Reviews
A Little Too Close is the second book in the Madigan Mountain trilogy and this is a book that I will be honest that I really wanted to get into and enjoy! I had such high hopes for this one, especially with so many positive reviews surrounding this one and having really enjoyed the first book. But I will be honest in that, this one felt so flat for me. Now this was done in audio, so its possible that it was due to the narration, but I have listened to both of these narrators in the past and really enjoyed their work. I think I had high expectations and it didn't quite match up for me. I do think that this is a "me" issue as everyone seems to love this one so much! I did find A Little Too Close to be such an endearing story in many respects. We have some solid characters and I really enjoyed how this author wrote the single parent aspect. I know that kids in romances isn't for everyone, but I really enjoyed the way in which this author implemented this one here. The romance was enjoyable at times, but part of my issue with this book was the way that I didn't quite connect with their relationship. I really had issues with how both the hero and the heroine ended up with each other, it felt disjointed at times in the story. I did love the daughter, she was simply delightful and her character felt so right for the story. My other issue that I ended up with the story was how unresolved the relationship had with his father. Like after the first book, I was really hoping to see more growth in their relationship and fences being mended but it just felt like there was more needed and it just didn't happen. Overall I found A Little Too Close to be a likeable story, with solid elements but didn't quite work for me in the ways I expected it to.
A Little too Close by is the second book in the Madigan Mountain series. The series follows three brothers, Reed, Weston and Crew. Sarina Bowen gave us Reed’s story, and now Rebecca Yarros gives us Weston’s story. The moment I learnt Yarros penned this installment, I went expecting an emotional story. She did not disappoint. A Little too Close delivered a close proximity romance, which will warm the heart while putting a smile on your face and leave you wanting more of Weston and Calliope.
Nine years ago Weston Madigan left Colorado to join the army, where he served as a helicopter pilot. Hurting and heartbroken as well, Weston had no plans of returning home. However, when his elder brother, Reed, reached out to him for help with the resort, he took the bittersweet journey home.
Callie works as a photographer at Madigan Mountain. A single mom, who, despite the many challenges, has made a good life for both her and her daughter, Sutton. She longs for more and works hard to achieve her dreams. She’s not looking for a relationship. Her focus is on raising her daughter and working towards making her dreams come through. However, sharing her living space with Weston Madigan threatens her resolve. Will she be able to fight her attraction to her handsome roommate, or will she risk her heart and fall in love with him?
Weston is hurting and even after all these years, the pain is still as raw as ever. Despite the painful memories returning home would resurrect, he did it anyway, as a favour to his older brother. When first introduced, he appeared rigid and closed off. However, throughout the story’s progress, his lighter side revealed its self, something for which Callie deserved the credit.
As for grudges, he mastered it all, which we observed in his relationship with his father and Reed. I understood his reasons for feeling the way he did, but holding on to the pain fueled his grumpy and rigid personality. However, beneath his grumpy persona was a loyal, thoughtful, selfless individual. He believes he didn’t have the capacity to love, but that was far from the truth. His actions say otherwise. It took him a while to get to a point where he could finally let go of the pain and hurt, but it was gratifying when he did.
Callie is a character which I believe most single mothers will find relatable. She wants what’s best for her daughter. So despite her dreams of pursuing her long life passion, she puts it off all for the sake of Sutton. She’s had her share of pain, but her fighting spirit and willingness to take risks aided her survival. Callie is a complex mix of daring and caginess.
I enjoyed the romance which developed between our main characters. It was fun watching their relationship evolved from roommates to friends and then to lovers. Their interactions were a mix of fun and steam. There was a moment of misunderstanding which could have been avoided if only they had communicated with each other. Also, I didn’t like the role Ava played in the particular situation. Despite this, I was happy to the matter resolved.
A Little too Close was a wonderful story of healing, forgiveness, and love, which ended on a satisfying note.
