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A Turn of Fate
Nev Wakefield is happy working as a blacksmith on her sprawling ranch, until one fateful evening driving home, her past comes rushing back, literally running her off the road. Kinsley Padovano escapes to a spiritual retreat only to be nearly run down by Nev, a woman she never expected to see again. Nev and Kinsley share a history of heartbreaking loss. Twenty-five years ago, Nev’s twin and Kinsley’s best friend, Vivian, died in a plane crash, leaving Nev alone with parents too caught in their grief to notice her and spurring Kinsley toward a career as an aviation expert. Now, Kinsley’s retreat is right next door to Nev’s ranch, and they’re thrust together as undeniable attraction becomes too irresistible to ignore. Can they overcome the pain of their past to turn fate around?
254 pages, Kindle Edition
Published June 1, 2021
9 people are currently reading
93 people want to read
About the author
Ronica Black
42 books144 followersRonica Black is an award-winning author and a three-time Lambda Literary Award finalist. Her books range from romance and erotica to mystery and intrigue, and she enjoys trying her hand at all. Ronica also enjoys drawing, painting, and sculpting. She lives in Glendale, Arizona, with her partner, where she relishes a rich family life and raising a menagerie of pets.
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Displaying 1 - 25 of 25 reviews
June 13, 2021
This was the first book by Ronica Black that I read and I’m interested in reading more by her. “A Turn of Fate” was a good read, but I had some difficulties with the romance part of it, mainly because I had trouble understanding one of the main characters.
Kinsley, Nev and Viv were best friends when they were eleven until a plane crash killed Viv. Due to circumstances Nev and Kinsley did not only lose their sister and best friend, but they also lost each other. Twenty years later they meet again. The story is a tiny bit of a second chance love (they were young, but there were some feelings at play), but it’s mostly about loss and how to overcome the grief that still plagues both Nev and Kinsley. The book starts with Kinsley’s troubled situation in life, but I liked how you slowly see that in fact Nev is the one who has most difficulty getting her life together and her backstory is so incredibly sad. There are some beautiful and emotional moments during their search for their path in life.
I loved the beginning of this book, getting to know the characters and their grief, it immediately sucked me in. Sadly, the story lost its grip on me as I got further in the book, which was mainly due to Nev. I didn’t understand her actions. Nev is the strong and silent butch type, very introverted, and her defense mechanism is to shut everybody out. The story is written in third person from the POVs of Kinsley and Nev, but even with Nev’s POV I still just could get a good insight in her, it’s almost as if she also shuts the reader out. Her behavior seemed sometimes so illogical going from extremely distant and hostile to almost instant flirting like a switch was thrown and then all of the sudden the distance would come back again. I also did not understand what her animosity towards Kinsley was based on, a reason is given, but it was unconvincing to me. In the end I was not totally convinced of their HEA, despite the epilogue.
I also felt that some issues were not addressed, the most important one being the fact that Kinsley’s biggest love is flying, she even owns her own plane. Nev is still traumatized from the plane crash and can’t even listen to the radio when there is a reporting about a plane crash. It seems logical that Nev would have reservations about Kinsley’s flying, but they never talk about this, I was really expecting this to be a major issue.
The secondary characters were good especially Arthur (Nev’s adopted father) is such a sweet and stubborn man. Adrianna is a good friend with her heart at the right place, but her meddling to bring Nev and Kinsley together was sometimes a bit much.
I the end I did enjoy this book even though I had trouble connecting to the romance, the way the grief and healing is approached was well done.
I received an ARC from the publisher via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.
Kinsley, Nev and Viv were best friends when they were eleven until a plane crash killed Viv. Due to circumstances Nev and Kinsley did not only lose their sister and best friend, but they also lost each other. Twenty years later they meet again. The story is a tiny bit of a second chance love (they were young, but there were some feelings at play), but it’s mostly about loss and how to overcome the grief that still plagues both Nev and Kinsley. The book starts with Kinsley’s troubled situation in life, but I liked how you slowly see that in fact Nev is the one who has most difficulty getting her life together and her backstory is so incredibly sad. There are some beautiful and emotional moments during their search for their path in life.
I loved the beginning of this book, getting to know the characters and their grief, it immediately sucked me in. Sadly, the story lost its grip on me as I got further in the book, which was mainly due to Nev. I didn’t understand her actions. Nev is the strong and silent butch type, very introverted, and her defense mechanism is to shut everybody out. The story is written in third person from the POVs of Kinsley and Nev, but even with Nev’s POV I still just could get a good insight in her, it’s almost as if she also shuts the reader out. Her behavior seemed sometimes so illogical going from extremely distant and hostile to almost instant flirting like a switch was thrown and then all of the sudden the distance would come back again. I also did not understand what her animosity towards Kinsley was based on, a reason is given, but it was unconvincing to me. In the end I was not totally convinced of their HEA, despite the epilogue.
