Review

Barefoot in the Sand is the first in a new contemporary romance series by Roxanne St. Claire. Set in Florida, Barefoot in the Sand made me want to lie down next to the pool, order a drink with an umbrella, and read.

 I loved pretty much everything about this book. The heroine, Lacey, is a bit uptight from being a single mom to daughter Ashley for the last fourteen years. When a hurricane destroys everything around them, Lacey is finally in a position to follow her dream of opening a B & B on her part of the island. She’s tired of making excuses and sets forth to change her life for the better.  That change brings her into contact with the sexy Clay Walker.

Clay is an architect – sort of. He wants to design Lacey’s B & B and actually thinks she should think bigger…much bigger.  He paints her the picture of a lovely resort with villas and a main building. Lacey isn’t sure she can handle something so big, but Clay is very persuasive. Clay has a bad past when it comes to romance and only wants a physical relationship with Lacey. He is damaged and doesn’t realize that the love of a good woman could be just what he needs.

The chemistry between Clay and Lacey is off the charts. From their first meeting they are drawn to each other. Lacey tries to fight the attraction because she is older than Clay. Lacey is 36 and Clay is 29. The difference in ages doesn’t bother Clay at all, but Lacey uses it as an excuse not to act on her feelings in the beginning. I loved that the ages were reversed and that the heroine was older than the hero. That isn’t something that happens often in the romance world.

The plot revolves around the relationship that develops between Clay and Lacey and their fight with the town council to build the resort. I loved the flow of the story. I never felt like the story lagged in any way.  The many secondary characters help. Lacey has her daughter and three best friends. Zoe, Jocelyn, and Tessa act as a sounding board for Lacey (even though she doesn’t always take their advice).  David Fox, Lacey’s ex-boyfriend and Ashley’s father makes an appearance and adds to Lacey’s stress level. I loved that even though he made mistakes in the past, David isn’t a bad character. He’s fleshed out and human, but not evil. I really enjoyed that Ms. St. Claire didn’t make him a villain. So often the ex is made to look so bad you wonder why the hero/heroine loved them in the first place. (I hope that we get a story featuring Fox – I really enjoyed the character)

There are several hurdles that Lacey and Clay must jump over, but nothing feels contrived or overly dramatic. All of their bumps feel authentic to the story. They have to work hard to find their way to happiness and several times they both think it is hopeless. I loved that things didn’t feel like they came too easily to Lacey and Clay.

The writing style is humorous, but also emotional. There were several times I found my heart beating rapidly as something bad (or good) happened to the characters. Ms. St. Claire’s writing made me feel.
I can’t wait for more books in this series. If you are a contemporary romance fan this is a must-read.