Sunny Shelly’s Review: Tristan by Karla Sorensen

Title: Tristan

Series: Bachelors of the Ridge

Author: Karla Sorensen

Genre: Contemporary Romance

Release Date: January 25, 2018

There’s one thing you should know about Tristan Whitfield: he’s been in love with Anna for years.

There are two problems with that: she has no idea, and she’s married. Or at least, she was.

Anna Callahan knows three things about her brother’s friend, Tristan: he’s quiet, incredibly handsome, and has a smolder that could set the room on fire.

For years, it wasn’t difficult for Anna to overlook all of that. But when Tristan is the solution to a work problem that could derail her career, he is anything but easy to ignore.

To Tristan, the fact that the object of his affection is suddenly single means he should tread lightly. Be the friend she needs until she’s ready for more and hope the risk pays off.

Because it’ll add up to the one thing he wants: her.

Wow. Wow. Wow.

I’ve loved every one of the Bachelors of the Ridge books, but I was anxiously awaiting Tristan’s story. Would the gentle giant ever find love? Was he destined to pine over a married woman forever? Would another lady win his heart? Karla Sorensen saved the best for last — and Tristan’s story was definitely worth the wait!

KS did a fantastic job of showing (not telling!) the reader just how tortured Tristan was in his feelings for Anna. We got hints of it here and there in the other guys’ books, but once she really delved into Tristan’s inner psyche, the turmoil he feels was absolutely heartbreaking.

Proving himself to be a true gentleman, Tristan doesn’t jump at the chance to ask Anna out upon learning that she left her loveless marriage.

“If Anna ever looked at me like I made it worse for her, like I was a stumbling block in her getting past this, I’d hate myself more than I already do for that.”

So when the opportunity rises to work with Anna on an interior design job, Tristan decides to just be her friend. But working so closely with her, in a sense, is almost worse for him, especially when Anna begins dating again and vents to Tristan about one horrible date after another. But for the reader, it built to such a slow, simmering burn that I was flipping page after page, waiting and wanting Tristan to finally tell Anna how he really feels.

This story is a raw and emotional tale of unrequited love, and it’s at times very messy as Tristan and Anna try to forge this new friendship of theirs. But it is so worth the journey, and a perfect ending to this Bachelors of the Ridge series.

I received an advanced copy and voluntarily left a review.

“Tristan isn’t just angsty or emotional. It’s absolutely spellbinding. From the first word to the very last, I was hooked. An epic finale to one of my favorite romance series ever.” – Bestselling Author Kandi Steiner

“I devoured this book in one sitting. Karla hit every emotion imaginable. I got mad, I laughed, I cried, my heart ached, and by the end, it was filled with joy. Tristan’s story is the perfect ending to an incredible series.” – Author Kathryn Andrews

Well, let’s see … I’m a wife and a mother. If the things that I write bring a smile to someone’s face, then I’ve done my job. I am obsessed with Outlander (both the books and the show). I’m almost exclusively a romance reader, which means some people will never consider me a literary snob. If I could meet one historical figure, it would be Jane Austen. I received my Bachelors in Public Relations and worked in health care marketing before I had my babies. I hate Twitter. I do it, but I hate it. Also, if you want to get on my good side, bring me wine and I’ll love you forever.