Ready for Love

Gansett Island #3

by Marie Force

Some places are made for starting over . . .

For four of the best summers of his life, Luke Harris was in love with Sydney Donovan, a wealthy seasonal visitor to Gansett Island. Then Sydney went off to college and never came back. She married another man and had two children while Luke remained on the island, working at McCarthy's Gansett Island Marina and wondering what had gone wrong between him and the only woman he ever loved...

Fifteen months after Sydney suffers the tragic loss of her family, she needs to figure out what's next. Searching her heart, she's drawn back to Gansett Island, a place of happy memories. But will she also be drawn again to the man from her past who she's never forgotten? And is she ready for a second chance at love?

Gansett Island Reading Order
Maid for Love (Mac & Maddie)
Fool for Love (Joe & Janey)
Ready for Love (Luke & Sydney)
Falling for Love (Grant & Stephanie)
Hoping for Love (Evan & Grace)
Season for Love (Owen & Laura)
Longing for Love (Blaine & Tiffany)
Waiting for Love (Adam & Abby)
Time for Love (Daisy & David)
Meant for Love (Jenny & Alex)
Chance for Love, A Gansett Island Novella (Jared & Lizzie)
Gansett After Dark (Owen & Laura)
Kisses After Dark (Shane & Katie)
Love After Dark (Paul & Hope)
Celebration After Dark (Big Mac & Linda)
Desire After Dark (Slim & Erin)
Light After Dark (Mallory & Quinn)
Victoria & Shannon (Episode 1)
Kevin & Chelsea (Episode 2)
A Gansett Island Christmas Novella
Mine After Dark (Riley & Nikki)
Yours After Dark (Finn & Chloe)
Trouble After Dark (Deacon & Julia)
Rescue After Dark (Mason & Jordan)

Genres: Romance, Contemporary Romance, Contemporary, Fiction, Chick Lit, Ebooks, Family

231 pages, ebook

First published June 28, 2011

About the author

Marie Force is the New York Times bestselling author of contemporary romance, romantic suspense and erotic romance. Her series include Gansett Island, Fatal, Treading Water, Butler Vermont and Quantum.

Her books have sold more than 12 million copies worldwide, have been translated into more than a dozen languages and have appeared on the New York Times bestseller more than 30 times. She is also a USA Today and #1 Wall Street Journal bestseller, as well as a Speigel bestseller in Germany.

Her goals in life are simple—to finish raising two happy, healthy, productive young adults, to keep writing books for as long as she possibly can and to never be on a flight that makes the news.

Join Marie’s mailing list on her website at marieforce.com for news about new books and upcoming appearances in your area. Follow her on Facebook at www.Facebook.com/MarieForceAuthor and on Instagram at www.instagram.com/marieforceauthor/. Contact Marie at marie@marieforce.com.

Reviews

[Sonja Rosa Lisa ♡ · Rating 2 out of 5]

Zwei Sterne. Es ist sicherlich kein schlechtes Buch, aber mir persönlich war es zu zäh und es passierte zu wenig. Es geht um Sydney, die auf Gansett Island wieder auf ihre Jugendliebe Luke trifft. Erst fünfzehn Monate zuvor hat Sydney ihren Mann und ihre beiden Kinder durch einen Autounfall verloren.
Für dieses tragische Schicksal und dann die Wiederbelebung der "Alten Liebe" kamen die Gefühle bei mir überhaupt nicht an. Ich empfand die Geschichte als wenig bis gar nicht authentisch.

[Jonetta · Rating 4 out of 5]

Sydney Donovan suffered the ultimate tragedy when she lost her husband and two children in a car accident 15-months ago. She's now back on Gansett Island, the place where she and her family spent their summers when she was a teen. It's been 17 years since she last saw Luke Harris, the young boy she loved and left without a word. He's still on the island and never got over Sydney or the painful way she left him.

This was a poignant second-chance romance made even more relevant by Sydney's willingness to own up to her poor treatment of Luke and face the issues head on. His patience with her was admirable considering the circumstances as he accepted her return without ill will and was mindful of her suffering. I liked both of them and enjoyed how their new relationship developed.

