Friday, February 13, 2015

Book Review: Intertwine by Nichole Van

Title: Intertwine (House of Oak #1)
Author: Nichole Van
Enjoyment Rating: ****
Source: Digital Copy
Content Alert: A clean romance

Emme goes to England in the summer of 2012 do to research on her doctoral dissertation, but she's also on the lookout for a man. Not just any man, but the one whose picture she found in a locket at an estate sale years ago and to whom she feels a cosmic connection. The problem is that picture looks so old that the guy is undoubtedly ancient or even dead by now. And then, it happens. One minute she's at the cottage she's rented for the summer, and the next she has been transported to 1812, where James, the master of the house into which she stumbles, looks suspiciously like the man in her locket.

I was super skeptical when I started reading Intertwine. When I'm trying to read a lot of books in a short amount of time, I give the books the 50-page test (meaning that if I don't like the first 50 pages, I will start skimming). Intertwine was a book that almost didn't pass my 50-page rule. It has a bit of a slow start, and Emme seems more crazy than quirky before she ends up in 1812, but wow, I'm glad I persevered. This was far and away the best of the romances I've read this year. Emme and James were fully rounded characters. Van's writing is fantastic, but I really loved that Van was able to sidestep the "modern heroine in a historical romance" problem that chronically plagues historical romances by really making the heroine a modern girl. I loved the internal dialogue Emme had with herself, the things snarky Emme said when she was adapting to life in 1812. Van does a nice job creating a compelling plot which showcases the characters. All in all, a really fun read.

1 comment:

Hildie said...

Nicole Van is a really great professional photographer too, by the way. She has several online courses that she offers and they're great! I've taken several.

She has her book for sale on her website and I was like, "yeah, right, whatever". But I'll have to check it out!