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Review

4.5 stars

A follow up to the fabulous It Happened One Summer, this is a fun and chemistry-filled, slow burning friends-to-lovers romance that completely swept me away. I loved it!

Hannah Bellinger is the younger sister of Piper (heroine of book #1), and she was a big part of her sister’s journey as the two of them travelled from their privileged life in LA to the small fishing village of Westport. But while her sister fell in love with hot fishing boat captain, Brendan and decided to stay, Hannah returned to her life as a film production assistant in LA. But she had made a friend in Brendan’s best friend, Fox.

Fox was primarily featured as a manwhoring player in the first book, and Hannah took him by surprise because for the first time, a woman wasn’t interested in sleeping with him. So, he decided to embrace having his first female friend, and when she left town he kept in touch, and over daily text conversations, the two of them have become close.

When the film that Hannah is working on runs into location issues, she suggests they move the filming to Westport, and she ends up moving into her good friend, Fox’s spare room for the duration of the shoot. He doesn’t see an issue with it, because he knows that Hannah has a mad crush on the director of the film, and even though he’s harbouring his own crush on her, he figures he can help her get her man, and finally get her out of his system.

His intentions may be pure, but living with Fox is testing Hannah’s resistance. She’s seeing a whole new side to her friend, and it has her feeling all kinds of confused. One moment of weakness is all it takes for everything to really start to change.

Eek! I love these characters so much, and the chemistry between them is fantastic! They tease, play and banter, and I loved the playfulness between them. I could feel their feelings for each other shift, and the slow change in their dynamic is beautifully written. They initially decide to keep their distance, Hannah is only there temporarily after all, but the more time they spend together, the more their feelings deepen, and I loved watching these two friends discover this whole new side to each other.

“Do you ever get so happy, you can barely stand it?”
“Yes.”
“With you? All the time.”

The sexual tension builds brilliantly, creating a delicious slow burn as we watch them fall harder and harder for each other, fighting it all the way until all that tension snaps, and they just can’t hold back.

“What do you want me to say? Do I want to fuck you? Yes. Oh my god, I” — his eyes closed briefly, those fisherman’s hands flexing on the steering wheel– “I want you underneath me so bad that I can’t lie in bed without already feeling you there. I’ve never even had you, and your body haunts mine.”

But Fox has some pretty huge demons to deal with, and OMG, my heart ached for him. The picture of who he is painted to be is so far from who he truly is, and watching him come to terms with that, show Hannah the real him, and try to realign people’s perceptions of him, is such an emotional journey. His part of the story is written beautifully and I could understand what he was going through, and how it impacted his behaviour, and the future that he so desperately wants with Hannah.

“I didn’t know what right felt like until you,” he choked out. “I’m holding on to the good you give me. I’m holding on to you.”

And Hannah is a rockstar standing by his side. She supports him in his struggle, at the same time pushing him to be a better man – the man he so desperately wants to be. She doesn’t put up with his crap, challenging when he needs it, and encouraging him the whole way, and I loved her strength and the depth of her devotion to him.

It’s not an easy road for them, and it takes both of them to fight Fox’s demons, but watching them work through it all openly and honestly and find the strength to claim what they want, and absolutely gorgeous.

“Doesn’t feel like enough to say I love you at this point.”
“Our love is always enough. It’s always more than enough.”

It’s a really sweet story that is funny, sexy and surprisingly emotional. The slow burn had me bursting with anticipation, and I adored Fox and Hannah, and loved watching their relationship shift and change as their feelings for each other deepened. It’s a beautiful romance, with an epilogue that provides closure for both couples in the series, and I finished this one with a big smile on my face.

4.5 stars.

 

The Bellinger Sisters