Chasing Red by Lauren Winder Farnsworth (Blog Tour Review & #Giveaway))


This is the third book I've read from this author and each has been interestingly different,
but very enjoyable. Read what I thought about this one and enter the giveaway below...

Chasing Red
by Lauren Winder Farnsworth
LDS Contemporary Romance
Paperback & ebook, 240 Pages
April 11th 2017 by Cedar Fort Publishing & Media

Summary

Ryder Redmond can’t wait to begin her new life in New York City, with her first real job after college. But the big city gets a little more complicated once she meets the charming and mysterious Damian Wolfe. On the surface he seems perfect, but her friend Hunter is suspicious of his all-too-straight smile and his motives towards Ryder. With her heart on the line, Ryder will have to decide just how much she trusts the handsome city slicker.

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My Review

CHASING RED was a evenly paced story about a woman reaching for some independence and trying to prove to herself and others that she can not only reach it, but thrive in it. It was about hard choices, hard work, making new friends, keeping old ones, and finding romance in unexpected places. A thoroughly enjoyable story for sweet contemporary romance and LDS romance readers!

First off, I love the title and cover for this one! It fits the story so well, it being about Ryder who is stretching her wings, really for the first time, by moving to the other side of her home in Utah to New York City to be an accountant in a big firm. I thought the author did a marvelous job of conveying all her insecurities of being in such an unknown city, among strangers, starting a new job. I also loved how much these characters literally popped off the page for me. I adored Lily, Hunter, and Ryder's family, and of course I loved Ryder (even when I was frustrated with her and her willful blindness). I loved Ryder's confidence and cheer even when faced with hard things. I also loved how she settled in and how even her best friend from home could see that New York had become a home to her and a place she loved. 

I liked that the author didn't try to change any of her characters unrealistically. Sometimes I feel like some authors try to make everything end unrealistically with everyone being converted or everyone changing who they are, but the author didn't try to force that here. The characters were presented quite honestly. Lily is who she is and she happens not to be Mormon. Ryder is who she is and is Mormon. They were honest in how they didn't understand each other or have the same values, but still accepted and respected each other. There was a natural progression and a real friendship formed and I really liked that nothing was ever pushed. There also wasn't an overly religious element to the story, so anyone who enjoys contemporary romance on the sweet side would enjoy this.

The story was fairly steady the whole way through. I did get slightly disengaged towards the middle because there wasn't any tension or chemistry or any particular pull one way or another for a little stretch. However, that didn't last very long as some twists and turns pop up. I knew who I wanted Ryder to end up with. I knew something was up, but I didn't know exactly what all was going on and how the story would arrive at where I wanted it to. I'm quite happy that it did arrive, and did so with a very sweet and fully satisfying ending.

In the end, was it what I wished for? I really enjoyed this one. The characters, setting, and twists in the story kept me reading and the ending was perfect. Overall, an very enjoyable read!

Content: An interrupted rape, but clean.

Source: I received a complimentary copy from the publisher through the tour host, which did not require a review nor affect it in any way.

Other Books by the Author

Keeping Kate Catching Lucas Riley
These are both linked to my reviews.

About the Author

Lauren Winder Farnsworth was born and raised in Salt Lake City, Utah. She is an avid reader, a chocolate enthusiast, and a CPA with a slight alternative music obsession and dreams of one day becoming a gourmet chef. She obtained bachelor’s and master’s degrees in Accounting from the University of Utah, went to work as a financial statement auditor, and then decided that since creative accounting wasn’t an option, creative writing would have to do. As a nice compromise, accountants tend to crop up in her stories (since she believes they’re shockingly under-represented in literature anyway). Having obtained two degrees from the same institution has made Lauren somewhat of a compound collegiate fan, and the only entity that holds more of her heart than the University of Utah is her hunky husband, Bryan. Lauren currently lives in South Jordan, Utah, where she spends entirely too much time watching Gilmore Girls and looking for excuses not to clean.


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