I also felt that some issues were not addressed, the most important one being the fact that Kinsley’s biggest love is flying, she even owns her own plane. Nev is still traumatized from the plane crash and can’t even listen to the radio when there is a reporting about a plane crash. It seems logical that Nev would have reservations about Kinsley’s flying, but they never talk about this, I was really expecting this to be a major issue.
The secondary characters were good especially Arthur (Nev’s adopted father) is such a sweet and stubborn man. Adrianna is a good friend with her heart at the right place, but her meddling to bring Nev and Kinsley together was sometimes a bit much.
I the end I did enjoy this book even though I had trouble connecting to the romance, the way the grief and healing is approached was well done.
I received an ARC from the publisher via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.
June 4, 2021
I’ve been reading several books with delicate topics in a row, I don’t know what happened.
As children, Nev, her twin sister Viv and their best friend Kinsley were inseparable. The day Viv died, Nev lost everything. Nev and Kinsley meet again as adults, by chance. Years of families blaming and badmouthing the other have raised walls of resentment and misunderstandings. Love and attraction, however, have a way of breaking even the highest walls.
Nev and Kinsley already feel the first flutters of chemistry at eleven, which isn’t easy to pull off. Ronica Black writes those first emotions with sensitivity and the promise of heat. When the two meet again not as girls but as women, these feelings come back to the surface as a hindrance, something that’s in the way of them acting in a civil manner with each other. But they’re also a fertile ground on which new feelings grow (though, while the chemistry is strong and believable, the sex scene is a bit cringey).
Both MCs are likeable and complex, even though I didn’t always find them relatable. The author has the characters find each other again at a moment in Kinsley’s life when she’s going through another very hard time and, again, feeling guilty about an accident. It temporarily breaks her but the adult she has become is strong and self-reliant. Nev hasn’t been so lucky. Not only did she lose her sister then her best friend but also her parents and she’s still coming to terms with the fact that despite being there physically, they cut her off emotionally. No wonder she’s closed off to the point of worrying her friends.
Speaking of which, I loved both Adriana and Arthur. There are other smaller secondary characters who all bring a little something to the story, but these two shine. Arthur, especially, as Nev’s mentor, an older man with Parkinson’s disease, whose wit and love for Nev can’t be subdued.
This story was a five-star for me for a while, then I’m not sure exactly what happened, it slowed down and I lost some of my enthusiasm. There are a few repetitive sentences, which make the book slightly longer than it should be and are probably responsible for the slump in tension.
Despite its premise – the death of a child –, A Fate of Turn isn’t a depressing story. There’s sadness and frustration and anger but enough hope and love to counterbalance them.
ARC provided to Les Rêveur for an honest review.
As children, Nev, her twin sister Viv and their best friend Kinsley were inseparable. The day Viv died, Nev lost everything. Nev and Kinsley meet again as adults, by chance. Years of families blaming and badmouthing the other have raised walls of resentment and misunderstandings. Love and attraction, however, have a way of breaking even the highest walls.
Nev and Kinsley already feel the first flutters of chemistry at eleven, which isn’t easy to pull off. Ronica Black writes those first emotions with sensitivity and the promise of heat. When the two meet again not as girls but as women, these feelings come back to the surface as a hindrance, something that’s in the way of them acting in a civil manner with each other. But they’re also a fertile ground on which new feelings grow (though, while the chemistry is strong and believable, the sex scene is a bit cringey).
Both MCs are likeable and complex, even though I didn’t always find them relatable. The author has the characters find each other again at a moment in Kinsley’s life when she’s going through another very hard time and, again, feeling guilty about an accident. It temporarily breaks her but the adult she has become is strong and self-reliant. Nev hasn’t been so lucky. Not only did she lose her sister then her best friend but also her parents and she’s still coming to terms with the fact that despite being there physically, they cut her off emotionally. No wonder she’s closed off to the point of worrying her friends.
Speaking of which, I loved both Adriana and Arthur. There are other smaller secondary characters who all bring a little something to the story, but these two shine. Arthur, especially, as Nev’s mentor, an older man with Parkinson’s disease, whose wit and love for Nev can’t be subdued.
This story was a five-star for me for a while, then I’m not sure exactly what happened, it slowed down and I lost some of my enthusiasm. There are a few repetitive sentences, which make the book slightly longer than it should be and are probably responsible for the slump in tension.
Despite its premise – the death of a child –, A Fate of Turn isn’t a depressing story. There’s sadness and frustration and anger but enough hope and love to counterbalance them.
ARC provided to Les Rêveur for an honest review.
May 29, 2021
I must admit I went into this one with some doubts. I’m not a real spiritual person and when a story is set, or at least partly set on a spiritual retreat my fences are way up.
This is a story about love and loss, and I would say mostly about loss and how people deal with it. When Kinsley and Nev were 11 Nev’s twin sister died in a plane crash. The past 20 years were riddled with guilt and pain for both women and their families. Kinsley became an aeronautics expert, or something, and has been working with and on planes. A recent accident brings her past back up and she decides to go on a spiritual retreat. To me this seems very out of the blue. Later on you learn more about all her other feelings that also lead her to her decision, but it doesn’t make the most sense when it happens. On her way she meets Nev, who turns out to be the neighbour of the retreat. Both are confronted with their old pain and grief, but don’t deal too well, especially Nev. Kinsley is extremely patient and understanding, I find it a bit too much actually.
