Author: Jo Kessel
Age Group: Adult
Genre: Contemporary Romance
Release Date: September 20, 2013
Published by: CreateSpace
Format: Ebook and Paperback
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Book Blurb:
“We got so busy living life that we forgot to live our dreams.”
Danni Lewis has been playing it safe for twenty-six years, but her sheltered existence is making her feel old ahead of time. When a sudden death plunges her into a spiral of grief, she throws caution to the wind and runs away to France in search of a new beginning.
The moment ski instructor Olivier du Pape enters her shattered world she falls hard, in more ways than one.
Their mutual desire is as powerful and seductive as the mountains around them. His dark gypsy looks and piercing blue eyes are irresistible.
Only she must resist, because he has a wife – and she’d made a pact to never get involved with a married man.
But how do you choose between keeping your word and being true to your soul?
Weak at the Knees is Jo’s debut novel in the new adult, contemporary romance genre – a story about love, loss and relationships, set between London and the heart of the French Alps.
Reviewers Note: Weak At The Knees is a Romance written by Jo Kessel. I received this eARC from the author in exchange for an honest review through Tasty Book Tours.
Love, Self Discovery and Friendships!
The Review:
“...Carpe Diem, Dan. Seize the Day...”
This is what Danni Lewis tries to do when her best friend since childhood, who she thinks of as as sister, suddenly passes away, leaving her with parting words and a bid for a promise.
“...I’m very fond of him, but I’m not sure Hugo’s the ‘one’. I don't think he’s enough for you, or could ever be or give you what you need.”and
“... you won't forget that pact we’ve always had about neither of us getting involved with or ending up with a married man, will you?”
Danni is lost when Amber dies. She’s trying to find herself, figure out who she is without her “sister”, trying to discover what a twenty-six year old woman does when she realizes life is precious and short and that she’s not accomplished even one of her goals or dreams.
Needing to get away and experience a little of the world, she applies to an advertisement for a SFS Ski Representatives at a ski resort in Montgenevre and is then accepted. After packing her bags and leaving behind her parents and her long time on again/off again boyfriend, she heads to the snowy mountains where she meets new people, makes new friends, finds a quick romance and eventually finds the one thing she promised her best friends she’d never accept into her life.
A married man.
Keeping that promise is harder than Danni realized it would be when the heart gets involved and fairy tales dont always have happy endings and love so sweet can sometimes turn sour if lies and deceit are involved.
Danni was a confused, unsettled mess. She’s in a weird spot in her life and she’s floundering. She’s also very human. Her experiences and actions are the result of everyday life. This story is about a woman who’s very much like any of us. She makes mistakes, takes chances and discovers a lot about herself and the world she lives in.
Thoughts...
The first few chapters of this book were really slow for me. There wasn’t a lot happening and there was a lot of internal monologue to get through, but it soon picked up after Danni embarks on her journey that changes everything for her. I liked the characters and I liked the story well enough. I also really liked the British lingo and the writing style.
But...
With the abrupt ending of the book, there were a lot of things that felt unresolved. Danni was trying to find herself and other than her personal life, she never really succeeded in figuring herself out. We never find out what happens to other characters that have open storylines and the last two chapters, for which the whole story has been building up to, felt a bit rushed.
The Wrap Up:
Overall, this was a nice, uncomplicated story with complicated situations. It was enjoyable and I loved the scenery and writing. The story was very ‘real’ and human and though the heroine’s decisions were questionable, it had a lot of emotion and the relationship between the leads was sweet and connectable.
Buy the Book!
GUEST POST
LESSONS I LEARNED FROM MY HERO
This is an interesting one, because my heroine Danni’s main love interest Olivier is the hero of my book and he is in many ways a flawed character. Despite being married he nonetheless starts having an affair with Danni and many readers might think there can’t be many lessons learned from someone capable of doing that. So, for starters he taught me that people shouldn’t judge. It’s very easy to pass comment on others’ actions without knowing the full truth of the situation and I think that in the past I have been guilty of judging people unfairly. The next thing he taught me is to have faith. If you trust someone and they keep insisting they will do something then you should believe them and trust your instincts, despite what other people might say. He taught me patience. Olivier is a thinker and not a man of many words, but if he says he will do something then he will. It’s just that he will do it in his own good time and in his own way. I am quite the opposite. I am impulsive and impatient. If I want something to happen I don’t want to have to wait for it and Olivier has taught me that sometimes it’s better to wait.... until the timing is right. He taught me to trust (I had to trust that everything he was doing was right, even though it seemed so wrong) and lastly, he taught me how to ski. Not literally, but when I close my eyes and watch Olivier ski he is stylish and perfect and beautiful to watch and I like to imagine that my parallel turns on the slopes look just like his! Even though I know full well that they don’t...
About the Author:
When Jo was ten years old she wrote a short story about losing a loved one. Her mother and big sister were so moved by the tale that it made them cry. Having reduced them to tears she vowed that the next time she wrote a story it would make them smile instead. Happily she succeeded and with this success grew an addiction for wanting to reach out and touch people with words. Jo lives in London with her husband and three children. She loves traveling and since becoming a mother anything even remotely sad makes her cry. She’s a sucker for a good romance and tearjerker movies are the worst. She’s that woman in the cinema, struggling to muffle audible wails as everyone else turns round to stare.
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Thank you so much for your lovely review and for featuring me and my new release Weak at the Knees on your blog today!
ReplyDeleteThanks so much for stopping by Jo! I look forward to reading more of your work and I'd be honored to host for you again! Good luck and happy success ;)
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