Both sexy and touching, with the humor, heart and emotional depth romance fans expect from Ross.
Former military DJ Mac Culhane has come to Shelter Bay to heal from physical and emotional wounds while raising his daughter. Meeting store owner Annie makes him believe that redefining family may be what they all need to find happiness.
Mac made a mess of his marriage, and after a deadly accident in Afghanistan makes him reassess his priorities, he decides to focus on family. Coming home, he is stunned when his wife leaves him and his daughter, and he decides to move to Shelter Bay, the halcyon coastal town where his stepfather and grandfather live. Settling in to a late-night job for the tiny local radio station is a grand step down from his military gig, but he is surprised to find contentment in so many aspects of his new life. When he meets Annie, a local scrapbook store owner, there is no question that the two share chemistry. She also loves his daughter and his grandfather, so he can’t figure out why she won’t admit she wants a forever package with the lot of them. As for Annie, she has a bit of healing to do herself and a few secrets that she knows should be deal breakers for Mac, but she’s far too cowardly to tell him the truth, since he and his family are all she’s ever wanted. Ross’ newest addition to the Shelter Cove series mixes powerful elements of loss and redemption with a tender love story that crackles with sexual tension. From the sweet fantasy of a phone relationship with a midnight DJ to the awkward fits and starts of a would-be affair and then romance between two authentically drawn characters, plus the engaging cast of secondary characters—including Mac’s family, Annie’s friends and some Shelter Cove “regulars” whom fans of the series will be happy to see—Ross has created a tale readers will care about, set in an idyllic town where many would love to live.
Both sexy and touching, with the humor, heart and emotional depth romance fans expect from Ross.Pub Date: Aug. 6, 2013
ISBN: 978-0-451-24000-2
Page Count: 400
Publisher: Signet
Review Posted Online: Aug. 3, 2013
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Aug. 15, 2013
BOOK REVIEW
BOOK REVIEW
With frank language and patient plotting, this gangly teen crush grows into a confident adult love affair.
Eleven years ago, he broke her heart. But he doesn’t know why she never forgave him.
Toggling between past and present, two love stories unfold simultaneously. In the first, Macy Sorensen meets and falls in love with the boy next door, Elliot Petropoulos, in the closet of her dad’s vacation home, where they hide out to discuss their favorite books. In the second, Macy is working as a doctor and engaged to a single father, and she hasn’t spoken to Elliot since their breakup. But a chance encounter forces her to confront the truth: what happened to make Macy stop speaking to Elliot? Ultimately, they’re separated not by time or physical remoteness but by emotional distance—Elliot and Macy always kept their relationship casual because they went to different schools. And as a teen, Macy has more to worry about than which girl Elliot is taking to the prom. After losing her mother at a young age, Macy is navigating her teenage years without a female role model, relying on the time-stamped notes her mother left in her father’s care for guidance. In the present day, Macy’s father is dead as well. She throws herself into her work and rarely comes up for air, not even to plan her upcoming wedding. Since Macy is still living with her fiance while grappling with her feelings for Elliot, the flashbacks offer steamy moments, tender revelations, and sweetly awkward confessions while Macy makes peace with her past and decides her future.
With frank language and patient plotting, this gangly teen crush grows into a confident adult love affair.Pub Date: April 10, 2018
ISBN: 978-1-5011-2801-1
Page Count: 416
Publisher: Gallery Books/Simon & Schuster
Review Posted Online: Jan. 22, 2018
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Feb. 1, 2018
Heartfelt and funny, this enemies-to-lovers romance shows that the best things in life are all-inclusive and nontransferable...
An unlucky woman finally gets lucky in love on an all-expenses-paid trip to Hawaii.
From getting her hand stuck in a claw machine at age 6 to losing her job, Olive Torres has never felt that luck was on her side. But her fortune changes when she scores a free vacation after her identical twin sister and new brother-in-law get food poisoning at their wedding buffet and are too sick to go on their honeymoon. The only catch is that she’ll have to share the honeymoon suite with her least favorite person—Ethan Thomas, the brother of the groom. To make matters worse, Olive’s new boss and Ethan’s ex-girlfriend show up in Hawaii, forcing them both to pretend to be newlyweds so they don’t blow their cover, as their all-inclusive vacation package is nontransferable and in her sister’s name. Plus, Ethan really wants to save face in front of his ex. The story is told almost exclusively from Olive’s point of view, filtering all communication through her cynical lens until Ethan can win her over (and finally have his say in the epilogue). To get to the happily-ever-after, Ethan doesn’t have to prove to Olive that he can be a better man, only that he was never the jerk she thought he was—for instance, when she thought he was judging her for eating cheese curds, maybe he was actually thinking of asking her out. Blending witty banter with healthy adult communication, the fake newlyweds have real chemistry as they talk it out over snorkeling trips, couples massages, and a few too many tropical drinks to get to the truth—that they’re crazy about each other.
Heartfelt and funny, this enemies-to-lovers romance shows that the best things in life are all-inclusive and nontransferable as well as free.Pub Date: May 14, 2019
ISBN: 978-1-5011-2803-5
Page Count: 416
Publisher: Gallery Books/Simon & Schuster
Review Posted Online: March 2, 2019
Kirkus Reviews Issue: March 15, 2019
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