AUTHOR: Julie Arduini
DATE: 2016
STARS: *****
The Surrendering Time series is an entertaining yet reflective adventure to the Adirondack Mountains. Each book takes an element of time (past, present, future) and explores through flawed and humorous characters what a surrender journey looks like.
In ENTANGLED, Carla Rowling has been given her dream of attending cosmetology school. The gift is so generous she feels unworthy because of choices she made as a teen. The pressure mounts as Carla juggles school, is a single mom, helps her best friend Jenna plan her wedding, spends time with boyfriend Will Marshall, and deals with the fact that her son's father is back in their lives.
Will Marshall is the one Speculator Falls resident everyone can count on. His truck deliveries are reliable. He's the first to help friends like Ben Regan with boat work or be a card partner with Bart Davis. Will's ready to settle down with Carla, loving her is natural. He's bonded with her son, Noah. But when Carla starts cosmetology school, she puts emotional distance between her and Will.
Can Carla release her past and create a future full of highlights, or, will she burn her options worse than a bad perm?
Since I’d read the first book of this series, Entangled felt like a warm welcome from a favorite small town. I loved Speculator Falls in Entrusted¸ and it hasn’t lost any of its charm. This story takes the reader to the larger town of Gloversville, where Carla attends cosmetology school. There we are introduced to several more characters, and I enjoyed getting to know them through their interactions with our reluctant heroine. Noah’s dad, Wayne, brings some special spice to the mix with his pursuit of Carla and her resulting confusion.
Author Julie Arduini’s characters are realistic, imperfect people, and their trials and triumphs tug at the heartstrings. I thoroughly enjoyed Entangled, and for that reason, I award it five stars. I was given a copy of this book by the author in exchange for my honest opinion.