5 ★'s for Small Change (Small Change #1) by Roan Parrish

Small Change (Small Change #1) by Roan Parrish
Release Date: 6/1/2017
Publisher: Self-published
Pages: 429

Book blurb
Ginger Holtzman has fought for everything she’s ever had—the success of her tattoo shop, respect in the industry, her upcoming art show. Tough and independent, she has taking-no-crap down to an art form. Good thing too, since keeping her shop afloat, taking care of her friends, and scrambling to finish her paintings doesn’t leave time for anything else. Which … is for the best, because then she doesn’t notice how lonely she is. She’ll get through it all on her own, just like she always does.

Christopher Lucen opened a coffee and sandwich joint in South Philly because he wanted to be part of a community after years of running from place to place, searching for something he could never quite name. Now, he relishes the familiarity of knowing what his customers want, and giving it to them. But what he really wants now is love.

When they meet, Christopher is smitten, but Ginger … isn’t quite so sure. Christopher’s gorgeous, and kind, and their opposites-attract chemistry is off the charts. But hot sex is one thing—truly falling for someone? Terrifying. When her world starts to crumble around her, Ginger has to face the fact that this fight can only be won by being vulnerable—this fight, she can’t win on her own.

Small Change is the first book in a series that will include M/F and M/M romances.

Praise for Small Change:
“Small Change is a gem. A beautifully written, deeply emotional story with tons of life bursting out of it’s pages. I loved this story! Can’t wait for more.” --Molly O’Keefe, USA Today Bestselling Author

“I can always count on Roan Parrish to deliver emotional truths and gritty realism. Like many readers, I was waiting for Ginger's story. And what a story it was!" -- Sarina Bowen, USA Today Bestselling author of Goodbye Paradise

"It sounds anemic to say, 'You will fall in love with Ginger,' but you will! This tattoo artist heroine manages to be both a delight and a total badass at the same time. Parrish makes her characters work for their happily ever after, which means Small Change has it all: vulnerability and great big leaps of faith, broken hearts and patched-together hearts the stronger for that patching. (Also: smashing the patriarchy and amazing sandwiches.)” --Jenny Holiday, USA Today Bestselling author

Buy links: 

Author Site | Amazon

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Excerpt
 
He was tall, with the thick build of someone naturally powerful, rather than the kind of sculpted muscles of someone who worked out in a gym. His thick red hair was cut close on the sides and long on top, combed back from a square hairline. He had a strong jaw and a smirky mouth, and his stubble was nearly blond. It was his eyes that I couldn’t look away from though. They were almost the same color as his hair—a warm goldish-orange—and shot through with flecks of blue.
My first impression was that his face was arresting, interesting the way sometimes in a gallery there’s one painting that pulls you in and won’t let you walk past. Each line eases into the next, each color shades into the one beside it in just the way your eye desires. Once you start to see the details you can’t look away.
But the more I looked, the more interesting converted to handsome as hell.
“Dramatic start to the day,” he commented, eyes sliding to the spot where I’d been crouched when he came in.
“Not even my first encounter with a floor this morning, unfortunately.” I leaned an elbow on the counter, drawn toward him.
“One of those, huh?” He spoke with the ease of a food service professional accustomed to such exchanges, and the utter empathy of someone who actually meant it.
When he held the bag out to me over the counter it was accompanied by an easy smile that crinkled laugh lines at the corners of those extraordinary eyes and displayed charmingly sharp incisors that overhung his bottom lip a little, like a kid wearing dress-up fangs.
“Just in case the vagaries of your day find you needing another one,” he said.
And then he winked at me. Not the friendly wink of a barista. A filthy, promise-laden wink that shifted his grin from charming to sexy as hell.

There are so many great quotes in this work, here is just a sample of some of them! 

“I felt like a feather drifting over the rooftops, kept aloft by the breeze and a kind of happiness I’d never know.”

“He was love, and hope, and appreciation. I was yearning, and trepidation, and the fear of grasping at nothing.”

“I wanted Christopher. I wanted him in my corner when shit was rough. I wanted him in my bed, holding me. I wanted his sun to shine on me. I wanted to soak up his light like a moon, and glow with it.”

What I thought about Small Change

I'm just going to put it out there -- why am I not reading more of this author's work?  Gah, I've been missing out on some really fine writing and storytelling.  

Ginger is a tattoo artist with a business venture about to take off  and she's got more work than employees to handle it. Add to that the fact that her best friend has moved away, her family isn't exactly supportive and Ginger's up to her eyeballs in "stuff". 

Enter Christopher, a local business owner and gorgeous soul.  There's no other way to describe him -- he's absolutely wonderful.  He's optimistic, sexy and very interested in Ginger.  Although, the story is told from Ginger's point of view, there are snippets of Christopher's point of view as he interacts with his brother who is struggling with serious depression, so I felt I got to know him. 

I really connected with Ginger and her situation.  She's a talented, motivated artist trying to prove herself in spite of insecurities deeply rooted in family and past relationships. I just loved her so much and can't even count how many quotes I highlighted that reached right into me. It's wonderful when words can just hit the mark so perfectly. Ginger is good at describing what is holding her back, but not so good at figuring out how to move forward instead of letting her past hold her back.   

I love it when a romance takes a while to develop between the characters and I thought Ginger and Christopher's relationship progression was perfect.  It wasn't all smooth and hearts and flowers -- there were some real bumps as Ginger has to make some real decisions about whether she's going to put herself out there or stay in the safe zone.  Christopher's deep feelings for her are palpable -- and yet I did understand Ginger's hesitancy.

I read around 3-4 romance titles a week, and it's been a while since I've been "wowed."  Small Change wowed me.  The hangover from this book is real and big. Needless to say, I will be reading more of this author's work

ARC provided for review.

About the Author

Roan Parrish lives in Philadelphia where she is gradually attempting to write love stories in every genre.

When not writing, she can usually be found cutting her friends’ hair, meandering through whatever city she’s in while listening to torch songs and melodic death metal, or cooking overly elaborate meals. She loves bonfires, winter beaches, minor chord harmonies, and self-tattooing. One time she may or may not have baked a six-layer chocolate cake and then thrown it out the window in a fit of pique.

She is represented by Courtney Miller-Callihan of Handspun Literary Agency.

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