Review: Autumn's Dance by Sarah Gai (Season Named)

Title: Autumn’s Dance

          (Season Named)

Author: Sarah Gai

Release Date: February 14, 2017

Publisher: Self

Category: Contemporary Romance (Inspirational)

Type: Digital

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Blurb:

Autumn Nash lives a nomadic existence with her harvest-travelling father, except every summer when they return to one place like clockwork…Ligonier, PA. But this season, Autumn meets a young man who changes her world and makes her long for more.

Eric Foster has been sent to stay the summer in Ligonier with his grandfather in hopes of altering his path as his life spirals downward. His direction changes the moment he sees Autumn; he knows his very reason for breathing is solely to be with her.

When Autumn is ripped away from Ligonier, she leaves Eric confused and devastated that their time is over. Both teens struggle through the years gone by without the other. Will Autumn ever see the boy who changed her life again? Will Eric wait for her? Will Autumn ever make it back to Ligonier? And what will happen when buried secrets surface?

By reading any further, you are stating that you are at least 18 years of age.

If you are under the age of 18, please exit this site.

Favorite Line(s):

So that’s my parents story and up until a few months ago, I never believed the part about love at first sight.”  ~  Eric

Excerpt:

The sound of tires hitting a rough patch of pavement woke Autumn Nash from her dreamless slumber. She stretched lazily, like a cat rubbing the sleep from her eyes. She had been napping for the past one hundred miles or so, in a deep, much-needed rest. She tended not to sleep all too well when on the road, finding it hard to relax when they pulled over at the truck stops along the way to wherever they were headed. Looking outside the pickup’s grimy window, she saw the early summer trees, their leaves a bright, verdant green. Her father reached across the front seat, punching her arm lightly with his large, bear-like fist.

“Hey kid, have a nice sleep?” he asked gruffly, a hint of sarcasm lacing his croaky smoker’s voice. It’s not like Autumn’s father had a right to be snooty with her; she did the majority of the driving the past year and a half. How they both managed to still be in one piece, when her father was mostly drunk or hung-over all those years when she wasn’t even old enough to drive, was nothing short of a miracle.

“Just entering Ligonier!” Her father’s voice boomed above the radio, cutting off her silent mind mutterings.

Ligonier, Pennsylvania was the one and only town they ever returned to during their nomadic existence. The long drive from Virginia in the heat and the return to familiarity contrasted steeply, making it both exhausting and bittersweet.

“Why do we come back here?” she asked, as her father just laughed.

Why she bothered with the question was ridiculous. She has asked the same question over and over throughout the years, always getting the same answer.

“It’s where the summer jobs are,” he replied evasively.

Liam Nash could have a job in several other states for the summer, a fact they both knew well, but Ligonier was, and always would be, a constant sort of home base, even though it was one big mystery.

There were things that, even though she and her father were the only ones they each had, neither one of them spoke aloud to the other. Most things concerned Ligonier, but another was about Autumn’s mother, who left them years before. Autumn barely remembered her; fragments of a sweep of blond hair or her bubbly laugh and smile that didn’t reach up to her mahogany eyes would find their way into her memory on occasion, if in fact they were memories. Nonetheless, her face was a distant blur. Some nights, Autumn closed her eyes tight and prayed for a glimpse of her mother, but the memory of a three-year old was not good enough after fourteen years passed.

Their beat-up blue pickup passed the sign announcing their welcome to Ligonier: population 1,549…though for the next three months, 1,551. It was a small, historic town in rural Pennsylvania that boasted one of the country’s oldest amusement parks and a large mountain resort. Summer brought the town an abundance of tourists who shopped at specialty stores along the tree-lined Main Street while children coasted on their bikes along the sidewalks. Autumn smiled as she rolled down the window, letting the breeze hit her face as a thought formed in her mind: home.

