REVIEW: REBOUND by NIKKI MATHIS THOMPSON

Genre: Adult Contemporary Romance
Publisher: Self-Published
Publication Date: 3/20/13
Format: eARC
Pages: 279
Source: Received from author for review

Katrine MacNamara was defined by two roles--wife and mother.
When one of those roles is suddenly stripped from her, she is forced to re-evaluate her place in the world. She needs to get her life back on track, a life of her own.
What are the next logical steps, as a newly single 35 year old woman?
1. Put the kibosh on crying sessions in the fetal position.
2. Start using maiden name.
3. Jump start her non-existent career.
The last item is the tricky one. She is determined to stand on her own two feet without her ex's money. But since she has spent the last decade at home raising her son, her moth eaten resume has been collecting dust.
When Katrine lands a high profile assignment for the summer. Although short term, the experience would add some much needed prestige to her anemic resume.
She is eager to rise to challenge. Little does she know that part of the challenge would be her new boss.
During a night full of laughs and margaritas, her friends urge her to get back out into the dating scene. A rebound fling is just what she needs to get her feet wet.
Katrine is leery to say the least and is not sure is she is ready. She wonders if a man even fits into her new life. Not to mention the fact that being naked in front of someone new was beyond petrifying.
But when a man from the past enters her life and as she grows closer to her new boss, she is forced to re-evaluate the whole fling concept.
Does she go for casual or does she commit? Can she even do casual? She always listens to her heart, maybe it was time to start listening to other parts of her anatomy.
As she navigates her new single life she has to decide what defines her. And with help from her nutty sister, hilarious friends and plethora of fermented grapes— she just might find that she is willing to forgo lust and even love, if it means compromising her new found identity.

 

The story gets off to a brutal start, when Katrine's husband leaves her for another woman. I was honestly prepared for a lot more of the initial aftermath than what I got, but I was grateful. The story picks up months later, with Katrine moving on with her life. This part of the story was pretty funny, and that's because of Katrine's friends and sister. This group of ladies was hysterical. I was always happy when they had a girls night, and would've loved more of their interactions.

Part of Katrine moving on includes getting a job. That's where Xander Abbott comes into the story. This guy did not make a good first impression, for neither Katrine nor myself.  I would like to say that I warmed up to him, but that never really happened. I felt like he went from rude and arrogant to the man of any woman's dreams, and I just never became completely invested in him. Maybe that would have been different if I felt Xander had truly earned Katrine's affection. There is another man who is out to win Katrine, Ian, but those moments are so brief that I didn't he stood a real chance against Xander.

I did enjoy Rebound. Katrine was a really sweet, likable main character. I did find her ramblings to be a bit melodramatic, to me, at certain points, but she was definitely entertaining. There were some nice steamy moments between her and Xander, and I think those who like their intimate scenes less explicit will definitely enjoy them.  I have to say that the ending of Rebound was unexpected and a little unsatisfying.  I really didn't see "that" coming! I like how Katrine handled herself, at least. I just felt things were unresolved, which sometimes is way more realistic, but still left me feeling antsy. I'm thinking that there will likely be a second book.

Rebound was a sometimes funny, sometimes sad story of one woman's bumpy road on the road to life after divorce


Favorite Quote:

  "Thou doth protest too much, sis. I know you secretly love those movies and have read the books too. Not to mention your shelves are lined with an assortment of vampire porn." Maddie joked, shaking her head then taking a large drink of her wine.
  "I prefer the term undead erotica, thank you very much. Besides, I needed something to get me going. Mr. "I've got ten minutes before surgery" wasn't very inspiring. But honestly, I should really stay away from those types of books now that my bedroom sees less action than a Tibetan monastery."  ~5%

Purchase Rebound at:

Amazon  |  Barnes & Noble

About the author:

Nikki Mathis Thompson spent her formative years singing, dancing and creating her own world of make-believe. From an early age she developed a love of reading that has grown exponentially to near addiction. She has a business degree from the University of Texas at Dallas. Her degree looks great in the frame, but hasn't been utilized in years. She gladly left the cubicle life behind to raise her daughter and a son was added to the mix some years later. You can find her devouring a book while drinking a glass of wine, doing her part to save the planet or lip-synching to her favorite songs while running through her suburb. She lives outside of Dallas with her family. Rebound is her first novel.

Connect with Nikki at:

Website  |  Twitter  |  GoodReads