Book Review: Searching for Moore by Julie A. Richman

This book was a very pleasant surprise for me. What initially drew me to Searching for Moore by Julie A. Richman was that the main characters were older, in their early 40s. While I do enjoy the new adult genre a lot, it is also nice to read about love in my age group as well. Though at 34 I still have some time before I become part of the 40 group. This book actually as the best of both worlds: present day and flashback to teen years.

Searching for Moore is broken up into two parts. The first part starts off with Schooner Moore at his 43rd birthday party in California. Surrounded by his wife, CJ, and her Real housewives wannabe friends, he is miserable. His buddy mentions the name of someone that grabs his attention: Mia Silver. His first love. His only love. We are then immediately sent back in time to their freshman year of college to learn about how they met and fell in love.

I really enjoyed learning the back story of their young love. Mia and Schooner were so perfect together and so in love. Yet Schooner somehow finds himself in a love triangle with Mia and CJ, torn between what people expect and what he actually wants. And then Mia disappears without a trace, with no explanation and he never hears from her again. Will we ever find out why Mia left Schooner? Schooner's part of the book ends with him joining Facebook to try and get in touch with Mia.

Book two shifts to Mia in New York and remains in the present day. Mere seconds after accepting Schooner's friend request, she is on the phone talking with him. Even over the phone, 24 years later, there is still chemistry. Their reunion was so sweet and eventually so very hot.

"...it's every dream I ever wanted come true. Dreams I would never even dare to let myself consider, places I wouldn't allow myself to go, are now not only possibilities, but may actually be my reality. My reality with you. With you, Schooner. And to say I am mind blow is an understatement. So if you want me to tell you that I love you, I will do that - but I don't think those words even begin to describe what I feel for you and I don't know what the right words are."  "You just said them."

But is chemistry really enough to give up the life you've been living for so long? Could their love for each other truly have survived after 24 years apart? Can these long lost loves make a go of it again?

I really enjoyed Searching for Moore. While the "long lost first loves" may be a common theme in romance novels, what makes this one unique is there is almost a quarter century dividing their relationship. It was refreshing to read about a mature couple for a change. This book ended with one heck of a cliff hanger - as in "holy crap, what just happened?!" - so I am anxious to continue this story in the next book. Book 2, Moore to Lose, is due to be released in September 2014.

Marianna's Rating:

**I received a review copy in exchange for my honest opinion on this book. All thoughts and opinions are my own.

Title: Searching for Moore
Author: Julie A. Richman
Series: Needing Moore #1
Genre: Contemporary Romance
Social Media: @JulieARichman; www.facebook.com/AuthorJulieARichman
Website: www.juliearichman.com
Goodreads: www.goodreads.com/book/show/18071924-searching-for-moore
Book Description: Attended by reality TV star wannabes and Southern California social climbers, Schooner Moore knows the party his wife is throwing for his forty-third birthday has little to do with him and everything to do with her social standing in Orange County. The evening turns out to hold more surprises than just his wife's Botoxed friends groping at his privates, when a conversation with his old college roommate, Beau, reveals the biggest surprise of the night.

Beau has had contact on Facebook with Mia Silver. Just hearing her name sends Schooner into a tailspin, as he is now just a Friend Request away from the one who got away when she disappeared without a goodbye, leaving him wondering why she left.

A serial failure at romance, Manhattan boutique ad agency owner, Mia, gets a blindside of her own when a Facebook Friend Request from first love, Schooner, appears in her email. Going with her gut reaction, Mia hits accept, propelling her past to catch up with her in a New York minute, as a forceful Schooner is determined to understand what tore them apart and to explore the possibility of a second chance at love.

From a 1980's Southern California college campus and a devastating first love to present day New York City, Searching for Moore explores how technology has eradicated the divide between our past and our present, and asks whether you would give up everything to reconnect with The One in a single keystroke?

Buy: Searching for Moore is currently on sale for just 99 cents at the following eBook retailers.