Thank you for the opportunity to read and review Chaos and Control. Unfortunately, I was never able to get into it and I have no plans to rate or review it at this time.

Chaos and Control was just that. Chaos. Control.

I loved the opposites attract and the push and pull of the story. Wren and Preston were great characters that I found myself really rooting for. This is my first book by this author and I found myself engrossed in the story and really not wanting to put it down. I thought giving one of the characters OCD added an unique twist and made him a lovable character for me.

I'm excited to explore more reads by Season Vining.

So many books captivate me but rarely do I get surprised and this one managed to do both.

We have three main players in the story.
Bennie who owns a record store and is the older sister of Wren.
Wren is more complicated to describe. She comes home after three years on the road. A character who was not content in her little town and at the first opportunity left to explore what was out there.
Preston, this character pulled at my heartstrings. He has a pretty intense case of OCD.
He works for Bennie who has given him a chance when everyone else looks at him not understanding.

Within this story we experience a roller coaster of emotions from all three characters. Each person is learning to live with their own demons. But within the chaos and each others bond, they find that the control they each need is what they give each other.

Even with that said,, I still haven't articulated my thoughts well enough in this review for you to understand the depth this story carries along with watching walls come down and love build up.
There were moments of frustration I felt along with the characters, joy of the understanding and sadness. Sadness I can not share with you because this would ruin so much of what you need to read to understand the authors words.

I haven't read anything else by this author but I can truly state that I will be watching what is offered in the future. Sometimes it takes time to build readers yet when you discover a story as well written as this with more than hot sexy scenes (nothing wrong with those either), you just know this is someone who knows how to put their feelings into words.

A wonderfully written story with depth, captivating characters and a story line that is sure to make us rethink our own lives. I definitely recommend picking this book up.

She is returning home after 3 yrs however her circumstances are not good. She is running away from an abusive and controlling man. He is absolutely horrible. She goes to her sisters place and surprises her. She meets her replacement and he is attractive. He has OCD bad. Her sister is hiding something from her. She cant figure it out. He is bad with it and letting people in his life. this was a great story

When hardcore traveler, Wren, comes back home, she's welcomed with open arms by her older sister, Bennie. Wren isn't sure how long she'll stay, but she knows she won't stay forever. Wren's immediately attracted to Bennie's employee, Preston, and he just might have given her a reason to prolong her stay. Preston's immediately taken with Wren. Something about her calms his disorderly mind. "You create this chaos inside me, and at the same time, quiet it." I like the way Wren just accepts Preston's OCD tendencies, without judgment. Not a lot of people could say that they'd meet an obviously OCD laden person and not have some judgments about him or her.

As their relationship develops, I was really rooting for them, but of course there had to be some obstacles, no good story is without some drama. Seeing Preston's character develop in a natural, organic way was probably the best part of Chaos and Control.

Chaos and Control has some positive things and some negative things about it. First, the positives: Preston is sweet, endearing and adorable. I loved his character. He wasn't perfect, but his imperfections made him all the more lovable. Wren is the real problem, though, that I had with Chaos and Control. She's a selfish, self-absorbed, and ridiculously clueless brat. Even when Bennie flat out told her she was behaving like a brat, she persisted in locking Preston out. Sigh...

Other than Wren's character, though, I liked Chaos and Control. I like the premise, I love Preston, and I love Bennie. So I think 3 stars seems right.

Well written and an enjoyable story. I really enjoyed reading this book and look forward to reading more by this author.

20 stars please!!!!- This book was simply a thing of beauty and magic. The words of their story brought me into the pages of this book, and I didn't want to get out. This was such an unexpected find, both the author and the story. I fell in absolute love with Preston and his ways of order, perfection, numbers, and his beautiful words. Wren was chaos and fly by the seat of your pants and just jump in kind of girl. But somehow opposites attract, and with that will there be happiness or will someone get in their way? Thank you for this amazing book and allowing me to read and write about it.

a good solid romance with a plot that was interesting and unique

Reverend Hart’s daughter was back, but Wren Hart didn’t intend to stay. She was hoping to find a place to hide and seek solace in her sister, Bennie’s place. But what or who greeted her was a pleasant surprise. Could mild-mannered, obsessive-compulsive gorgeous Preston be the reason she’d finally remain in Crowley?

I fell in love with Preston, the OCD guy who always counted in even numbers and repeatedly arranged his things until his nerves settled. He lives by routine and he immediately gets frozen when his perfectly controlled world gets disturbed. And that’s Wren for you. Wren is a completely different personality, loud, wild, spirited and extreme – a stark contrast to his quiet, balanced ritual.

