ABOUT THE BOOK
Valentine Sherwood is trapped. For years she’s been working the same job at a shabby diner, while her friends moved on and the town shrank around her. When a mysterious troublemaker with an eyepatch and a checkered past comes to town, he offers her a game: come up with a series of dares for each other to get them to take risks, leave routine behind, and ultimately change their lives for the better. But can Valentine find the courage to take a risk after so many years of playing it safe? And what if what she’s risking is her own heart?
MY REVIEW
There is so much I love about this book with its unique and unconventional characters dealing with loneliness and pain.
This story is told from Valentine “Val” Sherwood’s point of view about a young girl working her life away as a waitress for a creepy boss. Despite her personal struggles, she remains strong for her mother who is ill, and the bills that need to be paid. Luckily, she has a supportive group of work buddies who share her disdain for their boss. As the story unfolds, the reader witnesses Valentine’s personal growth as a grumpy and mysterious stranger challenges her. However, Valentine begins to take charge of her life with newfound confidence and determination to better herself.
Val is a strong, hardworking young woman who has every right to be unhappy and a little cranky. So when the prickly and peculiar stranger, Captain Brownbeard, aka Ulysses Nock, starts to push her buttons, it’s game on. When Val and Ulysses get to know each other, it’s enjoyable to watch them help each other be better people.
Ms. LaMonte’s characters are unusual and fascinating. It’s nice to read about an atypical MMC who is not the perfect pretty boy with lots of money and fancy cars. Ulysses is a thoughtful and unsettling enigma who is doing the best he can after an awful accident, and it was fun to see him and Val grow together and follow their dreams.
This satisfying gem of a book is a must-read for anyone looking for love in the strangest of places. Give this book a try.
Thank you to Ms. LaMonte for giving me the opportunity to read this book with no expectation of a positive review.
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ABOUT THE AUTHOR
AM LaMonte has been in love with stories for as long as she can remember, but began writing in earnest in 2021. Since then she has written and published several books and is building her business from the ground up. Currently located in California, she has worn a lot of hats and worked a lot of jobs including cashier, waitress, food blogger, preschool teacher, and baker—not to mention her all-important stint as a volunteer kitty-petter at the local Humane Society!
She is interested in travel, language, literature, and history, and enjoys reading and writing in between caring for three small humans, two guinea pigs, and numerous houseplants. She is a huge fan of happy endings, mild peril, love stories of all types, and complicated heroes who make the right choice in the end.
Follow AM on her website, Twitter, Instagram, and Goodreads.
