BOOK REVIEW: Quarter Miles

So much of romance is about desire, about yearning to be loved and wanted, but there is something tragically beautiful, and utterly gripping to me, about tales of a love that is not returned. The achy, melancholy heartbreak of loving someone who would never love you back, only to discover that that love is not as one-sided as it appears, is perfect fodder for the romantic in all of us, and Devney Perry does the unrequited love trope justice with the story of two best friends who find themselves on a road trip of a lifetime—one desperately trying to exorcise her feelings for the only man she’s ever loved, and the other finally coming to terms with the way he’s always felt for his best friend. Full of sexual tension and angst, and even a touch of family drama, this book is really about a woman who’s learning not to run from her fears, and that’s a message that we all need to hear.

I guess I hadn’t broken the habits of my childhood like I’d thought. When the world got to be too much, when my heart and spirit were broken, I ran.

Katherine Gates has come a long way from the runaway teenager who once called a junkyard her home. She has worked hard to leave her past behind and to become the confident, competent young woman in charge of running one of Montana’s most prestigious luxury ranch resorts. But while Katherine’s professional life has taken giant leaps over the past decade, she hasn’t had the same luck in her personal life because, for the past twelve years, she’s been secretly pining for her best friend, roommate and co-worker, Cash Greer. So when seeing Cash with another woman finally becomes too hard to bear, Katherine decides to take the old cherry-red Cadillac on a journey of her own, just like her friends Londyn and Gemma did before her, hoping that time and distance would give her heart a chance to heal. But Cash is not the kind of man who would let his best friend drive around the country alone, and he knows exactly what to say to convince her to let him come with her.

Katherine Gates was the strongest, toughest woman I’d ever met. That still didn’t mean I was sending her off into the unknown alone.

As they embark on their eight-hundred-mile road trip across the Pacific Northwest—driving from Clear River, Montana to Heron Beach, Oregon—Katherine and Cash begin to rediscover all the reasons why they’ve been best friends for so long. Katherine finally starts lowering her guard and trusting Cash with her painful past, but her heartache only intensifies with each passing mile. And while she continues to keep her feelings and tears to herself, Cash’s ironclad grip on his own feelings for his incredibly sexy, incredibly off-limits best friend begins to falter. Before long and with no constant reminders around them of all the reasons why they should only be friends, Katherine and Cash finally give in to the inevitable.

“No matter what you say, no matter where you came from, you’ll always be my Kat.”

But Katherine is not the only one who’s been keeping secrets from her best friend, and what Cash finally confesses to her puts into question every single thing Katherine has believed for so long.

“Am I losing you?” he asked, his gaze straight ahead.
“I’ll always be your friend.” I leaned over, resting my head on his shoulder.
“That’s not what I’m asking.”
“I know,” I whispered.

Set against a moving backdrop of wide-open fields, rolling hills, quaint little towns, and long dusty roads, and infused with Devney Perry’s trademark blend of strong characters and tender romance, this story shines most brightly in its quietest, character-driven moments, all the while never shying away from getting right into the heart of love, friendship, family, and everything in between. A beautiful addition to a series that continues to take my breath away.

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Runaway - Recommended Reading Order

(standalone stories with interconnected characters)