The ever-present issue of Wren’s real reason why she returned to Crowley surfaced time and time again. You start to see the anxiety and fear it has caused her and how she sometimes dismissed her assumptions. I wasn’t particularly in favor of Wren’s abrupt decisions, but it was her effort to re-establish her connection with her sister that made me like her… That and her incessant hankering with mysterious Preston.. The poetic, enigmatic, loving Preston.

Oh yes let’s talk about the words that danced in Preston’s mind. So poignant, lyrical, moving and soulful. His words are the kind of poetry that you would go over and over again and still not get tired of hearing them. Preston’s words shape up my world.

I loved the fact that even if this story breaks your heart, you’re still going to feel completely full and fulfilled after reading the last page. I thought Preston and Wren fit perfectly despite their differences. I’m pleased that all the characters had their own distinct traits, some quite nefarious (I couldn’t believe a reverend could do that to his daughters!!) and still others, selfless and big-hearted.

Chaos and Control is a perfectly imperfect book that is clearly well-researched and written passionately. Loved all the points that discussed OCD and how it does not only affect the life of the disabled person but also those that surround him. Season Vining crafted this book with so much heart and devotion, I loved how she made Preston’s words mystifying at the same time romantic and indulging. This is definitely one of the best books I’ve read in 2017! This has been a perfectly imperfect and painfully beautiful read!

This story gives a powerful and realistic picture of what it’s like to live with Obsessive Compulsive Disorder (OCD) and what’s great about it is that the author doesn’t forget along the narrative that our hero, a “pretty” and generous man called Preston, has this condition and struggles with it every moment.
Preston is indeed a great hero (not a great poet though) – caring, loving, noble – and we see his issues and constant anxiety interwoven in his daily life and interaction with the heroine and the other characters. Kudos Ms. Vining for not healing this “complex and beautiful man”miraculously or just forgetting his issues, as so many other authors do with our beloved wounded heroes!
I found Wren a good heroine too, good and healing for the hero. I liked how she learned to deal with Preston’s issues, how she respects him. She’s a bit self-centered and her relationship with her older sister is a bit unbalanced, but I think that (being selfish) makes her a believable character.
I also loved that this was a slow burn romance and how sweet and sexy they were with each other.

Wren Hart has spent the last three years on the road, but now she's returned home because of reasons that she's unwilling to burden on anyone. However, she never imagined she'd find a reason to stay, yet her sister's employee is tempting her with every moment they spend together. But with everything finally going so right in her life, Wren knows it's only a matter of time before her past catches up with her. Will she be able to handle the danger she knows is headed her way, or will Wren and Preston lose their shot at happy ever after?

Although this story was only told from the heroine's point of view and I'm a fan of a story told from both the hero and heroine's point-of-view, I did really enjoy this book because of the main characters back stories that has Wren's past catching up with her; the dialogue that had me intrigued by the effect the heroine had on the hero because his disorder isn't an easy one to cope with; the poetry at the end of each chapter that show how much Preston liked Wren being in his life; and the obstacles this couple have to overcome to be together had me reading quickly, determined to discover whether they'd get their happy ever after, especially with the moment the heroine feels betrayed by something she had the right to know.

The way this story started drew me into this story, as the heroine has been on the adventure of a lifetime and now she's back in her hometown. Why is she back? What is she running from? However, it was from the moment the hero and heroine came face-to-face for the first time that had me completely hooked, as the heroine says whatever is on her mind and it's palpable she's mesmerized by the hero. Moreover, both the hero and heroine were wonderful characters and I really liked their back stories, as the hero hasn't had the easiest time dealing with his disorder and the heroine grew up with parents that didn't care about her because she didn't fall in line with their expectations.

Furthermore, the heroine is independent; strong and brave with everything she has to deal with, especially because of the heartbreaking news she receives and what her ex puts her through; and I liked how determined she was to show the hero that his disorder does not define him. Then again, there's something about Wren that has Preston taking a chance on doing things he wouldn't normally do. While the hero, he's had it tough with his family not being able to understand why he is the way he is, so he's lucky he's found Wren who accepts him for who he is. I also liked how loyal he is to those he cares about, even if it means keeping something secret from the one person he cares about the most. Yet, what I liked most of all about the hero is how protective he was of the heroine because she's come to mean everything to him.

