3 Star Review: The Hookup by Kristen Ashley

Sunday 7 January 2018

The Hookup (Moonlight and Motor Oil, #1)

The Hookup by Kristen Ashley
My rating: 3 of 5 stars

(Audio Book Review)

This book has left me with mixed feelings.

I appreciate this book is called The Hookup and the premise is in the title but for me, a book which starts with a sex scene is something that I generally loathe. I need to get to know my characters before getting to know them intimately if you know what I mean. Despite my initial reservations though, I did find myself connecting with the main characters relatively quickly. Both Johnny and Izzy have troubled pasts but find themselves coming together, literally and figuratively, unexpectedly having met in a bar.

Izzy is new in town, having escaped her ex, and now enjoying a rural lifestyle, she is trying to find her feet within her new existence. With a domestic menagerie living under the same roof as her, Izzy works hard to enjoy what she has created for herself and that's a sweet, country home.

Johnny runs the local garages and having been burned in love before, isn't looking for anything more than a one night stand, that is until he meets Izzy and despite only spending a few short hours getting to know each other before ending up in bed, it's clear that he has no intention of letting her go without a fight. Izzy doesn't know how to deal with Johnny's plans for her and Izzy's head is spinning but she is more than happy just to enjoy whatever time she has with him before he tires of her.

The story and their relationship progress with each getting to know the other and trying to combine their lifestyles and work commitments. Johnny is a dream though and being a horse owner myself, I would love someone to come into my life and to be more than happy to take care of my beasties without being asked!

The side characters are also as equally enjoyable but especially Izzy's sister, who comes to stay with her, and also Johnny's brother, Toby. Thankfully, Adeline brings her baby son with her and he adds some fun times and drama to the story.

For me, this story was spoilt by its sweet nature and all too frequent sex scenes though. There was a serious lack of drama in the storyline, apart from towards the end of the book. The story was slow to develop and at times, dare I say it, slightly boring. I feel this is always the downside of insta-love stories because there is no slow building relationship, something that this author is well-known for.

The other downside to this book, for me, was the inclusion of a male narrator. KA always uses females and I am a particular fan of Stella Bloom but her magical performance was overshadowed by an overly enthusiastic Lance Greenfield who over-played his part of the narration, on this occasion.

I do still love this author's writing though and whilst this is probably my least favourite story of hers to date, I will read/listen on with the series which overall left me with a warm feeling and endless hope for more of what we come to expect from KA in future books.

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