One reason I love second chance romances is the inherent drama in the set up. You’ve got two characters who have to figure out how to get over the issues that tore them apart in the first place to find their happily ever after together. Quiver by Rachel Spangler is a second chance romance that pulls no punches with how emotionally taxing this type of situation can be. It is neither fluffy nor easy, but so worth it if you’re willing to go along for the ride.
Award-winning actress Kye Manchester has always gone for what she wants, but to mixed results. Currently acting in an off Broadway play, she is desperate for a role in a movie that she thinks will turn her career around. When she shoots her mouth off in an audition, promising the director she’s got mounted archery skills she doesn’t truly possess, she is forced to go back home and to the one woman who could teach her these skills: her ex-girlfriend and first love, Fletcher Bouchard. Despite her initial hesitation, Fletcher agrees to train Kye if only to get her back out of her life. Both women carry the pain and scars from their breakup and have no qualms with lashing out at each other over it. As they spend more time together, though, both women come to see that their sharp edges bring out the best in each other and, in spite of their past, there could be a future for them if they could only let bygones be bygones
Quiver takes you on quite the emotional journey. Both Kye and Fletcher start with walls high and knives out, making for some really brutal interactions between the two that border on cruel and last for a large part of the book. There were so many lines that both Kye and Fletcher said that had me reacting with, “Way to be a bitch about it,” or “Oh, what a line.” Kye and Fletcher’s relationship doesn’t end up being all slings and arrows, though, but it takes time to get there. Even at their worst early on, there are brief moments of hope where things could improve. When they finally get their break through (in quite the hilarious way), the change is sudden—and yet not. The walls come down and the knives get sheathed as the women try to unlearn old defensive habits, but it’s a slow and uneven process. Each little step along the way is so tentative, giving you the sense that at any moment all progress towards reconciliation could fall apart. All of this makes for a romance that feels much more authentic, meaningful, and hard to walk away from.
Another thing that really stands out about Quiver is how, despite the bitchiness and intractability that Kye and Fletcher display time and time again, I never ended up disliking either of them. Sure, there were moments that I thought one or the other were unreasonable, but at all times I could see the motivations behind their actions. Rachel does a great job showing the complexity of Kye and Fletcher’s relationship and the pain they have carried since their first breakup. You truly get to see who these two women are, what makes them tick, and what has led them to this point. You also get to see how in spite of it all, Kye and Fletcher are perfect for each other. You end up rooting for them even when they are at each other’s throats.
Another thing that makes Quiver a great book is Rachel’s masterful way with words. The dialogue is rich and complex and displays both hurt and humor so well. They convey Kye and Fletcher’s inner thought processes in such a way that you really feel what they are going through and the conflict raging within them. Rachel also has a great way with a metaphor. They don’t just use metaphors to describe something once and move on. They play with them, using the same ideas over and over again in interesting and unique ways that both expertly get their point across and leave you impressed with their skills as a writer.
Altogether, between the story, the characters, and Rachel’s expert writing, I was enthralled by this book and invested in Kye and Fletcher’s romance. There were moments in which I couldn’t set the book down because I just had to see where these women went next. Would the walls be reset? Would the knives come back out? Or would these two women, perfect for each other yet sometimes incapable of being honest and open, overcome what tore them apart before? If you’re up for a journey that isn’t always comfortable but totally worth it, I highly encourage you to check Quiver out and discover the answer for yourself.
