Source: Publisher
Description: Lexi Clark’s life is falling apart around her, so when she’s summoned home to Sunrise Cove, the last thing she wants to do is face all the complications she left behind. Her past, her stepsister Ashley, and especially her infuriatingly gorgeous childhood nemesis-turned-crush Heath Bowman.
Yep, Lexi’s pretty sure being home again just might kill her. She’s an overachieving art appraiser who doesn’t believe in trust, love, or Happily Ever Afters. Free spirit Ashley, on the other hand, is so full of life it hurts to look at her. But Lexi can’t refuse Ashley’s plea to honor their late mother’s final wish to make amends with the people she’d wronged. So, on behalf of her estranged mother’s estate—and with Heath in tow as the executor—Lexi embarks on a road trip to repay all the people her gambling addicted mother owed money to.
Complicating everything are the feelings that well up for for her mom, for Ashley, and most of all, for Heath. And for the record, she doesn’t like it, or the way he has of scaling the walls she’s built around her heart. The road trip shenanigans that ensue are both funny and heartbreaking, but Lexi finds something shocking along the way. Acceptance. Family. And unbelievably—if you ask Lexi anyway—love.
Genre: Romance - Contemporary
Why I Picked This Book: I always enjoy a Jill Shalvis book and so of course I couldn't resist this one.
My Impression: I love how Shalvis writes familial relationships and this was no different. Lexi and Ashley are step-sisters who shared a mother-figure (it's complicated) but the mother that Lexi had was very different from the mother that Ashley had. In addition, Lexi's carefully planned life has come apart at the seams.
Now she's back where she never wanted to be trying to settle her estranged mother's estate and come to terms with all the people who knew her mother as a very different person than the one who continuously let Lexi down. And there's also Heath - of the missed opportunities and the childhood rivalries.
I enjoyed this story. It reminded me a bit of the first Lucky Harbor trilogy which was one of my favorites but it was a new take on the premise. Lexi isn't the most likable main character at first. She's prickly and defensive but as the story goes on I understood her a bit better and she began to listen to those around her. I liked how the mother's final wishes were setup and how the range of emotions those actions evoked were dealt with.
This is the 8th book in the Sunrise Cove series but reads like a standalone and not like part of a series. I thoroughly enjoyed being back in a Shalvis-created world and look forward to reading more from her soon.
Would I Read More of this Series/Author? Absolutely! I'm already looking forward to the next book by hers that I pick up.
Would I Recommend this Book? If you enjoy stories with a solid romance and strong family connections this is a great read.
* I received this book in exchange for an honest review. As always my opinions and impressions are completely my own. *
Would I Recommend this Book? If you enjoy stories with a solid romance and strong family connections this is a great read.
* I received this book in exchange for an honest review. As always my opinions and impressions are completely my own. *
It's interesting to hear the complexity of the relationships between the three women. I wonder how that will work out.
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