or shown throughout the book were lovely to see, and since I'm usually more a character-driven reader, I did appreciate the loyalty and kindness among the characters.
4. Overall enjoyment of the story based on the genre: 3/5
I'm not a huge romance fan and haven't read them in a long time. I think this was a fun and reader-informative entry back into this world. As far as the genre itself, the book fits into this category wonderfully. If one were to look at its definition through the eyes of Romance Writers of America, readers would see works that hold "two basic elements," and those center around "a central love story and an emotionally satisfying and optimistic end." As far as this definition goes, the author delivered.
As far as this book stacking up against others in its genre, I'd say the author does a remarkable job of carrying the burden of ensuring romantics around the world will be enthralled in their writing. They certainly have skill and notably understand their craft. Hart has an eye for details and reaching through familiar and practical daily issues.
For readers looking for a steamy romance, several naughty scenes, sufficient conflict resolution, good character-building worlds, realistic contemporary setting, and a happy ending, then this is your read!
5. Overall enjoyment of the story based on the content: 3/5
I liked the author's attempt to not fall into the usual romance tropes completely, and their plot showed various ploys to make the reader think one thing would happen before blindsiding us with another. I always respect and love when authors do this. If anyone can pull from the customary tropes of their genre, I love it and esteem them highly.
It was a great plot device not to rush the characters get-together either. I liked how Hart allowed Sarah and Jace to meet and then separated them. It showed a sense of maturity when Sarah realizes they live far from each other and can't immediately jump into a relationship as a result. This was a great piece of thinking things through a little instead of just going with the relationship and having it fail quickly or something.
Hart did a good job of creating a life outside of the relationship with Sarah. It was nice to see her ongoing friendship with Rachel, get a glimpse of her sister, and give us a chance to feel out her relationship with Seth before calling it quits. The opportunity to date someone else, who is a good person, and just realize they aren't the one for you is a perfect modern literary device. In a way, it feels as if Hart incorporated the dating trials into her story without prolonging or dragging it out, not making it a three-way love affair, and also allowing the ex to be a good guy. It beat out some of the more typical tropes in that respect, and I loved how Seth was actually a stand-up guy in the situation as well. It's too easy to make the one being "dumped" the "bad guy" or have some sort of elemental flaws which have to lead to a break-up or rescue.
Again, I respect Hart's efforts and reiterate: For readers looking for a steamy romance, several naughty scenes, sufficient conflict resolution, good character building worlds, realistic contemporary setting, and a happy ending, then this is your read!
6. Overall Story Rating: 3/5
Overall, I liked the story line J.D. Hart put together for readers. It was nice to see some atypical scenes, modernization, and character-world building within her writing. She's definitely onto something special as a writer. For me, a lot of the rating portion came down to my own personal preferences in reading. One, romance is not my favorite genre, and when I do indulge, I tend to prefer the cleaner versions. That's not to say I haven't read the ones that are considered steamy, but it's my tendency to veer away. Two, the use of exposition at times took from the showing and had a slight influence over my enjoyment as a whole. Third, I would have enjoyed a little more fleshing out of Jace's character in terms of his relationship with friends. I loved how the author included him in Sarah's life and with her friends and family, but it would have been a bit more authentic if Jace had at least one best friend himself. However, this story-line overall was well-done.
Again, I respect Hart's efforts and reiterate: For readers looking for a steamy romance, several naughty scenes, sufficient conflict resolution, good character building worlds, realistic contemporary setting, and a happy ending, then this is your read!
6. Overall Story Rating: 3/5
Overall, I liked the story line J.D. Hart put together for readers. It was nice to see some atypical scenes, modernization, and character-world building within her writing. She's definitely onto something special as a writer. For me, a lot of the rating portion came down to my own personal preferences in reading. One, romance is not my favorite genre, and when I do indulge, I tend to prefer the cleaner versions. That's not to say I haven't read the ones that are considered steamy, but it's my tendency to veer away. Two, the use of exposition at times took from the showing and had a slight influence over my enjoyment as a whole. Third, I would have enjoyed a little more fleshing out of Jace's character in terms of his relationship with friends. I loved how the author included him in Sarah's life and with her friends and family, but it would have been a bit more authentic if Jace had at least one best friend himself. However, this story-line overall was well-done.
In the end, I think it just came down to personal preferences, which doesn't reflect negatively on the author's writing skills, but this was a solid 3/5 from my own dis/likes of the book. Meaning, I liked it's content and writing style: the author has talent and skills, the plot would appeal to many readers, and the characters are good portrayals of actual people - which means readers can relate to at least one of them. I hope the author keeps writing, and I recommend this book to anyone who is obsessed with the romance genre. ;)
To follow or learn more about J.D. Hart, try these sites:
Thanks for joining me, and as always, Happy Reading!!
~Rebecca Reddell
Great review, Rebecca! I really appreciate the categories you rated, as it gives me a great overall impression of the book :)
ReplyDelete