PARKER:
After being away from home for nearly a decade, my mother summons me back to Serenade to celebrate my father’s sixtieth birthday. I don’t want to go back and I have good reason, too. But when I return home and run into the former quarterback, it’s like I’m in high school all over again. My memories are still haunted by the football team’s efforts to humiliate me and I can’t seem to let go of the past.
COOPER:
My quarterback days lay way behind me, as I find myself struggling to make ends meet. After my father has died, and my mother’s gone to travel the world, I’m left dreaming of starting my own family. I also have a dream of opening my own pastry shop, but that may be too big of dream for me. When I meet Parker, I’m starting to wonder if I might get both after all…
Title: Judgmental: Serenade Short Reads Book One
Author: Riley Manning
Pages: 100
My review
A slowly blossoming romance in the background of beautiful Serenade.
Parker and Cooper are two entirely different characters. There is no similarity between them. Above all, Cooper is the same person that made Parker’s life hell at once. But love knows no barriers. It will blossom in very unlikely situations. This beautiful story underlines that. Moreover, we can witness, sometimes love can be so powerful that it will unite two souls regardless of their struggles.
The author has adopted a dual narrative style. We can look into the situation through both protagonists perspective. This made the whole story somewhat like a thriller. We will be anxious to know what will happen next.
I was curious about the title of this short read from the beginning. But I realized that this whole story is about being judgemental. The contrasting perspective of both leads makes the core of the story. Being judgemental means, being deeply prejudiced. Here we can see this mindset is slowly dissolved as another strong emotion takes over their feelings, which is love. Love is the cure for all the hate. It can unite people magically.
A beautifully penned, romance story indeed.
The Ultimate Reviewer 