Kick Start by Lorna Roth (Matador) 3.5 stars

Debut novel published 28/6/21 376 pages

Well once again horse on the cover so I had to request this book and i really enjoyed it. Some might say 3 star isn't a good book but with me 3 stars is a good average story. This book was so close to 4 stars but it was struggling to engage in the middle of the book for a little bit. Plus each individual is different and rating is always subject to various categories. I am always honest with me review rating and always explain why. Don't forget I still really liked this book so don't be put off buying this book in anyway as the eBooks on platforms like google books, kobo, kindle or nook are always really cheap especially when the books have just been published. So thank you to the author and her publishing team for allowing me to enjoy this book and review it for you through Netgalley. This book is brilliant for ladyreadings365 reading challenge prompt #2 hold your horses, #5 debut author,#21 includes nature, #24 romance, #27 book containing a sport, #32 contains an ex army character, #44 includes a forest.

Synopsis

When strangers, motorbikes and horses share a path – anything can happen. Four men meet to challenge their prowess on motorbikes. Four women meet to enjoy their horses and ribald camaraderie. All are grounded by their horsepower – the touch, the smell, the speed of it. Confident men, strong women. When their paths collide, a chain of friendship and friction is set in motion. Highly independent people, several are single, fifty-something and searching for that illusive factor… ‘chemistry’. For an ex-forces man, the strait-jacket of his own social prejudice is painful; for Judith, Luc and Lizzie, the internet provides succour but not always the dream person they envisage. The highs, the scares, the embarrassing lows, all told with pithy candour. Sometimes the only reaction can be laughter but is Judith’s intrinsic fear of meeting a total stranger justified and can Luc’s injured machismo survive the limitations of his lame leg? Can a human runner outwit a pack of bloodhounds? Hope – of companionship or passion. It gets picked up, trodden on, dusted off, then slung in the hedge again. It can be a dangerous ally or a fickle friend. Will any of them brave a kick-start?

My Review

For a debut novel this is a good book. It was so close to being a 4 star read. The start and the ending were brilliant however, for me the middle section seemed a little flat for my liking. It could be just me. With the horse on the cover I kind of wanted a little more horsey content and a little less dating app content. I would of loved a horse mad dating app lol. This books main focus is on the trials and tribulations of online dating for those 50 something characters within the book. It is a very good portrait of online dating and makes for fun reading. I especially loved the holiday section at the start of the book. Where the women go on a horsey break and a group of men go on a more horse powered bike break. Will the 2 groups really get on? well you will have to read the book to find out. I loved how the characters are cleverly intermingled without them even knowing it.

I must say the author did intrigue me with the depth of characters and story line. So I will be looking out and reading other books by this author in the future.

I recommend this book for all those romance lovers who love reading about love that isn't at first sight and that people don't necessary notice the people right in front of them until something happens to make them noticed.