Review of Ava's Prize by Cari Lynn Webb



On Tour with Prism Book Tours

Welcome to the tour for Ava's Prize by Cari Lynn Webb! I had the opportunity to review this book and am sharing my thoughts with you today. Please also follow the tour to get the thoughts of other people, as well as other fun insights into the book. Please leave comments and questions for the author and download your own copy to enjoy! You'll also want to check out the giveaway.

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Ava's Prize
(City by the Bay Stories #3)
By Cari Lynn Webb
Contemporary Romance
Paperback & ebook, 384 Pages
November 1st 2018 by Harlequin Heartwarming

He needs a great idea

She can provide it—but at what cost?

The battle lines are drawn when army medic turned EMT Ava Andrews enters a contest devised by San Francisco entrepreneur Kyle Quinn. The first responder isn’t just competing for a tempting grand prize. She’s fighting her attraction to the self-made millionaire…and losing the war. But private and professional boundaries blur when a breach of trust threatens Ava’s future with Kyle.

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**My thoughts**

I have to admit that Kyle is difficult to warm up to. But that's not totally his fault. He created a medical warning device and then sold it to a large tech company, not realizing that in exchange for making millions and millions of dollars, his product would be denigrated into something it wasn't meant to be. But he likes having the money and he likes doing things to take care of his family. He has filled his home/office with lots of toys to make up for the loneliness that he feels. He grew up with few friends, thanks in part to a severe food allergy that made it difficult for kids to understand him and his needs. They even betrayed his trust in a most horrific way. So he finds it extremely difficult to trust people. Sure there are a lot of people who like to surround him in life, but they are more interested in the celebrity status than anything actually deep and meaningful. No one really knows the true Kyle.

He's also brilliant, but stuck right now because he is supposed to deliver the next amazing idea to this company, and his brain is fried. So he decides to create a contest for other inventors to contribute their ideas for a prize. Only they don't realize that is going to essentially steal their idea in exchange for the prize money.

Ava is part of the reason that he has come up with this contest idea. She and Kyle met after a freak accident on a photography shoot. When she and her friends came to see his office/home, they were casually talking and indirectly the idea was proposed. 

Ava works primarily as a paramedic but also spends a lot of time caring for her mother who suffers from the relapsing version of MS. She is also wicked smart and has a lot of great ideas. She is also quite lonely because she is so focused on her mother. She works long hours to make sure that her mother can afford the care and medication that she needs and doesn't worry about social gatherings. She does have her friends, and she is very close with her friends. But romance is definitely the last thing on her mind. 

I feel sorry for both of these characters. I know from personal experience how difficult it is to take care of ailing parents, only I was a lot luckier than Ava in the help that I received to do so. And I feel sorry for people like Kyle who have been ostracized for something out of their control, like his food allergy. I understand why he has shut himself off from the world, but just wish he could allow himself to open up.

Somehow the two of them have an attraction to each other, pretty much from the start. Kyle's attraction to Ava makes a lot more sense to me. I don't quite understand why he flicks a light in Ava, at least not at first. But the heart wants what it wants, right?

As the story goes on and the two are working with the other team members on this invention contest, you find that these two people, who are so set in their ways, are actually starting to soften. Ava is realizing that she needs more in her life. Kyle is realizing that you can have true friends and relationships out there. Of course, the true motives behind the contest are going to throw some massive wrenches into the works. But once the seeds of love are planted, all can win in the end, right?

I enjoyed reading this storyline, as it was different than most other romances out there. I also enjoy characters who are deeper with more complexities that they have to work through. It allows for measurable growth, which you want to find in a good book. And I like those romances where an unlikely friendship and romance can blossom from what seems to be an improbable place.

Other Books in the Series

About the Author

Cari Lynn Webb lives in South Carolina with her husband, daughters and assorted four-legged family members. She's been blessed to see the power of true love in her grandparent's 70 year marriage and her parent's marriage of over 50 years. She knows love isn't always sweet and perfect, it can be challenging, complicated and risky. But she believes happily-ever-afters are worth fighting for. She loves to connect with readers. Visit her at her website.

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Tour Schedule

November 12th:
Launch
I Am A Reader
Hearts & Scribbles
Remembrancy
November 13th:
Wishful Endings
Inside The Mind of an Avid Reader
Heidi Reads...
ReadingIsMySuperPower
November 14th:
Colorimetry
Rockin' Book Reviews
Among the Reads
Book by Book
November 15th:
E-Romance News
Harlie's Books
Reading On The Edge
Kimber Li
November 16th:
My Devotional Thoughts
underneath the covers
Andi's Book Reviews
November 17th:
Grand Finale

Tour Giveaway

- 1 winner will receive a$50 Amazon e-Gift Card & e-copy of The Rancher's Rescue (open internationally)

- 1 winner will receive a San Francisco Cable Car Ornament, Signed Copy of The Rancher's Rescue & $50 Amazon Gift Card (US only)

- Ends November 21, 2018

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