Publisher: Atria Books
Release Date: July 7, 2015
Source: Publisher via NetGalley
Format: E-galley, 336 pages
Genre: New Adult, Contemporary
Armed with two years' worth of savings and the need to experience life outside the bubble of her Oregon small town, twenty-five-year old Amber Welles is prepared for anything. Except dying in Dublin. Had it not been for the bravery of a stranger, she might have. But he takes off before she has the chance to offer her gratitude.
Twenty-four-year-old River Delaney is rattled. No one was supposed to get hurt. But then that American tourist showed up. He couldn't let her die, but he also couldn't risk being identified at the scene—so, he ran. Back to his everyday life of running his family’s pub. Only, everyday life is getting more and more complicated, thanks to his brother, Aengus, and his criminal associations. When the American girl tracks River down, he quickly realizes how much he likes her, how wrong she is for him. And how dangerous it is to have her around. Chasing her off would be the smart move.
Maybe it's because he saved her life, or maybe it's because he's completely different from everything she's left behind, but Amber finds herself chasing after River Delaney. Amber isn’t the kind of girl to chase after anyone.
And River isn't the kind of guy she'd want to catch.
Chasing River is the THIRD installment in the Burying Water series. The interesting fact about the Burying Water series is that it has a beginning and a happy ending. BUT, Tucker doesn't walk away from her previous characters she's already introduced. Jesse, Alex, Luke, and Gabe are all involved if only in mentions. Tucker takes a step away from Oregon this time out, and travels to Ireland. 25-year old Amber Welles was first introduced to readers of this series in Burying Water as the daughter of Sheriff Gabe Welles, and twin sister to Jesse Welles. But, she has remained mostly in the background ever since along with her mother.
Working hard as a Nurse, Amber saved every penny over TWO years to experience the journey of a lifetime. Ireland happens to be Amber's second stop on her around the world tour and where her entire world gets turned upside down in a matter of moments. Right out of the gate, Amber is running to catch a scheduled bus tour when a young man saves her life from a bomb and runs off before the Gardaí (police) arrive. Amber decides to do some chasing of her own, and tracks down the man who saved her life, 24-year old River Delaney. Amber is definitely not like Jesse in that she doesn't easily take risks.
She plans and thinks things out, and then makes decisions. I do like that Amber gets an awakening of sorts that her father and brother aren't who she thought they were. I like how Tucker didn't make things easy for Amber. Things in life aren't easy either. Amber's growth and final choices will, I think, surprise you. You have to admit that ANYONE strong enough to travel alone across the world, is a brave young lady.
River is an interesting character all his own. Tied to the IRA by blood, incarcerated for doing something stupid, he's tried really hard not to follow in his older brothers footsteps. Being the middle child, River is supposed to take over his family owned pub while his younger brother Rowen attends college. River struggles to stay on the straight and narrow with the Gardaí watching his every move. River isn't an easy character to describe at times. His decision to save Amber kind of turns things around for him in many ways. He's always been one of those guys who doesn't have to chase women around. They come to him. Life is full of complications, so why would any relationship between Amber and River be easy?
Story ends up being part history lesson about Ireland, the Irish Republican Army, the Potato Famine, and a cat and mouse romance between Amber and River. There's nothing easy about the romance between Amber and River. Amber has her very own bucket list, while River has some major responsibilities. Will they be able to keep up a long distance relationship, or will one of them be forced to move away from their home? I do like the secondary characters like Rowen, River's parents Marion and Seamus, and River's story about the Potato famine. I liked that Amber's father Gabe cares enough about her to travel 4,000 miles to ensure she's okay. Not a whole lot of families are able to do that.
It's interesting how Tucker gives readers a sneak peek at the next character in her series to be featured. So, say hello to Ivy, the tattoo artist who is half Chinese and half Spanish, and someone Amber would have never thought to hang around if it weren't for her "sister-in-law" Alex. I do like that Tucker does this. I like that Amber and Ivy have absolutely nothing in common, but they can find commonality if they just spend 5 minutes talking things out.
Next Book in Series: Surviving Ice, October 2015.
**I received this book for free from (Atria Books) via (NetGalley) in exchange for an honest review. This does not affect my opinion of the book or the content of my review.**
Previous Books in Series
I don't know why I ignored this the first time it came out. I guess coz the covers and the author are very NA and I avoid that genre like the plague! lol
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