Review: Who I Am With You by Melody Anne
Who Am I With You
By Melody Anne
Publisher: Pocket Star
Pages: 107 Pages
Format: ARC E-Book
Source: NetGalley
Genre: Romance, Contemporary Romance
Series: Unexpected Heroes (Book #1.5)
Heat Level: mild
Release Date: 4/28/2015
As a motocross rider, Taylor Winchester has made a career out of throwing herself headfirst into danger, as fiercely as any of the guys racing against her. But after a brutal crash, she takes a little forced R&R while her injuries heal. Her mom wishes she’d settle down, find love, maybe have a baby or two…but all Taylor wants is to get back on her bike.
She heads to her brother Hawk’s cabin to get a little peace and quiet—but is shocked to discover she’s not the only inhabitant. Ex-military man Travis, her high school crush, has also borrowed the cabin, and the two of them are each too stubborn to let the other one win. Nothing left to do but share the cabin…which quickly leads to sharing a bed! As Taylor and Travis discover that the heat between them is far more than a fling, they both struggle with letting go of control. But if they learn to give a little, what they could win is worth more than any prize…
* ARC provided by publisher in exchange for a fair and honest review *
An all right story with acceptable characters and sufficient writing, but nothing overall that reached out and grabbed me. I don’t think the characterization was deep enough or the story fleshed out enough to really cement my interest, which is the biggest reason why I think I wasn’t emotionally invested in this particular novella. Because it wasn’t a bad read, by any means, and there were parts of the story–bits of dialogue, internal monologues, character observations—I did enjoy, but nothing in the story or the situation triggered my emotions and made me care about what was happening to the characters. I didn’t feel afraid for Taylor or hurt for Travis over his growing fear of Taylor’s love of competitive racing, or feel any sort of attachment to their growing relationship.
Throughout the story, it felt like I was told who Taylor and Travis were, a lot, but not shown, which caused a bit of a personal disconnect for me as a reader. There just wasn’t enough emotional depth in the story or deep enough motivation or conflict within the characters to make them as engaging as they could’ve been or I would’ve liked for them to be. A disappointment since I’ve enjoyed a few books by Melody Anne in the past and the concept of this one intrigued me so much.
This novella was just okay for me, but readers looking for a short, quick, simple love story to escape in for a couple of hours will no doubt enjoy this book.
If you want to give the Unexpected Heroes series a try for yourself, here’s a full list of the books as it stands right now:
Unexpected Heroes
Book #1: Her Unexpected Hero
Book #1.5: Who I Am With You
Book #2: Her Hometown Hero (Available 6/30/2015)
Melody Anne is the New York Times bestselling author of the indie-published Andersons series, the Tycoons series, and the Surrender series. She lives in the Pacific Northwest.