I also liked how the secondary characters from the previous stories continue to play substantive roles in the ongoing stories. The characters for future stories are also queued up nicely. This is a feel-good series that I'm very much enjoying. It's like catnip for the soul.

[Vintage · Rating 2 out of 5]

Marie Force has incredibly loving and sweet heroes who dance on the edge of being suckers or patsies to the women the love. This poor schmuck took the plunge down the wrong side of the ravine.

High school lovers and soul mates, the h dumped him after one amorous summer due to parental pressure. No wait. She doesn't even dump him. Basically ghosts him. He's been emotionally faithful all these years while she went on to marry a socially/fiscally acceptable man and have two children. The h is back on island having lost her husband and children in a car wreck, but still has Buddy the Golden Retriever. Guess my priorities are skewed when Buddy the Amazing Golden is the only name I remember. No wait, there is Luke the poor hero.

Luke and the h end up hooking up just like old times, but no fun from my perspective. It's a wonderland for this poor guy who has pined for the chick who abandoned him. In cosmic romance style, fictional children have to die for them to get together. Nope. Not for me.

Damaged h, you and your snobby parents are not worthy. Please treat the H right.

[Nicoletta Micillo · Rating 4 out of 5]

4-
In questo periodo di afa questa serie leggera e carina ci voleva proprio.

[Sandra Hoover · Rating 4 out of 5]

There's something so poignant, so sweet about a good second chance love story. My heart breaks for any couple that loses their chance at love the first time around. And my heart dares to hope and dream when that same couple gets another chance to make love work. Ready For Love features one of those couples. Luke Harris never understood why the love of his life, Sydney Donovan, left seventeen years ago without a word. He needed to know why she left him behind only to marry and raise a family with someone else. There has never been anyone else for Luke. What he does know is that fifteen months ago, Sydney lost everything and has now returned to the island to pick up the pieces of her shattered life. Luke knows he still loves Sydney, but hasn't a clue if she has any remaining feelings for him. Will she give him and love a second chance?

Ready For Love is a good, solid second chance romance. Readers will ride the roller coaster of emotions with this couple as they reconnect and try to find their way forward together. The journey isn't smooth, but its one worth traveling. Appearances by past characters/couples round out the story making it a reunion of sorts. The stage is set for future books. I'm especially looking forward to Grant's story. Another Must Read in this series!

[Lucrug · Rating 4 out of 5]

"Un figlio è il tuo cuore che cammina fuori dal tuo corpo"
⭐⭐⭐,70

[Seyma · Rating 3 out of 5]

İşte çok sevdiğim küçük ada hikayelerinin sevmediğim bir yönü;milyon tane karakter eklemek :(
Syd ve Luke'un hikayesi dedik ama resmen ucundan değinmişti yazar. Seriye devam edeceğim ama hiçbiri ilk kitap kadar güzel olmayacak şu an daha iyi anlıyorum bunu canım Mac ❤️

[Pepito · Rating 4 out of 5]

Loved this one. My favorite on the series so far. What I liked the most was that we got a great deal of information about every other couple we have already read about and some new ones that started on this installment. The only bad thing I seriously can mention about this book is that it just left me DYING for more.

Marie, please, please tell me we are getting more books in this series. I definitely wanna read about Grant, Evan and Adam! I just need it. There are still so many amazing characters who need their own story ... this just CAN'T be the last book!

[Lady Heather · Rating 4 out of 5]

OK.... see what happens when you spend the better part of your day 'playing' on Goodreads and not reading...you end up reading until ungodly hours in the morning because you get 'into' the story again and can't put the book down.
....review to follow :))

[Serap(Agresif Spoiler Kraliçesi)]

Cık cık cık okunacak o kadar çok kitap varken buna ayiracagim zamana yazık, puanlama yapmayacağım...