I feel like I just missed a lot of the story, like there was another book that I missed (I didn’t). There just seems to be a lot of details that come up out of nowhere, but to me seem quite significant. The book has several flashbacks to when they were 11, every single time they are announced. The flashbacks didn’t bother me too much, but I think if the story would have been told in a different way I would have enjoyed it more. I enjoyed both characters and them finding their way though their own grief, it was long overdue. But there are just things that didn’t click for me, and don’t sit right with me. And surprisingly they don’t even have to do with the spiritual retreat, which was not as bad as I was expecting, it sounded rather nice actually. I find it hard to give a rating in stars, because I did enjoy it but I did have issues with it as wel. I’m going to stick it on 3…
*ARC received in exchange for a voluntary and honest review*
This is a story about love and loss, and I would say mostly about loss and how people deal with it. When Kinsley and Nev were 11 Nev’s twin sister died in a plane crash. The past 20 years were riddled with guilt and pain for both women and their families. Kinsley became an aeronautics expert, or something, and has been working with and on planes. A recent accident brings her past back up and she decides to go on a spiritual retreat. To me this seems very out of the blue. Later on you learn more about all her other feelings that also lead her to her decision, but it doesn’t make the most sense when it happens. On her way she meets Nev, who turns out to be the neighbour of the retreat. Both are confronted with their old pain and grief, but don’t deal too well, especially Nev. Kinsley is extremely patient and understanding, I find it a bit too much actually.
I feel like I just missed a lot of the story, like there was another book that I missed (I didn’t). There just seems to be a lot of details that come up out of nowhere, but to me seem quite significant. The book has several flashbacks to when they were 11, every single time they are announced. The flashbacks didn’t bother me too much, but I think if the story would have been told in a different way I would have enjoyed it more. I enjoyed both characters and them finding their way though their own grief, it was long overdue. But there are just things that didn’t click for me, and don’t sit right with me. And surprisingly they don’t even have to do with the spiritual retreat, which was not as bad as I was expecting, it sounded rather nice actually. I find it hard to give a rating in stars, because I did enjoy it but I did have issues with it as wel. I’m going to stick it on 3…
*ARC received in exchange for a voluntary and honest review*
November 12, 2021
Really loved this book - a real roller coaster that never left the rails, full of tears, fears and apologies. Totally brought into the scenario - highly recommended.
April 5, 2023
3 stars
It was relatively good, I liked the premise, but I can't say I was too impressed by the MCs communication issues. Granted, sometimes it was very realistic, but sometimes it was just annoying, because it was continuously one step forward, two steps back. Constantly back and forth. It got repetitive.
It was relatively good, I liked the premise, but I can't say I was too impressed by the MCs communication issues. Granted, sometimes it was very realistic, but sometimes it was just annoying, because it was continuously one step forward, two steps back. Constantly back and forth. It got repetitive.
June 7, 2021
Kinsley Padovano was friends with both Nev and Viv Wakefield when they were 12 yrs old They were both at home when they got word that Viv’s plane went down, she won’t be coming home again. The trip she was on was the a trip to a sports camp that both Kinsley and Viv was supposed to be on, but Kinsley had come down with a bug and was too sick to make the trip. Nev lost her twin sister and eventually her best friend Kinsley.
The problem with their friendship began when Nev’s parents started to blame Kinsley and her family for their daughter's death. Didn’t take long until the Padovano family left town leaving the situation they found their family in or so the Wakefield family thought.
Now years later Nev and Kinsley meet again when Kinsley goes to a retreat to come to terms with the way her life has become. She’d gone to college to learn what caused planes to crash. The retreat shares a border with the farm where Nev works as a blacksmith. Nev has never gotten over her twin's early death and still blamed Kinsley for the plane crash that took her sister.
Now with both characters seeing each other could they turn a page and become friends again. I would love to say this is a great read but the truth is I can’t even say it’s a good read. For me both characters were not very likeable. The supporting cast is alright but not enough to make me want to finish this book. I made it as far as the fifteenth chapter. Simply a harder read then it had to be.
ARC via NetGalley/ Bold Stroke Books
The problem with their friendship began when Nev’s parents started to blame Kinsley and her family for their daughter's death. Didn’t take long until the Padovano family left town leaving the situation they found their family in or so the Wakefield family thought.
Now years later Nev and Kinsley meet again when Kinsley goes to a retreat to come to terms with the way her life has become. She’d gone to college to learn what caused planes to crash. The retreat shares a border with the farm where Nev works as a blacksmith. Nev has never gotten over her twin's early death and still blamed Kinsley for the plane crash that took her sister.
Now with both characters seeing each other could they turn a page and become friends again. I would love to say this is a great read but the truth is I can’t even say it’s a good read. For me both characters were not very likeable. The supporting cast is alright but not enough to make me want to finish this book. I made it as far as the fifteenth chapter. Simply a harder read then it had to be.
