To write this post, I did a little GoodReads research to find out if I had reviewed the three books in this series yet. I'm a little disappointed in myself, if I'm honest.
What kind of reviewer am I? One who doesn't even review a book she gives 5 stars, apparently. *shakes head*
Today I hope to make up for that terrible lapse in reviewing judgment, and also...
also
also
Kate Clayborn gave us an audio copy of each of the three books to give away! Check down at the bottom of this post for the chance to win. Kate gave me these copies after reading my "OMG THIS BOOK" tweets for literal months, so the giveaway did not impact my review. For a rather complicated disclosure - I purchased the first book in ebook and in audio, then the second in ebook, and borrowed the second and third in audio from Hoopla.
Why did I buy and borrow these books in multiple formats? Because they're nearly perfect.
The series as a whole follows three best friends who won the lottery together. In the prologue of Book 1, we read what Kit, Zoe, and Greer would do if they win. Each subsequent book follows one of the three women as they take that dream and make it reality.
And if you go to Amazon, you'll notice a bunch of reviews that pan the books for using "the f-word." I rather enjoy a salty heroine, so these were just right for me.
Rep: All three women are white, cis, and straight, as are their partners. Greer has a disability and her partner, Alex, has panic attacks.
Beginner's Luck
This was adorable. After growing up in an unstable household, materials scientist Kit's dream is to make a home for herself. She buys a fixer-upper and proceeds to spend all of her money (after doing the responsible things) fixing it up.
Ben is a recruiter for a giant R&D company and he's set on getting Kit to come work for them. Much of the conflict in the book is that Ben and his business partner need just a couple more big recruiting wins before they can break out and start their own firm together. Simply put - Kit doesn't want to leave this home she's built and Ben wants freedom.
As the story progresses, Ben reconnects with his father, who happens to live nearby. This is not a book where the heroine uproots her life to be with the hero. It's like a Hallmark Christmas Movie... but the hero comes home.
Listening to the story on audio made it obvious (and a little weird) that all the sex scenes were from Ben’s POV, but otherwise it was a really solid series starter.
Luck of the Draw
I normally don’t seek out books that I suspect will rip my heart out, but this was a good one. There’s angst and banter and really solid character development... and very good chemistry.
Kit and Ben were great, but Aiden and Zoe have them beat. Aiden is grieving the loss of his brother after addiction and drug use led to his death. Before winning the lottery, Kit was a lawyer and she defended the company responsible for the brother's death. It's a giant mess and I remember putting off my reading of this one due to some issues in my own family. But once I was ready for it, it blew me away.
Zoe is determined to help Aiden's family, but all she finds when she pays a visit is a very grouchy Aiden. He's trying to buy the camp where he and his brother went in summers, with the goal of turning it into a holistic rehab center for people struggling with addiction. The twist is that the couple who owns it wants a family to run it, so Aiden needs to look like a family man. Cue the fake-engagement trope.
This is an intense book. It's not as fluffy as the first one, but really emotional in just about all of the ways it could be. Like I said, I don't usually want my heart stomped on, but this was a good stomping.
CWs - Grief, addiction
Best of Luck
Speaking of stomping on hearts, the final book in the trilogy focuses on Greer and Alex. Greer has been sheltered her entire life due to a chronic illness. She uses much of her financial windfall to give back to her parents, and the rest to finally go to college. She's nearly ready to graduate when they tell her she needs one more art credit. Enter Alex, Kit's brother and a world-famous news photographer.
After a childhood spent taking care of Kit and working his tail off to keep them in food and clothing, he's been running around the world for years, never staying in one place. Where Kit wanted to build a home, Alex has been avoiding even the idea of doing that. And he's been getting panic attacks.
The love story between Alex and Greer is lovely, with scenes dedicated to photographing ladybugs and other incredibly detailed and somehow tense as hell moments. In a series of three wonderful books, this one stood out to me as a masterwork of fiction. The portrayal of mental illness made me cry, as did Greer's frustrations with her body and with everyone's expectations of her body.
CWs - detailed panic attacks, chronic illness, neglectful parent
This post has already been three times too long, so let's cut to the chase. Kate gave us an audiobook copy of each of these books and we're going to give them away in one bundle!
Before you enter!
The books are not via Audible or another retailer, but rather in a ZIP file that you'll need to unzip and load on your preferred media player.
This giveaway is open internationally. One winner will be randomly selected. Must be 18 or older to enter, void where prohibited, don't cheat, etc. We were not compensated for this giveaway.
The giveaway runs from April 19, 2019 to midnight on April 24, 2019.
Best of Luck! (heh) If the widget below doesn't work, here's a direct link.
