Until It Fades by K.A. Tucker

June 27th, 2017 Kimberly Review 60 Comments

27th Jun
Until It Fades by K.A. Tucker
Until It Fades
by K.A. Tucker
Genres: Contemporary Romance
Source: Publisher
Purchase*: Amazon *affiliate
Goodreads
Rating: One StarOne StarOne StarOne Star
Heat Level: One FlameOne FlameOne Flame

Twenty-four-year-old truck stop waitress and single mother Catherine Wright has simple goals: to give her five-year-old daughter a happy life and to never again be the talk of the town in Balsam, Pennsylvania: population two thousand outside of tourist season.

And then one foggy night, on a lonely road back from another failed attempt at a relationship, Catherine saves a man’s life. It isn’t until after the police have arrived that Catherine realizes exactly who it is she has saved: Brett Madden, hockey icon and media darling.

Catherine has already had her fifteen minutes of fame and the last thing she wants is to have her past dragged back into the spotlight, only this time on a national stage. So she hides her identity. It works.

For a time.

But when she finds the man she saved standing on her doorstep, desperate to thank her, all that changes. What begins as an immediate friendship quickly turns into something neither of them expected. Something that Catherine isn’t sure she can handle; something that Catherine is afraid to trust.

Because how long can an extraordinary man like Brett be interested in an ordinary woman like Catherine…before the spark fades?

ROMANCE Small-town Sweet Auto-Buy

UNTIL IT FADES by K. A. Tucker was a delightful, romantic and touching tale of overcoming one’s past and finding a slice of happy. With mentions of my beloved FLYERS, and Pennsylvania setting I quickly slipped into this story and connected with Catherine.

Not into sports? Don’t let the hockey playing hero make you nervous. Yes, the game is mentioned from the Flyers to Tucker’s own Maple Leafs, but this story is really about Catherine Wright facing her past, and learning to trust again.

Catherine lives in Balsam, Pennsylvania, a rural town that attracts tourist and everyone knows your business. She works as a waitress at the local truck stop. After an uneventful date, she begins to heads home to her five-year-old daughter when there is a car crash. Without thinking, she pulls the passenger to safety. Unbeknownst to her, she has saved Brett Madden, the FLYERS’ captain. Not wanting to make headlines she asked her friend and local police officer to withhold her name.

Of course, nothing stays secret in a small town, and it isn’t long before the news is out.  Before you know it,  Brett friggin Madden is on her doorstep wanting to thank her. I adored their first meeting, and while Catherine might have a colored past, she hasn’t had much experience in dating and the opposite sex. I loved how protective she was of her daughter, and Tucker allowed me to connect and understand the things that have shaped Catherine.

UNTIL IT FADES touches on a dark subject matter View Spoiler »shedding light on the victim’s side, the strain on the family and societies reactions. Catherine is tenacious and has overcome a lot. She is finally in a good place with her parents, and folks have stopped talking in whispers around her, so the idea of making headlines freaks her out..but Brett is wonderful, sweet and smitten.

Tucker filled the story with gooey moments, laughter and adorkableness that made me grin. All of this balanced out Cathrine’s past troubles. We learned what happened through flashbacks and these were honest and raw from the perspective of a seventeen-year-old girl who thought she knew everything. Her voice was genuine, as were her parent’s struggles and the responses of the community. The story was relevant and one that frequents headlines. Catherine was an excellent voice both as a victim and a survivor. It was beautiful watching her hope, bloom and begin to heal.

The storyline was predictable, but that did not hinder my enjoyment, in fact, I loved the feeling of knowing what was going to happen and then seeing it come true. It had some Hallmark moments, and I devoured them. I enjoyed the character growth and seeing Catherine understand and forgive even herself.

Secondary characters from friends to Catherine’s parents and siblings all added to the story. I loved her families’ banter over hockey, Catherine’s daughter had some great, realistic one-liners and Brett’s family was sweet and down to earth. I know this is standalone, but I would love to get Catherine’s BFF’s story as well as that of a local officer.

Tucker is an auto-buy author for me who offers unique tales and heartfelt characters. If you are looking for a sweet romance that has character growth, you will want to add UNTIL IT FADES to your bookshelf.

