Laura Fidorowicz
Riley Walsh. The keeper of all secrets. The king of worst timing ever. The sibling that forever has a stain on his shirt and his fly undone but has the most insightful words for his family whenever it's needed. I was drawn to Riley from when he was first introduced in Underneath It All (Book One) and my infatuation with him has only grown over the course of this series. Riley is hilarious and loyal but after The Spire, book six in the Walsh series, it was obvious that Riley is also deep and hides a lot. When he meets his Someone Special and learns that she could use a man in her life to move forward from a past 'mistake', they enter into a mutually beneficial arrangement of several dates over two months. This fauxmance turns into friendship which turns into one of the hottest relationships I've ever had the pleasure to read. Riley's Lady is absolute perfection: outspoken, direct, intelligent, successful but also flawed. She's real and I loved her as much as I loved Riley, which I never thought would be possible since I have never come close to liking a character as much as I like him. As usual, the writing is witty, funny, heartbreaking, and hot. I felt the gamut of emotions and both wanted to race through this story to find out the end and savor every single word because I never wanted the end to come. I am constantly astounded by the history and random facts that are included in each book that Kate Canterbary writes and always come away feeling a little bit smarter than before I started. I have loved every Kate Canterbary book more than the last but this book is going to go down as my hands down favorite book of all time. I have never anticipated a book more, never loved two characters more, and can't imagine any book being able to replace this one.
Karen “MyOwnBookshelves” Hulseman
Sincerely, this IS my favorite book of the series. Not because it was the last one. Not because I fell deeper in love with Kate Canterbary’s storytelling. Nope, it’s because she saved the most complicated and emotional story for The End. Riley is the goofy younger brother. The light in the dark moments. The eye roll when serious words are said. Consistently the Lou Costello to the entire family of Bud Abbotts. But lingering in the background, the reader knows there is more to RISD than unzipped flies and coffee stains. Ms. Canterbary does more than deliver. This is the PERFECT story delivery that you didn’t even know you wanted. You’ll have eye opening experiences with flashbacks to the previous POVs with delightful clarity. And I haven’t mentioned the heroine. Let’s just say, you know it would take someone special. Someone who could meet Batman every step into a Happily Ever After. She is definitely found in this story. Let me end with if you’ve read every single review for the Walsh series I’ve written, I saw repeatedly I’ve stated to read in order and read them all. To truly appreciate Riley’s story it is imperative this happens. Otherwise you are short changing yourself. If I could give this book 10 stars I would. It was every emotion laced together. Often readers are sad to see a series end, but what I send off Ms. Canterbary gave us. 5 out of 5 stars.
A Google user
The last single Walsh sibling has met his match in Preservation, and she's just as strong, independent, witty and charming as I'd hoped. Riley has been a favorite of mine, since the first book in this series. An enigma I couldn't wait to see unravel. He's the keeper of secrets and now we know where he keeps them... He's a complex man, and after seeing him grow throughout the series, he's deeper and wiser than I ever expected. There are so many layers to Riley, we've had peeks in the past, but nothing like what we dive into here. Preservation is the seventh book of the Walsh Series, but don't let that scare you. It reads wonderfully as book seven, but, the story and the characters are refreshing. It reads not only as the last Walsh sibling to meet their match, but felt as the start of something new to this seasoned Walsh-lover. If this is your introduction to Kate Canterbary or the Walsh family, it's riddled with spoilers for the previous books, but it *is* a standalone. Preservation was everything. It made me laugh, it made me cry. Riley and his Someone Special are given an epic tale, rooted in friendship and mutual respect. Ms. Canterbary wrote an intricate, slow burning, emotional tale that is NOT a quick read. It's not drawn out, but it's not short. Anything less would be a disservice to the tale. Every single thing means something and is a necessity. Preservation is a well deserved 5 star read and on my MUST READ list.