ARC via NetGalley/ Bold Stroke Books
May 15, 2021
This book was beautifully written at times, but I had a hard time relating. Maybe it just wasn’t for me. Kinsley and Nev are childhood friends that suffer through a traumatic experience that tears them apart. They met again as adults while still struggling to overcome their past. The characters were well established and really likable, but their thought process and the resulting decisions they make just don’t make sense to me. These two give me whiplash with the way their emotions and actions seesaw. The love scene was a little cringey and some of the descriptions during sex were just awkward. On the other hand, as I mentioned previously, the characters were really likable. Their connection and love was touching and the plot was engaging. I just couldn’t latch on to the rational behind the actions.
July 3, 2021
ARC received via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.
This is sort of a second chance love story, in that the characters were childhood friends, sort of verging on understanding their feelings for each other, before a tragedy separated them.
Nevaeh (heaven spelt backward 🙄), lost her twin sister, Viv, in a plane crash at age 11, when she was coming home from camp. Kinsley was the twins BFF who had the misfortune of suggesting said camp to Viv, but not going herself. This caused friendships and working relationships between their parents to fracture and the girls eventually lose touch.
Kinsley is heading to a retreat to come to terms with another plane crash involving her cousin, (I found this to already be stretching my credulity levels), and Nev works at the ranch next door and provides horse therapy for the clients. She and Kinsley meet again and spend most of the book rehashing the past and their various reactions to it.
Nev has barely moved on, even though she has a PhD and runs her own ranch, she’s still locked in place by her grief. Her relationship with her parents is behind repair, and she’s found a father figure in Arthur, who runs the ranch with her and has Parkinson’s. Her BFF is Adrianna, who runs the ranch next door. They were both great characters, I actually liked them better than the leads. Her parents are just terrible, like, I get that they lost a child, and some people never recover from that, but I had zero sympathy for them from their portrayal here.
Kinsley is broken up about her cousin, and also still has issues around what happened with Viv. Ridiculously, Nev still partially blames Kinsley for Viv’s death, and I was glad Kinsley called her out on how stupid that was. By the time they sort through all this and actually get together (or at least have sex) we were at the 80% mark, so the end is rushed, and frankly I didn’t buy that they could get past everything and make a life together. They also didn’t really have any chemistry, so the whole thing just felt kinda meh.
This felt more like an exploration of grief than a romance. 3 stars.
This is sort of a second chance love story, in that the characters were childhood friends, sort of verging on understanding their feelings for each other, before a tragedy separated them.
Nevaeh (heaven spelt backward 🙄), lost her twin sister, Viv, in a plane crash at age 11, when she was coming home from camp. Kinsley was the twins BFF who had the misfortune of suggesting said camp to Viv, but not going herself. This caused friendships and working relationships between their parents to fracture and the girls eventually lose touch.
Kinsley is heading to a retreat to come to terms with another plane crash involving her cousin, (I found this to already be stretching my credulity levels), and Nev works at the ranch next door and provides horse therapy for the clients. She and Kinsley meet again and spend most of the book rehashing the past and their various reactions to it.
Nev has barely moved on, even though she has a PhD and runs her own ranch, she’s still locked in place by her grief. Her relationship with her parents is behind repair, and she’s found a father figure in Arthur, who runs the ranch with her and has Parkinson’s. Her BFF is Adrianna, who runs the ranch next door. They were both great characters, I actually liked them better than the leads. Her parents are just terrible, like, I get that they lost a child, and some people never recover from that, but I had zero sympathy for them from their portrayal here.
Kinsley is broken up about her cousin, and also still has issues around what happened with Viv. Ridiculously, Nev still partially blames Kinsley for Viv’s death, and I was glad Kinsley called her out on how stupid that was. By the time they sort through all this and actually get together (or at least have sex) we were at the 80% mark, so the end is rushed, and frankly I didn’t buy that they could get past everything and make a life together. They also didn’t really have any chemistry, so the whole thing just felt kinda meh.
This felt more like an exploration of grief than a romance. 3 stars.
June 16, 2021
Isn't it interesting how others can say something enough that you begin to believe it. This romance has many themes. Black does a good job combining them all together. I did enjoy reading A Turn of Fate, I am just finding a hard time putting my feelings down on paper. I can tell you this. I felt a wide range of emotion while reading it. My main one was sadness. Even though Nev Wakefield is happy now being a blacksmith, she still has lost so much. Her twin sister, her parents, best friend. She has heard blame being placed for the events that happened and she eventually begin to believe it. Kinsley Padovano has had a better upbringing than Nev but she still struggles with love and guilt from the past and the present. It just a sad story. I am happy to say that things do get better which made me feel better. Overall I thought it was good.
3.75 stars
This arc was provided by netgalley and the publisher for an honest review.
3.75 stars
This arc was provided by netgalley and the publisher for an honest review.
