Chasing Serenity by Kristen Ashley Blog Tour

New York Times and USA Today bestselling author Kristen Ashley brings a new novel in her River Rain series…

From a very young age, Chloe Pierce was trained to look after the ones she loved.

And she was trained by the best.

But when the man who looked after her was no longer there, Chloe is cast adrift—just as the very foundation of her life crumbled to pieces.

Then she runs into tall, lanky, unpretentious Judge Oakley, her exact opposite. She shops. He hikes. She drinks pink ladies. He drinks beer. She’s a city girl. He’s a mountain guy.

Obviously, this means they have a blowout fight upon meeting. Their second encounter doesn’t go a lot better.

Judge is loving the challenge. Chloe is everything he doesn’t want in a woman, but he can’t stop finding ways to spend time with her. He knows she’s dealing with loss and change.

He just doesn’t know how deep that goes. Or how ingrained it is for Chloe to care for those who have a place in her heart, how hard it will be to trust anyone to look after her…

And how much harder it is when it’s his turn.

 

 

Book 1
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Considering the fact he’d brought in a coffee for his buddy, Rix, who managed the store, Judge was down on the floor where Rix’s office was, not on the top floor where his was, so he saw her when she walked into the shoe section.

He’d dated Meg.

And before Meg, there was Jess.

And before Jess, there was Kimberly.

They all had different color hair, Meg and Jess were tall, Kim was not.

But even so, Judge had a type.

He knew it.

And that woman who’d strolled up to the shoe displays?

She was his type.

Multiplied by a thousand.

Christ, she was beautiful.

And bad news.

He could tell that last by the outfit, including her ridiculous, high-heeled booties.

He’d worked at River Rain Outdoor stores for nine years—starting as a sales associate when he was still going to college and advancing to director of the Kids and Trails program.

In all that time, he didn’t think he’d ever seen a woman walk into any of their stores wearing shoes like hers.

And when he came down again a half an hour later to hit Rix’s office to make some copies because the copier in the corporate offices at the top level was busted, he noticed she was still there.

He also noticed he had further evidence she was bad news.

That evidence?

The sheer number of boxes of boots that she was trying on scattered around her.

She looked like she’d not set foot on a hiking trail in her life.

And she looked like she was there because she’d already trolled through all the boutiques around the square, but this hadn’t assuaged her shopping fix, because nothing really did.

Therefore, there was a possibility, after making a member of staff bring her fifteen pairs of shoes, she’d walk out not buying anything.

She’d do this not thinking a thing of it.

However, he noted some of the boots she was trying on were riding boots, and Judge could see that round ass of hers in the saddle on top of a horse.

Wearing a riding habit.

Even if she was trouble, and he had not the slightest interest (or he was telling himself that), he couldn’t keep his eyes off her.

Because he was a moron.

That said, she caught his gaze every time.

So he was looking.

But so was she.

His instincts proved true when he came down for the third time with more to copy, and he again walked through the shoe section to get to the office in the back. Doing this close to where she was seated, still trying on boots, because, yes, in the fifteen minutes between then and now, he had not stopped being a moron.

And again, she caught his gaze.

He had no clue why, but as her gorgeous hickory brown eyes hit his, he muttered, “Nice booties.”

Her back shot straight, and she demanded, “What did you just say?”

 

 

Reviews by the Wicked Reads Review Team

Mary – ☆☆☆☆☆
I loved everything about this book, Chloe is the oldest daughter of two very famous parents. She was raised in a family filled with love, trust, and she learned to look after those she loved.

From the moment Chloe meets Judge, they argue and each time it seems they are arguing. But the more time they spend together it begins to change for them. As they spend more time together, you can see their feelings change, how they are together is almost perfect. Even Judge's dog loves Chloe.

This story is all about finding the one that makes you whole. It is fun, flirty, sad, filled with family, love, and a relationship that will last forever.

If you haven’t read a Kristen Ashley book yet, you should start with this series, After the Climb is where it all starts and I loved it too. I hope you give it a chance and you will love it too.