Overall, Ms. Vining has delivered a really good read in this book where the chemistry between this couple was wonderful; the romance shows how good the heroine is for the hero; and the ending had me a little worried for the heroine's safety because of her past and a little sad for the heroine because of the loss she suffers, but had me glad everything turned out so well for Wren and Preston. I would recommend Chaos and Control by Season Vining, if you enjoy the friends to lovers trope, the mysterious strangers trope, or books by authors Rebecca Shea, Melanie Moreland, KA Tucker and Brenda Rothert.

Season’s best work yet!

Wren returns to Crowley and she goes to her sister’s Bennie’s record store and goes to her sister. Bennie was the bright spot in Wren’s life. Wren throws herself into Bennie’s wren throws herself into Bennie’s arms. Wren had been gone for three years when Bennie asks Wren how long she would be there she answered she didn’t know why she just felt she should be there. The only communication between Bennie and Wren had been random postcards from Wren and Bennie had no way to get a hold of Wren.It was so strange and familiar being back. Wren thought she would never step foot back in Crowley again. Wren thought she could handle anything but all it took was one possessive abusive boyfriend- Dylan- to show her just how little she was. Bennie’s employee is Preston who is gorgeous in Wren’s opinion but he took over Wren’s job and apartment but he was odd. When emptying her bag her bag Wren finds a gps tracker. Wren tries to not think of Dylan knowing where she is or him coming there. Preston is such a mystery to Wren. Wren does get Preston to take her to Franklin with him as she needed some essentials to add to her wardrobe. Wren thought she saw Dylan but when she looked again he wasn’t there. Preston needs order and control as he has a severe case of OCD and struggles with life everyday. Even though Wren is more of a tornado then the order and control Preston needs to get through the day yet somehow she brought some peace to Preston. But Preston did like Wren and did like being around her and slowly grew feelings for her. Wren was attracted to Preston yet she accepted the way he was and didn’t try to change him.
I enjoyed this book, At times it dragged some for me. It was definitely a different type of book. I did like the plot. I also thought this was well written. I really liked how the romance built slowly and built especially with Preston and wren being such opposites I also really liked how Wren grew as the book went on. I loved Preston's poems at the end of the chapters it gave us insight to what he was thinking and feeling. I also loved how Wren didn’t try to change Preston just accepted him. I love the characters and the ins and outs of this story and I recommend.

I absolutely loved this story. Preston and Wren are simply perfectly imperfect together and their story is one of acceptance and unconditional love. She lives her life spontaneously , completely full of chaos. He needs full control to get through each day. They shouldn't work but somehow they do in a beautiful way. This story is wonderfully written and as the story unfolds and we get to know Preston and Wren,you can't help but feel you know them. Really know them. This book was an unexpected treasure for me and I think you will enjoy it too. I highly recommend it.

when wren hart blows back into the tiny town of crowley, kansas she's not sure what kind of homecoming she'll receive. she's been gone three years and her only contact with her sister, bennie has been a series of postcards. she shouldn't be surprised to discover that her apartment has been rented out and her old job filled. but her replacement, preston charles, couldn't be more fascinating if he tried.

in chaos and control, it's pretty clear early on that wren is the chaos and preston is the control. he suffers from some pretty severe ocd. and we see how the disorder both controls him and how he uses routine and repetition to keep his anxiety under control. wren steamrolls her way into his orbit, and once she is there he finds that he likes having her there. and that somehow, in spite of her propensity for chaos, she quiets his overactive mind. and when he's with her he finds a measure of peace that he's never really known.

wren has secrets and so do bennie and preston. and there's a moment when the secrets nearly destroy everything that these characters have been building up to. but love is stronger than that. pain and hurt and anger and betrayal are the lows, but the rush of elation, the sweetness of forgiveness, the thrill of passion, those are the highs. preston and wren do their best to experience all of it.

one of the things that i really liked about this story is how it is framed. told in third person limited from wren's point of view, each chapter ends with a poem written by preston that gives us insight into his psyche. you get such a clear picture of him and where he is at emotionally. it lets us see how he sees wren, and it's perfect because so much of her time is spent describing all the little things that make preston so unique.

**chaos and control will publish on december 11, 2017. i received an advance reader copy courtesy of netgalley/entangled publishing (embrace) in exchange for my honest review.

I've been not so patiently.waiting for a new Season Vining book. ;-)
I really enjoyed Wren, Preston at times well....I was annoyed. Which is a good thing. Season made me have lots of feels.
I loved the push and pull with these characters. Always had me wondering what was going to happen next.
I look forward to see what's next from Season.

