A Romance Review: Hey Jude

Friends, Hannah Brixton is someone you need to start following on Instagram right now! (And on TikTok because I assume she’s even funnier there.) I look forward to Brixton’s take on all kinds of topics, and I especially enjoy her “DMs I sent this week with zero context” posts. Trust me, follow her. You will not be disappointed. And so that’s how I ended up buying her book Hey Jude. I thought if I liked her this much as a person, I’d love her characters even more.

Olena is looking for a fresh start in her hometown. She has amazing roommates and a fabulous best friend, so she just needs to sort out her career–the one she left behind in Seattle when she moved to escape her toxic ex-boyfriend. What Olena doesn’t expect is to be thrown together on her first job with Jude Sharpe. Ah Jude. Lumberjack Jude. Jude who has a geriatric dog he brings to the job site. Jude is protecting his heart, and there’s no way he’s going to be hurt again. But when sparks start to fly on the worksite, neither one can ignore the attraction. Jude sees the best in Olena, and will do anything he can to make her see that she’s enough just as she is.

Hey Jude is a little bit comedy, a little bit suspense, and a whole lot of open door romance.

What impressed me was the representation of ADHD and neurodivergence in the book. In the book Olena has undiagnosed ADHD, and her friends encourage her to seek out mental health supports along the way. The representation felt accurate, and non-judgmental. The pain of not feeling good enough throughout the entire book is something that those who live with ADHD can definitely relate to. It’s not just about having a giant, bottomless purse or losing your keys (which does happen!), but it’s also about the effects that this disorder has on your sense of self and self-esteem. (And how Jude supports Olena had me cheering!) In an interview with Emily Downey on Baking Up Good Reads, Brixton speaks about her own ADHD diagnosis as an adult. So thank you for writing about ADHD with so much empathy and love. And as someone who has personally struggled with panic disorder, thanks again for writing honestly and with compassion and understanding. Much appreciated. Mental health is so important, and to see the importance of mental health represented so strongly in this book reminded me that I am good enough, just as I am. (“Now say… I deserve to be successful and happy.”)

As an editor, I appreciated how Brixton played with language. You have to know the rules to break the rules, and it’s clear to me that she loves writing. For example, “Her hair is in two French braids… aaaaaaaannnd the grown man in me is suddenly nowhere to be found.” That’s creative writing with guts right there! As someone who loves words, grammar, and being creative, I thought that Brixton was intentional and thoughtful in her choices, and they added so much to the scenes and the characters. What a joy to read!

One recommendation I would have as an editor is to change up the external plot’s climax. I know, I know, there was a trigger warning: “self-defense (including physical restraint).” Even though I read that, I was still a bit shocked at the violence of the moment (hence the idea that this book is part suspense). It’s revealed early on that Olena’s ex-boyfriend won’t stop harassing her (it even says so on the back cover), but the escalation of the conflict was a bit much for me. For me, it felt a little out of place because I was so swept up in the romance, and Jude is such a sweetie. But the climax of the conflict definitely helps to develop Olena’s character, and I felt like I was cheering her on and proud of her for taking on her biggest fear. So, pay attention to that trigger warning. (I still wish that climax wasn’t as intense… but that’s just an opinion.)

Here are some of my favourite lines from Hey Jude:

  • “Hold on, were you just… objectifying me?” he asks with mock incredulity. “Yuh-hun. One hundred percent,” I tease.
  • “Olena, I’m not leaving,” he says with heartbreaking sincerity. And I know he means it.
  • I still feel uncomfortable giving myself credit. When I catch myself wondering if we should have put more lights closer to the house, I push down the familiar whisper of self-doubt, and embrace my new mantra: good enough is good enough.

If you’re looking for a quirky read with characters who dig their way into your heart, this is the book for you!

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A Romance Review: Wild Rescue

I bought Sarah Urquhart’s book Wild Rescue after reading her novella Sweet Abandon. She’s an Albertan author who uses Alberta as the setting in her story. I love it! Originally I found Sarah Urquhart on the Romance Authors Of Canada website. This website is great for folks looking to support Canadian romance authors. And once I saw the “AB” next to Sarah Urquhart’s name, I knew I needed to check her out. I’m so glad I did!

Poppy McKenzie just wanted a getaway in the woods with her friends. That’s how she ends up in Firebrook. But with her angry ex-boyfriend on the trip, Poppy finds herself in need of rescue in the woods. In walks (literally) Wyatt Greer. But it’s not just her body that needs rescuing, it’s her heart as well (of course!). Wyatt will do almost anything to keep Poppy safe, especially with murderers wandering around. And especially because Poppy is his fated mate. Now, how to tell that to Poppy.

Wild Rescue is a paranormal romance that looks at the role of Fate. Once love makes a connection, is there really a choice?

My favourite moment was the reference to The Princess Bride, one of my all-time favourite movies. As Wyatt carries Poppy to safety, she can’t help but break out a reference to Fezzik. (“Fezzik? I look nothing like him.” He pretended to be offended, scrunching his face.) I was brought back to the scene in the movie were Fezzik climbs up the Cliffs of Insanity carrying Inigo, Vizinni, and Buttercup. Although Wyatt might not be as big as Andre the Giant, the moment made Wyatt’s bear shifting more believable. (Yes, Wyatt is a grizzly bear shifter.)

What I enjoyed about this book was the paranormal. Urquhart gets her readers wondering about Fate. Are we all destined for something if we pay attention to nudges from Fate? When destiny shows up, are we left without a choice? Does Fate bring to us what is best for us, even if we don’t see it right away? Well, maybe Urquhart doesn’t have her characters as angsty as I am leading you to believe, but the idea of Fate definitely raises some excellent questions to think about as you read about Poppy and Wyatt and the choices they make when Fate blows into their lives.

As an editor, I appreciated the pacing of Wild Rescue. Editors are constantly looking for a balance between narration, dialogue, and action. Too much of one element can change the speed of the scene, and not enough can make a scene drag. I thought that Urquhart knows how to pace her writing and keep her reader flipping the pages without rushing any moments. As well, equal attention is given to the romance and the external plot. The story didn’t drag or sag in the middle. It was the opposite: I couldn’t put the book down. The build up of events, the climaxes, and the after moments kept me reading later into the night than I was planning to read.

One recommendation I would have as an editor would be to get another set of eyes on the work before publishing. There were some typos that a proofreader would have caught. I can imagine that for indie authors, the budget is something to keep an eye on, so one alternative to hiring a proofreader is to build a group of writer friends who would be willing to exchanges services to help each other out. But honestly, the typos didn’t stop me from enjoying the book because it was well written.

Here are some of my favourite lines from Wild Rescue:

  • “It’s okay. I’ve got you, little bit.” He shouldn’t be calling her anything but her own name–not until he had her back to town and safe–but the endearment spilled out.
  • Firebrook was more than a place. More than a home. It seemed like it had parts that made up a living, breathing soul. Wyatt was one of them.
  • He smiled. Oh hell, that smile was fantastic. His eyes sparkled and crinkled.

If you’re looking for a paranormal shifter romance set in Alberta, this is the book. Enjoy!

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