Five Caffeinated reasons to grab a copy of Chasing River

• We met Amber in previous books; Despite her family's concerns she is traveling abroad on a three-month adventure. She just arrived in Dublin, Ireland the previous night and is cutting through Steven’s Greens, to make it to a scheduled tour when out of nowhere a young Irishman saves her life and runs off. The tale that unfolds shares growth, the complications of family and the realization that sometimes love is not at all how you imagined or where you thought you would find it.


• River Delaney is twenty-four and destined to run his family owned pub in Dublin. The Stag has been a part of his family for over two hundred years. He is the middle brother and has a lot on his plate for such a young man. There is his Dad’s health, his younger brother’s schooling and dealing with complications caused by his brother Aengus and his involvement with the IRA. River is complicated and I felt for him. Tucker gives us an inside look at the struggles one faces when a loved one is involved in violent activity. She pushes the boundaries of loyalty and love.


• Amber Welles has spunk. Imagine traveling alone to foreign countries. After the young Irishman saved her life, she cannot help thinking about him. She spots something on the street and it gives her the clue she needs to find the young man and thank him. Amber is adventurous and carries with her a bucket list of things to do on her journey from simple things like dressing like a bond girl to sun bathing naked. She also has her life mapped out from the type of guy she will fall for to where she will live and work. Life experience tells us this almost never happens and I enjoyed watching Amber push herself, discover new things and take chances.


• Ireland’s history and the IRA is a subject I know bits and pieces about and Tucker did a wonderful job of sharing its history. How the IRA formed and where it is today are vastly different and she gave us a clear untainted picture leaving the reader to reserve judgement and perhaps pique their interest. She also shared stories from the potato famine and this was one of my favorite scenes in the novel. It had me shed a tear and at the same time increased my longing to visit Dublin.


• Secondary characters, family and a delicious romance all set against the beautiful backdrop of Dublin, Ireland had me swooning. You could feel their attraction to each other, and his reluctance to bring her into his complicated world. I loved that she pushed back and chased River. Their romance certainly had a few bumps, but they talked and shared keeping the angst low. Tucker added suspense, danger and some intense scenes that forced growth keeping me fully vested in the outcome. She kept me flipping the pages in search of my HEA.

Copy provided by publisher. This review was originally posted on Caffeinated Book Reviewer

I loved this book.

“Capre diem, miss. Foolish youth is a strange and wondrous time that vanishes too quickly.”….Seize the day.If I wasn’t convinced before, that sweet old man surely helped sway me. I’ll take the bait. I’ll chase you, River.”

Chasing River is the third book in the Buried Water series, but can be read as a stand-alone. When I first read the synopsis of this story, I was already hooked. I couldn’t wait to read more.

Chasing River is Amber and River’s story. Amber has decided to take a few months off from work and travel. One of her first stops is in Ireland. She was ready for an adventure of a lifetime. What she wasn’t prepared for was River. River loves his family. He’ll do anything to protect them, even if it puts him on the wrong side of the law. So, when he tries to stop his brother from making a major mistake, the last thing he was expecting was to have to save someone else. Fate has brought River and Amber together, but River takes off before Amber even knows who he is. River tries to forget about Amber, but is finding taht to be impossible, especially when their paths keep crossing. They like each other, but River knows he shouldn’t get involved with Amber. Amber isn’t sure what it is about River, but she wants to know more about him. Will River prove to be worth the chase? Will the truth about River’s connections send Amber running away?

I had a bit of a slow start with this book. It did take me a little while before I really got in to the story, but once I did, I couldn’t put it down. I was so intrigued with the story-line. I wanted to know more about River and his life. What was the trouble his brother was in? What is River’s true connection to the IRA? River was very charming and was so loyal to his family, willing to protect his brother, no matter what.

I was really intrigued by Amber. She was a good girl, always following the rules, never doing anything out of character. So, I was surprised that she would take a trip like this all on her own. At the same time, it was good to see her experiencing new things on her own. She was very easy to connect with and understand. I loved watching her interact with River. The two of them had such great chemistry. That being said, I appreciated that they took the time to get to know each other instead of jumping into anything head first.

One of the things I really enjoyed was Amber’s bucket list. It was such a fun idea. My only complaint is that I would have liked to have seen Amber and River cross off some more of the items off of her list.

