I was lucky enough to meet my birthday buddy, K.K. Allen, in February at Holidays with the Belles in Dallas. At the time I still hadn’t read any of K.K’s books yet, despite her sitting on my TBR list for over two years (sorry!). After meeting and LOVING her, I figured it was time to get it in gear. I really want to read Up in the Treehouse and even got a copy signed by her, but I decided I would change things up and start with her most recent release, Waterfall Effect, first.
I don’t know about you guys, but I can’t get over the cover for this book. It deserves to be framed! I know everyone tells us not to judge books by their covers, but it’s genius to wrap books in a gorgeous outer shell. It’s the first thing readers see, and like moths to a flame, we can’t help but be drawn to something so gorgeous. Smart move, K.K.
Lucky for readers, this book isn’t just beautiful on the outside.
Waterfall Effect was a mash-up of so many things I love in a novel: a great setting, vivid descriptions of nature, a second-chance romance, romantic suspense and more. All of these elements were effortlessly added together to create an exciting and one-of-a-kind story. Aurora June was one of seven women in a string of disappearances in her small North Carolina town, and the only one to make it out alive. Unfortunately for her, she can’t remember all of the details surrounding her own disappearance. After seven years away in Durham, North Carolina, Aurora decides to venture back to her small town and her father’s cottage for a fresh start. When she gets back, she comes face to face with her past, in the form of Jaxon Mills. The only boy who ever truly held her heart…and shattered it.
The chemistry and tension between Jaxon and Aurora was everything and more. I felt the blood rushing to my cheeks with each interaction between these two. I couldn’t get enough of the suspense and anguish of their relationship, along with the mystery of the past mixed in. The brokenness and, at times, the darkness of the characters was done in the way I hope for. It wasn’t overbearing, it wasn’t hard to read, and it didn’t bring me down. I simply wanted to know more!
Though I couldn’t read this one quite as fast as I wanted or hoped to because life was beckoning, I would find my thoughts turning back to the story during my breaks. Sometimes I don’t realize how much I truly love a book until days after I finish and catch my thoughts drifting back to the characters, setting, or story. I still remember the characters names, something that rarely happens when I put a book down, and I keep imagining the scenery the words helped create pictures of in my mind.
K.K. Allen won me over, not only in person but with her incredible storytelling as well. I can’t wait to start Up in the Treehouse this month. I have heard nothing but rave reviews for years and can’t wait to hopefully add my own to the mix!
Ashes Books & Bobs 