Golden Hour

By: Kat Jackson

Narrated by: Lila Winters

Length: 8 hrs and 50 mins

Publisher's summary

Lina Ragelis prides herself on her bravery and strength, two traits that have served her well in her career in the US Army. Having been disconnected from her family since she turned eighteen, Lina has learned to rely solely on herself—and her slightly overbearing best friend—and she swears she prefers it that way.

It's an easy lie for someone who has spent her entire life dodging love. Lina's pretty certain that she's damaged goods. But the truth is, she's the kind of person everyone wants in their corner, and the kind of woman many women want to love.

Having had more than her fair share of challenges and hardships, there isn't much that scares Lina. Life would be so much easier if she were afraid of something basic—like spiders—instead of something significant. Something like real, true, healthy love.

©2022 Kat Jackson (P)2022 Tantor

Brilliantly written, Heart-tugging story

Let me start by prefacing this with a few things:
* This isn’t a generic review (little summary)
* What I say are my honest reactions and opinions, and is not meant to be fluff or smoke up this author’s skirt
* This is based on reading the book and listening to the Audible version simultaneously (I tend to miss things in one or the other)

I started this story, Lina’s journey, on November 1 without having read any previous reviews or synopses. I prefer not to have any preconceived information going in.

Golden Hour isn’t a traditional cutesy, sweeter than cotton candy romance, although there is romance in it - good romance. This is a love story about finding out how to love yourself enough to untether from your past, and how to accept genuine, unfiltered love in return.

Lina’s escape to the Outer Banks is unclear at first. To address her past? To refresh her present? To find her future? Turns out all three. The more I read and listened, the more I had to address things in my own distance and recent pasts that weirdly aligned with Lina’s. The Good, Bad, and Ugly.

I tip my glass of Malbec to the author who, with absolute grace and respect, laid bare Lina’s demons as well as letting her ultimate desires sprout slowly.

Lina likes to think she’s broken or at least parts of her are broken. This is the part I hated for Lina but also connected with her. I don’t think she is completely broken despite her relationship traumas and her PTSD. She’s more bent and bruised. Totally repairable.

Lina has a support system who tells her like it is, but Lina is stubborn and knows she has to deal with things on her own, for the most part. Caitlyn is Lina’s proclaimed bff but she wasn’t my favorite. I found her to be a bit shallow and selfish. Mallory, Caitlyn’s girlfriend, is Lina’s voice of reason, that little voice she needs to hear to straighten out her thoughts. Keeley, Lina’s battle buddy, is her true bff. They’ve been through a lot together, highs and very low lows.

But the one thing missing is someone who doesn’t know Lina’s history. Someone who comes in with no preconceived notions. The Universe drops Regan into Lina’s orbit via a farmer’s market and some corn. (I wish the author would do some kind of give away with this book and…corn.)

From the very beginning Regan treats Lina like an equal, human being…loving, caring, direct, honest. Lina’s former “partners” objectified her for their own needs and whims, and when they were done with her they put her up on a shelf until they wanted her again. And to an extent, Lina is aware of this but she handcuffs herself to the idea that one day, maybe, they’ll want more.

The numerous flashbacks in this story give us an insight into Lina’s internal struggle with being available when these women come in and out of her life. The more time she spends with Regan Lina begins to understand what it’s like for someone to care about her and want to be with her for no other reason than because they want to and they like her for her. And throughout the story we see Lina’s personal growth to get to where Lina accepts Regan’s love. Regan takes the time to want to know Lina, everything about her, something Lina isn’t used to.

The walls Lina has up aren’t your standard sheetrock and plywood. Her walls are thick layers of concrete, steel, barbed wire, and fire breathing dragons…maybe even an alligator filled moat. But Regan sees and knows this and lets Lina know how she feels about her, but also lets Lina decide when she’s ready to let her in.

And eventually, Lina realizes that she doesn’t want to be without Regan and wants the love she’s never experienced before.

Lina’s journey is difficult and fun to watch at the same time. A lot of things, small things, in this story made me smile for various reasons. Some also squeezed my heart, and I had to stop reading or turn the Audible off for a while. I see Lina and Regan in people I know and in parts of myself. This, again, attests to the superb writing style and storytelling prowess of Ms. Jackson.

The descriptions the author creates throughout this book put me directly into the story. I felt Lina’s anguish. My body reacted to the fireworks and PTSD. I felt the sand annoying me. I saw each golden hour. I’m a self-proclaimed weather nerd, and there were many little bits of weather descriptions included that I loved. Again, the descriptions were not fluffy or inflated. Every single detail was described with concise, brilliant precision.

“The idea is to write it so that people hear it and it slides through the brain and goes straight to the heart.” - Maya Angelou

This was an excellent book

It is important to talk about post trauma of people who served the country and this books deals with that. It was very well written, and narration was good as well.

Enjoyed the story

This book kept me well engaged. from beginning to end. Excellent writer Kat Jackson and narrator Lila Winters.

A must read

This book is well researched and written from a kind perspective. The narrative was spot on. Characters very well developed without going overboard.

No spoilers here, just listen….

Not sure I will finish book

I didn’t get very far. I got as just to the description of the likely object of attraction as having ‘a tiny waist and an impressive chest’ and I thought this is the wrong Barbie stereotype to be the quality of writing I expect, so, and I’m probably listening to the wrong book. And then the interior monologue of main character containing the phrase ‘just for shits and giggles’ made me cringe. Maybe, this is a regional expression?