[Diana~ (Kiss Me Books) · Rating 4 out of 5]

It's sad how the further I get into this series, the more irritating the characters become to me. Don't get me wrong, I liked this latest installment of the McCarthys of Gansett Island series... but Luke and Sydney just lacked the special spark to me. Sure, they had plenty of scenes together and if you add in their past relationship that they had, it would seem like a good romance right? Well, I think my problem with Sydney was because of the fact that she left Luke heartbroken all those years ago and married someone else without telling him, WHILE he believed that their relationship was still going on. I mean, what the heck was up with that? And I guess my problem with Luke is that he didn't do anything to stop that. He just... left it hanging, I guess? Pining away for her for years until she came back to the island to "start a new life" after her husband and kids died in a car crash.

I don't think I even truly got to know Luke or Sydney's character throughout the entire book. The minute that she arrived on the island, Luke started "stalking" her for a couple of months until she finally blew his cover. And throughout the entire novel, she was often reluctant to even admit her relationship with Luke. Always stating that she was not ready for a relationship. I mean I get the fact that she felt guilty for having a relationship ever since her family died but... she sort of lead Luke on? Oh well. Overall, I liked this one but it wasn't my favorite. I looked forward to Grant's book in the next installment of this series! His story actually seems very... interesting. 4/5 stars!

[Jenni · Rating 4 out of 5]

Ready for Love is the sweet, heartwarming, entertaining third book in amazing Gansett Island series. It features drama, angst, secrets and desires that kept me interested and invested.

Sydney knows heart break after losing it all. Now she needs time to herself and the one place she can do it is the one place she knows the man she thinks about is there. Luke has always loved her and was hearbroken when she married now he may just show her what they can be.

This could be read as a standalone but each book features another person on the island so I would read them all in order because if not you are missing out.

Make sure this one is on your TBR. I read it a few years ago and fell in love with the characters then and rereading now makes me realise why I loved this series so much.

[Sonia · Rating 2 out of 5]

Poorly written story.

I enjoyed the follow-up with the other characters, that was nice. The author told me that Luke loved Sydney rather showed me how Luke loved Sydney. I did not believe their love affair, so I did not buy their HEA. Perhaps the devastating experience by the h is too serious to be dealt with in a story where the author is not willing to spend the time to do it right. in addition, since the author did not "show" me the relationship between the characters when they were young, I did not buy her love. After all, she left him, got married and had 2 kids and would not have returned back home and only returned because she lost her family. There are too many gaps in this story for it to be enjoyable.

[Melody Cox · Rating 3 out of 5]

This was an emotional read. Sydney lost her husband and two children to a drunk driver and now must discover how to go on with her life.
As a much more serious book than some of the others, it stands to reason there was not much to laugh at as there was in the other books.
I recommend this book even though it is sad in a lot of places.

[suzy · Rating 5 out of 5]

Absolutely loving this series, book three was the best one yet. Marie Force tells great stories, this book dealt with the heroine losing her husband and children and then finding love again with the first man she ever loved. I loved all the previous characters popping up again, they are like old friends. Can’t wait to read the rest of the series, straight onto book four.

[Sara M. · Rating 4 out of 5]

3.5 ⭐
Carino, semplice e romantico come tutti i libri di Marie Force. Amo la sua scrittura dolce e melodiosa con pochi drammi e poco angst.
Una lettura leggera e frizzante, ottima per l'estate!
Peccato per i tanti paragrafi su altre coppie che mi hanno un po' annoiata sconcentrandomi dalla storia di Syd e Luke, ma che hanno sicuramente aperto la mia immaginazione a coppie future...