May 10, 2021
I really enjoyed this second chance or childhood friends romance. Nevaeh (Nev, insert eye roll for Heaven spelled backwards) Wakefield is a blacksmith and runs a ranch with rescue horses. Her horses are part of the therapy for the spiritual retreat ranch which is Nev's closest neighbor. Kinsley Padovano is an aeronautical engineer and aviation expert.
They were inseparable childhood friends until Nev's twin sister dies in a tragic accident. Their families were torn apart and the two were forbidden to see each other. When Kinsley's cousin is injured flying a plane they share she books herself into the spiritual retreat to rest and think about her life. Nev and Kinsley meet again for the first time in 20 years. Nev likes her life now but her childhood was hard with parents who never got over their grief. She blames Kinsley's family for her difficult upbringing. Kinsley chose her career based on the accident years before but she travels too much and the stress of the current crash is overwhelming.
I love when childhood friends reconnect. Both have been hurt and need healing. I like that Black takes the time to go through the steps of healing from the ranch. Yoga, journaling, meditation and working with animals are all part of the process. I also like that there is a process to the two main characters reconnecting. Kinsley is open to a relationship but doesn't know all that Nev went through with parents. There is a moment where Kinsley is hurt by Nev not talking to her but they've reached a point of understanding that she knows that is how Nev reacts when stressed. These little steps are usual in a basic romance.
I've read a couple of books in the past year by Ronica Black that were pre 2007 and I didn't love them. I am so glad I gave the author another chance. Otherwise I would have missed out on a lovely romance set in a beautiful location. Thank you NetGalley and Bold Strokes Books Inc. for an ARC ebook in exchange for an honest review.
They were inseparable childhood friends until Nev's twin sister dies in a tragic accident. Their families were torn apart and the two were forbidden to see each other. When Kinsley's cousin is injured flying a plane they share she books herself into the spiritual retreat to rest and think about her life. Nev and Kinsley meet again for the first time in 20 years. Nev likes her life now but her childhood was hard with parents who never got over their grief. She blames Kinsley's family for her difficult upbringing. Kinsley chose her career based on the accident years before but she travels too much and the stress of the current crash is overwhelming.
I love when childhood friends reconnect. Both have been hurt and need healing. I like that Black takes the time to go through the steps of healing from the ranch. Yoga, journaling, meditation and working with animals are all part of the process. I also like that there is a process to the two main characters reconnecting. Kinsley is open to a relationship but doesn't know all that Nev went through with parents. There is a moment where Kinsley is hurt by Nev not talking to her but they've reached a point of understanding that she knows that is how Nev reacts when stressed. These little steps are usual in a basic romance.
I've read a couple of books in the past year by Ronica Black that were pre 2007 and I didn't love them. I am so glad I gave the author another chance. Otherwise I would have missed out on a lovely romance set in a beautiful location. Thank you NetGalley and Bold Strokes Books Inc. for an ARC ebook in exchange for an honest review.
June 20, 2021
Very disappointing, repetitive, without substance.
December 28, 2023
I'm a sucker for a Western-set sapphic romance, and A Turn of Fate has been on my radar for a long time. I blame the cover. It's also my first Ronica Black novel. The experience was just okay, if I'm being honest. But it's about what I expected going into it.
Nev (short for Nevaeh) and Kinsley (those names--sigh) were childhood best friends, along with Nev's twin sister, Viv, until Viv's tragic death in a plane crash. They haven't seen each other in 20 years when they bump into each other in the unlikeliest place--a deserted country road not far from where New now lives. Kinsley is on her way to a spiritual retreat, which just happens to boarder Nev's property. Their reunion isn't a happy one. There's too much trauma and anger and blame between them, but they can't really avoid each other either.
The set-up of A Turn of Fate was intriguing. The execution left more to be desired. Nev is a hard character to like, but that makes sense given how her life has gone since Viv's death. I do find it strange that Nev, whose neighbor runs a therapeutic retreat center, hasn't benefited from extensive therapy to help her deal with her own trauma. Because that's essentially what Kinsley is there to do. But Kinsley is still drawn to Nev in ways that make no sense to me, but, hey, this is a romance. It all got a little bit tedious--Nev's reticence and stubbornness and complete disregard for Kinsley's feelings--and I was bored.
Kudos for the butch rep, though. I feel like I should point out when there isn't a femme-femme pairing.
2.5 stars
Nev (short for Nevaeh) and Kinsley (those names--sigh) were childhood best friends, along with Nev's twin sister, Viv, until Viv's tragic death in a plane crash. They haven't seen each other in 20 years when they bump into each other in the unlikeliest place--a deserted country road not far from where New now lives. Kinsley is on her way to a spiritual retreat, which just happens to boarder Nev's property. Their reunion isn't a happy one. There's too much trauma and anger and blame between them, but they can't really avoid each other either.
The set-up of A Turn of Fate was intriguing. The execution left more to be desired. Nev is a hard character to like, but that makes sense given how her life has gone since Viv's death. I do find it strange that Nev, whose neighbor runs a therapeutic retreat center, hasn't benefited from extensive therapy to help her deal with her own trauma. Because that's essentially what Kinsley is there to do. But Kinsley is still drawn to Nev in ways that make no sense to me, but, hey, this is a romance. It all got a little bit tedious--Nev's reticence and stubbornness and complete disregard for Kinsley's feelings--and I was bored.
