LOVE IS NEVER LOST
The Modern Fairy Tales Collection #8
Katy Regnery
SYNOPSIS
From New York Times bestseller Katy Regnery comes a new twist on the beloved American legend, “Rip Van Winkle.”
Sometimes, the journey is the love story.
On the night of his high school graduation, Ripley Van Winkle—local quarterback, prom king and all-around big man on campus—swan dives off the top of the Sleepy Hollow Lighthouse. . . and lands on jagged pile of rocks. Suffering massive brain trauma, Rip isn’t expected to live, but he somehow manages to beat the odds: most of his physical injuries heal, though he remains in a deep coma for the next twenty years.
When Rip awakens two decades later, he will need to relearn his body’s most basic functions, in addition to catching up on twenty years’ worth of history, progress and change.
Something called the “internet” has the answer to every question you could ever dream of asking, and people are reliant on mobile telephones smaller than a Walkman. His high school girlfriend is married with children, and he has an eighteen-year-old sister who was born while he was “sleeping.”
As Rip struggles to find his place in this strange, new world, one presence in his life will become both a beacon and guide: his childhood friend, Katrina Van Tassel. But Trina has a challenging adult life of her own, and there’s no guarantee she has space in her life (or her heart) for her one-time high school crush . . . Rip Van Winkle.
https://geni.us/LoveIsNeverLost
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Love is Never Lost is part of the ~a modern fairytale~ collection: contemporary, standalone romances inspired by beloved fairy tales.
The Vixen and the Vet (Beauty & the Beast)
Never Let You Go (Hansel & Gretel)
Ginger’s Heart (Little Red Riding Hood)
Dark Sexy Knight (Camelot)
Don’t Speak (The Little Mermaid)
Shear Heaven (Rapunzel)
At First Sight (Aladdin)
Love is Never Lost (Rip Van Winkle)
REVIEW
Katy Regnery’s ability to take a fairy tale and make it her own is absolutely amazing. Before I dove into Love Is Never Lost, I read the short story that inspired it and I prefer this re-imagining of Rip Van Winkle to the original a thousand times over. Handsome, athletic, and popular Ripley is much preferable to old, lazy Rip and shy, smart, insecure Trina is a vast improvement over the termagant Dame Van Winkle.
A fantasy but rooted deeply in the real world, this sweet, second-chance romance delivers on the swoon-worthy promise of a happy-ever-after without the heaviness of unnecessary angst. Rip and Trina’s slow burn journey to finally getting together is complicated enough with the myriad challenges presented by waking up after twenty years in a coma. There’s ample tension provided to keep their path not too smooth to be boring. Engrossing and evocative, this story took me only three hours to read.
I love that this is partly set in the ’80s, my favorite decade ever. I appreciate the diversity of characters. I like the presence of strong family support and tight friendships. And I simply adore the love story between Rip and Trina, both in the past and twenty years later.
What I liked most about the original short story is the beautiful description of the Catskills. I miss that a bit here.
ABOUT KATY
New York Times and USA Today bestselling author Katy Regnery has a heart for smart romance featuring strong women and decent men. Almost exclusively self-published, Katy claims authorship of almost 50 titles, including three RITA® finalists. Translated into French, German, Hebrew, Italian, Polish, Portuguese, and Turkish, Katy has sold over two million books worldwide.
Author Links:
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Maida Malby 