I'm late to the Elsie Silver train, but I'm so glad I'm here now.
I started the Chestnut Springs series this year and I'm hooked. After having Jasper in the background of the previous books, it was nice to see where he came from and how he'd gotten there. That boy was broken by his family, but fortunately he had another family take him in and make them theirs. Thank goodness for the Eatons
Powerless is Sloan and Jasper's story and they are kind of sort of not really cousins. From the moment they met each other when they were just kids, they had something between them. Well, at least Sloan did. She saw Jasper and he was it for her. But time and age and life got in the middle of everything and they went their separate ways. Jasper making a name for himself in the NHL and Sloan becoming a ballerina. But Jasper was always there for Sloan, even when Sloan didn't recognize it. When it comes time for Sloan to make a commitment she doesn't want to, Jasper (and the rest of the Eatons) are there just waiting in the wing.
I don't know how much I enjoyed the slow burn of this story because honestly, after Jasper breaks Sloan free, I just wanted them to give in to all their past feelings. Or give me the angst and sexual tension. I felt like it was just simmer below the surface as opposed to burning hot, which I would've preferred. BUT when you have a broken tortured soul like Jasper's, it takes something more. And Sloan gave it. She knew what she wanted, but had to figure out how to get it. This was the story of friends to lovers, roadtrip, forced proximity, one bed with a side of unrequited love. While it was slow to start, once these two got on the road and had nothing but one on one time to open up to each other, it built a little slow. Then when they arrived at their destination some sort of switch happened for Jasper and BAM!! We went from 0 to 100 like that. They gave in and they realized that they had always been more and they 100% deserved each other.
I enjoyed Powerless and seeing Jasper grow into the man he was meant to be and to finally accept that he needs to be seen. Not only Jasper, but Sloan as well. For her to step up to her dad and ex was a queen move. When you give yourself the power back, good things can happen. While it did take a bit to get there, it was nice to see these two improve as individuals, but also need one another.
Overall, I'm really enjoying this small town romance series. I love the texts that come at the beginning of the chapters and almost always make me laugh at loud. The whole cast of characters are fun and sexy and make the story that much more enjoyable. Powerless gave me a feeling of growth for the characters and I loved seeing them figure themselves out as individuals and as a couple. With the little taste we got at the end of Powerless, I'm really looking forward to the next book. It's going to bring that tension that I love.
Tammy D.
Nmc080915
Amy A.
Di Lynn