✨ ARC Review - California Dreamin' by Saffron A. Kent ✨

Title: California Dreamin'

Author: Saffron A. Kent

Genre: Romance 

Rating: ☕️☕️☕️☕️

Page Length: N/A

Blurb: 

Everyone thinks Dean Collins is too old for Fallon Blackwood. Her parents, her friends, even Dean himself.

In fact, he wants her to date guys her own age. But Fallon doesn’t care about that.

All she cares about is that she can’t take his eyes off Dean, her neighbor, her best friend, the guy who taught her to ride a bike and to climb trees.

All she cares about is that sometimes Dean can’t take his eyes off her, either. And that sometimes he looks at her like he wants to kiss her.

So it doesn’t matter that he’s thirty-two and she’s eighteen.

All that matters is that they belong with each other, and she needs to convince him of that.

Good thing they’re taking a cross-country road trip together, right?

California to New York; three thousand miles and a love story in the making…


*Featuring Simon Blackwood and Graham Edwards from ‘The Heartstone Series.’ 

**This is a STANDALONE NOVELLA. It was released as a part of Mixtape Anthology. Since then, it has been revised and expanded and re-titled.

Review:

Oh my gosh! I loved this novella so much. I'm usually not a big fan of novella's and I don't usually read them, but as soon as Saffron announced that she was expanding on this story and releasing a novella, I had to read it. Simon and Willow are my favorite characters that Saffron has written and I was so excited to read Fallon's story.

"Love can only be given. It can only be given of free will and violation."

And I was not disappointed. Even though this is a novella, it was so well flushed out and well done. None of it felt rushed, which is an issue I've run across with novellas, and the writing in this novella is spectacular. 

I loved Fallon and Dean so much. I'm a sucker for the age gap romance when it's done well, and Saffron definitely did this story justice. She sure knows how to write a damn good age gap romance. There's tension between these two, sexual and otherwise, but the friendship they have before they are together was one of my favorite parts. 

"It's like he told me. Love is a burn. It's an explosion, and with his mouth, his tongue, his teeth, his taste-citrusy and masculine-the way he's holding me, all tight and almost aggressively, he's showing me that."

This novella was at times sweet, romantic, and most definitely steamy. It was so great getting to read from these two, and we get chapters from Willow and Violet too. I just love Saffron's writing. It always makes me smile. And California Dreamin' definitely had me smiling. It's a quick feel good type of novella, that's also intense in a way. 

I think wether or not you have read the books that came before California Dreamin', that you can still read and love Fallon and Dean's novella. She gives just enough information in Willow and Violets chapters to understand and not be confused if you haven't read their books. But, I of course highly recommend reading them. It makes this novella so much more fun to read. I loved seeing how intense Simon is as a dad. 

I dont think she currently has any plans to write their book, but damn I would love to get Brendan and Rosie's story. I want to read that so bad, but I'm just greedy. Lol

"Needing someone doesn't make you weak. It makes you human."

Overall, this was a very good read. I loved the charcaters and the story. It felt really good to revisit some favorite characters along with loving Fallon and Dean's story. If you want a feel good, romatic, and steamy romance with great writing to read right now, definitely pick up California Dreamin'. 

*ARC received in exchange for an honest review. All thoughts and opinions are my own.*

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- Danielle