EMBRACING THE CHANGE - Kristen Ashley

4 stars

It’s always a good day when I read a new KA book! Two friends who have orbited around each other for decades finally break the seal on the tension—will their friendship and romance remain, or will they burn up in the launch?

Characters: ★★★★
Plot: ★★★
Pacing: ★★★★
Writing style: It's a KA book, so keep this in mind as her writing style is Very Dramatic and you either love it or hate it. (I love it!)

Embracing the Change is the 6th book in the River Rain series, and unlike the 5th book, Fighting the Pull, this one is definitely a series continuation and should NOT be read as a standalone.

Nora Ellington is a New York socialite enjoying her life as a divorcee with her adult children orbiting around her and her wonderful friend/family group filling her life with fun and drama. Her life is full, and she is happy.

Part of the reason Nora's life is both of those things is Jamie Oakley.

Jamie Oakley is a billionaire who's been happily married twice before and had both of those marriages end in tragedy. He's comforted his pain with his adult children, their successes, and the fact that his friend/family group is rich in love. He's happy, his life is full, and he's comfortable.

Part of the reason Jamie's life is all of those things is Nora Ellington.

Everyone in the River Rain family/friends dynamic knows about Jamie and Nora. They've been best friends and dating-without-dating for years. Their lives orbit each other and they're happiest when they're together. But neither one of them will break that final seal—you can't put the jack back in the box, after all, and both of them are too scared of losing what they have to try for something more. So they wind and wind that jack in the box tighter. And tighter.

But then Jamie kisses Nora. PING, goes the jack in the box.

Now Jamie and Nora have to deal with decades of history, deep-seated love, and reconciling with both of their problems before their foundations crumble under the strain of the "will they, won't they" cascading down around them.

Ahhhhhh, it's ALWAYS good to be back in the saddle with a KA romance. These novels have something addictive in them, folks, and long-time mutuals of mine know that I can't be stopped—if it's KA, I'm there, and I'm not leaving until I've devoured it all (and likely more than once).

The River Rain series is one that I was late to the party for, which I know is shocking based on what I just said. But I missed it when it was first released—I'd been making my way through KA's backlist and knew I'd get to this series eventually. Now I'm here, albeit with half of the playbook as I started with Fighting the Pull, and I'm having such an emotional time. This series is different for her and yet exactly the same.

The main difference is the sheer depth of the family/friend dynamics—this isn't like the Rock Chicks with one continuous line of friends getting their moment in the sun. This series is an entire blended family of multiple generations, friends, family, and others all mushing together into each book for a myriad of different set ups. It's dense! Which makes it kind of complicated, if I'm honest, and very hard for a newer reader to get into it and have a good time without making a detailed map of the family/friend tree.

However, the core of this story is the same as all KA--the romance is top-tier, the love is strong, and the sense of community and family prevailing over all gives me the warm fuzzies, every time.

Nora and Jamie's story has some bumps in the road. But not too many, and it's not that hard of a journey. They're adults, after all, and they don't have time for each other's B.S.! (A take that I loved and hated, as a person who lovesss her angst but agrees that sometimes it's not needed.)

Don't miss this latest installment. And if you're new to River Rain, start at the beginning with After the Climb!