Running with the Wind

From the first chapter I was enjoying the humor in the novel. I identified completely with Corrie's reaction to seeing her dad dancing in public! The intensity of the emotion for the twenty-somethings was very real from the beginning and due to the author's careful attention to detail I didn't need to be fresh out of college to know what the main characters were feeling. The character Denise makes for a wonderful foil and I enjoyed every moment she was in. I felt I understood Quinn from the very beginning, she felt very real to me, including the friendship she shared with Drew. And her love of cookie dough ice cream reminded me of a dear friend so she already had immense appeal for me. When Quinn questioned herself if Corrie was flirting with her it struck an intense cord of recognition and I was hooked. I like the playfulness of Corrie and didn't hold it against her that she was a Hoya. I think Corrie's incredibly poor communication with her brother will echo many readers own lives and perhaps serve as a cautionary tale. Corrie and Quinn's romance is very sweet and I am eagerly awaiting the author's next novel!

I thoroughly enjoyed this book. I like books where the characters are going interesting places, or learning interesting things. The detail about sailing and competing with which the author imbues this book really helps create a real and interesting world for the characters to inhabit. I don't mind the technical detail, and didn't find that there was too much of it at all. Having passionate pursuits helps give the characters depth and purpose, and makes for a tighter plot that moves more quickly and fluidly. The author also creates sympathetic characters, who clearly have failings, but those failings are understandable in the context of the characterizations, and play out realistically, and in such a manner that not only can you forgive the characters as the reader, but it seems natural that the other characters should as well. I also liked the contrast between the main characters. Too often it seems like you're reading about the same person inhabiting two different-looking bodies, but these two are clearly different, with distinct backgrounds, formative events, and varying reactions to events, yet clearly they have a kinship as well, and it's a delight to follow along as they develop their relationship further, in fits and starts. Add in a believable and entertaining supporting cast and you have a very enjoyable read ahead of you.

It's very easy to get wrapped up in this wonderful novel by new author, Nell Stark. Before tackling it, I suggest getting very comfortable in your favorite reading spot and be prepared to hang out for a few hours until you make it to the last page. RUNNING WITH THE WIND is literally that good. Corrie Marsten has a tragic history with love. So tragic that she doesn't trust anyone with her heart. The first woman she fell hard for left her and is now engaged to her brother, making Corrie's relationship with her family rocky. As a result, Corrie sleeps around with her friends, male or female, and won't commit to even a casual relationship. One of her friends brings the introverted Quinn to take a sailing class. Corrie assumes Quinn will be an easy conquest, but is sadly mistaken. While trying to win the other woman's attentions, Corrie finds herself wanting it all, but will tales of her recent history keep Quinn away? There are many secrets, twists and turns with this one. The novel deals with some pretty serious issues for both protagonists and the writing is quite mature for a new author. As usual, Bold Strokes Books has selected great new talent to join their ranks. Here's looking for Stark's next book.

The two main characters will make you angry and inspire you as you enjoy this romance set within gorgeous sailing scenes.

Running With the Wind is an engaging, engrossing debut novel by Nell Stark. Corrie Marston, a graduate student in engineering, spends her summer teaching sailing in Rhode Island. Corrie is talented, intelligent, fit, good looking and very good at sailing--Olympic-class good. Denise Lewis was Corrie's crew for the Olympic trials. Their relationship was intense, exciting and closeted, as Denise wasn't ready to come out. Before long, Denise left Corrie for the security and validation of a heterosexual relationship with William, Corrie's brother. The siblings have always had a competitive streak but this blow created a rift between them. Since Denise and William's engagement, Corrie has shut off a great deal of her pain, anger and her capacity for love. She has "made a point to hook up with friends--not random, but no strings attached"(47). Corrie is one of the most thoughtful and articulate depictions of a bisexual woman this reviewer can recall. As a friend of Corrie comments, "I get the feeling that gender doesn't really matter to her. That it's just another physical characteristic like body type or something"(48). Still, Corrie admits to herself that "seducing men made her feel powerful, somehow. Whereas women just felt good" (49). Some elements of Corrie's view might make readers uncomfortable. She has not dealt with the emotional scars from Denise's rejection and that has pushed Corrie into a patch of windless water where she is foundering. Quinn Davies, an intelligent, shy, 27 year-old woman in vet school has been convinced by an old friend, Drew, to take sailing lessons this summer. Quinn's gift with animals results in her helping Corrie's dog, Frog when she has an accident. The event places the two women in more intimate surroundings than the marina. Aware of Corrie's approach to sex, Quinn, despite her attraction to Corrie, is careful. For Quinn, "The entire idea of casual sex-- even between friends--made her uncomfortable. Sex meant losing control, and losing control meant whoever you were with could really, truly see you. Not just physically because you were naked, but emotionally--and what if they didn't like what they saw? Even if they did, you could never take it back. Sex wasn't like blurting out a confession by accident that you could then pretend was a joke. It was permanent"(48). With this thoughtful self awareness, Quinn refuses Corrie's causal overtures. When Corrie realizes that William and Denise will be sailing in the annual Regatta, she decides to court Quinn in a face-saving plan to prove that she can get a girlfriend. Despite her sexual experience, Corrie is the naive one in many ways and the leaks in this boat appear quickly as Corrie, whose observing ego is not very strong, begins to fall for Quinn. Yet the more "innocent" Quinn understands more of herself, Corrie, and the nature of love and loyalty. The two women will have to find winds of trust and love for the relationship to sail. Appropriately, sail