Passing Through by Katia Rose is a contemporary romance set on beautiful Vancouver Island. It’s about finding love at a time when you think it’s the last thing you need.
Emily Rivers has no time for love, dating, or even a one-night stand. She is the oldest of three sisters and after losing their mother a couple of years ago she has made it her mission to be the glue that holds the family together and gets their family business back up to scratch. That is until she meets the gorgeous butch Kim at the local bar and the mask she’s had in place since her mother’s death starts to slip.
Kim Jefferies is on a road trip of self-discovery leaving yet another failed relationship behind her. She has a plan, no more falling for women quickly in fact no women full stop until she can figure out where she has been going wrong. while passing through River’s Bend she meets Emily and sticking to her plans suddenly becomes harder than she thought it would be.
Neither woman is looking for love, they have plans that do not include each other. But what would happen if they abandoned those plans and took a chance on each other? Can Emily and Kim open up, and learn to trust themselves and each other in order to create a happier future?
Writing
The writing in this book really helps you get into the character’s heads. It is written from both main characters’ points of view, and I really appreciated being able to get to know them both.
Pros And My Favourite Parts
This is one of those beautifully sweet romances that have you routing for the main characters from the beginning.
Both Emily and Kim have emotional baggage for different reasons but it’s because of this that they are so perfect for each other.
Emily is grieving the loss of her mother. She is the oldest of three sisters and has taken it upon herself to be the solid foundation that she believes her family needs. She hasn’t allowed herself to grieve properly and presents a ‘put together’ facade to the world. She is focusing all her time and energy on rebuilding the family’s campground business and feels if she falls apart then so will everything else. My heart went out to her, she is struggling to keep her head above water, she has panic attacks and tries to control them by constantly keeping her mind busy. She is lost but unwilling to be found until she meets Kim.
Kim is on a soul-finding mission. She has recently been dumped by her girlfriend and told she is too much- too clingy, too needy, and tries too hard. She has sworn off women until she can find out what she believes is wrong with her. This woman has a beautiful soul, she doesn’t need to be anything else but the self-doubt she carries prevents her from seeing this. I found myself wanting to give her a hug and beg her to see how wonderful she is.
As Emily and Kim start to get to know each other the transformation is fascinating. Watching them start to see themselves because the other truly sees them was wonderful if sometimes tear-worthy. They bring out the best in each other and while Kim shows Emily that it’s okay to fall apart, Emily shows Kim that she is not too much, in fact, she is just right.
The family dynamics in this book are a huge part of the story. The Rivers sisters are a force and the way they interact and love each other is special and magical. The Rivers Bend community seems like a lovely place to live, and Three Rivers campsite is at its heart.
The setting of Vancouver Island was picturesque, I could smell the trees and feel the breeze. It sounds like a wonderful place.
Heads Up
Emily and her family are grieving the loss of her mother throughout the book.
The Conclusion
If you like a sweet romance that leaves you all warm, then this one is for you. I’ll be revisiting this book again. Emily and Kim are brilliant characters whom I enjoyed getting to know. The setting of the book is beautiful and the feeling of family and acceptance left me wanting more. This is one of those books to read when you’re feeling low as it picks you up and makes you see that you don’t need to change who you are to be loved, you need to change the people you choose to give that love to.
I really enjoyed this book. I was invested in the outcome from the start, I routed for Emily and Kim to be happy together. They have great chemistry and it jumped off the page when it came to the spicy scenes. The author did a great job at building and then keeping the tension between them throughout the story and that made this book all the more enjoyable. Buy this book, get in your favourite reading spot, hunker down, and enjoy this sweet and steamy romance.
Excerpt from Passing Through by Katia Rose
“Wow, that’s some small town lore right there,” I say through more laughter.
Scooter picks up the next glass and lets out a laugh of his own.
“Yeah, that’s kind of how it goes around here. Things just…stick. So don’t say I didn’t warn you if you find yourself back in this bar in a few days looking for a job. It’s not busy enough yet for us to hire anyone else on.”
I shake my head. “I don’t think that’ll be a problem. I only started travelling a couple weeks ago, and I’m trying to see as much of BC as I can.”
He nods. “It’s beautiful. Not just the island. The whole province is stunning.”
“Yeah, it’s—”
I cut myself off when the sound of the bar’s door opening behind me is met by a chorus of greetings from the old boys club. Scooter looks past me and lifts his hand in a wave as his face splits into a wide grin. I twist around and grip the back of my bar stool to get a look at whoever seems to have just made the day of everyone in this bar.
