Review

I love a good girl/bad boy trope, add in hero seeking redemption and you’ve got some good reading.

Skye’s latest is the third book in her Summer Island series, which include a group of female friends with some serious cooking and knitting love. The biggest thing I enjoyed about Skye’s characters is that they weren’t afraid to eat. I love an author who allows her characters the chance to enjoy food on the pages.

The hero is ex-sniper Rafe Russo. He’s hot, like melt-butter-on-abs hot and his plan is to be the good boy for the town as a Deputy Sheriff. In the past he was all bad boy, devil-may-care and since Afghanistan that part of him is long gone. This man thinks he’s no good for anyone, but does too many good things to be ignored. I found Rafe brooding and fun, watching Olivia bring him out of his closed off shell was entertaining as well.

Olivia is dealing with plenty of baggage on her own. She’s determined to stay away from her once-love Rafe. He let her heart with a few sore spots, but then he’s everywhere and he’s worried about her. What’s a girl supposed to do, say no?  It’s not long before the close proximity is enough to make her blood boil, and not in a bad way.

This was an easy read—by easy I mean that I found myself reading and finishing the book in one night. Skye builds suspense by allowing Olivia and Rafe to spend some time fighting their attraction. No insta-romance here. The hero’s got to earn his way, and he does. Surprisingly Olivia is a likable heroine, which with the stubborn ones can be hard to pull off. I found myself enjoying Olivia because even though she was stubborn, she changed her mind after getting a chance to calm down.  There was growth on both character’s sides and pacing worked perfectly.

For readers of the previous series book’s there’s visit from other Summer Island characters and even a few other story line wrap ups.

Overall, this is a good contemporary read and perfect for those who enjoy small-town stories with a good girl and bad boy finding a way to love.