Smitten by Books

Destiny
Author: Carly Phillips
Publisher: Penguin Group / Berkley
Pub. Date: January 3, 2011
ISBN-13: 978-0425245743
Pages: 304
Digital Price: $7.99
Print Price: $7.99
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Nash Barron may be cynical about love, yet even he likes a good wedding. But the only good thing about his brother’s wedding is Kelly Moss. Nash can’t help but admire her confidence and beauty, but he’s forced to keep his distance because getting involved with Kelly could destroy his relationship with his newly discovered half sister, Tess…

Kelly came to Serendipity to give Tess–her half sibling as well, thanks to an illicit affair–a second chance at life. She learned long ago not to rely on anyone but herself. Besides, she doesn’t want to upset Tess’s life by pushing for a fling with Nash. Except the more she gets to know him, the more vulnerable she becomes to the kindness beneath his gruff exterior, and the less she’s able to stay away. But she has other reasons for keeping her distance. Like the secret from her past she knows Nash will never forgive…

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REVIEW

Readers were first introduced to the Barron brothers and the town of Serendipity in Carly’s first book of this series, titled Serendipity. If you enjoyed reading Serendipity, you’ll love Destiny. Destiny tells the story of Nash Barron and Kelly Moss. It also expounds on the first novel, giving insight into the town of Serendipity, its people, the Barron brothers and their past. Like most novels, these brothers have a past they’ve tried to escape. Unfortunately, you can run but you can’t hide, at least not forever. This town and its people have secrets ready to be spilled, scandals to peak your interest and its fair share of life, complete with love, pain and change.

He shook his head, reminding himself he wasn’t here for sex, no matter how suddenly primed his body was.
“Kelly?” He called out.

“In the back.”

He headed to the file room and found her waiting for him, her hand on a stack of legal files.
“What’s wrong?” he asked.

She drummed her fingers on the stack of documents, then finally met his gaze. “Richard asked you to help out on anything I was doing in the office, right?”

“Right. Is there something you’re having trouble with?” He took his jacket and laid it over a stack of files.
She shook her head. “I’ve actually put current work on hold and I’m archiving old files.”

He frowned. She couldn’t possibly need his help on those.

“Some of these date back to the nineteen eighties.”

“Okay,” Nash said, still not sure where she was headed or why he was here.

She drew a deep breath, her nervousness contagious and his palms began to sweat.

“Let’s say I wasn’t comfortable handing you a set of files to look at for no reason connected to any current case,” Kelly said as if posing a hypothetical.

Lawyers were used to hearing those “what if” situations all the time, but that didn’t easy his sudden anxiety.

“But,” she continued, “If I were to need your help getting through all these case files that would be different. And if, while helping me, you happened to read through this top file to make sure everything was in order that would be in the regular course of doing business.”
He glanced from her worried eyes to that file folder she hadn’t taken her hand off. There was something in there she wanted him to see but was obviously worried about violating confidentiality.

“Am I right?” she asked.

He nodded, recognizing that she was leading him to something important without actually handing him the information. “Whatever is in that file and how I came by it would never come back to bite you,” he promised her, his heart beating faster, though he was still in the dark about the contents.

She blew out a deep breath. “Okay. So I’m going to step out and take a break. But I’ll be in the other room if you need me.” She eased closer and placed her hand against his cheek. “And I think you’re going to need me,” she whispered, before walking out.

True to Carly’s writing style, Destiny is a magnificent story. Carly is one of those writers who tell a story with her heart and soul leaving the reader wanting more. Thankfully, Carly writes plenty of series, including this trilogy which still has its final chapter for readers to anticipate. I enjoyed watching Nash and Kelly’s story unfold. The characters are well developed, enabling them to come alive in my imagination as I read through the pages of the book. There’s a lot of fun entanglements in this romance, considering both Nash and Kelly are related to Tess. I enjoyed how each of the characters were concerned about their relationship with Tess and put it as a priority over love. Of course, when something’s meant to be, love happens anyway. The relationship between the characters is deeper than a surface attraction and includes mutual admiration, respect and understanding. Mix that with an explosive attraction and you have one hot and enjoyable romance.

Of course, every relationship has its secrets and speed bumps. In this novel, Kelly’s past includes a secret that could threaten her entire relationship with Nash, which gives her reservations about starting a relationship with Kelly, due to his recent discovery of his half-sister and fear of ruining their new found relationship. One of my favorite aspects of this book and its series is the realistic approach Carly takes to her characters’ lives. The story of these brothers and their estrangement is one that is likely true for others in reality. Carly’s stories feel real. Her characters are like friends or family. Her stories are relatable and natural. It’s always a pleasure to read books like this making this book one I would recommend to others.

Rating: 4.5 (Excellent)

Heat-Level: 3.5 (Sensual/Hot)

Reviewed by Tiffany

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