Sofia Kendrick has always cherished her tiara. As the youngest daughter of a wealthy New York family, she’s lived the life of an American princess. But after two scandalous divorces and a breakup smear her name across the society rags, the shine from her crown has dulled. People call her superficial, even gaudy.
She’s nothing more than tinsel.
Desperate for escape and starving for peace, Sofia heads to Montana for a holiday weekend with her brother. But she doesn’t get the relaxing vacation she planned. Instead, she’s put to work in a bar alongside Dakota Magee—a man who does not want her help. A man who is set on teaching her a few lessons about real life and hard work. But Sofia has a couple of life lessons of her own to teach. Like how to fall in love.
“I’ve spent thirty – two years on this planet and nothing to show for myself other than a no limit Amex. I am nothing.”
Devney Perry has slowly but surely becoming an author who has the ability to make me feel with every word, every character and every book she writes.
With Tinsel, she has absolutely surpassed herself – written with soul deep precision, sensitivity and thoughtfulness as well as an emotional depth; that delivers the journey two diversely different individuals, who at the heart of their connection are trying to carve their own identity and place beyond what is expected of them.
Sofia Kendrick is a silver spoon princess, lived a life of affluence, lavishness and luxury – yet while her elder siblings have been groomed to be the businessman they are, Sofia, however has had no expectations set on her beyond being the princess, or rather the superficial, flight “other” Kendrick sibling, the one who wiles away her days spending money from a trust fund that never seems to make a dent.
“She was an enigma. A puzzle. She was a woman who had everything in the world at her fingertips and yet seemed so….miserable and lonely.”
I have to be honest, Sofia and I didn’t get off to a good start – she was spoiled, shallow and absolutely did not make any impression beyond a woman who is catty and one who would never become one of my favorite characters – but somehow somewhere during reading Tinsel, I found myself not only emotionally connecting with this woman, but also finding myself moving on from scorn to respect to adoration. I doubt that any other author except Devney Perry could have surmounted this mammoth task!
Dakota Magee is an enigma to Sofia – he is all hard, rough, blue collar worker she has never had encountered before in her life. He is a man who isn’t interested in her money, isn’t interested in the power and luxury behind the Kendrick name – so that makes him the only man, the only person in the world, to look beyond her façade, to see who she is inside – the woman who struggles to find her identity, the one who struggles to defy expectations – he, in fact, becomes her champion when she so needed one.
“I am not going to fall.”
“You might”
“Then you’d catch me.”
The physical connection between is evident right from the start; and the fun, flirty fling they were expecting soon turns to a very real emotional connection; though they never lose sight of the painful reasons a future remains out of their reach – the bad timing, geography and prejudices that hover over their relationship throughout their time together.
Their relationship, in turn, becomes quite an angst-y affair – it actually is the testament of Ms. Perry’s talent that she never loses sight of exactly what this journey that Sofia and Dakota have undertaken is all about – she takes every insecurity both Dakota and Sofia have and turns it into their strength – while it is their emotional connection that makes for the foundation of the book; it is their tenacious hold on their ambition of being exactly who they want to be that becomes the soul of the story.
“I see it. I see it so clearly, and its magnificent. It takes my breath away.”
“See what, babe?”
“The future.”
“I wish you could see it too.”
It was however, my need to want to see Dakota, at least confront his misgivings about his own future, on paper, rather than reading it as an afterthought – to see him stand for himself, his wants, his happiness would have made an sensitive book, all the more perfect!
Tinsel is an expressively written book that not only explores the soul deep connection between two different individuals but also their need to be their own individual – written eloquently, this is a book, a romance, a journey; that stays with you long after you have closed the book.
⭐ ⭐ ⭐ ⭐ .75
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Devney is theUSA Todaybestselling author of the Jamison Valley series. She lives in Montana with her husband and two children. After working in the technology industry for nearly a decade, she abandoned conference calls and project schedules to enjoy a slower pace at home with her kids. She loves reading and, after consuming hundreds of books, decided to share her own stories. Devney loves hearing from readers!Connectwith her on social media.
For The Love of Fictional Worlds 