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Synopsis

From USA Today bestselling author J.L. Berg comes a brand new By the Bay stand-alone novel…

Everything was going according to plan…

After years of working my way up the corporate ladder, it was finally my time to shine. I was about to receive the promotion of a lifetime.

But just like that, my life was destroyed with a single career crushing email.

Now, I am headed back home to North Carolina, under the ruse of an extended vacation to help run the family inn while my sister is on maternity leave. After all, what is family for? Plus, a few days at the beach could definitely help uncomplicate this crazy life of mine.

Enter Aiden Fisher.

Aiden is a guest at my sister’s inn. He’s wicked hot, a huge flirt and has one of the sexiest British accents I’ve ever heard. But beyond all that, I see a darkness in his soul, as if he’s carrying a great weight upon his shoulders.

I find myself pushing back my trip home to Florida in hopes that maybe I’ll look into those hazel brown eyes and finally see truth shining back instead of lies. That maybe he’ll stop running and tell me the truth for once.

But you know what they say about liars? It takes one to know one and I’ve been telling the biggest lie of all – I’ve fallen hopelessly in love with Aiden.
And isn’t that the scariest truth of all?

 

 

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Review

4.5 stars

Wow, I loved this book! A gorgeous British hero, a feisty heroine and a sweet and sexy romance that is functional and swoony, with a heartfelt and emotional twist that makes this a really special read. Bringing us back to the island of Ocracoke and the fantastic bunch of characters that have been introduced in this series – though this could be read as a standalone – this was a great little read, and I loved it.

Millie is the sister of the heroine from book #1 of this series, The Choices I’ve Made. She has a high-flying career in fashion and is just about to get the promotion she’s worked so hard for when her life pretty much blows up in her face. Suddenly without a job and needing to lay low, she heads home to Ocracoke and to her family’s inn, which she will temporary run while her sister is on maternity leave.

Aiden Fisher is a well-respected sculptor whose work graces the island of Ocracoke in a memorial for a ferry tragedy. He has had a difficult life, and has just received life-changing news that he is struggling to deal with. When his Ocracoke sculpture is vandalised, he sees it as the perfect opportunity to run away from his problems for a bit, so he travels back to the island to make a replacement. And of course while he’s there, he’ll be staying at the best inn on the island.

From the moment that Aiden and Millie meet, there are fireworks. Their attraction is instant and a few drinks to drown their respective sorrows quickly ends up in a drunken evening and a naked and very awkward morning after because Millie can’t remember a thing that happened between them. She is appalled and embarrassed about it all, and she tries to keep Aiden at a distance, but their attraction still sizzles, and with the two of them living under the same roof… let the fun begin.

I love Aiden and Millie together! The early stage of their relationship is full of fun and banter and sizzling sexual tension, and I was quickly swept up in their explosive chemistry.

“Jesus Christ, Millie,” he whispered. “I remember everything.”
…
“I remember every minute of that night. Every bloody second. And, when I look at you, I can’t help but want to pull you into my arms and make you relive it all, so you can know the misery I’ve been living for the past two days, knowing I’ll never have it again.”

It doesn’t take long for things to progress, and I was right on board as they surrender to the pull between them, and holy damn it’s freaking hot! But as easy and natural as it feels, they both know there is a time limit on them being together. Millie is only in town temporarily, with no idea what her future holds, and Aiden’s secret battle prevents him from committing to anything serious. They both have things to deal with, but the way that they give themselves over to all they are feeling and just go with it in spite of it all, is beautiful.

“I’m not giving up on you, Aiden Fisher,” she whispered, her lips quivering with meaning. “Not now, now ever.”
“I told you I couldn’t give you more,” I said, feeling like the worst kind of fraud. “I warned you to guard your heart.”
She smiled, moisture rimming her brilliant blue eyes. “It wasn’t mine to protect any longer,” she said.

There is drama, but the angst is minimal and works to create a heartfelt intensity that made me feel everything! My heart ached for these two and all that they were faced with, but I thought their story played out beautifully and realistically, with lots of swoon, and I loved how it all finished up.

The characters from the previous books are all a part of the story and I loved catching up with them and seeing them living out their HEAs. And I can only hope that we get to see more of Aiden’s brother, James, at some point in the future, because he is all kinds of amazing!

I loved this one. It’s a quick read, but sweet, romantic and full of heart.

4.5 stars.

An Advanced Review Copy was generously provided by the author in exchange for an honest review.

 

By the Bay

 

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Excerpt

My eyes bolted open as sunlight from the windows glared down at me.

Where am I?

I sat up, quietly stretching as if I had all the time in the world.

Because I did, right?

No job. No responsibilities.

Responsibilities…

Shit!

Breakfast for the guests!

I bolted out of bed, frantically searching for my clothes. Where were my clothes? I tried to think back to the night before, but it was blurry.

Hazy.

And then the hammering in my head began.

Shit, how much did I drink last night?

“Where are you running off to so early?”

The deep British accent had me stopping in my tracks.

Last night…

I turned on my heels, tugging on the short shirt I had on, wishing it were suddenly a dress. Or a robe.

Or anything longer than a shirt.

Aiden’s eyes perused my body with a wide grin on his face as he casually tucked his hands behind his head. I tried not to notice the way the muscles in his arms flexed.

Or the fact that, besides a carefully placed sheet, he was basically lying naked before me.

“Oh my God,” I whispered. My fingers raked through my hair as I tried to remember the night before. “We didn’t…did we?”

The question had him immediately sitting up in bed, causing that well-placed sheet to shift.

I gulped as all of him—and I did mean all of him—came into view.

Oh Jesus, Mary, and Joseph.

I turned around, my cheeks flushing as heat spread through my body. He wasn’t just naked. He was naked and very much awake.

“You don’t remember?” he asked as I listened to the bed groan as he stood.

“No,” I admitted. “Do you?”

I heard the telltale sign of jeans being zipped, giving me the courage to turn back around. Sure enough, he was decent.

Well, as decent as a shirtless, hot-as-fuck Brit could be. God, I thought his muscles had muscles.

“Um, no,” he answered, but there was a hint of sadness to his eyes as he reached down to grab his shirt off the floor.

I let out a tiny whimper of protest as the black T-shirt slid down his body.

He really was beautiful.

I shook my head, trying to keep focused. “Oh, that’s great. Just fucking great. So, what happened here exactly?”

He pointed to the pile of clothes and the mostly empty alcohol bottle on the nightstand, that sadness drying up as he let out a breath and straightened, his features hardening. “I think that’s pretty clear.”

My arms folded across my chest before I realized that only brought my shirt higher up my waist.

Aiden didn’t miss the extra peek of flesh either as I watched his grin widen.

“Nope, I don’t believe you. I don’t do one-night stands. Ever.”

“Ever?” he echoed, surprise written all over his stupid face.

“Yes. Ever. Why is that so hard to believe? Do I look like the one-night-stand kind of girl?”

“Well, right now. Sort of.”

 

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Meet J. L. Berg

I’m a California native, who lives in the South – Virginia to be exact. I still prefer sushi to fried chicken, avocados to okra, and I absolutely loathe humidity. I do love watching the seasons change though. My husband and I have been here for over a decade, and I still get giddy like a school girl every time it snows. It’s magical!

I’m married to my high school sweetheart, and we’ve been blessed with two beautiful daughters and two rescue pups I like to call my “coworkers”. I’m obsessed with chocolate, minions, anything Harry Potter and I love to watch re-runs of Friends and Gilmore Girls!

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