Bryce and Melissa had me go from laughing, to crying to screaming and crying again in “Mile Marker Mine” by Julia Diers. This story had my feelings on the wildest roller coaster ride I have ever been on.
Diers creative writing and flow of the story was so extraordinary in just the simple way she would describe a scene and the characters in the moment. It made me feel like I was right there with them and could feel the cold air by the campfire, taste the smores or unfortunately see the disgusting motel room of that one horrible moment.
Bryce Evans had no idea a simple airport drop off would turn into a thousand-mile road trip and a possible love story with his former classmate, Melissa Carlson.
A Chicago snowstorm spins their plan off course, and Melissa needs to be in Tampa for a wedding. Bryce’s van is no first-class ticket, but it seems to be the only option.
Determined to make the best of it and bridge the gaps between their worlds, Bryce takes Mel on a detour to show her what his nomadic life is really like. Somewhere between a greasy waffle joint and The Great Smoky Mountains, Bryce starts to fall for the spit fire passenger princess to his right.
“Carried out to sea in her arms, I could’ve drowned in her kiss and died a happy man…” – Bryce Evans
As for Melissa, she likes predictable, and Bryce is anything but. Still, that hippy goofball who drives his entire life in a van is exactly what Mel needs to bring depth and meaning to her all-too-perfect life. Broke, ruggedly handsome, and charming, Bryce has nothing to offer but his heart and adventure.
A long line of painful relationships has taught Mel to keep things shallow and short. Why should Bryce be any different? Pedal down, hands on the wheel, it’s full speed ahead to Florida. Will Bryce and Mel have what it takes to keep their spark? Or is it time to hit the brakes and go their separate ways
“If Bryce was a forever type of guy, would I hate myself for not giving us a fair chance at making it work?” – Mel
There is only so much time on a road trip to make two characters who haven’t seen each other since high school fall in love and live happily ever after, but Diers has mastered the art of making it not feel completely rushed and unrealistic.
She has made me fall in love with these two and sometimes that is not an easy task to accomplish. I also love how Diers does not stray away from adding faith and prayer into her book. It is not every day I get to read a book where the characters do simple tasks like saying grace before dinner or sending prayers to God for help.
It just added something extra for me to fall in love with.
My only complaint is not having enough time with these two characters and seeing how their life panned out after their road trip. At least in a more detailed storyline.
Diers does bless us with an epilogue of what these two are up to four years later.
Then there is the fact that the spice is a closed door romance. The chemistry these two had on just their first kiss alone was superb. It will have you sitting at the edge of your seat just waiting to see what happens next.
For all these glorious reasons and more I am rating this book four out of five stars and two out of five chili peppers.
🌶️ 🌶️/ 🌶️🌶️🌶️🌶️🌶️
Review Realm 
Leave a comment