Review: Near and Far (Lost and Found 2) by Nicole Williams

Title: Near and Far (Lost and Found 2)
Author: Nicole Williams
Date of publication: 28 July 2013
Genre/Themes: Contemporary Romance, Cowboys
Author's links:
Facebook / Website / Twitter / Goodreads

My rating: 3 Stars

Goodreads Blurb

There’s optimistic. And there’s Jesse Walker. 

If he wasn’t so charming, his sunny disposition and incessant grin would get old. Fast. 

Falling in love with the broken girl who had at first seemed immune to anything resembling love was the best thing to happen to Jesse since the Walkers adopted him when he was five. 

As Jesse’s life continues at the ranch and Rowen begins making her mark in the Seattle art community, they wonder where the middle ground is. Or if there even is one. 

As push comes to shove, they’re forced to make choices neither are eager to make, and Jesse and Rowen have to face what their lives might look like without the other. 

Can two people with such tragic pasts and different presents expect a promising future together? Whatever the answer, they’ll need a lot more than love to make it.

My Review

This is the sequel to Lost and Found (my review) and continues the story of Jesse and Rowen. I really enjoyed book 1 and not so much this one. What I found cute and sweet in Lost and Found - the reversed love story of the bad city girl falling for the good country cowboy - here seemed boring and even annoying. 

In this book we see god-like, perfect Jesse and troubled, artistic Rowen trying to make their long-distance relationship work. All the tension and miscommunication arising from being apart felt real and for me this was the best part of the book. They lead totally different lives when they are apart, yet they complete each other so fully when they are together. It really made some fairy tale romance.

On the other hand, I was disappointed with the actual conflict in story. It seemed artificial and contrived. Both Jesse and Rowen kept some secrets but the way they reacted when the truth came out appeared way too drastic, even illogical.

I liked the insight we were given into Jesse's past and the abuse he suffered. This just made him more real and lovable. His struggle with the nightmares and the pain were pretty convincing, yet I couldn't understand his conclusion that Rowen cannot rely on him because of that. 

I also wasn't thrilled with the "bad" guys - Jax and Jolene, who tried to break the relationship between Jesse and Rowen. They were too cliche and one-dimensiona. Furthermore, I didn't really see the purpose and value of the whole episode with Cillian. Alex and Syd, on the other hand, fitted well into the plot and created a nice mirror image for Jesse and Rowen's relationship.

What or rather who I really enjoyed in this book was Garth Black. His interactions with the rest of the characters, especially with Jesse and Rowen, were quite entertaining and fun to read. He not only successfully played matchmaker but added a touch of black humour and realistic badassness to the story. 

Overall, I can say that I expected more of this book, but still enjoyed it. Now I am definitely intrigued for the next instalment of the series, Finders Keepers, featuring Mr. Garth Black himself.