[Sinem Dipli · Rating 2 out of 5]

Birinci kitabı beğenmiştim diye okuyayım dedim. Az kalsın sıkıntıdan ölüyordum

[Giulia · Rating 4 out of 5]

3.5.. un romanzo semplice e carino

[✿яσsαℓιη∂α✿ · Rating 3 out of 5]

Serinin ilk iki kitabı kadar çok sevemedim. Luke karakterini sevdim. Sydney'e olan aşkı, bağlılığı ve tutkusu.. Aradan geçen uzun zamana rağmen ona olan duygularının değişmemesi ve çizgisini hiç bozmaması, ne istediğini bilmesi ve vazgeçmemesi, çabalaması ile Luke kendini sevdirdi. Ama aynı şeyi kız karakter için söyleyemeyeceğim. Sydney'in ailesinin sözünden çıkmadığı için hayatının aşkını kaçırması, onu elinin tersiyle itmesi sinir bozucuydu. Yıllar sonra eşi ve çocuklarını kaybedip Luke'un yanına gelmesi ve onunla yeni bir ilişkiye başlaması Luke'u kullandığını hissettirdi bana. Yani Luke'u kocasının ölümünde bir geçiş aşaması olarak kullandığı hissine kapıldım. Ve bu durum cidden sinir bozucu.. Ve kız karakter uyuz oldum..

Kitapta Luke ve Sydney dışında serideki diğer karakterleri de görüyoruz. Ve bu durum çok hoşuma gidiyor. Özellikle Mac ve Maddie çiftini yenide görmek çok iyi geldi. Joe ve Janey'i de öyle.. Mac ve Janey'in kardeşi Grant'ın hikayesini de çok merak ediyorum.

Kolay okunan ve okunması keyifli bir seri.. Yazarın kalemi de akıcı olduğu için bir çırpıda bitiyor. Reading Slump dönemlerinden çıkmanızı sağlayan türde bir seri olduğunu düşünüyorum.

x x x

NOT: Seride favori çiftim hala Mac ve Maddie ❤︎

[Megan Fall · Rating 5 out of 5]

I loved this book so much! I loved that so many other characters were in the fore front as well. It was great to see Mac and Joe again. I also liked the insight into Grant and can't wait to read his story. Another great read and I'm thrilled that this is such a long series..I still have lots more books to read!!

[Melis · Rating 3 out of 5]

Serideki her karakteri sevdiğimi fark ettim. Hepsi birbirinden güzeller. Ve şunu çok merak ediyorum Gansett adasının suyunda ya da havasında bir şeyler mi var acaba? Zira erkekleri beni benden alıyorlar🤗 Bu kadar aşk dolu olabilmeleri.. muhteşem.

Ve Mac'e hala aşığım. Her kitapta gittikçe bağlanıyorum adama😍

[Lynsey · Rating 5 out of 5]

Listened to on audio, narrated by Holly Fielding.

The narration on this is really good. Perfectly paced for the emotional nature of this book.

I originally read this back in 2011 and having recently listened to them all on audio, I decided to leave this one until last because it was previously my favourite. I'm glad to say I loved it even more on audio.

Luke is just WOW. He appeals to me on so many levels. He's the strong silent type of hero, which doesn't always appeal to me, but Luke really did. He was so loving, understanding and patient that there is no way that you couldn't fall in love with him. Joe also appealed for the same reason.

I love that Luke loved Sydney so much that no other woman would do, but in reality I wouldn't wish that on anyone. It works well in fiction where you have a guaranteed HEA, of course, but in real life I think it's probably really unhealthy.

Syd is also wonderful. I had a lot of sympathy for her situation and the guilt she felt for various reasons. I admired how strong she was. She was always dignified in the face of everything that happened to her.

My only very small reservation about this book (and one or two of the others because it's a repeated theme) is how Sydney allowed herself to be swayed by her parents meddling opinions. It made me like her a little less. This is probably something I just don't get because I'm lucky to have had an open minded upbringing where I was always supported and trusted to make sensible decisions. When I read about a meddling and negative parent it saddens me and makes me wonder why any parent would behave in that way and why the son or daughter would put up with it. It's not enough of an issue to mark this down at all, but it's just something that I personally don't like to read.

[Sherri Hayes · Rating 5 out of 5]

4.5 stars.

This is the third book in Marie Force's Gansett Island Series, and tells the story of Luke Harris and Sydney Donovan. I've read the first two books in this series, and I have to say that Marie Force is quickly becoming one of my go to authors.

When I need something that will take me away from reality for a while, Marie's stories always do the trick.

