Worth the Wait: Divine Island Book 1

by Julie Ann Levin

Fans of Bella Andre and Jill Shalvis will enjoy this sexy and fun Contemporary Romance Series.

Tropical beaches and second chances...

As a rule, Chase Hammond avoided going home to Divine Island whenever possible. But when his father has a heart attack, he's left with no other choice but to go back and hope that he can avoid trouble and stay focused.

Recently divorced and struggling to keep all the elements of her life together, Natalie Rey has absolutely no desire to make her life any more difficult than it already is. But when Chase Hammond shows up on her doorstep, the man who rejected her years earlier, she'll have to do her best to avoid the monumental distraction.

The last thing either of them needs is their sizzling chemistry getting in the way of their goals.

Can Natalie resist the sexy man who broke her heart years ago?

Will allowing him back into her life only lead to more heartache?

Get ready for the sexy Hammond brothers as we watch them fall in love in the Divine Island Contemporary Romance Series.

Divine Island Contemporary Romance Series:


Worth the Wait - Book 1 (Chase & Natalie)
Crazy for You - Book 2 (Dylan & Sarah)
Ready for Love - Book 3 (Levi & Jessica)
The One I Want - Book 4 (Ellie & Max)

Genres: Romance, Contemporary Romance, Contemporary

185 pages, Paperback

Reviews

[DJ Sakata · Rating 4 out of 5]

Favorite Quotes:

“Natalie worked at remaining unaffected, but he smelled like he was genetically designed to excite her hormones. If only she could press her face against his neck for a sampling of the goods."

"Ben's wife is so nice and perfect she's obnoxious. I mean, she's nice. I'm nice too, but I have to remember to be nice. She just naturally exudes niceness from her perfect pores."

"A parent can forgive his child for anything and everything. If not, I would have given you away by the time you were two."

My Review:

Worth the Wait is a sweet and sexy second chance romance, but it kept me doubting if the characters would be able to get out of their own way to take advantage of that second chance. Both were stubborn and cared deeply for the other, but neither wanted to risk being honest about their true feelings. The storyline was fun and the writing was crisp and full of humor and amusing banter. It was a quick, light, and easy read with occasional bursts of sensual steam. I found it entertaining and enjoyable and am already curious about the subsequent volumes.

[Bec · Rating 4 out of 5]

4.5 Stars

Chase Hammond has always been a weakness for Natalie Rey. However, her divorce has left her not ready to get back to the dating drawing board. All she wants is to have fun and remain commitment free, but living in such close quarters with Chase is testing her limits.

For Chase Hammond, being back in Divine Island is temporary. But with Natalie all grown up, and tempting him with her gorgeous curves, it's hard for him to remember that fact. Except with Natalie determined to keep their relationship casual, Chase knows he needs to do all he can to convince her that he's nothing like her ex, and that giving him a chance could lead to a love that will last forever.

Right from the beginning, Ms. Levin blew me away with this story, as it contains a few tropes that I enjoy. Those being the friends to lovers, the sisters best friend, and the second chance romance tropes. Immediately, I was drawn into this story due to the teasing banter between Chase and Natalie. Certainly, she likes to prove how capable she is and that she doesn't need anyone because she's already been let down by the man she married and is now divorced from. However, it just goes to show that someone needs help every once and a while, whether they want it or not.

The dialogue was compelling, and I loved the challenge Natalie provides Chase. Who knew she was so stubborn? Didn't she know that asking for help isn't a weakness? There were some really good light-hearted moments between Natalie and Chase as well as the main and secondary characters that had me smiling. The Hammonds treat Natalie like family, and it was nice to know that they would stand by her side, if Chase didn't realize how much the heroine meant to him and that their relationship was worth fighting for.

I really liked both Chase and Natalie as well as the secondary ones. Chase's family desperately want him to come home more regularly or even permanently, and I liked their advice on the couple's growing relationship, especially Chase's mom. He needed a reason to convince Natalie that he wanted her, and his mom certainly provides him with one. While Chase's brothers, I liked how they treated Natalie, and that they would do anything to protect her.

