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Sweet and Sensuous #1
Starting Over: Rick
This is an alternate cover edition for ASIN B074CLYFR
It is orientation week at Wilder University.
Annelise Perigault has just started college and is away from home. Living on her own for the first time, she struggles to navigate the social landscape. All sorts of groups seek to draw her attention, but she is drawn to the conservative-leaning student groups for a sense of belonging. That is where she believes she will find like-minded young women, those who hope to graduate in four years with their "Mrs. Degree."
Rick Santelli has just started college as well. He is a returning student, however, after spending nearly a decade in the Coast Guard. Now serving in the Reserves, he is older than most of his freshman peers. Struggling to find his place as well, he is definitely interested in dating, but he can't believe how quickly things are developing with Annelise.
Meeting up during orientation, they will grapple with controversies that draw them closer together and create a strong foundation for a healthy long term relationship. Taking place over six years, the story shows the ups and downs of life, love, dating, and the importance of finding the right person.
Though this is a sweet and closed door romance, there are frank discussions of sexuality.
ASIN: B074CLYFR. This is a new cover edition.
It is orientation week at Wilder University.
Annelise Perigault has just started college and is away from home. Living on her own for the first time, she struggles to navigate the social landscape. All sorts of groups seek to draw her attention, but she is drawn to the conservative-leaning student groups for a sense of belonging. That is where she believes she will find like-minded young women, those who hope to graduate in four years with their "Mrs. Degree."
Rick Santelli has just started college as well. He is a returning student, however, after spending nearly a decade in the Coast Guard. Now serving in the Reserves, he is older than most of his freshman peers. Struggling to find his place as well, he is definitely interested in dating, but he can't believe how quickly things are developing with Annelise.
Meeting up during orientation, they will grapple with controversies that draw them closer together and create a strong foundation for a healthy long term relationship. Taking place over six years, the story shows the ups and downs of life, love, dating, and the importance of finding the right person.
Though this is a sweet and closed door romance, there are frank discussions of sexuality.
ASIN: B074CLYFR. This is a new cover edition.
386 pages, Kindle Edition
Published January 1, 2018
4 people are currently reading
25 people want to read
About the author
Barbara James
9 books17 followersI'm a writer of contemporary romance novels.
Blog: www.barbarajames.net
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/authorbarbar...
Twitter: https://twitter.com/BarbaraJames75
Blog: www.barbarajames.net
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/authorbarbar...
Twitter: https://twitter.com/BarbaraJames75
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Displaying 1 - 7 of 7 reviews
dnf
September 21, 2017 DNF / 21%
This was sadly not my kind of book. It looked so promising but what bothered me most were all the (in my opinion) unnecessary details. I didn’t really care about her family’s history and why Annelise was how tall and her hair a certain way. So if you’re all for the details, than this is probably a good book for you. But if you’re looking for a light and quick read, this is not it.
Apart from the overdetailed things, I didn’t like the characters. When I started the book, I didn’t know that Rick went to college to find himself a wife. He sort of knew that she would be young and I didn’t understand that because why was there like no way to find a woman in his age and why not somewhere else? Maybe it’s explained farther into the book and I’m sure all those details will make more sense when you read the whole book but as the story couldn’t hold my attention, I didn’t see any point in reading it just for the sake of getting through. I had to stop already at about 21% in but I keep the book in mind and who knows, maybe I’ll go back to it again at some point. I keep thinking that maybe I was just not in the right mindset for it yet or I was just really not the right kind of reader for it.
Maybe I’m too closed off for certain things regarding marriage because of personal matters and this could have played a part in me not getting into this story quite as I’d have liked.
I’m sure there’s more to this story than the marriage thing but like I said, my mind kept drifting away during this read and if I can’t read a book properly I have to put it down; even if it’s just for a while.
So, if you’re more open-minded than I am (although I like to think that I am to some degree) and really like the blurb, then I'd say, go for it. Check out the book and see for yourself if you like it because although I couldn’t yet finish it, it was definitely not badly written. I guess it’s just a matter of personal taste and opinions.
(I didn’t rate this book because I think it’s not fair to rate the whole book when I’ve just read 21%.)
-- I received a copy of this book from the author in exchange for an honest review. --
This was sadly not my kind of book. It looked so promising but what bothered me most were all the (in my opinion) unnecessary details. I didn’t really care about her family’s history and why Annelise was how tall and her hair a certain way. So if you’re all for the details, than this is probably a good book for you. But if you’re looking for a light and quick read, this is not it.