Where to start with this book. I loved the sweet connection between these two old lovers. Sydney's back story was heartbreaking. Seeing her bloom with Luke's help was one of the highlights of this book for me.

It was great getting to see more of Luke in this book. We were introduced to him in Maid For Love, the first book in the Gansett Island Series, but we didn't really get to know him. All we knew was that he was a great guy who went out of his way to help Big Mac, the head of the McCarthy family, run the marina. In this book we find out what a great guy he is, and how he's never completely got over his first love.

The only reason this book is not a perfect 5 out of 5 stars for me revolves around a particular love scene. It was meant to be down and dirty loving...which don't get me wrong, I love...but there was a sanitary issue that pulled me out of the story. It would have been a simple fix, really. Just move sex to the shower instead of them going directly to the bed. Instead, it made me cringe, and not in a good way.

Other than that, however, I loved the story. It was a quick read, as all of Marie's books are for me. For two days I didn't want to do anything that didn't involve reading Luke and Sydney's story. If you like contemporary romance, then you should definitely check out this author and her McCarthy's of Gansett Island Series.

[Ann · Rating 5 out of 5]

4.5 Stars. Love Marie Force - Have I said that a time or two or ten? She writes the best guys whether its contemporary romance or romantic suspense. Again have I said that more than several times? I want all of them. This is a sweet, very sexy, lovable series. Her characters are charming and their stories page turning waitng to get to their eventual HEA. I want to live on Gansett Island and I'm pretty sure that I even have a huge crush on Big Mac. Although I also want Mac..or Joe...or Luke. I'm thrilled to hear MF is going to write more books to this series...those other brothers’ definitely need their stories.

Luke and Sydney's story is just as wonderful as her previous 2 books in this series. Hunky Luke is soooo sweet as is his forever love for Sydney despite the fact that she dumped him rather badly years earlier. Wasn't sure I'd like Sydney at first, thought she'd be a bit pretentious but she grew on me as the story evolved.

Gansett Island and its down to earth cast of characters make you want to go there and get to know them all. Marie Force never disappoints and is always a definite buy for me.

[Kathy · Rating 4 out of 5]

Another wonderful and sweet book in the angst free McCarthy's of Gansett Island series. The series is perfect for anyone wanting a realistic contemporary about normal people falling in love without having to fight off werewolves or drug cartels, nor do they have to worry about not fitting in with the aristocracy of the British ton (these would describe the last few books I read so Ready For Love was a perfect break). I really hope that Marie Force continues this series, which it appears from what she wrote in the book, she will. I love that it will probably be Grant's book- who will he choose, Abby or Stephanie? I'm crossing my fingers for Stephanie.

[Angela Murnin · Rating 3 out of 5]

Gansett Island is starting to feel a little small to me by this point! Didn't enjoy this story as well as the first two, yet I'm still interested in seeing what happens with all the couples and little families.

[Laura's Book Addiction · Rating 4 out of 5]

I love this series so much. I really really can't wait to read Grant's story I'm so tem Stephanie to win his heart.

[Julianna · Rating 5 out of 5]

Reviewed for THC Reviews
Ready for Love is the third book in Marie Force’s Gansett Island series, and it’s Luke and Sydney’s story. This couple were teenage sweethearts who were madly in love, but at nineteen, Sydney left the island for college without ever saying goodbye to Luke. She completely moved on with her life, marrying another man and having two great kids, but an unthinkable tragedy brings her back to Gansett to heal both her body and mind. About a year later, Sydney and Luke finally reconnect and quickly discover that the old spark is still there. Luke has never stopped loving Sydney, so he’s all in pretty much from the start. However, Sydney is a little more gun-shy, loving their time together, but wanting to take things slow when it comes to making major decisions about their future. She also feels some guilt about having such strong feelings for Luke with her husband only gone a year. Then there’s the possibility of her parents, who’ve always disapproved of Luke, getting in the way of their budding reunion romance, while Luke is playing a few things close to the vest for fear of getting hurt again, which stirs up a little trouble in paradise, too.