Natalie is strong, brave, independent, stubborn and tenacious. She's determined to become a registered nurse, and works hard to achieve her goal. Because she already makes an excellent nurse with how she interacts with her patients as well as Mr. Hammond whose life she saved. I felt sorry for her when it came to her family. Aren't parents supposed to be proud of their children, even if they don't follow the path their parents expect of them? How could parents be so cruel? How could they let her sister-in-law be so negative towards the heroine? Luckily, she has Chase by her side to set them straight.

While Chase, he's kind, caring, and I liked how determined he was to make things right with Natalie. He's also out to prove that he's a good guy to his parents. That he is no longer the out of control man he used to be and is someone to be proud of. Then there's the way he is with Natalie. They have really good chemistry, which eventually spills over onto the pages in hot sex scenes.

Overall, Ms. Levin has penned an incredible read where the fast-paced plot kept me entertained from start to finish. The way this story ended was perfect, as Chase didn't give up on Natalie. He wasn't about to let her get away when they were so right for each other. I would recommend Worth the Wait by Julie Ann Levin, if you enjoy the friends to lovers trope, the sister's best friend trope, or second chance romances.

[Behind Closed Doors Book Review · Rating 4 out of 5]

Amount of sex - 4 / 5
How explicit - 3 / 5
Romance - 4 / 5 Overall: 4 / 5
To read full review, including giveaway, excerpt, Kobo and Amazon US & UK links:
http://BehindClosedDoorsBookReview.co...

Worth the wait is a novel about Natalie Rey and Chase Hammond. Natalie recently got a divorce from her ex-husband, Alex, after she found him cheating. While Natalie and Alex were married, he encouraged them to buy a really old house. Natalie agreed, but when they divorced, Alex left her to deal with it. Unfortunately, now the house is falling apart and she is trying to do all the repairs herself due to limited resources.

Natalie grew up in the same town and has been in love with Chase, her best friend Ellie’s brother, since she was 14 years old. Natalie became close to Chase and Ellie’s whole family and eventually made a pass at Chase five years later at the age of 19. Unfortunately Chase turned her down. He was the bad boy of the family and even though he cared for Natalie, he left to make something of himself…. thinking he wasn’t good enough.

After being gone for many years, Chase finally comes home after his father has a heart attack. Chase stays in Natalie’s guest house while he is home and helps her with the renovations. The both still have feelings for each other, but Natalie is scared to trust anyone. Chase refuses to let her go. I though the chemistry was great, and really loved how all the brothers interacted with each other. It really was very funny, sexy, cute, and I recommend it to anyone in the mood for a fun quick read. **This ARC was provided via Tasty Book Tours in exchange for an honest review.**

[Brittany · Rating 2 out of 5]

I won this book through goodreads giveaways. All opinions are my own.

I am very picky about romance novels and this one just didn't quite do it for me. It was a quick and easy read but the overall story was just lacking something I think. From the book description I thought that it was going to be that one of them wanted a relationship but the other one would be pushing away. That was not the case though. From the beginning they were making out and fooling around, then when they had sex, they did it every chance they got. They were going at it like rabbits who were about to go extinct. I lost count of how many times they hooked up.

The character of Natalie kind of irritated me towards the end too. It was like she expected Chase to stay with her even though she knew from the beginning that he would be leaving. Then when he tells her that he is about to leave she gets mad at him and kicks him out. He changes his mind and tells her he is going to stay and she gets mad at him again and kicks him out again. Its like she just cant make up her mind what she wants and blames him for everything even though its mostly her fault. When I read a romance novel I expect romance and characters I can root for. This book gave me a lot of sex scenes and characters I didn't like. I don't think I will read anymore of the Divine Island Books

[Medavis66 · Rating 3 out of 5]

Cute book that makes for a quick read. Not quite the sizzling chemistry I was expecting, but a decent story and what seems to be a promising series. I didn't truly get why Chase didn't date Nat earlier if he was in love with her even back then, as even his family believes. Her ex- is a real piece of work. Fun and fast, this story is a good, light read for poolside or just a lazy afternoon.

ARC provided by author in exchange for honest review.

[Liz Ellyn]

This is an enjoyable romantic story. Nobody forgets that first crush. Even when life takes you in different directions, that first love (even if unrequited) always remains embedded in your heart.