Overall, I thought Chasing River was a pretty enjoyable read. I was really intrigued by the story-line and River’s connection to the IRA. I loved the setting. I mean, you can’t go wrong with a romance in a foreign country. I haven’t read any of the other books in this series, but did not feel lost at all. Chasing River had just the right amount of angst and romance with a little suspense mixed in.

* I was provided an ARC copy of this book via NetGalley, in exchange for an honest review*

You can also see my review at: http://onceuponabookblog.com/2015/07/07/review-chasing-river-buried-water-3/

2.75 stars

**This review is based on an ARC from Netgalley. Read this and others on my blog: The Library Princess

I was excited to read this story mostly because of the author, she is one of my favorites, but also because I have really enjoyed the characters in the companion novels to this title. Though they don’t need to be read in order, it is nice to know who she is referring to with other characters and their stories. I also enjoy a book that can teach me something new, but in a way that is fun, which is what this one did. I learned some new pieces of history about Ireland and, specifically, the potato famine.

Amber is the little sister of a character from the other two titles in this series, Burying Water and Becoming Rain (read them if you haven’t already!). She has always had a wanderlust and has planned her ultimate trip all over the world. One of her first stops is Ireland, where she finds herself in the wrong place at the wrong time and almost dies due to what most would consider as a terrorist attack. She is saved by a man whom she knows nothing out, but recognizes a symbol from his t-shirt on another patron at a local restaurant and ends up tracking him down at his family’s bar. This is where she meets River (the man who saved her) and becomes quickly involved with him, to her own reluctance. She knows that she is only in Ireland for a short time, but she does have something she needs to check off her travel bucket list that he may be perfect for. As she falls for River, and his family, she learns pieces of Ireland’s history and some not-so-good (in her opinion) things about his family and their background. She ends up in the middle of a criminal case and doesn’t know what will end up happening. Amber has always been a planner and a follow-the-rules type of girl, so she is stuck trying to figure out what to do. I will not say much more, don’t want to ruin any of the story!

Again, I enjoy a book that teaches me something new without even seeming like I’m “learning”. I have enjoyed this author since the first title I read, Ten Tiny Breaths, and will continue to pick up her books with no hesitation. Her characters are extremely likeable and very real. The titles are a little too “new adult” for my high school library, but I consistently recommend them to friends and have loaned out my copies of her first several books to get them hooked. I can’t wait for the next one!

For more book reviews check out Britt's Book Blog
FULL REVIEW::::::
Chasing River is the third book in the Burying Water series and can be read as a standalone. I thought that this book had a different vibe than the previous books, and I really liked that. Amber is Jesse’s (from Burying Water) twin sister.

Amber is in Dublin, Ireland and when she meets River, it’s explosive (literally). Her shields her from an explosion. After he makes sure she is okay, he leaves. Amber tracks him down to the pub that he works and wants to thank him for saving her.

River’s family is trouble. And he doesn’t want to involve Amber in his family’s problems, so he kind of wants to put some distance between them. BUT the two of them feel a connection to one another, they’re drawn to each other. Staying away is hard.

There’s not much that I can say about the plot without spoiling it for you. This is a layered story with a lot of twists and turns. And there were times that I was speechless. There was angst, but it wasn’t overdone. There was a lot of action and suspense. There was also a lot of history within this book. I learned a lot about Ireland.

Chasing River is told in dual point-of-view, something I have a love/hate relationship with, but I really liked it in this book. I was never confused. I did like River’s point-of-view more than Amber’s because I thought the Irish slang was interesting and River was hilarious at times.

Chasing River does have some insta-love going on, but K.A. handled it so well. And it just worked for this story. River and Amber have a connection. I could feel it. They have chemistry. It just made sense. They spent a lot of time together and got to know one another. Chasing River spans over two weeks, and still the romance feels realistic.

I really loved the setting in Chasing River. K.A. Tucker did a wonderful job with making me feel like I was in Ireland. It was a nice change of scenery from the rest of the series.

Chasing River was addictive and had the perfect blend of romance and suspense with some action thrown in. This entire series is unique and intriguing.

The Conclusion:

Chasing River is a great addition to the Burying Water series. K.A. Tucker’s writing is vivid and amazing. The scenery is a nice change, and I felt like I was in Ireland. There’s romance, action, suspense, and many twists. The characters were likable and I loved River. I really loved how there was history woven into the story.

