Carry Me Home by Lia Riley (Off the Map #3.1)
New Adult Novella
Released: May 5, 2015
Reviewed by Mandi
This is the first I’ve read of Lia Riley and this series – I assume Tanner and Sunny have had page time in previous books but I didn’t feel cheated or left out of their story. This is a quick novella with its ups and downs.
I started off by laughing. Sunny is having a one-night stand with some stoner guy, just to get off. She is in his race car bed and he says things like:
“Damn, girl, your belly button is fucking fresh.”
Giggle and snort. Don’t worry – it’s not the hero.
She really isn’t enjoying herself. But then someone opens the door and she sees Tanner standing in the hallway. She gets off on him watching her. Tanner and Sunny have had quite the history. They’ve known each other since they were kids, and have lusted after one another. But Tanner got involved with Sunny’s friend and feelings were hurt and communication was lost. They have a current love/hate relationship, with the emphasis on hate. They share a lot of history though and they come together in this story working through the pain of the past.
Sunny is a very “in your face” character. I’m not sure if it’s just Sunny or how the author writes in general, but she is loud. A little exhausting. Both of these characters felt young. Obviously, they are young, but it’s a new adult that I had a little bit of a harder time relating to. I’m not saying they are immature – but it’s a case of relating the characters situation to your own. I think everyone does this to some extent when they read. I love to read about unique living situations or characters that exhibit traits that are more foreign to me. To explore new situations. But with Sunny and sometimes Tanner, their story felt more chaotic. I had a hard time settling down with them. The only way I can explain it, like I said above, is that they were very loud coming off the page and that’s not my favorite way to spend time reading a book.
I also found the end to be a little over the top – I think we needed more page time to build up to the dramatic ending.
I’m not sure if this series is for me – I think this story provides a unique voice, just not a voice for me.
Rating: C
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