Natalie is recently divorced, which isn’t the ideal time to sink into a deep meaningful relationship. Can a stubborn and independent woman allow herself to let someone in, to stand by her side, and love her?

After being apart for eight years, it is difficult to change the pattern and turn a friendship into something more. Chase is patient, caring, thoughtful, and very good looking. Can Chase be brave enough to claim what he really wants?

[Amber Boyd · Rating 4 out of 5]

I'm a total goner when it comes to second chance romances. I love them! There is just nothing like watching two people who loved and lost, find love again. When it's two people that never thought that they would be lucky enough to find love with the other? Even better!

Natalie is no stranger to heartbreak. She loved Chase when she was a young girl, but he only saw her as his little sister's best friend and rejecting her when Natalie finally got brave enough to reveal her feelings. Since then she has been trying to move forward toward her dreams of becoming a nurse and find a love that will value and cherish her. However, she learned the hard way that finding that wasn't so easy; case in point the loser ex-husband that left her with a huge historic house and no money.

Chase has stayed away from Divine Island and the girl he never thought he was enough for til now. He's home temporarily after his father has a health scare. What he doesn't expect is to find Natalie as his new landlord, nor does he expect that the undeniable attraction that he doesn't want to fight any longer.

This was a sweet, funny and enjoyable read for me. It wasn't perfect but it was solid and I definitely look forward to returning to Divine Island again soon!

[Danielle · Rating 3 out of 5]

3 stars
3 stars

Chance is back home to Divine Island. He has not been back for more than a few days in the last 10 years. Out of all the Hammond kids, he was the outcast who was always the bad boy. Chance is now back because he father is sick, or so he has been told.

Natalie Rey is the girl who has always been in love with Chance. For as long as she can remember, he has been the one for her. She moved on to someone else. Now, Natalie is newly divorced and Chance is back home. What can go wrong???

Neither of them needs a new relationship. Both are not looking for anything, but there is a CRAZY chemistry that neither of them can deny. What starts off as a fling, leads to love. The couple fights as hard as they can to not fall for each other, but their hearts have always been half way there already. Now, they just need to fall the rest of the way.

This was a fast read for me. It was an easy read.

[Geri · Rating 5 out of 5]

I loved this story of second chances! Natalie has lived in Divine her whole life and loves it. Unfortunately, she is now divorced and struggling to move on financially. She goes to school, works, and is trying to fix up a fixer upper that needs lots of TLC. One steady in her life has always been the Hammond family. From the moment Natalie met Ellie and her brothers, they became fast friends and the Hammond parents were always there for her. Chase Hammond also cared for Natalie, but way more than friends, but would never act on them even when Natalie tried to push the matter. Chase felt he was not what Natalie needed and he didn't stay in Divine, instead chasing his dreams elsewhere. When a family illness brings him home, Chase will need to deal with his feelings for Natalie and his feelings about himself and his family. Loved it! It has family, love, romance, and humor which all weave together to create a beautiful read!

[Melissa Morr · Rating 4 out of 5]

Worth the Wait was a sweet, fun second chance of love book. It had everything I love about second chance romances, a nosy but caring family members, laugh, & romance. Chase & Nat where like two peas in a pod both stubborn & a very caring heart, each was afraid to tell each other how each other felt, even though you could feel the sizzling attraction between the two. They both felt that they wasn't good enough for each other. Nat was afraid of her heart breaking once again over Chase when he left again. I cannot wait to revisit Divine Island to see who falls next, Julie has won a new fan in this reader. If you are looking for a quick easy afternoon read I recommend you pick up a copy of Worth the Wait.

I received a free copy for my honest review!

[Laura J · Rating 5 out of 5]

Oh I really loved the book! It was such a sweet story with fun banter between them. I love that they have a second chance at love, and were friends when they were kids. It really has it all humor, love, family, and humor. So good!

[Alaina Maxam · Rating 5 out of 5]

DEFINITELY A VERY WELL WRITTEN BOOK. I CAN'T WAIT TO READ MORE BY THIS AUTHOR

[Hazel · Rating 3 out of 5]

I received a copy of this book from Goodreads Firstreads Giveaway. Thank you very much!

This was a cute, fast read nothing overly special about it, but a good way to pass a couple of hours.