Along Came Jones by Linda Windsor (Review by Ashley Nikole)

First time I read this book was during my mid-teen years, and I loved it. So, for the love of going back & reminiscing about a good book (which seems rare to find- I am decidedly a media snob and I'm not even sorry about it), several years later, I picked it up & started reading again. 

The first few chapters were great- I felt the plot & character's had a good deal of potential. There were some laughs along the way with a few moments of suspense that could have lead to something amazing, but...it didn't make the cut for me this time round. 

Why? 
I couldn't identify with the character's- maybe Shep (the dude) a small handful of times, but not often. I was not compelled by Diana, her situation, or virtually anything about her. 
The plot lagged & seemed to build up, go *poof* & then kinda smack you in the face when you weren't expecting it, but not in a good way. The plot didn't feel grounded. It just...floated. 

The romance was this awkward 'I don't know you but there's all this sizzling heat when I'm around you' type of thing, but there was no real friendship to back up their unexplained feelings for each other. 
If there is going to be a romantic, or even sexual pull for two character's, I need for there to be something more than the physical side of things backing it up. So, for the MC's (main character's) to have a pull between them, but they fight a bunch, don't trust each other & won't become friends, but they are falling in love...that seems like a recipe for disaster, and it just didn't make me want to root for their relationship. It was more annoying than anything else. 

I wanted to like this book, especially when the first time I read it, I was doing a happy dance cause I thought it was so adorable and sweet. Clearly my taste's in fiction have changed and the bar has been set higher. I'm okay with that. 
If this book floats your boat, great. For me, it didn't. This is not to say that I don't like Linda Windsor's writing. On the contrary, I've read several of her books and I love them- just not this one. 

The one thing I did enjoy about this book was Shep's old-fashioned gentlemanly cowboy behaviour. When the rest of the plot wasn't irking me, I must admit, it was sweet. Apart from that, this book was just a no-go all round. 

1.5 Stars. 

Have you read this book? What was your take on it?