{Review} Nowhere But Here By Renee Carlino

Title: Nowhere But Here

Author: Renee Carlino

Published: 5th May 2014

Age Group: New Adult

Genre: Contemporary Romance

Source: Paperback provided by Simon & Schuster for fair & honest review

Rating: 4/5

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BLURB:

A Chicago reporter in her mid-twenties unexpectedly finds love in Napa Valley when she’s assigned to spend a week with a famously reclusive genius.

Kate Corbin has lost her spark. From the outside, her life seems charmed. She has a handsome, long-term boyfriend and a budding journalism career at a popular Chicago newspaper. But in reality, her relationship is going nowhere, and she’s quickly losing motivation for what she once believed was her dream job. When her boyfriend dumps her unceremoniously, Kate loses all hope of finding love.

With no living family and few friends, Kate confides in her boss. Trusting that the hungry, ace reporter is buried somewhere deep inside, he gives Kate the opportunity to jumpstart her career. The assignment: to interview the famously reclusive R.J. Lawson, a wealthy tech genius who disappeared years ago but recently reemerged as a Napa Valley vintner. The week takes an unexpected turn, however, when Lawson refuses to divulge any information. Desperate for a lead, Kate turns to Jamie, a vineyard hand who shows her the romance of wine country—and stirs her aching heart. But his connection to Lawson is ambiguous, and when Jamie disappears before the end of the week, Kate is left to investigate another story: the truth behind the man who stole her heart.

USA TODAY bestselling author Renée Carlino explored love and heartbreak in her beautifully written debut Sweet Thing, and her newest novel does not disappoint. For fans of Colleen Hoover, K.A. Tucker, and Katja Millay, Nowhere But Here is a stirring and satisfying romance that you won’t want to put down.

An adventurous romance that embraces the zest for life!

REVIEW:

The story:

Kate's hit a bit of a rough spot in her life. Her uncaring boyfriend has dumped her, her career is going nowhere and overall her life is looking pretty lacklustre. After being sent to the wine country to write an article about the media shy R.J. Lawson, Kate starts to find some much needed enthusiasm. She's excited to take on this exciting project, but what she didn't expect was to literally crash into a young hot employee, Jamie, who makes her feel things she's never experienced before. And while Mr Lawson remains elusive to her, Kate embarks on a whirlwind romance with Jamie, that is until he disappears, taking her heart with him.It's not long before the journalist in her starts to investigate his whereabouts, and as she uncovers clues about his past, more questions are raised than are answered.

I have to admit that I did guess the 'big secret' very early on, and I think it will be obvious to most people, but to be honest it didn't take anything away from the story. I enjoyed their romance and discovering the secrets to Jamie's past as Kate uncovers the truth.

The characters:

Kate is quite down to earth, but when we first meet her she lacks any real passion or zest for life. She happy to settle for a heartless boyfriend and a mediocre job. It's not until she meets Jamie that he opens her eyes and shows her that she deserves a life that makes her happy.

Jamie is full of life and passion. He puts 100% into absolutely every he does and can find joy in even the most simplest of things. But he also has an air of mystery around him and it's obvious he doesn't like to share many personal details about himself. I also really enjoyed seeing the vulnerable side to him when he reveals he has diabetes, although he doesn't see it as a weakness.

The romance:

The romance between Kate and Jamie begins very quickly and does have a slight unrealistic feel to it. But apart from that, I really loved these two together. The relationship starts out quite adventurous, with Jamie pushing Kate to find her spark again. But as the secrets and misunderstandings start to mount up, both of them had to learn to step up and take a chance on love.

The writing:

Renee's writing style is polished and very elegant. She has a way of making the words flow effortlessly, which makes for such fast flowing story.

FINAL WORD:

Nowhere But Here is an adventurous romance that embraces the zest for life. Carlino knows how to write heroes to swoon over!

CONTENT:

Sexuality: medium / some sex scenes

Violence: mild-medium / minor description of attack, mention of gun

Language: medium / several f words

Drugs & alcohol: mild