It's been fifteen years since Belle gave her virginity to her first love, a boy she'd only known for a week and never saw again. Fifteen years of anger and hurt and secrets. Fifteen years of wanting to tell him exactly what she thinks of him. But now that she has a chance, it's harder than she imagined. For one thing, her body doesn't much care what her heart fears or her mind thinks. It's ready to jump Brian McKenna's grown-up bones in a remarkable variety of ways and in shockingly risky locations. For another, the atmosphere at the romantic mountain resort proves just as irresistible as it was when she was 19. Add in a seven-year-old goddaughter determined to push them together and a long-hidden secret that could destroy the tentative trust they've established. Can she reconcile her undeniable attraction with her heartbreak, and when everything comes out in the open, and Brian's youthful mistakes are explained, can she let go of the past for a chance at a beautiful future?
Publisher's This book contains explicit sexual situations, graphic language, and material that some readers may find objectionable.
Wow. Fifteen years? That's a really long time to maintain hatred for someone. There are things I can sort of get hating someone for fifteen years, but what Brian did... I'm not sure it warrants that level of hatred. I can understand her being pissed off after a time -- I mean it was kind of a big deal ultimately -- but fifteen years? And his reason for it all? Besides his mother's death, I wanted to smack him!
And she tried so very hard to keep up the hatred. Darned attraction foiled her efforts. As did her goddaughter. And the goddaughter's parents. But dayum they were hot together. I thought it was hilarious that she got a splinter on her butt from their first encounter. And I also thought it was sweet that Brian tried so hard to hold off. He really wanted to sort of ease back into some kind of relationship with her and didn't want it to start out sexual because he was trying to be a good guy. I don't think he actually expected it to work out, but he was trying at least for civility. And because they were so attracted to each other, it was way more than civility. And then retribution. Which broke my heart.
I was very happy with how it all worked out. This was a great story of reunited love.
Maggie writes books grown ups. No giggling teens, no blushing virgins. Maggie's characters are warm, flawed, funny and they've been around the block a time or two. But they still have spunk and forgiveness for themselves and others. These two had a connection years ago that was combustible and because they were young, timing was horrible and often things simply don't work it all fell apart. Now they get a second chance to really remember what it was like to be near each other and they work through the issues, pain and forgive. And they also have some very hot moments together.
Lots of holding a grudge on hotness, versus not holding a grudge. But the heroine has a good reason for it, and the hero had a good reason to do what he did. All in all a good story, but tiresome with her negativity, no matter how deservedly.