Into the Tide by Laura Pavlov is live!
A beautiful brother’s-best-friend/friend-to-lovers romance with fantastic characters, amazing chemistry, and a fun, passionate, gorgeously emotional love story that completely captured my heart. It’s exactly the sweet and heartfelt small-town romance from Laura Pavlov that I love, and I adored this book!
“She’s my best friend’s little sister. Completely off-limits. But every man has his breaking point.”
Amazon
Audiobook Narrated by: Mackenzie Cartwright & Connor Crais
Blurb
Lila James is my best friend’s little sister and I’ve always looked out for her.
She’s five years younger than me, and when she left for college, she was just a kid.
But now she’s home for the summer–and she’s definitely not a kid anymore.
She’s beautiful and smart and everything I didn’t know I needed.
Dark eyes. Long wavy hair. And legs that are meant to be wrapped around me.
I’m the guy who likes to have a good time.
Keep things light.
When her brother asks me to hire her at my restaurant, it’s a no-brainer.
There isn’t anything I wouldn’t do for her.
Until she asks me for one more favor.
She wants me to be her first.
Take her V-card.
Go where no man has gone before.
Her words, not mine.
And damn if I don’t want to go there more than I’ve ever wanted anything.
She’s only here for the summer, and she says it will be our secret.
It’s temporary.
We’ll go back to being just friends at the end of summer.
She promises that she won’t fall for me.
She knows better.
But Lila isn’t the one I’m worried about.
Review
5 stars
This is a beautiful brother’s-best-friend/friend-to-lovers romance with fantastic characters, amazing chemistry, and a fun, passionate, gorgeously emotional love story that completely captured my heart. It’s exactly the sweet and heartfelt small-town romance from Laura Pavlov that I love, and I adored this book!
This is the start of a new series for Laura Pavlov, as we meet the absolutely fabulous Reynolds family (cousins to the Thomas sisters from the Honey Mountain series, which provides a nice tie-in – and even some fabulous cameos).
Hugh is the middle of five siblings living in the small town of Cottonwood Cove, he is a local business owner, and a bit of a ladies man, but he’s known for his friendly nature and his huge heart. So when his best friend’s younger sister, Lila, comes to town for the summer, he’s all too happy to see her, and help her out with a job helping him organise his business finances
Lila has just graduated College, and has given up a lifetime of training as an athlete, and she’s looking forward to a summer free to do whatever it is that she wants. Her first goal is to get her troubled father into rehab to help him get his life back. Beyond that, she wants to enjoy her friends and family, and live it up before she gets sucked into the high-intensity corporate job she has lined up. And she’s got a bucket list of firsts to get through – first up, losing her virginity.
Hugh and Lila grew up together, and have always been close, so when she runs into trouble at her accommodation, he moves her into his house. They easily fall back into their friendship, and they are completely comfortable with each other. So when Lila asks her oldest friend to help her with her list, Hugh’s protectiveness means he’ll be right there by her side for it. And when she asks him to be the one to take her v-card, it changes everything.
Hugh is initially horrified. Though there’s no doubting he’d love to go there, Lila’s older brother, Travis, is seriously overprotective (and a bit of a dick about it, to be honest), and there’s no way he could go behind his friend’s back like that. But the more time that he and Lila spend together, the more the line between friends starts to get blurred.
“I like being close to you.”
“I like it, too, Bear. But I’m not afraid of it like you are. So, you’ll have to decide if you want to act on it or not. Otherwise, stop helping me so much because it’s sending me mixed signals.”
The chemistry is insane, and what makes it all the more exciting is how honest they are with each other. They don’t hold anything back, they talk openly and honestly, and as they move closer and closer to becoming more, the sexual tension is sensational, and the sense of anticipation had me madly flipping pages.
“I can’t stop thinking about you. And I’m fucking trying … I’m trying to do the right thing. But it’s killing me.”
I love these characters so much! Hugh is such a good guy, I love his big heart, and I love how special Lila is to him. You can see that he wants her, that he only wants the best for her, and I loved how he was so protective, yet so on board with helping her spread her wings and full embrace all of the experiences that she wanted. And Lila is so fabulous! She’s a strong woman who is finally living her life on her own terms, and she’s kicking goals – helping her dad, partying with her friends, and bravely confronting Hugh on everything that’s happening between them.
“I’m a grown woman. And I want you. We’ve always been good friends, and that won’t change. We’ll just be sharing something special while I’m home, and it’s no one’s business but ours. Nothing will change.”
I love that ‘nothing will change’ line in a friends-to-lovers romance, because we all know it’s a load of crap, and watching everything change between Hugh and Lila is fantastic! It’s sexy, passionate, playful and fun, and given the deep connection and pent-up feelings they have for each other, it’s also and gorgeously emotional. I loved how into each other they are from the very beginning, and watching them come together after all of that build up was so freaking good!
“You’re sure you want to do that with me? Even if I can’t give you what you deserve?”
“What is it that I deserve, Bear?” I asked, closing the distance between us.
“Everything. Every. Fucking. Thing.”
They’re keeping it all a secret, just between them, but they’re SO together, no matter how much they tell themselves it’s only for the summer. They’re so good together, and I loved seeing them fall in mad love.
My heart no longer belonged to me. It was hers. No one else would ever have it.
There is some drama, but it works for the story given the secretive nature of the relationship, and the fact that their time together is limited. I was feeling every single moment of it, and loved how every little aspect of the story played out. It was perfect for these characters, and made sense to the story, and added to the intensity and awesomeness of it all.
I freaking loved this book. It’s fun and sweet, sexy and emotional, and the love story is beautiful. There’s really nice themes of family, friendship and figuring out your place, and I was completely hooked from start to finish. And after the fabulous introduction to all of Hugh’s siblings (the sibling text chain is GOLD!), I’m so excited to continue on with this series.
5 stars!
An Advanced Review Copy was generously provided by the author in exchange for an honest review.
Cottonwood Cove
Into the Tide (#1) (Hugh & Lila)
Review
Buy: Amazon
Under the Stars (#2) (Maddox & Georgia)
Review
Buy: Amazon
On the Shore (#3) (Lincoln & Brinkley)
Review
Buy: Amazon
Before the Sunset (#4) (Finn & Reese)
Review
Buy: Amazon
After the Storm (#5) (Cage & Presley)
To be released 16 November
Pre-order: Amazon
About Laura
Laura Pavlov writes sweet and sexy contemporary romance that will make you both laugh and cry. She is happily married to her college sweetheart, mom to two awesome almost-grown kids, and dog-whisperer to one temperamental yorkie and one wild bernedoodle. Laura resides in Las Vegas where she is living her own happily ever after. Be sure to sign up for updates on new releases. Laura loves to hear from readers!
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