Review: The Drifter by Kathy Coopmans
Note: This ARC was provided by TRSoR Promotions in exchange for an honest review.
I'm going to start off this review with an apology. When it comes to books that are from authors I've never read before, my expectations are more hopeful than anything else. I hope to read a story that I'll enjoy and maybe an added bonus will be finding an author I would want to read more from. We all like what we like for our own respective set of reasons and we all rate and review books based on our own set of standards. That being said, the synopsis of The Drifter caught my attention and the fact that it was written by a bestselling author sealed the deal for me. I went into this with an open mind and an open heart, but as much as I wanted to love this novel, I simply couldn't find enough reasons to come close to even liking it.
This is a standalone second chance romance about a down on his luck street musician named Kray Brooks and Rori McBride, the co-owner of a successful marketing firm. Kray and Rori were high school sweethearts whose relationship ended when Kray left after their high school graduation with nothing more than a backpack and his guitar, leaving a letter for Rori he hoped explained why he had to do what he did. Thirteen years later, they meet again in Las Vegas. Kray's dreams of becoming a famous songwriter and musician have fallen to the wayside, but seeing Rori against sparks something within him. He's spent thirteen years drifting. Can he find home with Rori and will she allow him back in her life and in her heart?
The story sounded so good but I had issues with it. There were run-on sentences, overly long paragraphs, and misused words. At times, it felt like a lot of things should have already happened when in actuality, nothing much really did. Rori and Kray were going around in circles. Then there's the story itself. Thirteen years have passed and yet I'm supposed to believe that Kray hasn't had sex with anyone else in all that time? I can accept someone being in love with another person for years, and maybe I'm being cynical, but to have not done anything physical with anyone else for that long seems too unrealistic. Maybe it was meant to seem romantic but it came off as being an unbelievable thing, especially for a man in his twenties.
Rori was confusing as well. Her anger and pain felt real but she seemed to get over thirteen years of long-held emotions and not only forgave Kray but decided she wanted to help him become successful as a musician and they re-started their relationship within a couple of days of seeing and talking to each other. Oh, and have I mentioned Rori's best friend? I got Josh Forester's protectiveness but when he informs Kray that Rori is "everything" to him, I had to raise an eyebrow. The guy's married and has kids and yet his best friend is "everything" to him? Seriously? If my boyfriend or husband or partner told me that their best friend was "everything" to them, I'd be understandably offended and suspicious about their feelings.
I appreciate the effort authors put into writing the books that they share with readers and I do appreciate what Kathy Coopmans did here. Unfortunately, this just didn't click with me. The writing, the editing, the story, and the characters simply didn't work for me and I honestly tried my best to, at the very least, find something I liked about the book. I can't, however, in good conscience, give this a one-star rating because I could see that the author had a good idea and that she wanted to give readers a story about true love and second chances but faltered in the execution. Don't let my review, however, discourage you from checking this particular book out. Each person's reading experience is different, after all. The Drifter gets two stars. ♥
Date Read: 13 July 2016
Learn more about Kathy Coopmans.
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