Reviewed by Larissa

TITLE:  Strike a Pose

SERIES:  Model Love

AUTHOR:  Jackie North

PUBLISHER:  Self-published

LENGTH: 291 pages

RELEASE DATE:  October 11, 2022

BLURB:

Make a wish on a shooting star. Cry to the moon like the coyotes do.

There are so many things Sid cannot have, so many things he tells himself he does not need. His job at Farthingdale Ranch is good enough, right? Then along comes Heston, a glamorous and gorgeous top-tier model from New York City who makes Sid want and then want some more.

Heston has come to Wyoming to do a pre-fall photo shoot in the middle of July. It’s hot as hell, his skin is drying up, his hair is breaking off, and he’s got a hangnail. Then along comes Sid, lanky and sweet, and Heston begins to think there’s more to life than modeling.

Strike a Pose is a 80k-word contemporary MM novel featuring found families, opposites attract, different worlds, cowboy/cityboy, hurt/comfort, mutual rescue, fish out of water, a bit of ugly duckling, raindrop kisses, and quilts. It’s part of the Model Love multi-author series. Each book can be read as a standalone, in any order, but there are so many models falling in love, why not read them all?

REVIEW:

As someone who has read Jackie North’s Love Across Time and Farthingdale Ranch series, I was admittedly curious (with a small side of skepticism) when I saw the blurb for North’s latest book Strike a Pose, one of the books in the multiauthor interchangeable standalone Model Love universe. Is Jackie North really writing a romance set in New York City?  About the modeling industry?  Then I saw it would be tied to her Farthingdale Ranch series, which I adore.  So that was a big selling point, but rather than settle my questions, it actually added to my confusion. A model and a cowboy?  New York City and a Wyoming ranch? How is she going to make this work??

Well shame on me, I never should have doubted because North does make it work and makes it work extremely well. The resulting romance between Heston, the uber-chic, gorgeous top, NYC model, and Farthingdale Ranch’s innocent, wide-eyed, soft hearted Loud Mouth Sid, is unique and surprising while remaining rooted in everything North does so well.  

Strike a Pose shows both of the main characters as fish-out-of-water in the other’s environment. They are as different as night and day and I really had no idea how North would bridge that gap. But she finds a way that makes sense and makes our hearts happy in the process, although the seams do show a bit in the transition. North is a patient storyteller.  She takes her time, doesn’t rush, and tells the story that needs to be told with the detail needed to tell it the way it should be. It’s one of the aspects of her writing I like best.  However, here, as we move towards the resolution and ultimate HEA for Heston and Sid, the road from Point A to Point B (you can figure out what those represent when you read the book 😉) does strain credulity a bit.  Ironically, it’s not because she couldn’t bridge the gap, but because she rushed it.  I won’t tell you what happens, but I think some additional development in the back half of the story would have really made this romance just about perfect.

As it is, though, it’s a magnificent romance with weight, and it stands as a testament to North’s unique, distinctive style, her romantic heart, and her vividly imaginative mind. Her character development is always top-notch, and Heston and Sid are no exception. They are relatable and endearing, and we can see them fit together, albeit better as time goes by.  

However, what North does even better than her character development is world-building and descriptiveness. North is truly the queen of imagery.  She describes everything with such eloquence and detailed precision that it comes to life in our mind’s eye in living color. Her preternatural ability to vividly describe Wyoming sunsets, the swaying blades of grass, and the beating sun of the open prairie, and carry it over to lifelike descriptions of the hustle and bustle of “The City that Never Sleeps” with all of its wonder but also its gritty reality is simply stunning.

North also sticks with her non-melodramatic style, leveling us with impactful emotional content through seemingly matter-of-fact words. Heston and Sid have a fascinating dynamic.  They shouldn’t work as a couple. They shouldn’t have chemistry. They shouldn’t be attracted to each other.  But they do. They do. They are.  And it all makes sense because North makes it clear and authentic, and it’s easy to get pulled into the spell.  

In particular, I have to call out North’s descriptions of the modeling shoots, the staging, and the photographs with the angles, shadows, light, colors, and emotions leaping off the page.  The images are rich and evocative, and North’s ability to create that using only her words is astounding. The photographs that make the characters in the book gasp are just as breathtaking to the reader.

Strike a Pose is a modern turn for North and one I highly enjoyed. It’s not perfect, but it’s gorgeously written, swoonily romantic, and absolutely delightful.  I hope North writes additional content for Heston and Sid.  There’s a lot more I’d like to see of them and their HEA.

RATING: 

BUY LINKS: 

Amazon