Review of The Last Big Adventure
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[Following is an official OnlineBookClub.org review of "The Last Big Adventure" by Dave Riley.]
The Last Big Adventure: A Story of Unexpected Relationships by Dave Riley is the story of a beautiful May-December romance. It had been just under a year since Andrew Chase had lost his wife to cancer. He was adjusting but continued to miss his wife every day. When his daughter asked him to be a panelist on a telephone symposium about publishing, Andrew agreed. That's how he met Kellen Tierney, a professor leading the symposium. They began emailing each other and talking on the phone. A widower and in his early 50s, Andrew pictured Kellen as someone in her mid to late 40s, slightly heavy and somewhat frumpy, but he enjoyed talking to her and wanted to meet her in person. On a trip to visit his daughter at UCLA, Andrew made a dinner date with Kellan. Much to Andrew's surprise, Kellan turned out to be a young, slender, beautiful girl in her twenties. They instantly hit it off, and so began a May-December romance.
Kellan confessed to Andrew she had inherited a fatal condition that would probably take her life at a young age. She felt guilty because they had fallen in love, but Andrew wanted to marry her. There was always a slim chance the condition would never affect Kellan. What would the outcome be for Andrew and Kellan? Would their age difference impede their relationship? Would family and friends give their blessings to marriage? Would they receive a miracle regarding Kellan's condition, or would their romance come to an abrupt end? The answers to these questions are in the pages of the book.
Dave Riley has written a beautiful love story of one man's good fortune in loving two extraordinary women in his lifetime. Some people never find this kind of love even once. Andrew is a kind, gentle, romantic man who loves spending time with his family. The characters are interesting, and Riley does an outstanding job with the storyline and plot. The reader shouldn't pass this one by because it is a May-December romance because there are some secrets to learn and some surprises along the way.
The part I liked most about the book was how Andrew was so amicable. Although he was a good bit older than Kellan and her friends, Andrew could fit right in. He never complained when a crowd of young people would show up at Kellan's house, cook food on the grill, and hang out for hours. Andrew accepted them, and they accepted Andrew without question. He was the type of person everyone enjoyed being around. Many women would consider him the perfect man because of his romantic side.
Ironically, the one thing I didn't like about the book was the same thing I did. Andrew almost seemed too perfect. He is undoubtedly the type of man every woman hopes to find one day, but everyone has some flaw in their character. However, I could not find one in Andrew's. Kellan's character was similar. Everyone loved Kellan and dropped everything to accommodate what she wanted to do. In that respect, I guess you could say the story was a little 'sappy' at times. The ending started abruptly but ended touchingly and beautifully.
I found a few errors in the book, but not enough to interfere with my enjoyment of the story. There was only an occasional curse word, but there was at least one non-borderline word. The sexual content is minimal, and there is only one scene remotely suggestive. Because the book is well written, professionally edited, and a pleasant read with a great storyline, I am giving this book 4 out of 4 stars. I recommend it to anyone ages sixteen and above who loves a modern-day fairytale-like romance. I recommend parental guidance for anyone under sixteen because of the profanity and mild sexual content.
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The Last Big Adventure
View: on Bookshelves |
The Last Big Adventure: A Story of Unexpected Relationships by Dave Riley is the story of a beautiful May-December romance. It had been just under a year since Andrew Chase had lost his wife to cancer. He was adjusting but continued to miss his wife every day. When his daughter asked him to be a panelist on a telephone symposium about publishing, Andrew agreed. That's how he met Kellen Tierney, a professor leading the symposium. They began emailing each other and talking on the phone. A widower and in his early 50s, Andrew pictured Kellen as someone in her mid to late 40s, slightly heavy and somewhat frumpy, but he enjoyed talking to her and wanted to meet her in person. On a trip to visit his daughter at UCLA, Andrew made a dinner date with Kellan. Much to Andrew's surprise, Kellan turned out to be a young, slender, beautiful girl in her twenties. They instantly hit it off, and so began a May-December romance.
Kellan confessed to Andrew she had inherited a fatal condition that would probably take her life at a young age. She felt guilty because they had fallen in love, but Andrew wanted to marry her. There was always a slim chance the condition would never affect Kellan. What would the outcome be for Andrew and Kellan? Would their age difference impede their relationship? Would family and friends give their blessings to marriage? Would they receive a miracle regarding Kellan's condition, or would their romance come to an abrupt end? The answers to these questions are in the pages of the book.
Dave Riley has written a beautiful love story of one man's good fortune in loving two extraordinary women in his lifetime. Some people never find this kind of love even once. Andrew is a kind, gentle, romantic man who loves spending time with his family. The characters are interesting, and Riley does an outstanding job with the storyline and plot. The reader shouldn't pass this one by because it is a May-December romance because there are some secrets to learn and some surprises along the way.
The part I liked most about the book was how Andrew was so amicable. Although he was a good bit older than Kellan and her friends, Andrew could fit right in. He never complained when a crowd of young people would show up at Kellan's house, cook food on the grill, and hang out for hours. Andrew accepted them, and they accepted Andrew without question. He was the type of person everyone enjoyed being around. Many women would consider him the perfect man because of his romantic side.
Ironically, the one thing I didn't like about the book was the same thing I did. Andrew almost seemed too perfect. He is undoubtedly the type of man every woman hopes to find one day, but everyone has some flaw in their character. However, I could not find one in Andrew's. Kellan's character was similar. Everyone loved Kellan and dropped everything to accommodate what she wanted to do. In that respect, I guess you could say the story was a little 'sappy' at times. The ending started abruptly but ended touchingly and beautifully.
I found a few errors in the book, but not enough to interfere with my enjoyment of the story. There was only an occasional curse word, but there was at least one non-borderline word. The sexual content is minimal, and there is only one scene remotely suggestive. Because the book is well written, professionally edited, and a pleasant read with a great storyline, I am giving this book 4 out of 4 stars. I recommend it to anyone ages sixteen and above who loves a modern-day fairytale-like romance. I recommend parental guidance for anyone under sixteen because of the profanity and mild sexual content.
******
The Last Big Adventure
View: on Bookshelves |
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