UNTIL IT FADES was a delightful, romantic and touching tale you'll fall in love with Share on X
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About Kimberly
Kimberly is a coffee loving book addict who reads and listens to fictional stories in all genres. Whovian, Ravenclaw, Howler and proud Nonna. She owns and manages Caffeinated PR. The coffee is always on and she is ready to chat. BlueSky | Facebook | Instagram

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60 Responses to “Until It Fades by K.A. Tucker”

  1. Stephanie

    I haven’t read her yet. Pretty sure I have one or two by her though. This one sounds amazing. I will definitely be reading it in the future.

    So glad your auto-buy didn’t disappoint you and you enjoyed Until It Fades so much!

  2. Darlene

    I was excited to see your comment that K.A. Tucker is an auto-buy author for you. I have a number of her audiobooks on my TBR, plus she’s Canadian! I must try her!!

  4. Dragonfly

    UGH Teacher-student relationships.. gives me the creeps! For some reason I thought K.A. Tucker only wrote suspense! I bet this was refreshing. Glad you enjoy it.

    • kimbacaffeinate

      She did YA, romantic suspense, and suspense. This was lighter and the teacher-student happened in the characters past. It was well done.

  8. Lexxie

    I agree, Kim, this book was really well done, and while there was some hockey-talk, that wasn’t the focus of the story at all. I loved both Catherine and Brett, and I’m really happy you did, too!
    I hope you’re having a great week 🙂

  9. Nicole Lynn

    This mentions the Flyers?!?! Alright I’m running out to buy this book pronto! Haha but I’m seriously this does sound like a sweet story and I’m such a sucker for “hockey romances”. I’ve also heard good things about this author too! Thanks for sharing!! 🙂

  11. Jonetta (Ejaygirl)

    There’s something about a Tucker story that has it be uneventful and compelling at the same time. She’s an auto buy for me, too, and I’ve got this queued on audio for next month.

  12. Katherine

    I’ve been wanting to read KA Tucker for years and this sounds like a really wonderful read. I don’t mind predictably and the occasional Hallmark moment if there’s a little bit of grit to keep it from being too sweet and some heart to connect with which it sounds like this book has in spades. I’m looking forward to reading this one.

  13. Kei

    I love the sound of this one and I don’t mind a bit of predictable plot if the author can present it nicely. Great review!

  14. Heidi

    This is the third review I’ve read for this today. I have my copy, and I am really struggling with the book I am reading, so I think I will set it aside and start this tonight.

  17. Lorna

    I loved this book! I reviewed it on Pure Textuality and its my last one for that site. It’s been quite awhile since I read it and I think I will pick it up as a re-read sometime, sooner rather than later.

  18. Sophia Rose

    I will be getting this one. I’ve read and loved all her other books. Neat how she’s taken a little different turn with this one.

  19. Laurel-Rain Snow

    I’ve been eyeing books from this author….and now you’ve reeled me in! And I’m glad you mentioned that the sports elements do not dominate the story, as those aspects would have turned me off. LOL.

    Sounds very tempting! Thanks for sharing.

  20. Ethan

    Sometimes a straight forward romance is just what the doctor ordered. I just finished a pretty by-the-numbers thriller myself.

  22. Angela

    I have this one in my TBR pile, I just haven’t made it to it yet. I think I need to jump to it because with the last few weeks I’ve had, I need something predictable.

  23. Nick

    I’ll be picking this one up soon. I’m glad to hear that it’s a well-written story, Kim. I had heard what the book was about and it sounds really tough, but it looks like it’s handled well. I can’t wait to meet these characters!

  24. kindlemom1

    I’ve seen some reviews that said this wasn’t her strongest book so I’m glad that you liked it. She is a great author for sure either way.

  27. verushka

    I don’t care if a story is sometimes predictable, if an author can make it work, I am loving it! Great review!

  28. Geybie's Book Blog

    Just got this book. Been pre-ordered it for two months. Can’t wait to start it. Glad to hear you loved it, Kim. Awesome review. ❤️