Review: Interference by Harlow Cole (St. Michaels #1)


Note: An advanced reader copy (ARC) was provided by the author via Enticing Journey Book Promotions.

“I'm gonna fight to give you those stars, Soot. Every fucking one of them. I'm gonna shove them down in my pockets and bring them all back to you. I promise.” 
His arms tightened around me as I sighed. 
I barely heard him murmur against my ear, “I'll never let you go.”

There are debut novels that give you a glimpse of how promising a new author is. If Harlow Cole's first book is "just" a glimpse, I can only imagine how much of a juggernaut of a storyteller she's going to be in the years to come. Interference is book one in Cole's St. Michaels duet, and consider what I'm about to say next a friendly bit of advice from one bookaholic to another: have tissues at the ready with this book because you're going to need them. This is a slow-burn of a love story, and yes, I'm calling it a "love story" over labeling it a "romance" because what Ashley Foster and Brayden Ross have is a love story years in the making. Can you say "epic"? And with all the damn feels I could have hoped for. Le sigh. I haven't even gotten to the nitty-gritty of why I'm so frickin' in love with this enthrallingly heartrending story, its passionately sensitive characters, and this newly minted author's writing!

It would be too easy to chuck the "falling-for-your-best-friend's-sibling" trope on this book, and yes, Brayden Ross does harbor deep feelings for his best friend, Nathan Foster's, sister, Ashley, but this went beyond that. The depths that the author dives into makes the angst addict in me a very happy camper, but this was also more than just about the heavier feel of the story. Readers have a ringside seat to the beginnings of Brayden and Ashley's relationship--from when they became friends soon after the Fosters move to St. Michaels, a very real town located  along the Chesapeake Bay in Maryland, to the friendship that Brayden shares with Nathan, and how they evolve into lovers and more. But Brayden and Ashley's story has a before and after, and yes, there is heartbreak. However, take note that this book is only the first in a duet, and Brayden and Ashley's story is definitely NOT over at the end.

This is not a quick read, so prepare to put in a few hours, and it isn't a fluffy read either. But here's the thing: you won't be able to help but become emotionally invested in Brayden and Ashley and their story. These two make their share of mistakes, and the road to getting together was NOT easy. There were things to consider and complications were afoot, but they were so in love that rooting for them was inevitable. Let me remind you that their story plays out over two novels, and the ending here was...well, let's just say I have questions and I need answers. Thankfully, an advanced reader copy of book two, Stealing Home, is ready and waiting for me on my tablet. The release date for the conclusion to the St. Michaels duet is just a few days away--August 1st, to be exact--and whether you choose to wait till then to read both books or not, i just hope you'll read them and that you fall as completely as I did for Brayden and Ashley's love story. Five-plus stars for Interference, one of 2019's best reads. ♥

Date Read: 27 July 2019

Learn more about Harlow Cole.

Purchase Interference on Amazon.

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