Kudos for the butch rep, though. I feel like I should point out when there isn't a femme-femme pairing.
2.5 stars
January 4, 2023
Tragedy broke them apart before their budding feelings had a chance to blossom into something beautiful. I was so happy they had a second chance to finally come together.
February 18, 2022
Been a while with a Ronica Black story and what a nice reunion I had.
Childhood friends turned sour and getting reacquainted kind of story. It was an emotional book from a handful of angles but more for me with the Arthur and Nev hospital chat. An enjoyable read in general.
Childhood friends turned sour and getting reacquainted kind of story. It was an emotional book from a handful of angles but more for me with the Arthur and Nev hospital chat. An enjoyable read in general.
April 23, 2022
I really liked this one. The drama. Unusual jobs. The past abs current issues and the attraction you could feel from beginning between both characters.
October 19, 2021
For a book about loss and healing Ronica Black still managed to make the read not too heavy even though the subject matter could have easily put you in a slightly depressing mindset.
Nev and Kinsey were best friends when younger along with Nevs twin sister. After a tragedy at age 11 they lose contact and some 20 years later they coincidentally reconnect when Kinsey goes to a retreat to figure out what to do with her life.
The emotional aspect is very well written and it makes sense why both women react the way they do. It's a butch/femme trope and the connection between them can be felt. The supporting cast were lovely too, dialogue flowed easily and Ms Black has a very easy to read writing style. Some plotlines were a bit abrupt for me, for example with Nevs parents and there were some other things that didn't really work for me, but nothing big and all subjective so most likely a lot of other readers won't be bothered by it.
Well worth the read and don't get too put off about it being in a retreat..yes, there were some yoga poses, but it's really not written like a spiritual self help book.
***An ARC was provided by Netgalley in exchange for a honest review. ***
Nev and Kinsey were best friends when younger along with Nevs twin sister. After a tragedy at age 11 they lose contact and some 20 years later they coincidentally reconnect when Kinsey goes to a retreat to figure out what to do with her life.
The emotional aspect is very well written and it makes sense why both women react the way they do. It's a butch/femme trope and the connection between them can be felt. The supporting cast were lovely too, dialogue flowed easily and Ms Black has a very easy to read writing style. Some plotlines were a bit abrupt for me, for example with Nevs parents and there were some other things that didn't really work for me, but nothing big and all subjective so most likely a lot of other readers won't be bothered by it.
Well worth the read and don't get too put off about it being in a retreat..yes, there were some yoga poses, but it's really not written like a spiritual self help book.
***An ARC was provided by Netgalley in exchange for a honest review. ***
June 1, 2021
I really enjoyed this book. The setting is just fantastic, the writer described the landscape so nicely that make you want to move to the retreat already.
Healing and grieving is a very particular process and I liked it how is done here. It didn’t feel too heavy but it makes you feel for both characters deeply, when you have such an important loss at such young age it shapes you in the future as a person and it is very difficult to deal with emotions as you get older.
Overall a great slow burn romance
Healing and grieving is a very particular process and I liked it how is done here. It didn’t feel too heavy but it makes you feel for both characters deeply, when you have such an important loss at such young age it shapes you in the future as a person and it is very difficult to deal with emotions as you get older.
Overall a great slow burn romance
December 19, 2022
This is a story that takes place in a rural setting, extra points for that, starring two women who have known each other since childhood, plus extra points. A terrible accident separated them when they were about eleven years old and now when they are in their thirties, they meet again and the old scars and unfinished business take center stage. Fantastic premises to achieve a romantic and passionate story.
Nev, short for Nevaeh, which is Heaven spelled backwards, lives a little secluded on her horse farm. She has dedicated her life to recovering damaged horses and also uses them to help people who come to the nearby complex, run by a friend of hers, Adrianna, which is a kind of resort for rest and therapy.
Kinsley is a woman who is going through a complex personal and work situation and needs the calm and rest that Adrianna’s resort can provide her.
Nev and Kinsley haven't seen each other in about twenty years and when they last did they were so young they didn't have time to figure out what was happening to them with the things they were feeling. But now nothing seems to have changed, despite the pain and sorrow they suffered then. They were meant to be. Although the thing will not be easy, Nev will be hard to be convinced despite the efforts of Adrianna and Kinsley.
The story is beautiful in itself, everything around it, the suffering and the struggle to overcome more than one blow and how they now that they meet again realize what happened to them as children but also that that was for real and to last. It has been a fantastic story and really highly recommended.
Publisher Bold Strokes Books was kind enough to provide me with an advanced reading copy via Netgalley for my honest review
Nev, short for Nevaeh, which is Heaven spelled backwards, lives a little secluded on her horse farm. She has dedicated her life to recovering damaged horses and also uses them to help people who come to the nearby complex, run by a friend of hers, Adrianna, which is a kind of resort for rest and therapy.
