Good Afternoon Everyone and welcome. Lately I have been catching up with my book reviews from books I read earlier this year. Today I am presenting my review for MA Binfield‘s ‘One Small Step.’
The story takes place in London in December. There are a group of women who are bonded by one activity forming a sisterhood. The protagonists are Iris and Cameron aka Cam. It is told from two points of view and is in the third person POV.
Iris is a local woman who is freshly back from an out-of-the country work assignment. In the past she has been hurt and tends to shy away from love. Deep inside is a fire waiting to be tamed. Iris fills her days with work although she can be social at times. There is an attraction to her that is addicting. I can clearly see how uncomfortable Iris is when talking about herself.
Cam is an American woman who is engaged to a man who doesn’t deserve her. She works at the same place as Iris. Cam has a sweet heart and wants to have friends; she is a bit of a loner. Underneath she is miserable but doesn’t know the way out. She comes off as stiff during certain parts of the book and you’ll find out why when you read it. I like this character because she is sweet.
A couple of secondary characters need to be mentioned. Jess is a big mouth who has nothing but bad things to say about Iris. She was so inconsiderate at times and got on my nerves. However it created great drama between she and Iris and the scenes are priceless.
There is another secondary player who got under my skin. They are grimy and frugal with a heartless personality. I cringed each time they were in a scene. It made for some good drama with Iris. However I was glad when the scenes ended as this person is atrocious.
Here are a few things I liked about the story:
The women played football. I got an insider look into what goes on behind the scenes. And then the author took us to a live game. It was magical.
The vibe the British pub had. It gave me a cozy feeling and I could imagine being there right with the players.
The characters enjoy poetry and often go to poetry slams. This added a nice angle to their personalities.
I loved the interactions the protagonists had with the other players. Then there was tension when a blast from the past came to haunt someone. I had chills going down my spine with this one.
On the other hand, the romance scenes, although are hot, are also graphic. The chemistry between the protagonists will zing you.
The pace of the story is moderate and is a fun read. I feel the characters are well developed. Also, I can see things from their points of view. This book is perfect for a cozy weekend in front of the fireplace. I am recommending it to everyone.
Here is an Excerpt from ‘One Small Step.’
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Cam watched Iris in the doorway, aware of only that spot in the entire room. A woman of similar build to Iris, but with a fairer complexion and blond hair, had her arm around Iris’s waist. Iris said something into the woman’s ear, and the woman threw her head back and laughed. Cam felt a knot tighten in her stomach, and the feeling was accompanied by a rising sense of panic that told her, without words, that she shouldn’t be feeling like this.
Ryan had stood up and was leaning over her. Cam tried to focus on what he was saying, tearing her eyes away from Iris and her “friend,” the word heavy with speech marks even in her own mind.
“What do you want to drink? I can’t seem to get the waiter’s attention and I want to get started.” Cam could tell Ryan was in the mood to drink, ready to party amongst all these people.
“Dry white wine.” Cam managed to say the words. Ryan set off for the bar alongside the west wall of the massive dining room. Her gaze returned to the doorway, but she could no longer see Iris and her companion. She scanned the room. Iris was walking with the woman toward a table near the edge of the roped off dance floor. For a horrible moment, Cam thought she was going to sit with her date at that table, that Cam wouldn’t be able to talk to her all night. She couldn’t decide if that was worse than sharing the evening with Iris and whoever the hell that woman was, especially if they were going to be as loved up as their display in the doorway had suggested.
Cam chided herself. She had no right to feel resentful, no right at all, but she just couldn’t believe that Iris would bring a date— someone she already seemed close to— without first mentioning it to her. They were friends, weren’t they? They talked about stuff. Why wouldn’t Iris mention that she was dating? She wasn’t being honest with herself. Cam wasn’t just upset that Iris hadn’t mentioned it, she was upset about the fact that Iris had a date at all. She shook her head to shake some sense into herself and stopped as she felt Ryan’s presence next to her.
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Click here to Purchase One Small Step
I want to thank MA Binfield for being our guest tonight. Also thank you all for visiting. Be sure to stop by in the next few weeks for more book reviews and author guest blogs. If you are interested in being a guest on this blog, click the link below:
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Until Next Time,
Lynn
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