Recommended To:

Fans of the Burying Water series. Also, anyone who is looking for something fresh and unique in the NA genre.

FIRST REVIEW:
K.A. Tucker is an auto-buy author for me. I have loved every book that I have read of hers and this is no exception. It did take me a while to really get into the story but once I did-I loved it. Chasing River is a layered story with twists that will shock you. I think that fans of this series will not be disappointed. I can't wait for the next book!

AH! I think this is my favorite of the series so far. I LOVED the Ireland setting and how KA Tucker incorporated so much history into the story. The premise of this book really reminded me of Sons of Anarchy season 3 with the IRA/RIRA and the political pieces. She clearly did her research as an author! There was also the perfect balance between suspense and romance. I loved Amber and River as a couple. The good girl/ bad boy vibe worked with the premise of the story and while the attraction was instant, nothing felt too quick. The supporting characters were also great!

This can be read as a standalone but I do recommend reading the books in order, so you can understand the characters better.

If you are a fan of the Simple Wild series, I highly recommend checking this out and the Ten Tiny Breaths series.

I usually really like K.A Tuckers books but this one missed the mark for me. I didn’t feel very much for Amber or River or anyone else in the book, besides Rowen. I found Amber boring and disliked River.

I know the book was published in 2015 but some parts really haven’t age well. I found it hard to get passed River’s admission of sleeping with his childhood girl friend while she was absolutely wasted on alcohol, and the grossness worsened when he remarked that if he had kissed Amber more and eased her into it, he could have gotten Amber to sleep with him also, even though she was drunk, and had told him to stop. Also, the way he spoke about Nuala was very unnecessary and demeaning. I understand the point was to show that Amber was above Nuala class wise and beauty but it was so over the top that almost every time Nuala was mentioned it was so derogatory. She was painted as such a slut, and Amber to be of a such a “staggeringly higher pedigree”. Yet that didn’t seem to bother River when he slept with Nuala.

I found those things very problematic and it unfortunately further put me off River as a character.

Find this review and more at kimberlyfaye reads.

I settled in for a little K.A. Tucker binge read about a week ago. Somehow, I'd missed reading Becoming Rain, even though I had a review copy. (Major fail on my part.) I devoured it and loved it, so I decided to keep going to and read Chasing River while I was still in that world. I'm glad I did, too. It was an excellent addition to the Burying Water series.

Chasing River starts off with a quite literal bang when Amber happens upon a bomb laid by a radical group while on holiday in Ireland. Fortunately, she's saved just in time by an Irish stranger. What she doesn't know at the time is this stranger's brother is responsible for her near death experience. This truth comes out sooner rather than later, after she goes hunting for the stranger who saved her life. Some other truths, however, take a little longer to do the same.

I was relatively warm to Amber's character after having met her originally in Burying Water. We didn't learn that much about her in that book, but I liked what I knew. I was hoping she would get a book of her own one day. I really liked that the backdrop for her story took her away from Sisters and to where she could be her own woman and find herself away from her parents. She needed that. Over the course of this book, I only grew to like Amber more.

River was an interesting guy to try to wrap my head around. I mean you can't NOT like the guy who saves the heroine – especially when he's a hot Irish bartender. I just had some issues with him not being upfront with Amber about just what she was getting herself into by spending time with him. I mean, I understand why he was trying to protect her, but it doesn't mean I liked it. When it was all said and done though, I really liked River. He was more than his past would lead you to believe. He definitely made me swoon a couple times.

One of my favorite things about this book was how Ireland's history was woven seamlessly into the story. I knew I was getting a bit of a history lesson, but it wasn't anything like reading out of a history book – and I never felt like it was being shoved down my throat. It was a great complement to the romance and even the suspense and action of Chasing River. That said, I also did love the romance. I liked watching Amber and River come together with the knowledge that an ocean would soon keep them apart. Of course, I was hoping they'd find a way to make things a little more permanent, but I won't tell you if they did or not. You'll need to read to find out.

Chasing River was a great follow-up to two amazing stories in Burying Water and Becoming Rain. I liked that we got a few glimpses into the lives of some of the other characters, even with them not being together geographically at the time. I also really enjoyed learning more about Ivy, who will be the heroine in the next novel, Surviving Ice. I kinda fell in love with her spunky self in this book, so I'm even more excited to read her story now.

I received a copy of this book from the publisher, via NetGalley, in exchange for an honest review.