It only takes a split-second of staring before my whole day is made too.
There are two women standing in the doorway.
Two very attractive women who I would happily fight through an entire crowd of chatty old men just to get the chance to say hi to.
“Scooter!” one of them shouts. “My favourite bartender ever!”
Scooter lets out a fake groan from behind me. “You’re trying to get me to give you free drinks, aren’t you, Trish?”
The woman saunters over with an exaggerated innocent expression on her face. She’s got thick brown hair with the slightest hint of red to it and curves for days under her cardigan and leggings.
“What? No! I just want you to know how great I think you are.” She props her elbows on the bar next to me and beams at him. “Although now that you mentioned a free drink, I wouldn’t say no.”
He sets his features into a glare he can’t quite manage to keep up. “This establishment is for paying customers only, ma’am.”
She scowls. “Don’t ma’am me.”
A laugh bursts out of me as I watch their stare-down continue, and the woman turns and blinks like she’s just noticed me sitting beside her.
Her eyes widen as she looks me up and down and then blurts, “Who the hell are you?”
“Trish!” Scooter scolds. “You can’t come in here and say things like that to my customers.”
She waves him off as she keeps staring at me, her surprise wearing off and shifting into an expression I can only describe as mischievous. “Oh, you know I didn’t mean it like that. I just meant we don’t usually see anyone new in here at this time of year. I think Emily is going to be very happy we came out tonight.”
She glances over her shoulder, and I follow her line of sight to the other woman, who’s still standing back at the door with her phone in her hands. Her head is bent over the screen. She’s got her honey blonde hair up in a tight ponytail, but a few strands have slipped out to frame her face.
From what I can see of her face so far, it’s a particularly gorgeous one, with rounded cheeks, a strong, almost regal-looking nose, and rosy pink lips pushed into a little pout as she frowns at whatever is on her phone.
That plush bottom lip is just begging for someone to bite it.
I whip my head back around to face the bar again as soon as the thought enters my mind.
I came to British Columbia to avoid this kind of thing: sitting in bars with pretty women I always end up feeling way too much for way too fast. The whole point of my road trip is to process the break-up with Steph in a healthy and mature way that does not involve jumping into bed with anyone new. I’m living in a campervan that barely has a bed to jump into. I’ve made it as easy as possible for myself to stick to my post-break-up, post-job-loss resolutions.
That doesn’t stop the back of my neck from itching with the urge to turn around and get another look at the blonde woman.
“Emily!” the woman beside me snaps. She slaps one of her palms against the bar to emphasize her shout. “Stop working and get over here.”
I keep myself busy taking another sip of beer as I listen to Emily’s footsteps approach behind me.
“Hey, Scooter.”
I watch from the corner of my eye as she slides up to the bar beside Trish.
“Hey, Emily.” Scooter is back to his polishing now, and he waves his cloth in greeting. “How’s it going?”
Emily props one of her elbows on the bar so she can lean forward and massage her temple. She’s still got that little frustrated pout going, and I decide I’ve never seen anyone in my life who can make ‘tired and slightly pissed off’ such a sexy expression.
“Oh, you know, busy time of year for us,” she says. “I was actually wondering who you use for your plum—”
She gets cut off by Trish clearing her throat and giving a pointed jerk of her chin towards me.
I figure this is the moment to stop side-eyeing Emily and turn to face her instead. I shift in my bar stool, and our eyes lock for the first time.
She’s even prettier when I’m looking at her straight-on. It’s hard to see exactly what colour her eyes are in the dim light of the bar, but I can tell they’re some kind of blue-green. She blinks at me, the pout falling away as her bottom lip drops into a soft expression of surprise.
She’s wearing a light grey sweater with a wide enough neckline to show off a hint of her collarbones as well as a gold necklace with a tiny charm I can’t quite make out from here. I think it might be some kind of bird.
I jerk my gaze back up to her face when I realize it’s going to look like I’m ogling her chest, but I find her in the middle of giving me a full once-over. A rush of satisfaction runs through me, along with a few scattered pricks of heat that seem to spark against my skin wherever she looks at me.
I’m sure the whole exchange only takes a couple seconds, but when she meets my eyes again and then flicks her gaze away as soon as she realizes I’ve caught her staring, it feels like the whole room jumps back into action after grinding to a complete standstill.
“Sorry,” she says, staring down at the bar for a moment as she adjusts her hair. “I didn’t even see you there.”
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Series: Three Rivers
Passing Through
Bits and Bobs
ISBN number: 979-8399451206
Publisher: Indie Author
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