Kinsley is a woman who is going through a complex personal and work situation and needs the calm and rest that Adrianna’s resort can provide her.
Nev and Kinsley haven't seen each other in about twenty years and when they last did they were so young they didn't have time to figure out what was happening to them with the things they were feeling. But now nothing seems to have changed, despite the pain and sorrow they suffered then. They were meant to be. Although the thing will not be easy, Nev will be hard to be convinced despite the efforts of Adrianna and Kinsley.
The story is beautiful in itself, everything around it, the suffering and the struggle to overcome more than one blow and how they now that they meet again realize what happened to them as children but also that that was for real and to last. It has been a fantastic story and really highly recommended.
Publisher Bold Strokes Books was kind enough to provide me with an advanced reading copy via Netgalley for my honest review
July 18, 2021
Oh man this is an angst-fest, but it's sweet and sexy too. If you're looking for a more polished, not-fanfic hurt/comfort kind of thing, this will definitely hit the spot.
I read this just after reading Old Love, which I felt did not do a particularly good job of focusing on the romantic potential and tension in re-meeting someone from earlier in life and forming a relationship with them. By contrast, this book did an excellent job fleshing out both the baggage and joys of shared history between the two main characters. Both were well-considered, and the cast of side characters was compelling as well.
It's really angsty though. It made me cry, which can be quite cathartic and definitely indicates a masterful ability to get me in to the headspace of the characters, but if you're looking for a light and fluffy read, save this for another day.
There are two reasons I didn't give this five stars, and those two reasons are strongly intertwined. Nev played a little too much into the 'silent, hard-to-reach cowboy' archetype for me. This might be a plus for some (archetypes in romance novels can be part of their comforting familiarity) but for me it seemed to create...character flaws? hurdles? something along those lines that I just didn't feel were necessary and bordered on a little cliche. The line between familiar and cliche is personal though, and frankly 'strong and emotionally distant' has never been my type, so this could be a plus for somebody else. Related to that, in thinking through both their past history and their early attempts at re-connecting, it mildly annoyed me that Nev made (per the narrative) all the mistakes out of the two of them. I prefer a little more push-and-pull, a bit more imperfection in both characters rather than a lopsided distribution in favor of one character or the other.
Overall, definitely a worthwhile read, great southwestern atmosphere, and heartwarming chosen family components.
I read this just after reading Old Love, which I felt did not do a particularly good job of focusing on the romantic potential and tension in re-meeting someone from earlier in life and forming a relationship with them. By contrast, this book did an excellent job fleshing out both the baggage and joys of shared history between the two main characters. Both were well-considered, and the cast of side characters was compelling as well.
It's really angsty though. It made me cry, which can be quite cathartic and definitely indicates a masterful ability to get me in to the headspace of the characters, but if you're looking for a light and fluffy read, save this for another day.
There are two reasons I didn't give this five stars, and those two reasons are strongly intertwined. Nev played a little too much into the 'silent, hard-to-reach cowboy' archetype for me. This might be a plus for some (archetypes in romance novels can be part of their comforting familiarity) but for me it seemed to create...character flaws? hurdles? something along those lines that I just didn't feel were necessary and bordered on a little cliche. The line between familiar and cliche is personal though, and frankly 'strong and emotionally distant' has never been my type, so this could be a plus for somebody else. Related to that, in thinking through both their past history and their early attempts at re-connecting, it mildly annoyed me that Nev made (per the narrative) all the mistakes out of the two of them. I prefer a little more push-and-pull, a bit more imperfection in both characters rather than a lopsided distribution in favor of one character or the other.
Overall, definitely a worthwhile read, great southwestern atmosphere, and heartwarming chosen family components.
June 22, 2021
I’m dreaming of the southwest and it’s all thanks to Ronica Black’s A Turn of Fate.
Childhood best friends Neveah (Nev) and Kinsley haven’t seen each other in 25 years, after a tragic accident leads to the death of Neveah’s twin sister Viv, and tears their families apart. When a chance meeting brings them together again, it quickly becomes clear how much the past has shaped their lives and continues to haunt them. That said, this is a love story at heart and the author strikes a good balance between healing old wounds and building their relationship.
Nev is a complex character whose resentment of Kinsley at times feels out of proportion. It isn’t until later in the novel that we learn why. I wish this would have come to light earlier, because it made it difficult for me to relate to her at first. Luckily, the author did such a smoldering portrayal of Nev’s butch cowgirl physique that I couldn’t help but root for her. My favorite sexy Nev moment is the scene where Kinsley walks in on her while she is absorbed in her welding. I mean, who can resist a sweat-slicked butch working with fire?!
Ronica Black really drew me in with her descriptions of the retreat, Nev’s ranch, and their inhabitants (both human and equine). I read to relax and A Turn of Fate helped me do just that.
If you enjoy a butch/femme romance set in a gorgeous red rock canyon with horses to boot, this one’s for you!
I was provided an ARC by NetGalley and Bold Strokes in exchange for an honest review.
