Then There Was You (Kara Isaac) – Review

~ About the Book ~

Paige McAllister needs to do something drastic. Her boyfriend can’t even commit to living in the same country, her promised promotion is dead on arrival and the simultaneous loss of her brother and her dream of being a concert violinist has kept her playing life safe and predictable for six years. Things need to change. A moment of temporary insanity finds her leaving her life in Chicago to move to Sydney, Australia. There she finds herself, against many of her convictions, as a logistics planner for one of Australia’s biggest churches, and on a collision course with her boss’s son.

Josh Tyler fronts a top-selling worship band and is in demand all over the world. But, in the past, his failed romantic relationships almost destroyed both his reputation and his family. He’s determined to never risk it happening again. The last thing he needs is some American girl tipping his ordered life upside down. Especially one who despises everything he’s ever worked for and manages to push every button he has.

When Josh and Paige are thrown together to organize his band’s next tour, the sparks fly. But can they find a way to bridge the differences that pull them apart? Or will they choose the safety and security of what they know over taking a chance on something that will require them to risk everything?

Release date:  22 June 2017
Pages:  262
Publisher:  Bellbird Press

Amazon US  //  Amazon AU  //  Goodreads

~ Excerpt ~

The queue at her gate was short. Only one woman checking boarding passes. FINAL CALL flashed on the screen above. Paige had spent the last hour loitering in the magazine aisle of the bookshop, waiting until the last possible minute to come to the departure lounge. Now she was here she needed to get on board before her brain caught up with what her body was doing and she lost her nerve.
Smack. She hit something immovable. All she could see was a haze of navy.
She bounced back and stumbled, her hands so full of her carry-on that she couldn’t even put her arms out when she started to fall.
“Careful.” Fingers wrapped around her elbows while forearms locked under hers, holding her upright until she recovered her footing.
How humiliating. “Thanks.” Paige looked up, straight into amused gray eyes. A day or two worth of stubble covered the guy’s lower face and his brown hair stuck up like he had stumbled straight from bed to the airport without looking in a mirror. Zing. The current traveled up her arms, down her body to her feet, and she stumbled again.
“Whoa.” His fingers gripped around her elbows even tighter.
“Sorry.” Her cheeks were aflame.
“It’s okay.” He loosened his hold on her, as if checking that she could remain upright without his help.
“I’m fine. Really.” Paige looked at him, defensive for no rational reason. He looked familiar but she couldn’t place him.
“Okay.” He stood there, just looking at her.
“What?” The word came out harsher than she’d intended. Her cheeks could heat a small building.
He cocked an eyebrow at her. “Um, you’re standing on my foot.” He moved his left foot enough for her to feel it under her boot.
If there was ever a good moment for the rapture, this was it. Her entire body was on fire with embarrassment. “Sorry. It’s . . .” She quickly moved her foot and stepped back.
He gave her a slow smile. Zap. That one shot down her spine. “It’s way to early to be awake, let alone here. Trust me, I get it.”
How had she not registered his gorgeous Australian accent earlier? The sultry drawl almost took her out at the knees.
She’d heard it before. But when? The kaleidoscope in her mind finally clicked the pieces into place and she wanted to fall through the floor. The terminal. He was the guy she’d backed into during her awkward conversation with Nate. She was 99% sure of it.
“Sir?” They had reached the front of the line. The guy turned and handed the woman his boarding pass. She scanned it and handed it back. “Thank you, sir. Enjoy your flight.”
“Thank you.” He strolled into the jetway, not pausing to look back.

~ Review ~

I’m going to try really hard not to gush all over this review, but I’m not sure how much success I’m going to have because, oh my goodness, this book! I seriously think I read the end about ten times before I could put it down. All the feels, book lovers! All the feels! Laughing, swooning, gah! Is this gushing? Sorry. I knew I wouldn’t be able to help it!

It’s impossible not to fall in love with these characters, even in their less-than-stellar moments. Paige is an adorable mixture of strength and uncertainty, and an absolute hoot. She’s definitely out of her comfort zone at times, but she constantly surprised me (and Josh!) with the way she handled things—so much so that I even let loose the odd snort or two, so take that as a warning if you’re going to read this in public!

Like Paige, I’m not a fan of megachurches, but it was impossible not to love Josh’s family and respect them for their attitude and the way they conducted both themselves and the church. Totally fabulous secondary characters. And Josh…well, swoon! He might have made some poor assumptions about Paige in the beginning, but each and every interaction chipped away at those assumptions until…well…you’ll have to read the book, but, GAH! So good!

The situational comedy is perfectly executed and, along with the wry humour, is a large part of what made this story so enjoyable, but there’s a serious side, too, as Paige finally confronts things in her life that have been holding her back since her brother’s death six years previously. Likewise, Josh has some lingering demons to overcome before he can fully commit to Paige, but when he does…well, I’m just going to have to GAH! again, because SO GOOD! The tender moments turned me to mush, and then that ending! Perfect! I could read it—probably will read it—over and over and never get tired of it.

Seriously, I am totally enamoured with this book. If you love contemporary romance, you are missing out big time if you don’t pick this up.

I received a copy of this novel from the author. This has not influenced the content of my review, which is my honest and unbiased opinion.

~ Other books by Kara Isaac ~

 Read my reviews for Close To You and Can’t Help Falling.

~ About the Author ~

Kara Isaac is a romantic comedy writer who lives in beautiful Wellington, New Zealand. Her debut romantic comedy, Close To You, is about a disillusioned academic-turned-tour-guide and an entrepreneur who knows nothing about Tolkien who fall in love on a Tolkien themed tour of New Zealand. When she’s not chasing three small hobbits, she spends her time writing horribly bad first drafts and wishing you could get Double Stuf Oreos in New Zealand.

Connect with Kara:  Website  //  Facebook  //  Twitter