Ruthie – ☆☆☆☆☆
Utterly unputdownable, a Kristen Ashley classic love story with so much family drama, and complications, but fundamentally strong ties that hold firm.

So exciting to have a new series to indulge in, from a talented author. Told over a period of years, travelling backwards and forwards to give insight into what is important to the central family and Chloe in particular. I loved all the family dynamics, the way that loss and change affect the individuals and how there is resolution of rifts.

I love the locating of this story in Arizona, and bringing a new landscape and environment to the fore. It is good to pull away from the oft featured cities, and get a new view of life, even if the main characters are anything if ordinary. With Hollywood, and tennis royalty as Chloe's parents, and Judge having successful and wealthy forebears too, they make a dashing pair once they get together – but their meet-cute will have you chuckling for sure.

There are some really difficult issues in this book, there are some pertinent points made about wider cultural issues too, but at its heart is a wonderful romance, and a lot of big smile-inducing humour. Such a treat, that I did little else but read this book from cover to cover in the last 24 hours!

I cannot wait for the next installment – and am delighted at who are going to star in it, but will need a significant fix of the enlarged family clan too.


Veronica – ☆☆☆☆☆
Chasing Serenity is Kristen Ashley at her best. I was totally swept up in Chloe and Judge’s story. There is so much more to Chloe than what you see on the surface. At first, I wasn’t really taken by her but once we really got to know her, I loved her, just like everyone around her. Judge is a great guy and her banter with Judge is fabulous. I loved the way their relationship unfolded, and that Judge wasn’t afraid to make his feelings about her known. l loved that he had to work hard to win her because that made it that much sweeter. Together this couple is dynamite.

This story is about more than Judge and Chloe’s romance although that is the centerpiece. With their circle of family, they are dealing with loss, suicide, addiction, divorce, and general family drama. There is a lot of heartache and a lot of love, both romantic and familial, in both Chloe and Judge’s lives. I lost count of how many times the story brought me to tears. And Chloe’s Uncle Corey, wow, my heart broke for him and he kept making me cry.

My heart was completely wrapped up in this drama filled romance and I didn’t want it to end. Luckily, this is the first book in a new series so no doubt we will see more of Judge and Chloe. The next romance in this series is between Rix and Alex and I can’t wait to get my hands on their story, which is due out on 15 February 2022.


Shelby – ☆☆☆☆
3.5 stars

Chasing Serenity is an appropriate title for book one in the River Rain series.

Chloe Pierce is a fierce, strong, independent woman. She likes her high-end clothes, shoes, and accessories but these do not define her. The eldest daughter of two famous parents, she has always been responsible and protective of her siblings.

Judge is exactly the opposite. He's an outdoorsy guy, cares not a wit about designers, but has a heart for the environment and children's enjoyment of anything nature.

This story has depth, is emotionally charged, and contains important side characters – all of this NOT including the romance! Having said that, I was relatively bored with the story more than I enjoyed it. I felt like there wasn't any big climax, no nail-biting moments. Maybe I just had high expectations or was hoping for something else. Maybe I need to read it again at a different point in my life.

Overall, I like Chloe and Judge together. They are unstoppable and perfect for one another. My favorite interactions, though, were between the siblings/stepsiblings!

 

 

KRISTEN ASHLEY is the award-winning and New York Times bestselling author of over sixty romance novels. She’s a hybrid author, publishing titles both independently and traditionally, her books have been translated in fourteen languages and she’s sold over three million books.

Born in Gary and raised in Brownsburg, Indiana, Kristen was a fourth generation graduate of Purdue University. Since, she has lived in Denver, the West Country of England, and she now resides in Phoenix. She worked as a charity executive for eighteen years prior to beginning her writing career.

Connect with Kristen

Facebook  ~  Twitter  ~  Instagram  ~  Website  ~  Goodreads
Facebook Group: Kristen Ashley – Rock Chicks Group!

 

 

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Reviewers on the Wicked Reads Review Team were provided a free copy of Chasing Serenity (River Rain #1) by Kristen Ashley to read and review for this tour.