GRR Reviews Kelly (The Princesses of Silicon Valley) by Anita Claire

Kelly is basically the story of a woman who thought she knew what she wanted but looked for love in all the wrong places.

Kelly is a tall redhead and a true wild child. She likes to do competitive mountain biking and partying, and she's good enough at mountain biking that she's probably among the world's best dozen or so. She never stayed in one place too long, due to events and training, and never had any lasting relationships, just random hookups with people in the biking scene. She didn't want a job either, as she's living off a small inheritance. Her girlfriends, the Princesses of Silicon Valley, wanted her to come back to California, but she wanted to know if she has what it takes to get to the top... and wander the world in the meanwhile. Her trip takes her to Nepal, Brazil, Colorado, California, Australia, and she came to know two guys... One is a sailor needing something different from the wandering, another is a former Olympic swimmer looking for a kindred soul. Kelly wondered which of them is a better lover... and can she even consider settling down in one place?

The first half of the book was basically Kelly going around all over the place with hookups and more. The Tibetan adventure and other bits feel a bit dry. The coming of age realization came later when the Olympic swimmer was introduced for real, not just a hookup. There are bits of cross-references to other princesses (see the other books in the series) but they're kinda minimal, just interesting enough to move the plot along. But the character arc is certain there. But this feels more like an adventure, rather than a proper darkest hour and grand gesture and all that. It's basically Kelly making a choice due to character growth.

Category: Contemporary

Primary Plot: Can a wild-child athlete choose between two lovers? Who should she choose even as she found what she really wanted?

Tropes: everyone but you, road trip, triangle, athlete

Overall Rating:  4/5