They drove through the main part of town as the pharmacy, local grocery store, post office, and floral boutiques flew past their windows; Autumn rolled her eyes knowing instinctively where her father was headed. Not daring to turn her head and risk giving her father a deep scowl, Autumn heard the click of the blinker as her father signaled, the truck turning into a parking spot in front of his favorite bar, Pesky’s. The light-colored brick façade and welcoming golden lights had a hypnotic hold on her father. Turning off the car, he stretched as he got out and slammed the pick-up’s rusty door, without so much as a word or a backwards glance as he marched straight towards the bar.

Autumn groaned, “Typical.”

After the long drive between job locations, her father could barely make it to the next bar. Autumn knew his drinking habits were well on the unhealthy side, along with his taste for gambling. It was also a part of her reality, never seeing or knowing Liam Nash to be any different. But that was another thing she never ever brought up.

She popped her seatbelt off and got out of the truck, slamming the door shut. Walking around to the truck bed, she pulled out her trusty black duffle, their sleeping bags, and the tent. Slinging the bag and tent over both shoulders and hugging the sleeping bags to her chest, she began her trek to the outskirts of town. It was only another ten minutes beyond Pesky’s bar, right before the sign announcing “Leaving Ligonier.”

Sweat beaded on her forehead as she walked down the last bit of Main Street. It was late in the afternoon and the slanting sun warmed her skin pleasantly. People milled about in front of the buildings, but Autumn avoided their gazes, a natural reaction to the obvious outsider. She could feel their judgmental eyes and knew what they were thinking: tourist season. If they only knew she was there annually. She recognized a few people, though she knew almost no one, really. Her father encouraged her to keep to herself. Actually, encouraged was a nice word—threatened was the more truthful term. It was easier that way; everything was easier when you had no one you were leaving behind. However, Ligonier was different in that it was the only place Autumn had friends. Aiden and Meg were twins, easily recognizable by their harmonizing fiery orange hair and Autumn couldn’t wait to see them, along with Ava and Sharon, the closest thing she ever had to a family, besides her father.

Autumn left Main Street, heading purposefully toward a thicket of trees. The buildings started to give way and the presence of other people slackened; she passed a woman walking a large German Shepherd and a kid riding his bike and then she was alone. Looking to make sure no one saw her, she cut to the side, leaving the pavement and plunging deep into the foliage, to find the place in the woods in which she and her father camped every year. It was deep enough in the trees for them to live unseen, but it close enough to society for necessities.

Autumn started off setting up the tent. There would not be any food tonight, she was sure, so Autumn crawled inside the tent without bothering to light a fire. As the sun set, she nestled into her sleeping bag and pulled out her book and flashlight, reading until her eyes closed involuntarily.

Dialogue Highlight:

Autumn stared at the same page for almost half an hour, anxious about spending the afternoon with Eric, her focus wandering from the actual text.

“Hey,” Eric said, walking out of the brush, “whatcha readin’?” He nodded towards her, his hands tucked into his pockets as he casually leaned back on his heels.

Autumn never saw someone so comfortable; she was shaking like a leaf, regardless of the warm weather. This boy made her insides squirm and her heart skip beats, which in turn caused her to catch her breath. Eric was most definitely not good for her well-being.

Remembering Eric asked her a question, Autumn held out the book. “To Kill a Mockingbird,” Autumn replied as she lowered the cover and tucked the book into her duffle bag. She got up, brushing some leaves off of her legs, and feeling quite apprehensive.

“How literary,” Eric remarked, sounding impressed.

Autumn smiled and held her hands behind her back to hide the fact they were still shaking from her nerves. “What do you want to do today?” She pushed a wave of hair behind her ear and waited with a shy smile on her face.

“You are cordially invited,” Eric began with a flourish, “to tea.”

Autumn laughed. “What?”

“You have been invited to the house of my grandfather, Pastor Graham,” Eric stated. “He wishes to take you, the wayward child of an alcoholic, beneath his wing.”

This wasn’t quite what Autumn was expecting. “Oh, okay.” She didn’t know how to respond, but she knew she felt ashamed.

“Hey, I was just kidding. He didn’t say that at all. It’s part of the deal,” Eric stage-whispered to her.

