Until It Fades

CONTEMPORARY ROMANCE

Title: Until It Fades
Author: K.A. Tucker
Publication date: 06/27/2017
Publisher: Atria Books
Kindle Unlimited: No
Cliffhanger: No
Rating: 5 out of 5

Amazon blurb
Twenty-four-year-old truck stop waitress and single mother Catherine Wright has simple goals: to give her five-year-old daughter a happy life and to never again be the talk of the town in Balsam, Pennsylvania (population three thousand outside of tourist season).
 
And then one foggy night, on a lonely road back from another failed date, Catherine saves a man’s life.

​It isn’t until after the police have arrived that Catherine realizes exactly who it is she has rescued: Brett Madden, hockey icon and media darling.
 
Catherine has already had her fifteen minutes of fame and the last thing she wants is to have her past dragged back into the spotlight, only this time on a national stage. So she hides her identity. It works. For a time.
 
But when she finds the man she saved standing on her doorstep, desperate to thank her, all that changes. There’s an immediate connection, and it’s more electric than the bond of two people who endured a traumatic event. It’s something neither of them expected. Something that Catherine isn’t sure she can handle; something she is afraid to trust.
 
Because how long can an extraordinary man like Brett be interested in an ordinary woman like Catherine...before the spark fades?

My Review
This book might surprise fans of KA Tucker. Usually her books are either high angst, or high suspense. This one wasn’t like that at all. This book was a sweet, warm, slow-burn romance with tons of feels. Overall, it was a WONDERFUL surprise.

Typically, I like my romance novels to move along at a snappy pace. I generally expect the hero and heroine to meet in the first chapter and for there to be lots of action (nothing dirty...not necessarily, anyway) right away. The pacing of this novel was much, much slower than I usually care for, but it worked really well nonetheless. The slow pacing served to let me get to know Catherine, who was a GREAT heroine.

Catherine isn’t perfect. She made some dumb mistakes in her teen years and she was definitely proud to the point of stubbornness, (Note to Catherine: if a rich dude is responsible for the destruction of your car, let him buy you a new one. That doesn’t count as charity) but she’s a hard worker and a devoted mom. She was SUPER easy to root for because she was so relatable and so...real. I truly enjoyed the fact that though she’d been let down by men and she was understandably gun-shy, she didn’t let that destroy her. She was still open to the possibility of love and a life with Brett.
​

“I want the happily ever after. Even if I’m having a hard time allowing myself to believe it can exist.”

Brett was damn near a fairy tale hero. He was patient and charming and down-to-earth (which is surprising, as he’s a rich dude, a celebrity AND a super-talented athlete). The scenes where he interacted with Catherine’s daughter were adorable and swoon-inducing.

I will warn y’all that if you’re looking for a hot and sexy read, this one might not be for you. There’s a ton of sexual tension once Catherine and Brett meet, but their relationship is pretty much non-existent until the later part of the book. I enjoyed the slow burn, but if you’re looking for instant gratification, you might be disappointed here. (Your loss, though.)

Overall, this one is sweet and delightful, totally a “comfort” read that fans of Cinderella stories will simply adore.  

(And a quick aside to the author: I would 1-click the crap out of Keith’s story, should you choose to write it!)

Full disclosure: We received an ARC from the publisher via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.    

Does this book contribute to or help crush the romance stigma?
Crushes it. This one is clean and sober. No rehab needed.  

Other reading suggestions
You’re in luck! We have an entire list of slow-burn reads that you’ll love. Check ‘em out here!

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