THAT ONE MOMENT
PATTY WISEMAN
Ricki Sheridan traveled a long way to seek refuge at Wolf Den’s Lodge high in the mountains after a devastating betrayal. Heartbroken, she signed up for a survivalist backpacking trip to live off the land and forget.
An injury on the first day puts her in the capable hands of the handsome trail boss, Kory Littleton. The attraction is instant, mutual, and terrifying. She trusted her emotions once and vowed never to make the same mistake again.
Kory’s heart, trampled and bruised, is unprepared to ever love again, until his unexpected reaction to Ricki reveals some things are worth taking a chance on.
When evil finds its way back into Ricki’s world, their fragile bond is tested, forcing them to face their greatest fear: can a wounded heart ever trust anew?
Betrayal. Desire. Revenge. Which one prevails?
That One Moment is romantic suspense. Emphasis on the suspense.
Here’s what I liked:
I really appreciated the roller coaster plot lines of That One Moment. The suspense of will they be attacked? Or will they survive? Will they fall off the side of the mountain? The plot of NOT knowing what will happen next was really drove the novel for me. I truly thought the danger was over after the first (redacted) and that the second half the book would focus on the romance. But no. Ms. Wiseman had to go and throw a curve ball with even more danger. And what a curve ball it was!
I really enjoyed the characters. All of the characters are people I appreciated getting to know. Well, ok, not the bad guy. But you need bad guys for our heroes to triumph!
I totally understand Ricki. She’s a strong lead character. I don’t get the whole wilderness survival hiking thing. But I do understand her motivation of going hiking, the I’m in a bad place and need to get my head together thing. I can also totally empathize with not trusting yourself after you’ve been burned. Likewise, I love how she’s willing to pick herself up, dust herself off, and get on with life after everything that she’s been through.
Kory is a bit of a loner. I feel like we didn’t learn as much about him during the novel. And that’s a bit of a shame. What we did learn, I really liked. He’s the leave no person behind kind of hero, even if that person is a jerk. I can really appreciate a hero like Kory, willing to put himself in danger for anyone, especially those he cares about.
The secondary characters are great as well. Wolf is crotchety (I have a soft spot for crotchety and cantankerous characters) and Byron is young and eager to please and learn. A hero in training, we could say.
The romance between Ricki and Kory moves very fast. Maybe that’s what happens when you have to put your trust in someone when your life in on the line? What I appreciated most about the romance in That One Moment is how Kory knows right away that he has feelings for Ricki. And she is the one who slows the romance down, taking time to figure out her feelings. That’s a great flip on the usual romance. Sure this is insta-love. But it’s thought out. The kind of love between two adults who know what they are looking for, and recognize love when they see it. Kory and Ricki have their “one moment” early in the novel, and spend a lot of time trying to deny their attraction for each other. By the end though, they realize they really want to be with each other.
I want to grab life by the horns and live it with you. I don’t want to waste time on petty differences. You love me. I know you do. I knew the minute I kissed you on the mountain, that one moment, it was crystal clear. We were supposed to find each other. (Kory to Ricki)
Here’s what was kind of huh?:
I’m not one of those outdoorsy types. And even less so the outdoor type who would need to survive on what I forage myself. But this is a contemporary book where the standard food on the hiking trip is hardtack? Not power bars or protein bars. Hardtack. If you are not familiar with hardtack, let me help you out:
Though they’re called different things in different cultures, this basic recipe has been a staple for militaries around the world for centuries. Made of flour and water, and sometimes a bit of salt or sugar, they are sturdy, filling and will last a long time if kept dry. Indeed, some soldiers kept a few as souvenirs after the war, and they are commonly on display in Civil War museums over 150 years later. From The American Table.
Umm, do back country hikers actually eat hardtack? Or maybe hardtack is a catch-all name for snacks for hikers? I don’t really get this.
Here’s what was not for me:
There is a lot of inner monologue from both Ricki and Kory. Inner monologue makes me want to yell at the characters to SAY THEIR FEELINGS. There would be a lot less heartache if the characters would just say what’s going on inside their heads. With that inner monologue was inconsistency in how it is handled throughout the novel. Sometimes the monologue was highlighted with italics. Other times with quotations. Do the quotations denote speaking out loud to oneself and the italics inner monologue? I’m not sure. I will say that the prevalence of inner monologue diminished as the novel and action progressed.
Overall That One Moment is good. I enjoyed it and would recommend it to romance readers. Especially if you like more suspense with your romance. I also hope that all the secondary characters in the novel lead to some more books set at Wolf’s Lodge. I wouldn’t mind revisiting the lodge in a novel. But definitely not to go hiking!
Patty Wiseman, as well as anyone and better than most, sure knows how to write the three basic ingredients of a page-turning and unforgettable novel: mystery, suspense, and romance.
— Caleb & Linda Pirtle ~ Here Comes a Mystery“It was pure perfection!” — Jessa, Amazon Reviewer“Author Patty Wiseman does a good job of injecting so much action into just the first two pages that I had high expectations for this story. And That One Moment does not disappoint.”
— Natasha Jackson for Readers’ Favorite
Award Winning Author Patty Wiseman is a native of the Seattle, Washington area and attended The Wesleyan College in Bartlesville Oklahoma. Northeast Texas is home now, along with her husband Ron. She is the president of East Texas Writer’s Association, a Lifetime Member of the Worldwide Who’s Who for Professional Women (and named VIP for 2013), and a member of the Northeast Texas Writer’s Organization, East Texas Writer’s Guild, and Texas Association of Authors.
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8/14/18
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Book Trailer
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8/14/18
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Excerpt
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8/15/18
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Review
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8/16/18
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Character Interview
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8/16/18
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Author Interview
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8/17/18
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Review
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8/18/18
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Review
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8/18/18
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Excerpt
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8/19/18
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BONUS Review
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8/19/18
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Author Interview
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8/20/18
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Review
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8/20/18
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Review
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8/21/18
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Scrapbook Page
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8/22/18
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Review
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8/23/18
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Character Interview
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8/23/18
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Review
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Hi Julie, I love the companion series and I have heard about The Wolf’s Lodge Stories many times. Thanks for the information, keep sharing!
Hi Julie, I would love a companion series. I have heard about The Wolf’s Lodge Stories many times. Thanks for the information, keep sharing!
I would LOVE a companion series — The Wolf’s Lodge Stories! Yessss! Thanks for the hardtack info. I had heard of it and wondered about it but was too lazy to read-up! My thinking was that they had hardtack instead of power bars or whatever so that it would fit more in the survivalist theme. They weren’t supposed to bring any food along at all (but I TOTALLY would have snuck in the candy bar to guarantee THAT ONE MOMENT for me. See what I did there?) Thanks for a great review!
good point, Kristine. I didn’t think about them not bringing any food. I would have snuck in some food as well. Bears or no bears!