Thanks Entangled Publishing for the review copy.

I love the “opposites attract” trope, and this book was a fresh take on it. Wren is a flighty and free-spirited whirlwind, while Preston, who has OCD, is ruled by routine.

"Maybe we’re too different to be together— polar opposites attracted like magnets. He is an anchor to this place, weighing me down with his perfect words and praising lips. We want contradictory lives. I need change and adventure. He thrives on routine and order. He seems happy to make furniture, eat at the diner, and live out the rest of his days in this town. Just the idea of that feels suffocating."

At the beginning of the book, I found it hard to like Wren. She’s a bit of a bull in a china shop, popping back into her sister Bennie’s life after years away with no communication except for scattered postcards. Wren’s selfishness and brattiness, and her insistence on honesty for everyone but herself, was grating. But as she settled into life in her hometown, and into her relationship with Preston, aspects of her character development endeared her to me. I loved that Wren accepted Preston’s quirks without judgement, and didn’t try to fix him, though she did push his boundaries. Without that aspect of her relationship with Preston, I would have thought a lot more poorly of Wren.

I also loved Wren’s relationship with Bennie. I was especially pleased to see how close they were even though their age difference was in decades instead of years. In some ways, it did feel like Bennie was Wren’s surrogate mother – in the book, there’s even a description of a photo where their mom is holding her Bible and Bennie is holding Wren. It was good to see Wren mature and realize how special her relationship with Bennie was.

I have a particular soft spot for neurodivergent heroes, and Preston was just so sweet. While this is written in first person present tense from Wren’s point of view, each chapter ends with one of Preston’s freeform poems. I am not a poetry girl, but I found this a surprisingly insightful way to get inside Preston’s head. Preston also has a delightfully dirty side!

“You’re so scared of missing out on adventure, that you’re ignoring the one right here in front of you.”

The romance had a lovely slow build, culminating in the particularly sexy use of a nail gun. The flirting was super hot and quite humorous at times. I loved the give-and-take of their relationship – Preston going outside of his usual routine, and Wren accepting not shaking things up like a snow globe just for the sake of change. In the end, they compliment each other, each being a settling influence on the other.

Overall, this was a fun ride! Definitely recommend for fans of the opposites attract trope, small-town romances, or neurodivergent heroes!

I received this book for free from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review. This does not affect my opinion of the book or the content of my review.

Sorry, as much as I tried, I could not get into this book. It felt like I was missing something from the very start and it didn’t get any better.

I’ll admit that when I first opened Chaos and Control by Season Vining I was expecting a bit of light fluff. I wasn’t even sure about it when I was given the opportunity to review it. I’d pegged it as one of those books that may be fun to read, but that was about it.

Boy was I wrong! The book’s description in no way prepared me for Preston or the emotional impact of this author’s writing style.

Chaos and Control is largely a character study style story, it is written from the two points of view of the main characters Wren and Preston. Character study stories are my absolutely favourite style of writing. I love a story that delves into the individual personalities of the characters (usually just the main leads) and the relationship between them. When done well you can forge an emotional connection with the characters and this adds a deeper dimension to the story where you feel invested in the highs and lows of their journey.

The formats of the two points of view were presented slightly differently in Chaos and Control. While Wren’s POV was in the normal narrative style, Preston was presented through the poetry he was writing throughout the story. This change from the ‘normal’ style was particularly well suited to Preston who is a damaged individual dealing with a crippling case of OCD. The poetry was perhaps even more descriptive than the narrative style in that it clearly highlighted his internal reaction to incidents in the book which often contrasted to how it was related by Wren’s POV.

Preston’s poetry perfectly matched the entire feel of this book. Season Vining is a talented author who has the ability to weave together the two points of view of the main leads with a flowing, lyrical prose. This is not a fast paced book, the writing is unhurried but it is not drawn out nor is it an arduous read. The almost dreamy quality suits the atmosphere of small town America and ties in well with both Preston’s condition and his poetry.

I would highly recommend Chaos and Control by Season Vining. It has been a while since I’ve been so engrossed in a book, and I haven’t read a story in such a beautifully constructed lyrical style for a long time. Although Season is a new author to me, I will certainly be looking at her other titles.

I disliked Wren so much that I had a hard time connecting to anything in the story. Preston was a great character, and I liked the poetry at the end of the chapters. But Wren ruined my reading experience. I realize she was young, but she was incredibly immature and self involved. She acted more like a young teen than a 21 year old who has spent the past three years traveling on her own.