Near and Far by Nicole Williams Review

Near and Far by Nicole Williams
Series: Lost and Found #2
Publish Date: July 29, 2013
352 Pages
Source: Bought
Find it here:  Goodreads / Amazon / B&N


There’s optimistic. And there’s Jesse Walker. 

If he wasn’t so charming, his sunny disposition and incessant grin would get old. Fast. 

Falling in love with the broken girl who had at first seemed immune to anything resembling love was the best thing to happen to Jesse since the Walkers adopted him when he was five. 

As Jesse’s life continues at the ranch and Rowen begins making her mark in the Seattle art community, they wonder where the middle ground is. Or if there even is one. 

As push comes to shove, they’re forced to make choices neither are eager to make, and Jesse and Rowen have to face what their lives might look like without the other. Can two people with such tragic pasts and different presents expect a promising future together? Whatever the answer, they’ll need a lot more than love to make it. (from Goodreads) 

My Thoughts:  When I read the first book in this series, Lost and Found, back in May of this year, I said in my review that I would read it again and again. I’ve held true to that, you guys – I’ve already re-read it via audiobook while I followed along with my print copy and I PROMISE YOU that I loved it even more the second time. When I read Near and Far not long ago, I couldn’t believe that I could grow to love Jesse Walker and Rowan Sterling any more than I already did, but somehow my heart was able to make more room for them and I just want to squeeze them. Yep, I said it. I want to squeeze these fictional characters. 


If you’ve read these books, you probably do too. 


First of all, let’s recap for just a second. JESSE WALKER IS A COWBOY. Not only is he a cowboy, but he has a heart of gold. He sees the good in everybody, all the time, almost to a fault. He chooses to see the good in everyone and gives them the benefit of the doubt. When Rowan Sterling came rolling into Montana on a bus at the beginning of the summer to work on Willow Springs Ranch (Jesse’s family’s ranch), she looked a little…different. She was dressed in dark clothes, down to the dark eye-liner, dark contacts, and dark boots. She was complete opposite of Jesse’s ten-gallon cowboy hat, cowboy boots, and tight-fitting jeans. But he was nice to her anyway, and the two forged an unlikely friendship that turned into a mad love. Jesse was able to teach Rowan to open up, share her heart and her past (which was not a great past), and eventually to try and let go of it. He and his family taught her that there were good people in the world and that she didn’t have to hide behind dark clothes and dark colors. 

• Jax Jones is a teaching assistant for some of Rowan’s classes. He’s completely opposite of Jesse – very into fashion, very stylish, very sophisticated. He has more art talent in his little finger than most of her professors so even though he often makes fun of Jesse being a cowboy, Rowan overlooks it and keeps him close – she knows he can probably help her get ahead in her chosen career path. But does he have pure motives or does he have his eye on Rowan? 
• Alex is Rowan’s roommate in her apartment in Seattle. Alex is fiery, loud, and inappropriate in just about every way. She’s quite spicy and I think she freaks Jesse and his gentle-natured self out when he comes to visit. I like her; she makes me laugh. 
• Jolene. UGH. (I just had to say that before I start talking about her.) Jolene comes to help out at the ranch for a few months, kind of the way Rowan did the summer before. Jolene’s job is to help out in the kitchen with (Jesse’s mother) Rose and his sisters, but she is shameless about the way she stares at Jesse and flirts with Jesse and all sorts of other stuff related to Jesse. Not only does she make Rowan angry, she made me that way too. I couldn’t stand her. Oh, yeah, and she’s Josie’s cousin, which made things interesting. 
• Josie. Josie is Jesse’s old girlfriend, now Rowan’s best girl-friend. Josie is just there, kind of hovering around in the background. I’m thinking we haven’t seen the last of this cowgirl, wink wink. 
• Garth Black. You know, I HATED Garth in the first book. I. HATED. HIM. BUT! I’ve really warmed up to him in this book. That’s about all I’m gonna say about ole’ Garth, with his foul mouth and his dark hat. (I’m afraid this cowboy just might steal my heart if I let him.)
• Mar is a homeless woman that hangs out behind the doughnut shop where Rowan works in Seattle. Rowan befriends her, at first feeding her doughnuts and then sharing her meals with her. This actually ends up being a huge part of the story.