Chasing Red Paperback – April 11, 2017

I love Lauren Winder Farnsworth books and this book follows suit. Her characters are so entertaining in this one. I found myself laughing out loud while reading it. The book didn't end how I expected at all. I like a nice surprise. Good clean fun.

CHASING RED was a evenly paced story about a woman reaching for some independence and trying to prove to herself and others that she can not only reach it, but thrive in it. It was about hard choices, hard work, making new friends, keeping old ones, and finding romance in unexpected places. A thoroughly enjoyable story for sweet contemporary romance and LDS romance readers!First off, I love the title and cover for this one! It fits the story so well, it being about Ryder who is stretching her wings, really for the first time, by moving to the other side of her home in Utah to New York City to be an accountant in a big firm. I thought the author did a marvelous job of conveying all her insecurities of being in such an unknown city, among strangers, starting a new job. I also loved how much these characters literally popped off the page for me. I adored Lily, Hunter, and Ryder's family, and of course I loved Ryder (even when I was frustrated with her and her willful blindness). I loved Ryder's confidence and cheer even when faced with hard things. I also loved how she settled in and how even her best friend from home could see that New York had become a home to her and a place she loved.I liked that the author didn't try to change any of her characters unrealistically. Sometimes I feel like some authors try to make everything end unrealistically with everyone being converted or everyone changing who they are, but the author didn't try to force that here. The characters were presented quite honestly. Lily is who she is and she happens not to be Mormon. Ryder is who she is and is Mormon. They were honest in how they didn't understand each other or have the same values, but still accepted and respected each other. There was a natural progression and a real friendship formed and I really liked that nothing was ever pushed. There also wasn't an overly religious element to the story, so anyone who enjoys contemporary romance on the sweet side would enjoy this.The story was fairly steady the whole way through. I did get slightly disengaged towards the middle because there wasn't any tension or chemistry or any particular pull one way or another for a little stretch. However, that didn't last very long as some twists and turns pop up. I knew who I wanted Ryder to end up with. I knew something was up, but I didn't know exactly what all was going on and how the story would arrive at where I wanted it to. I'm quite happy that it did arrive, and did so with a very sweet and fully satisfying ending.In the end, was it what I wished for? I really enjoyed this one. The characters, setting, and twists in the story kept me reading and the ending was perfect. Overall, an very enjoyable read!

Guys, I LOVE this book! It's such a cute story with a great twist that I really did not see coming at all. The entire time I was reading this book, I felt like I was missing something and it was very frustrating for me so the conclusion was made all the sweeter for it. But really, read this book: so cute, funny, and clean!

Worth the purchase! It took a few chapters for me to really get into the story and once I did I couldn't put it down. I had to figure out who was the good guy and who was the bad guy.

I did not get much sleep, but I read this book in a 24 hour period! I loved the strong female characters and their handsome man friends! The storyline of little Red with a contemporary twist is perfect for a clean romance!

I really enjoyed this creative story. I was invested (and duly annoyed with Red) in the characters and couldn't put the book down. Can't wait for the next one!

Ryder is one of the kindest, most trusting young women out there. She has just moved from her home town of Salt Lake City to New York City. She looks for the best and sees the best in everyone and in every situation. People who are downright rude to her, she finds a reason why they may be behaving that way and tries to be friendly.Being a new innocent girl in a big city makes her a target for some unsavory characters. She was fortunate to meet Lily immediately on her arrival. They create a unique dynamic. I would say that they mix salt and sweet, somehow it works. Ryder also meets a great friend at work, his name is Hunter and he is her champion. He watches out for her and does his best to protect her from harmful people and circumstances.Her love interest is Damien Wolfe. He is handsome, wealthy, and charismatic. He sweeps her off of her feet. He does and says all of the right things that make her appreciate him, but at the same time, all of her family and friends dislike him. I was looking over friend reviews and noticed that someone mentioned that this could be a twist on the Red Riding Hood fairy tale. I didn't notice that when reading, but I can see in hindsight the possibility. (His last name is Wolfe, she has red hair, that should been a major clue.)There is a lot more to the story. I don't want to say much more because I feel that I would be giving away too much and spoiling the book for potential readers. I will add that there is some excitement, suspense, and mystery to the book. I did not see those events coming. I thought it would be a straight forward romance.The book contains kissing, a little bit of violence including an attack of a sexual nature, and some innuendo. The book also has religious references. It mainly deals with her upbringing and character. I didn't find it to preach, just give background info for her situation.Source: I received an electronic copy of this book from the publisher for a book blog tour. I was not required to leave a positive review.

Good clean fun book!! I truly enjoyed it very much! I didn’t want to stop reading it. Those are my favorite kind of books!