Caged in Winter
By Brighton Walsh
Release Date: November 4, 2014
Source: Publisher
Aspiring chef Cade Maxwell is immediately, viscerally attracted to Winter Jacobson. But it’s not her mouthwatering curves he’s drawn to—it’s the strange emptiness in her eyes. When Cade saves her from a drunken customer with grabby hands, he’s shocked at her response…
Winter doesn’t need Cade’s help. After a lifetime of getting by on her own, she’s happy to rely on herself. She’s exactly seventy-six days away from graduating college, and if she can hold it together that long, she’ll finally be able to rise above the crappy hand she was dealt.
But now, every time she turns around, Cade is there, ready to push her, smile at her, distract her from her plans. Winter knows she can’t afford to open up—especially to a man she’s terrified to actually want…
Review: One look at this cover, and I knew I had to read it. Then, once I read the back cover and learned that this was a new adult where the love interest was a tattooed culinary student, I was determined to get my hands on it ASAP!
Winter Jacobson has been on her own for almost her whole life and knows how to take care of herself. Working a job with a sleazy boss and handsy customers is the least of her problems, as long as it pays the bills. So when Cade Maxwell, a culinary student determined to make his way to the top in the culinary world, sees a guy putting his hands on Winter, he immediately intervenes. Winter doesn't need a knight in shining armor and makes it perfectly clear to Cade that she can handle herself. Once graduation comes, she's planning on getting out of there and making a life for herself. But ignoring Cade isn't that easy, especially when he decides he has to get to know Winter. So used to being on her own, though, makes it hard for Winter to let anyone in, even a hot chef who just won't take no for an answer.
Going into this one, I had some pretty high expectations. I love new adult and this book has had some great initial reviews. That being said, I expected to be blown out of the water by this romance. While I did love Winter and Cade's characters, their relationship wasn't as emotional, intense, and believable as I wanted it to be. That doesn't mean that I didn't enjoy the story or their romance, I just thought it be more powerful than it was. Other than that, though, I really enjoyed this novel. And you know what I enjoyed the most? How dedicated Winter and Cade were to their classes and schoolwork. In so many new adult novels, the characters are always skipping class and never seem to have homework. As a college student myself, I get frustrated because college isn't like that and you actually have to try in your classes if you want a good GPA and a better chance of finding a job after graduation. Both Winter and Cade shared a dedication towards their schoolwork and were both determined to make a life for themselves after college, which is one of the factors that drew them to each other in the first place.
What I also enjoyed about this novel was how caring and all around sweet Cade was. He has this bad boy image with tattooed arms and a motorcycle, but he is such a sweetheart on the inside. He takes care of his sister and her daughter, and he is so protective and caring when it comes to Winter. He sees that she doesn't have anyone to take care of her and is determined to make sure she's okay. I loved how no matter how much Winter pushed him away, Cade made sure she was always safe and knew that he would be there for her. Not to mention that the guy sure knew how to cook. Can I have my own Cade to make me fancy dinners just to make me feel special??
Overall, this was a sweet and nice new adult, though not as addicting and intense as other new adult novels I've read. I loved Winter and Cade and the realistic nature of their lives as college students was definitely a plus. If you want a new adult novel with a sexy man who can cook and a girl who's determined to make it on her own, then you should definitely check out Caged in Winter!
Ohh this sounds interesting! Great review :)
ReplyDeleteThis book looks great! I may have to buy it on my Nook.
ReplyDelete