Autumn’s Child (Stand Tall) – ARC Review

Autumn’s Child
by Kathleen Gilles Seidel
Release Date:  November 12, 2019
Publisher: Lyrical Press
Book #3 in the Stand Tall series
Number of Pages:  305
Kindle Edition
Source:  ARC from Net Galley
Contemporary Romance M/F
Rating:  PG-13
Read 11/10/19 to 11/11/19

 

Former pro-snowboarder Ben Healy has always sensed when to call it quits. He knew when to give up Olympic dreams and settle for lucrative sponsorship deals. He knew when his competition days were ending. And with Colleen Ridge, he knew that something so good couldn’t possibly last. Rather than wait until Colleen realized she deserved better, he pushed her away. Only now, thanks to her grandmother’s finagling, they’re back in the same town.

Four years should be long enough to forget someone. But the summer she and Ben spent together is imprinted in Colleen’s soul. While sorting out her grandmother’s estate, Colleen confronts shocking truths about her past. Ben is right by her side, determined to help. And loving him again could be another collision with heartache, or the best mistake Colleen ever made.

I love that (in my opinion) this author’s writing has gotten stronger with each book in this series.  While I enjoyed the first book, The Fourth Summer, quite a bit, I had issues with her writing style.  By the time I read The Last Snowfall, her writing had evened out, though there still seemed to be some continuity issues.  I’m so glad this story flows beautifully and has more of a depth in the writing than the previous books.

Colleen tugged at my mom-heart from the very beginning.  The inner thoughts/responses she had to those around her just killed me. There were times I wish she would have spoken those responses out loud to the intended recipient, yet I could understand why she didn’t.

Ben is a harder cookie to crack.  It’s obvious he’s a good person, but he makes some terrible choices.  And it seems those choices are made out of fear of failure, although he grew up in a family that is beyond loving and supportive.  By the same token, sometimes I felt the connection between him and Colleen and other times they seemed more acquaintances. 

Putting the love connection and that part of the story aside, this is a very interesting book.  There’s a lot that happens in Colleen’s life through the 300 pages, but it never feels bogged down.  In fact, I love the roller coaster of events that is Colleen’s narrative.  There are so many emotions to be explored and family aspects that will touch many readers in different ways.

I feel this author is picking up steam with her writing and I’m quite looking forward to reading more from her.

4 stars

**I received an ARC of this book courtesy of Net Galley and the publisher. All opinions expressed in this review are my own and given freely**