Review: Ravensewood Series by Talia Hibbert

The series

This series was my introduction to Talia Hibbert’s writing. I thoroughly enjoyed her writing style and humour. I particularly liked the fact that the main characters were ordinary everyday people - a refreshing change from the billionaire and royal romances I’ve been reading lately. Each of the main characters was flawed in a way that made them feel real and relatable. I should say, each story deals with one or more issues that may be triggering for some readers.

I listened to the audiobooks for the main 3 books in the series. The production was great, and I loved the narrator (Rupert Channing). The spin-off (book 1.5) wasn't available as an audiobook, so I read the ebook and often found myself reading it in Rupert Channing’s voice.=

A girl like her (book 1)

Evan is the new guy in town. Nice guy that he is, he decides to introduce himself to his next-door neighbour by baking him or her a pie. The neighbour turns out to be Ruth Kabbah, a girl with a sullied reputation in the small town of Ravenswood. Evan doesn’t care about the gossip and is genuinely intrigued by Ruth.

I liked Evan very much. He was the perfect combination of sweet and macho. Ruth is weird in a good way, and I also liked her a lot. They complemented each other well.

I enjoyed the story and the characters who are perfectly flawed. It was a nice change from the billionaire and royal romances I’ve been reading lately.

This was my first Talia Hibbert book, and I thoroughly enjoyed her humour.

The audiobook narration was also excellent

 

Damaged Goods (Book 1.5)

Pregnant and soon-to-be-divorced, Laura, returns to her childhood home to get away from her abusive husband. She reunites with her childhood friend, Samir. Though they haven't seen each other in years, time falls away as they rediscover each other. Laura had a lot of unlearning and re-learning to do in her journey to finding herself and regaining her confidence. Samir's love and devotion to her was sweet. It was great to see Ruth and Evan from book 1. I was both surprised and impressed by her relationship with Laura. 

Untouchable (book 2)

Nate returns home to Ravenswood with his two kids to help take care of a sick mother. His search for a nanny reunites him with Hannah Kabbah, an old schoolmate. Hannah works as a waitress, due to an ill-advised (albeit justified) action a couple of years ago which cost her the career she’s always dreamed of--working with children. Fortunately, Nate doesn’t care about this, and after seeing his kids take to her at a chance meeting, he hires her as their nanny.

But their attraction for each other gets in the way. Both Nate and Hannah are individuals who normally do the right thing, so their growing attraction isn’t what either of them would choose. For one, she works for him. They decide to handle the matter of their attraction like adults (yea, like that was going to work).

I liked both Nate and Hannah, but my favourite characters were Nate’s kids and his brother, Zac (hero of book 3).

 

That Kind of Guy (book 3)

I learnt a new thing: Demi sexuality. This is the hero’s orientation and he’s tired of having to hide and pretend otherwise or explain/defend it. For once in a romance novel, it is the hero (Zac) who’s off sex trying to find a real connection. The heroine (Ray) is recently divorced and unwilling to trust her heart to a man again. This combination paves the way for a "just friendship" to form between the two.

When Ray has to attend a function where she’ll meet her ex and his new wife, the idea of a fake boyfriend seems like a good, safe plan. Who better to fake date than the guy she’s come to like a lot and trust? Neither expects their relationship to develop beyond friendship, but their weekend together reveals otherwise.

This is a slow burn romance but once it’s lit, it scorches. This story had many unexpected things (for a romance novel) that made it a truly special book. I enjoyed Zac and Ray’s journey of love and learning to trust their feelings for each other.