As We Touch by Elle Rivers | Book Review
As We Touch by Elle Rivers
Series: Strawberry Springs #4
Genres: Contemporary Romance
She can’t touch anyone. He could be the exception.
Piper MacMillian is falling behind. Despite being a successful romance author, her childhood trauma has left her unable to touch anyone, something that makes finding love feel impossible. But when she takes a leap of faith and moves to Strawberry Springs, she knows she needs to start living—starting with getting out of her apartment. An older, tattooed coffee shop owner isn’t someone she expects to be interested in, but stolen moments after closing turn into something more. For the first time, Piper finds herself wanting to push her boundaries to touch him. As she feels herself falling for the first man she doesn’t fear, she hopes it’s her turn to find the love she’s only written about.
Theo Murf refuses to get close to anyone. He’s made a lot of mistakes in his past and spent years running from them. Strawberry Springs was never supposed to be a permanent stop, but the quirky town gave him his greatest dream—opening his own coffee shop. When a stunning blonde with an anxiety he recognizes walks into his life, he’s certain she deserves better than a troubled man twelve years her senior. As Theo’s longing grows, so does his fear—especially when his past comes knocking and threatens the peace he’s found. His head tells him to pack up and run, but his heart tells him he’s found something worth staying for.
As they open up about their pasts, Piper and Theo wonder if change is worth the risk. Will they let go of fear and throw caution to the wind as they touch, or will they hold tight to their pasts that haunt them?
As We Touch is a small-town, grumpy/sunshine romance novel with the touch-starved and age gap tropes, set in the town of Strawberry Springs. It’s the fourth in a series of interconnected standalone novels.
goodreads
get the book
I received this book for free from in exchange for an honest review. This does not affect my opinion of the book or the content of my review.
my review
Can I just say how much I adored Piper and Theo together. Theo is the definition of a book boyfriend!
Piper and Theo each have different reasons for keeping people at a distance. Piper, though, is at the point where she wants things to change. So she made the move to Strawberry Springs leaving behind the constant protection that she’d grown accustomed to. It also means continuing therapy, and figuring out how to trust herself again. Moving into the apartment above Theo’s cafe and well things progress only the way they can in a romance book.
She begins spending time in the cafe since it is a good place to work on her writing. Of course, Theo is also there. One thing I really liked is although there is plenty of attraction between the two they don’t jump into action because of it. This is certainly a slow burn with them spending time together, talking, and just getting to know one another little by little.
I love Theo because he never treated Piper like she is fragile. While yes he notices things and situations he is still fully aware that Piper can handle things for herself. Not only is he aware he allows her that space to handle things instead of just taking over and dealing with them.
Of course Strawberry Springs is a small town and gossip is rampant which is why Theo’s secret still has such a reaction. As someone who lives in a small town, I get it. There are people still angry forty years later over the dumbest things. I love that the town has a Facebook group that is really more about gossip than anything else.
I did enjoy several supporting characters and I am planning to go back and read the previous books. Also that ending with Gabriel got my attention. Since this is my first book in the series, I apparently arrived in Strawberry Springs at exactly the right time to become nosy about everyone else’s business.