Apart from the overdetailed things, I didn’t like the characters. When I started the book, I didn’t know that Rick went to college to find himself a wife. He sort of knew that she would be young and I didn’t understand that because why was there like no way to find a woman in his age and why not somewhere else? Maybe it’s explained farther into the book and I’m sure all those details will make more sense when you read the whole book but as the story couldn’t hold my attention, I didn’t see any point in reading it just for the sake of getting through. I had to stop already at about 21% in but I keep the book in mind and who knows, maybe I’ll go back to it again at some point. I keep thinking that maybe I was just not in the right mindset for it yet or I was just really not the right kind of reader for it.
Maybe I’m too closed off for certain things regarding marriage because of personal matters and this could have played a part in me not getting into this story quite as I’d have liked.
I’m sure there’s more to this story than the marriage thing but like I said, my mind kept drifting away during this read and if I can’t read a book properly I have to put it down; even if it’s just for a while.
So, if you’re more open-minded than I am (although I like to think that I am to some degree) and really like the blurb, then I'd say, go for it. Check out the book and see for yourself if you like it because although I couldn’t yet finish it, it was definitely not badly written. I guess it’s just a matter of personal taste and opinions.
(I didn’t rate this book because I think it’s not fair to rate the whole book when I’ve just read 21%.)
-- I received a copy of this book from the author in exchange for an honest review. --
May 22, 2018
This book was difficult to read. It reads like an essay with no passion, no fire. It's very clinical and dry. Race and religion were mentioned often, but the race aspect didn't really lend much to the story. It is slightly religious in nature, but it was mentioned more than shown by any actions. There was a lot of narrating and very little doing in all aspects of this book.
September 15, 2017
Starting Over: Rick by Barbara James is sweet savvy romance novel for anyone to read including young men. At first glance, you get a blooming love story. You get a romance novel. When you dive in deeper into the themes of the book, it is not all a romance story.
It divulges a “how to” approach for young women who want to start a marriage early in their education and careers. Go deeper into the scenes and the drama of campus, you find the inner working of the author's knowledge of feminisms that her character uses to navigate her way in the world. It makes us look at how a woman of color can over come the challenges of race, sexism, and still find protection within feminisms of her life. It shows us that a woman can still be a feminist and have protection of a man without having a male be a dominating force in her life. While presenting these challenges that the characters must face to embark in a marriage, it hits on cutting edge issues and politics in feminism.
Marriage is a hot topic in feminism-it always has been. Looking at this novel in the anniversary of Loving v. Virginia, it is not less than 60 some years ago that interracial marriage was allowed. Women of color and white men were not allowed to marry. Realizing how this might not have happened if we did not have Loving v. Virginia, it makes this book all the more relevant for women of color to read and understand that they can have marriage and love. Annelise and Rick's love story remind of us goodness that comes about in a post racial world. It serves as a testament to that. In the end, and overall, it's a book of romance, feminist politics, racial issues, and provides that “how to” for every woman to pick up on who wants a marriage. That's what I felt this author wants us to see and use.
It divulges a “how to” approach for young women who want to start a marriage early in their education and careers. Go deeper into the scenes and the drama of campus, you find the inner working of the author's knowledge of feminisms that her character uses to navigate her way in the world. It makes us look at how a woman of color can over come the challenges of race, sexism, and still find protection within feminisms of her life. It shows us that a woman can still be a feminist and have protection of a man without having a male be a dominating force in her life. While presenting these challenges that the characters must face to embark in a marriage, it hits on cutting edge issues and politics in feminism.
Marriage is a hot topic in feminism-it always has been. Looking at this novel in the anniversary of Loving v. Virginia, it is not less than 60 some years ago that interracial marriage was allowed. Women of color and white men were not allowed to marry. Realizing how this might not have happened if we did not have Loving v. Virginia, it makes this book all the more relevant for women of color to read and understand that they can have marriage and love. Annelise and Rick's love story remind of us goodness that comes about in a post racial world. It serves as a testament to that. In the end, and overall, it's a book of romance, feminist politics, racial issues, and provides that “how to” for every woman to pick up on who wants a marriage. That's what I felt this author wants us to see and use.
