PJ's Reviews > The Will

The Will: A review

Wow, just wow! 5 Very Willing Stars!

There are so many great pic/gif-filled reviews I'll just throw in a few words to say this is my absolute favorite of Kristen Ashley's books! And I have so very many favorites. It's long, but I wouldn't cut a word! This book, whoa, it had twists, but none gratuitous. It felt complete. It finished right where it needed to finish. But it could've gone on and on and I'd savor every last word.

The MCs were in there 40s in this book, although at times Josie sounded/acted much younger. But then I'm in denial, because I'm in my 40s and still act like a juvenile at times. :) Also, Josie had a very particular speech pattern, which leant more of a British play feeling to it. I think the reason behind this was to express with words her mask or disguise. Ms. Ashley couldn't keep giving examples of this, so giving her a specific speech pattern and then having it relax throughout the book demonstrated this beautifully. And, it really did make Josephine's character unforgettable.

Ms. Ashley really knows how to inhabit the souls of her characters. Especially her female characters who are equally smart and quirky, wounded and in need of a strong man--not to rule over them, but to stand beside them, whose words ring like a bell inside them, whose lips and fingers bring them to life and fill them with passion.

Ah, and then there are KA's men: most are cut from the same rugged cloth, but there's comfort to be found in that. They love profoundly. They protect fiercely. They are insatiable, thankfully. And they go after what they want absolutely. Jake fits this description to a T.

Then, there are the support cast: some are necessarily evil, but most are sweet and loving, people you'd want to be your best friends and your best men, people who would do anything for you and you would do the same for them.

Jake's children, eight-year old Ethan, specifically, really popped off the page. He was so sweet and funny. And Josephine's Gran, the lovely Lydie, who has passed before the book begins, had a presence that just shines all the way through the book. I loved every single character, so hopefully this won't be the last we read about the folks that live in Magdalene: Mickey and Sheriff Coert, for example. And some characters that don't reside there, notably Amond, and perhaps Harry, too.

Lastly, there are the locales. KA creates towns that would grow into cities quickly because of all of us fans who would pack up our lives in a second and relocate there (or is that just me?). Yes, there's drama there, but for the most part Ms. Ashley creates places you would wish to inhabit, places where you could set down roots and raise your families. Places with shops, and hair salons, restaurants and coffee shops that you'd already plan to visit, make appointments and make reservations for. Towns that are the modern Mayberry.

A couple of wishes:
(view spoiler)[--I wish there was a way to read a book about Lydie: her bringing Jake and his family into her life.
--I'd love to read a novella in Jake’s POV about falling in love with Josie and him reading some of her letters, which we'd get to read along, too, of course. (hide spoiler)]

Note: I read this along with a few Canaries and had so much fun.