Childhood best friends Neveah (Nev) and Kinsley haven’t seen each other in 25 years, after a tragic accident leads to the death of Neveah’s twin sister Viv, and tears their families apart. When a chance meeting brings them together again, it quickly becomes clear how much the past has shaped their lives and continues to haunt them. That said, this is a love story at heart and the author strikes a good balance between healing old wounds and building their relationship.
Nev is a complex character whose resentment of Kinsley at times feels out of proportion. It isn’t until later in the novel that we learn why. I wish this would have come to light earlier, because it made it difficult for me to relate to her at first. Luckily, the author did such a smoldering portrayal of Nev’s butch cowgirl physique that I couldn’t help but root for her. My favorite sexy Nev moment is the scene where Kinsley walks in on her while she is absorbed in her welding. I mean, who can resist a sweat-slicked butch working with fire?!
Ronica Black really drew me in with her descriptions of the retreat, Nev’s ranch, and their inhabitants (both human and equine). I read to relax and A Turn of Fate helped me do just that.
If you enjoy a butch/femme romance set in a gorgeous red rock canyon with horses to boot, this one’s for you!
I was provided an ARC by NetGalley and Bold Strokes in exchange for an honest review.
October 14, 2021
"A Turn of Fate" by Ronica Black is about Nev and Kinsley and the way the early death of Viv, Never's twin sister and Kinsley's best friend, has affected their lives.
Twenty years after Viv's death, Nev and Kinsley meet again and both are forced to confront their pasts. Kinsley is at a retreat to take time off from her current life and Nev is working as a blacksmith next door.
The book takes us back in time to understand the relationship and feelings between Nev and Kinsley, and follows the two in their daily lives at the retreat and on Nev's ranch. The emotional world is described convincingly and believably, and you feel for both of them throughout the book.
I would have liked that the settings had varied a bit more and that we had learned a bit more about Kinsley's passion for flying. It is an overall well written book that deals with serious issues but doesn't leave the reader depressed.
I received a copy from netgalley in exchange for a an honest review.
Twenty years after Viv's death, Nev and Kinsley meet again and both are forced to confront their pasts. Kinsley is at a retreat to take time off from her current life and Nev is working as a blacksmith next door.
The book takes us back in time to understand the relationship and feelings between Nev and Kinsley, and follows the two in their daily lives at the retreat and on Nev's ranch. The emotional world is described convincingly and believably, and you feel for both of them throughout the book.
I would have liked that the settings had varied a bit more and that we had learned a bit more about Kinsley's passion for flying. It is an overall well written book that deals with serious issues but doesn't leave the reader depressed.
I received a copy from netgalley in exchange for a an honest review.
October 26, 2021
Torn apart by strife between their families when they were 11 Nev and Kinsley are reunited by chance when Kinsley visits the retreat next door to Nev’s farm. What follows is a gentle romance and an astute observation of human nature in the aftermath of tragedy.
The major players are all interesting characters, charming in their own way, multilayered and carrying a bucket load of past. The romance as a whole is an exploration of how somebody damaged by loss and emotional neglect must face the wrongs of a childhood before they can move on.
Well written, enjoyable reading a little different from the normal lesfic romance the author has done a great job of drawing complex characters and their need for personal growth to come out from under their pasts.
The major players are all interesting characters, charming in their own way, multilayered and carrying a bucket load of past. The romance as a whole is an exploration of how somebody damaged by loss and emotional neglect must face the wrongs of a childhood before they can move on.
Well written, enjoyable reading a little different from the normal lesfic romance the author has done a great job of drawing complex characters and their need for personal growth to come out from under their pasts.
September 17, 2021
A Turn of Fate is a beautifully written story that had me hooked from page 1.
In fact it had my interest the moment I read Ronica Black's introduction, it was a heart felt moment when she said about a personal tragedy for this book, which was evident from the passion and the reflection in the story.
Nev and Kinsey are great characters, who have their struggles, and you'll find yourself rooting for them both.
Would I recommend....yes for that sweet, well written story
In fact it had my interest the moment I read Ronica Black's introduction, it was a heart felt moment when she said about a personal tragedy for this book, which was evident from the passion and the reflection in the story.
Nev and Kinsey are great characters, who have their struggles, and you'll find yourself rooting for them both.
Would I recommend....yes for that sweet, well written story
April 22, 2022
Very moving story. I read this book pretty quickly. Getting involved into main characters drama was so easy and totally understood what they were going through.
Both characters have very unusual jobs. I wish I could get into both bit more.
Both characters have very unusual jobs. I wish I could get into both bit more.
July 23, 2021
Timeless
I'm not sure if reviews have an impact but I want to say I find your style timeless. I feel as I did when reading my first one. Your stories keep getting better while remaining typical Ronica Black. I buy all your works sight unseen. I have never been disappointed. Please keep it up.
I'm not sure if reviews have an impact but I want to say I find your style timeless. I feel as I did when reading my first one. Your stories keep getting better while remaining typical Ronica Black. I buy all your works sight unseen. I have never been disappointed. Please keep it up.
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