Mending the Line by Christy Hayes

About the book

Mending the Line is the first book in the Golden Rule Outfitters (New Adult) series by Christy Hayes. The book was published in paperback on 7^th January and it is 240 pages long.

Plot Synopsis

For as long as she can remember, Jill Jennings’ dream has to become an elite runner. Whist on a run one day though, she trips and breaks her leg less than a year before the Olympic trials. The only person there to help her to the hospital is Tyler Bloodworth – tall, blonde and absolutely gorgeous.

After multiple surgeries and a long time without training, Jill thinks she’s finally ready to pursue her dream again but the first time out, she feels her passion waning. Heading off on a different route, she runs straight into Tyler. He’s been away since Jill broke her leg but he’s back in Lower Fork with one thing on his mind – her. Problem is, Tyler is only there for one more summer then he’s setting up shop with his dad back home. Will Jill and Tyler be able to figure out what they mean to each other in time or are they destined to be a summer fling?

What I thought

Mending the Line begins nine months before the real story starts. Tyler is in Lower Fork working and doing what he does best – fishing. The whole summer he’s had his eye on Jill Jennings but his girlfriend back home means he can’t do anything about his feelings for her. Near the end of the summer, Jill breaks her leg running and Tyler is the one there to take her to the hospital. What he doesn’t know is that Jill thinks he’s amazingly hot. Nine months later after a summer back home, Tyler is back for one last summer before he and his dad go into business together. His one aim, now a single guy, is to get the girl he can’t stop thinking about.

I really enjoyed getting a small backstory before the book really got going. It was nice to know that Tyler was really interested in Jill before anything happened and that he was good enough to think about his girlfriend back home. So many books I have read before have had characters that don’t care about stuff like that and would have cheated but it was so good to see that Tyler had morals and stuck to them. Tyler was also a driven character who knows what he wants and will work hard to achieve his goals.

Jill was not quite as open a character as Tyler was, especially in regards to her feelings. I liked that there was a contrast between the two and that there was something to work at for them both. Jill has always been a runner and it is her dream to run in the Olympics. Breaking her leg messes everything up though and it also makes her questions what she wants in life. Just as she’s getting back on her feet, Tyler turns back up in town and Jill is secretly super happy about that. The previous summer, she liked him but knew he had a girlfriend and now, there isn’t that problem anymore. Just like Tyler, I really liked Jill. She’s a pretty grounded girl who also works extremely hard. Her training shows her dedication but she also has a wonderful personality. Due to her being so focused, Jill has kind of forgotten to have a social life but her broken leg makes her rethink everything.

The romance between Tyler and Jill was super sweet and great to discover. Tyler never rushes Jill which was another aspect of this book that I loved. He knows she hasn’t had that much experience with guys and relationships and he is very patient with her while still managing to let his feelings be known. There are some pretty steamy scenes between Jill and Tyler but they weren’t over the top nor was too much detail given. There was just enough to know what was going on which added a lot more passion between the characters. However, although Tyler doesn’t rush Jill, their relationship appeared to go far too quickly. Some things that happened seemed to quite quickly and therefore, came across as a bit unrealistic.

The plot is pretty romance based so there isn’t too much else going on. However, both Tyler and Jill have their families around them at different times. Along with the opening of the book, having families added into the story really helped to add depth to both main characters. Due to certain events and interactions, I was able to really get to know both Tyler and Jill as well as learning why they are they ways they are and why they act in certain ways.

Overall, Mending the Line was a pretty good book but it wasn’t amazing.