“What deal?” Autumn raised her head to look at him, feeling confused.

“The one my grandfather made with my dad. He’s supposed to meet everyone I choose to associate with this summer, since I am technically, grounded. I mean, I’m nineteen, but seriously, if you met my dad, you wouldn’t argue with him.”

Autumn really wondered just how immense his father was. Eric was by no means small; he was prodigious, standing at least a foot taller than Autumn. She felt positively pint-sized next to him.

“Oh,” Autumn replied.

“Are you prepared to run the gauntlet?”

“If that’s what it takes,” she jested.

Eric laughed. “You’re funny.”

“You might be the first person to call me that,” she stated as she began to follow him through the trees towards their destination.

Review:

Autumn Nash has been raised a nomad – travelling with her father from town to town to find work, the only place they ever always return to is Ligonier; although Autumn has no idea why they always return. He father is an alcoholic and abusive, and her mother either left them or died … or something happened to her at the hands of her husband as Autumn sometimes suspects. The only constant in her life is Ligonier and the friends she has here. When she meets Eric, her entire world spins off its axis. She knows they will be back on the road soon, so she makes the most of the times she has with him. Little does Eric know, she could disappear in the blink of an eye.

Eric Foster has been making some questionable decisions, so his father (former MC member) sends him to love with his grandfather for the summer. He falls quick for Autumn and when she disappears suddenly, having witnessed the abuse she endures, he searches for her to no avail. Cut to years later when she finally reappears in Ligonier. They have both been through a lot and the road back is going to be bumpier than they had anticipated. Ligonier holds a lot of secrets and Autumn has yet to uncover them and their relevance to her life. But Eric has no intention of giving up on her now that he’s got her back again.

I really wasn’t sure what to expect with this book. I requested the second book in the series because the female lead speaks sign language and my son signs. This one was included, so I figured I’d read it first. I have to tell you I was on an emotional up and down. Autumn is abused by her father and those scenes are really hard to take. Her rationale in caring for him is hard to stomach also – even though I completely understand her logic, it hurts to see her stay with him. I thought the entire time there was a lot more to Ligonier and their annual return to the city, and eventually, I did figure out prior to the reveal what the strong tether to the city was. That was difficult as well. But through it all is Eric. His father a reformed Motorcycle Club member, and Eric, who started to blend in with that life for a while, turned inspirational (I guess). It’s difficult to describe without giving crucial details away. There are quite a few references to God in this book, beginning with Eric’s grandfather, who is a preacher. I would almost classify this book as Inspirational. Almost. It isn’t quite in that genre, but it’s close.

This book was difficult to feature with you all also due to the massive time jump from the beginning when they are teens and then picking up several years later. I felt featuring the later years would also give away too much, so I kept it to the beginning of the story. I’m not really sure where the next book comes in, because to my recollection, the characters of book two were never mentioned in this book. I’m curious to find out more about this series though. I have to say that I read a quote about how this book will have you thinking about it long after you read it and I fund that statement to be completely true. I connected with Autumn, Eric, and the rest of the very well-developed cast and wanted them to all find happiness. When they hurt, I hurt. I laughed, I cried, I cringed, I adored them all. Gai has a knack for ripping your heart out and figuring out a way to put it all back together. The lies, deceit, and danger end up so much deeper than expected. While the MC appearance is maybe a little over the top, I did see the need for their presence, and ultimately ended up begrudgingly liking them after all. Which brings to question, is there – or will there be a series about any of them?

I can’t say I disliked anything in particular about this book. Other than the abuse, which made me want to throw up, I very much enjoyed my time spend with this book – my heart getting ripped and trampled, and then slowly pieced back together as the mysteries are revealed. Good times. 😊 If you are looking for emotional torment and a beautiful love story that shines like a beacon through all of the darkness, then you have come to the right place. Grab your tissues and buckle up. You’re in for a ride and Gai controls the reins.

Kindle version provided by Xpresso Book Tours/Author in exchange for an honest review.