Sydney came to Gansett Island with her parents every year as a teenager, and it was during one of those visits that she met and fell in love with Luke. Each summer, they reconnected and were inseparable, but Syd’s wealthy parents, who always looked down on Luke’s humble upbringing, frequently told her she could do much better. Eventually their influence won out, and when she left the island at the end of the summer when she was nineteen, she went off to college and eventually married someone else. She loved her husband, though not in the same intense way she’d loved Luke, and was content with her wonderful family until that life was ripped away by a drunk driver. In an instant, she’d lost her husband and both kids and was badly injured herself, spending weeks in the hospital. Three months later, her parents brought her back to Gansett to recuperate and she spent the next year just learning how to put one foot in front of the other again. Now back for another summer on the island, Syd finally reconnects with Luke and it’s like the past seventeen years apart simply melts away. Although she’s a little reluctant to make any plans or promises, Syd is happier than she’s been since losing her family and quickly realizes that she’s never truly stopped loving Luke, but she isn’t entirely sure what she’s going to do when the summer comes to an end. Sydney is a wonderful heroine and although she did Luke wrong all those years ago, she’s extremely apologetic about how much she hurt him. She has some regrets, but at the same time, she knows that she’d have never had her kids without making this big mistake. I admired her for being a stronger person now, willing to stand up to her parents’ snobbishness for another shot at happiness. I also like that although she initially gets upset at Luke for keeping a fairly significant piece of information about himself from her, she almost immediately realizes why he did it and doesn’t let it stand in the way of them being together.

Luke has lived on the island his whole life, growing up with his beloved foster mother and also becoming an honorary member of the McCarthy family. He loved Sydney with every ounce of his being when they were kids, so when she left without even saying goodbye, it devastated him. Several times, he tried to move on, but he never felt for anyone else the way he felt for her and eventually quit trying. He’s been content with his job at the marina, and when Big Mac McCarthy retired in the first book, he gave a significant portion of the business to Luke. When Luke heard of the tragedy that befell Syd and that she was back on the island the first time, he covertly went to check on her just to see for himself that she was OK. Now a year later, he’s back to sneaking around her parents’ place again, and this time, she catches him. From the instant they come face-to-face again, the old feelings come surging back, and Luke knows immediately that he’ll risk his heart again for the only woman he’s ever truly loved. I wasn’t sure I could love another Gansett hero as much as I did Joe in the previous book, but quiet, unassuming Luke definitely has given him a run for his money. Luke is just a simple guy, living a simple life, who knows he has one soul mate, and he pours all his effort into reminding Syd of everything she’s been missing. I love how sweet and supportive he is toward her, encouraging her to talk about the husband and family she lost, knowing exactly how much they meant to her. Although a part of him is afraid of getting hurt again when the summer comes to an end, he still doesn’t hesitate to wear his heart on his sleeve and let Syd know that she’s the only one he wants. Not to mention, he’s a passionate and enthusiastic lover.;-) What more could a girl ask for?

With Gansett Island being a very long-running series, there are supporting characters aplenty who have their own books in the series, and some have their own POV scenes in Ready for Love. There’s another second-chance romance for the young at heart brewing for old Ned, the local cab driver who secretly owns a large part of the island. Turns out he’s an ole softie who also gave his heart to a woman when he was young, but she left him for another man. Luke’s reunion with Sydney inspires him to look up his old flame and reconnect with her and I have a feeling we’re going to be seeing more of them around town together. Mac and Maddie (Maid for Love) are preparing for the upcoming birth of their first child together. Meanwhile Joe and Janey (Fool for Love) get ready for their upcoming nuptials while Janey deals with her first solo vet emergency. Mac’s Oscar-winning, Hollywood screenwriter brother, Grant, returns to Gansett early for Janey and Joe’s wedding after hearing that Abby, the woman he’d always believed to be the love of his life, is poised to marry another man. He’s prepared to fight for his woman, but upon arriving, he meets Stephanie, a new employee of the marina who intrigues him a little, even though he doesn’t think she’s his type. This book leaves things a bit up on the air as to which woman he’ll finally end up with, and his story will be told in the next book, Falling for Love. Cornerstone characters, Big Mac and Linda McCarthy (Celebration After Dark) experience a frightening medical emergency. We’re briefly introduced to Owen, a charming itinerant musician and surfer dude, who becomes the hero of Book #6, Season for Love and Book #11, Gansett After Dark. We also get a quick introduction to Blaine, the local police chief, and learn a bit more about Maddie’s sister, Tiffany’s marriage troubles. There’s a slight spark between these two, so I was interested to see that they become the hero and heroine of Book #7, Longing for Love. And of course I’d be remiss if I didn’t mention Sydney’s adorable Golden Retriever, Buddy, who’s an awesome character as well.:-)

