Julia Gabriel (2)

Received from Netgalley in exchange for a review.

Lucy Wyndham returns from holiday early when she hears her boss, surrogate father and mentor is terminally ill. She has worked at the Chesapeake Inn for 5 years as Marketing Director, and has never seen the boy she lost her virginity to 15 years before when she was a gawky camp visitor.

Suddenly, Sterling is back and running the show, having been pulled back by his mother threatening to disinherit him if he doesn’t. Lucy hopes he doesn’t remember her, and at first it seems so – until an accidental use of her old nickname makes the truth slip out.

The hotel is in financial straits and Sterling insists on various changes – including shutting down the kids camp so that the land can be used more profitably. Lucy knows how much the camp helps disadvantaged kids, and how many people have become successful after having their lives turned around at the camp. The two are at loggerheads, and both decide to seduce the other into changing their minds. Despite the great sex, nothing changes, and Sterling fires Lucy, only to regret his decision!

This is a decent and enjoyable variation on a theme and I stayed up late into the evening finishing it. The sex is occasional, and fades to black before it gets too explicit. The secondary characters are few but more than one dimensional when they appear – a couple of them have the potential to be worked into their own story. Lucy’s home town in Virginia is described in appropriately appalling terms, and you get to feel sympathy for Sterling, who, despite being from a wealthy family, doesn’t fit in with the camp kids, and is brought up by the hotel staff rather than his workaholic parents, so had a very lonely childhood.… (mais)

Received from Netgalley in exchange for a review.

Lucy Wyndham returns from holiday early when she hears her boss, surrogate father and mentor is terminally ill. She has worked at the Chesapeake Inn for 5 years as Marketing Director, and has never seen the boy she lost her virginity to 15 years before when she was a gawky camp visitor.

Suddenly, Sterling is back and running the show, having been pulled back by his mother threatening to disinherit him if he doesn’t. Lucy hopes he doesn’t remember her, and at first it seems so – until an accidental use of her old nickname makes the truth slip out.

The hotel is in financial straits and Sterling insists on various changes – including shutting down the kids camp so that the land can be used more profitably. Lucy knows how much the camp helps disadvantaged kids, and how many people have become successful after having their lives turned around at the camp. The two are at loggerheads, and both decide to seduce the other into changing their minds. Despite the great sex, nothing changes, and Sterling fires Lucy, only to regret his decision!

This is a decent and enjoyable variation on a theme and I stayed up late into the evening finishing it. The sex is occasional, and fades to black before it gets too explicit. The secondary characters are few but more than one dimensional when they appear – a couple of them have the potential to be worked into their own story. Lucy’s home town in Virginia is described in appropriately appalling terms, and you get to feel sympathy for Sterling, who, despite being from a wealthy family, doesn’t fit in with the camp kids, and is brought up by the hotel staff rather than his workaholic parents, so had a very lonely childhood.… (mais)

"5 out of 5 stars!! For a majority of Becca's life she has felt like she has never fit in (though some of it was her own doing) but she tried to make good choices for those around her most of the time. It all led her to keeping a huge secret from her family seven years ago. Now with her life in turmoil again she goes home to make amends. Yet the one person her "big secret" is all about, Jack, sets her life for another curve ball. Could everything finally be turning around for the better now? Or will fate decide to take away all of their options and throw them for a loop too?

Bare with me as I try not to give too much away. But oh my word!! In this novel you deal with loss (in quite a few different forms) while watching the characters deal with continuing on with their lives as their "worlds" fall apart around them. I know that might sound a bit overly dramatic for a contemporary romance novel but it's what this novel portrays Becca and Jack going through.

This was a riveting tale that ..."

Read more of this review and a TEASER here: https://frommetoyouvideophoto.blogspot.com/2020/02/idolizing-in-st-caroline-seri...… (mais)