September 14, 2017
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Review: I have some mixed feelings about this novel, but for the most part I really enjoyed it. The plot is fairly unique in relation to other contemporary romances in that readers get to know a ton of details about each character prior to the development of their intimate relationship. I think Barbara provided her readers with a socially mature story that showed particular culture, racial, and religious perspectives. However, the aspect that I found somewhat dry is the writing of the characters' stories. Specifically in the beginning, readers are confronted with mass amounts of details about the characters and their lives. However, there was very minimal dialogue, even after Rick and Annelise met, the story progressed through scene and character description instead of dialogue between the two. I liked reading about their relationship and how it developed, but I think if there was more verbal exchanges between the two, the development would feel more meaningful. That being said, I think both characters were well thought out and well developed individually. The editing of this book is seriously on point. I did not come across any typos or grammatical errors, which is incredibly refreshing. Overall, I liked this book a lot for a sweet weekend read despite my issues with the writing of the characters.
Recommendation: I recommend this to anyone who is interested in a romance novel that sheds light on various cultures and how people of different pasts and experiences can come together.
Review: I have some mixed feelings about this novel, but for the most part I really enjoyed it. The plot is fairly unique in relation to other contemporary romances in that readers get to know a ton of details about each character prior to the development of their intimate relationship. I think Barbara provided her readers with a socially mature story that showed particular culture, racial, and religious perspectives. However, the aspect that I found somewhat dry is the writing of the characters' stories. Specifically in the beginning, readers are confronted with mass amounts of details about the characters and their lives. However, there was very minimal dialogue, even after Rick and Annelise met, the story progressed through scene and character description instead of dialogue between the two. I liked reading about their relationship and how it developed, but I think if there was more verbal exchanges between the two, the development would feel more meaningful. That being said, I think both characters were well thought out and well developed individually. The editing of this book is seriously on point. I did not come across any typos or grammatical errors, which is incredibly refreshing. Overall, I liked this book a lot for a sweet weekend read despite my issues with the writing of the characters.
Recommendation: I recommend this to anyone who is interested in a romance novel that sheds light on various cultures and how people of different pasts and experiences can come together.
September 25, 2017
It was a little difficult read for me, because I felt both the themes and the characters of the book very distant from my world. I'm italian and the reference to the Ecumenical Church were completely lost to me, I don't know it, and we in Italy are very Catholic centric, so we know almost only this religion. We are raised to it, it's a part of us, but not as present as the Ecumenic church was for the protagonist, so to me, that fact was a little strange, as the reference to a conservative feminism. For me conservative is a thing, and feminism another very different thing. So it can't exist a conservative feminism. I suppose that what I intend for feminism as a movement, what historically we had in Italy in the 60' was not what the author intended in the book, so also this fact was totally lost to me.
Thay said, even if some things were lost to me, the love story between the main chacters was very sweet and easy and had the right speed. Not too slow, not too fast. And very realistic, in the details. We get to know the characters, and what they want in their life early in the book, a really refreshing thing. Here we hacve a man and a girl who finally knows what they want. Great. I'm so tired of characters that are always confuse, always misunderstood.
Both the prtagonist here are also very direct and sincere, another rare thing in a novel.
I liked the love story and the chacters, and I'm sure that had I been more knowledgeable about the context I would like it even more.
Thay said, even if some things were lost to me, the love story between the main chacters was very sweet and easy and had the right speed. Not too slow, not too fast. And very realistic, in the details. We get to know the characters, and what they want in their life early in the book, a really refreshing thing. Here we hacve a man and a girl who finally knows what they want. Great. I'm so tired of characters that are always confuse, always misunderstood.
Both the prtagonist here are also very direct and sincere, another rare thing in a novel.
I liked the love story and the chacters, and I'm sure that had I been more knowledgeable about the context I would like it even more.
December 9, 2018
The umbrella of Contemporary Romance is a large one and allows for many views and stories to be told. Starting Over: Rick is clean (no open door sex scenes) and relatively sweet (there are no real hurdles for the couple and no drama). Rick, an older man who goes back to college to find a wife, meets younger Annelise through a religious program because he would like to be with someone who shares his same values and we follow their story as it unfolds. I’m sure a romance with these ideals has a following and if that’s your jam, this is the story for you.
August 13, 2017
This is a must read! From blending cultures and races to feminist issues from different perspectives, this love story is a lesson in true modern romance. I would recommend this book to every female, especially young ones who could learn from the values and sentiments. Well-written, well-crafted, and perfectly executed.
Displaying 1 - 7 of 7 reviews