Ready for Love was an absolute pleasure to read and a great addition to the Gansett Island series. It’s a heartwarming, emotional, second-chance romance that really tugged on my heartstrings. Sydney has been through an unimaginable tragedy, but she’s managed to pick up the pieces and move on with her life admirably, but in a realistic way that doesn’t in any way minimize what she’s been through or how much it affected her. Luke is kind and patient, willing risk his heart for another chance at love with her and allows her to go at her own pace. It’s obvious that these two belonged together and if not for Syd’s meddling parents, they might have been with each other always, yet neither Luke nor Syd dwell too much on the what-ifs, instead simply moving forward from the present fully invested in one another. The other Gansett residents add lots of flavor to the story. I enjoyed catching up with Mac and Maddie and Joe and Janey, while seeing Ned reconnect with his old love was cute. The way the story ended left me eager to find out what happens next for Grant and which lady he ends up with, so I’m very much looking forward to continuing the series soon.

[Cocktails and Books · Rating 4 out of 5]

When I read what happened to Sydney Donovan's family at the end of Fool for Love, I could imagine how we were going to get a story out of something so tragic. Well, we got one and it was good!

A little more than a year ago, Sydney Donovan's life was turned upside down when a drunk driver hit her car killing her 2 kids and her husband. She was not only physically broken, but psychologically as well.

Little did Sydney know that Luke Harris, her old high school summer sweetheart, watched her as she dealt with her tragedy. So he's shocked when he's immediately found out the following summer when Sydney comes back to Gansett Island. Luke has never stopped loving Sydney. She may have broken his heart when she never came back to the island, but he never found anyone bump Sydney from that place in his heart.

Finding her a little more like her old self (one who apologized for how she treated him at nineteen), they strike a deal on a friendship. However, that deal only lasts so long when the spark they had when they were teenagers rears it's head to show that it's alive and wanting to explore what might have been. However, they have a few snags they need to deal with while trying to figure out just what they have.

Her parents are still very prejudice against Luke, thinking he is somehow beneath Sydney. Luke, still a little gun shy and wondering if Sydney's going to bolt at the first opportunity, isn't all that forthcoming with what his life is like in Gansett Island (i.e., part owner in the marina and a boat restorer). And then we have Sydney, who is waiting for the other shoe to drop, convinced she has bad karma and that is why her family had been taken away.



Mixed in with all that, we get to meet up again with Joe & Janey, who are weeks away from their wedding, and Mac & Maddie, who are 2 months away from the birth of their child. It was great to see where they are in relation to how we last saw them.

Another great addition to the series. I'm happy that Marie Force will be continuing on the trials and tribulations of the residents of Gansett Island. Next up with be Grant McCarthy's story. I'm wondering though...is his match Abbey or maybe a certain bartender. I'll guess we'll have to wait and see.

4 Cocktails

[Sara ~Sphunky~ · Rating 4 out of 5]

Another sweet romance from the McCarthy family series by Marie Force. I loved reconnecting with all the characters/couples from the previous books, and I look forward to reading the rest of the series for the new characters that were introduced in this one. Marie Force writes sweet/romantic and sexy male leads and her stories are easy and quick reads. Nothing is drawn out and she is able to make you connect with many of the characters easily.