REVIEW: Off the Map by Trish Doller

In Off the Map by Trish Doller, At the behest of her beloved father Biggie, Carla Black has spent years traversing the globe, meeting people and experiencing everything life has to offer. She does take time to head home to Florida at least once a year to make some money for future adventures and visit her best friend, Anna. But now Anna is in Ireland ready to marry the love of her life, Keane. And Carla is (of course) her maid of honor. She couldn’t be happier for the couple, even if she herself isn’t the settling down type. A bonus to the wedding festivities is getting to check Ireland off her list of places to explore. And as Carla meets Keane’s brother Eamon, who is tasked with getting her from Dublin to Tralee, she intends to have as much fun on her short trip as possible.

“I’m sure I’m not the first person in history to want to take off all my clothes and lie in the heather, but I do.”
Eamon’s laugh is just this side of dirty. “I reckon you’re not, but if you need any help with the clothing removal process, I’d be delighted to lend a hand or two.”

Carla is pretty shocked at not only her instant chemistry with Eamon but also that he has a hidden case of wanderlust himself. One to push someone out of their comfort zone to prove a point, Carla talks Eamon into taking the long way to Tralee, showing him how much fun it can be to throw caution to the wind. What ensues is some incredible scenery, experiences, and even more incredibly sexy moments. It leaves both Carla and Eamon craving longer than a week to spend together to see where their intense connection takes them. But there’s a wedding to attend. And there are things Carla and Eamon need to figure out before attempting to build a future. They can only hope that their paths will cross once again at just the right time and in just the right place.

‘I’m experiencing emotions I haven’t felt in a long time, but that doesn’t change the fact that this is a fling. It comes with an expiration date.’

Off the Map was every bit as adventurous and charming as that perfect book cover suggests. From a sangria-drinking bull to surfing the Irish coastline to a sexy meet-cute that will leave you smiling, Trish Doller blended humor and heart seamlessly together.

“You’re my foreseeable future.”
“Foreseeable?” Eamon snorts a laugh. “When I told you we would never be finished, I meant it. We don’t have to get married, or even live on the same continent, but you, Carla Black, are my person.”

Content warning: View Spoiler »Dementia (detailed), death of a close family member, drug references. « Hide Spoiler

Off the Map can basically be boiled down to instalust vs. wanderlust–with some family issues also added in for good measure. Strong-willed and feisty, our heroine Carla was the one (at first) with a serious need for constant adventure, thanks to her wonderful father Biggie’s love of off-roading. Traveling around the world in the family Jeep became her life. But it was when Carla landed in Dublin, Ireland and met sweet & playful Eamon on the way to a wedding that she thought about settling down for a bit for the first time in many years.

The instalust part might give some readers pause. I typically like for a couple to have previously met amicably or having run in the same circles before noticing their attraction for it to work. But there were two things that smoothed it over for me in this story–which was on the shorter side at around two hundred seventy-ish pages. It was made clear that there were overlaps in Eamon and Carla’s lives where her best friend Anna was marrying his brother Keane. (Their romance was book #1 in the series, Float Plan) So that commonality helped draw Eamon and Carla together. The other thing was how they both acknowledged the fact that everything happened fast between them. It felt realistic that Carla and Eamon would wonder if they had what it takes to make something work long-term. Particularly with both feeling like they were at a crossroads in their lives.

It was the family issues they faced that made it difficult for Carla and Eamon to figure out a way to be together–especially for Carla. Her situation was rather heart wrenching and most certainly bittersweet. I won’t give spoilers. But I will say that Doller handled a tough subject matter with a gentle hand, love and grace. The details and emotions it brought out had me in tears–of sadness and happiness–all the way to the tender ending that captured Eamon’s and Carla’s wonderful love for each other, for their families, and for leading a life capturing each moment as it happens.

QOTD: Are you more apt to take off on an adventure, spur of the moment? Or do you like to plan things out first?

Book Info:

Publication: Expected Publication: March 7, 2023 |  St. Martin’s Griffin | Beck Sisters #3

On the road to love, you don’t need a GPS…

Carla Black’s life motto is “here for a good time, not for a long time.” She’s been travelling the world on her own in her vintage Jeep Wrangler for nearly a decade, stopping only long enough to replenish her adventure fund. She doesn’t do love and she doesn’t ever go home.

Eamon Sullivan is a modern-day cartographer who creates digital maps. His work helps people find their way, but he’s the one who’s lost his sense of direction. He’s unhappy at work, recently dumped, and his one big dream is stalled out—literally.

Fate throws them together when Carla arrives in Dublin for her best friend’s wedding and Eamon is tasked with picking her up from the airport. But what should be a simple drive across Ireland quickly becomes complicated with chemistry-filled detours, unexpected feelings, and a chance at love – if only they choose it.