Review: Enjoyed this sweet romance about love and healing. Dani is feisty and Holden is HOT!
Rating: 3 out of 5
Date: 12 22, 2013
***Nicky's Review3 StarsCharacters- They were very dynamic in nature, each being very different, which gave the story interesting interactions and dialogue.Plot/Storyline- Story was good. It had the broken girl, the broken guy, the interfering ex, some fun friends and other supporting characters (family members) that made for a whole story that came together nicely.Steam Factor- It is pretty steamy. The first interaction between Holden and Dani had me saying, WTH am I getting into here, but damn that boy is sexy and sweet.Cover- The cover is sweet and represents Holden, Dani and the ever famous Dock that holds so many memories. The only issue I have is that they are supposed to be in their late 20's early 30's and the models don't look that old. Also, Dani is supposed to be REALLY pretty!! Like bombshell, every one at school wanted her pretty and the cover model is cute, but she isn't Dani pretty. If that makes sense...Cliffhanger- Nope. This is a standalone with a HEA. A very sweet HEA :)Overall- I enjoyed this book about discovering what real love is after thinking you've had it once but the real thing proves the past love to be a stepping stone to the real thing. It's also a story of letting go of the past, finding happiness in the now and taking on the future with the love of your life.This is the story of a girl, Dani, who returns to her home town due to deep regret and guilt after her father dies. She takes on everyone's problems because she feels that if she hadn't left town things would have been different. This entire book is about Dani finding herself, forgiving herself and others, and realizing that she is not to blame for the way life panned out for anyone.Dani is a sexy spitfire of a girl and she is presented as a girl who can "hold her own." She had a serious boyfriend named Gage in high school. They were supposed to follow each other to college but due to personal circumstances Gage has to stay near his hometown for college while Dani decides to take the opportunity to escape her small town life and go to college away from home. This breaks Gages heart and rips their relationship apart.After Dani's father dies 10 years since she left home she returns home to be there for her mom. With her mom comes the half siblings, Brandy and Billy, who reside with her mother. They are leaches and druggies. Billy doesn't really play much of a role in the book, but Brandy plays a main source of drama, hatred, and arguments. Dani has conflicts with her throughout the book. Another character that plays a major role in Dani's life is Gage. He is still in love with Dani and keeps trying to get back into her life, despite Dani constantly being completely open to Gage in that she wants only friendship from him. But I guess the heart wants what the heart wants even if the one you want to give your heart to keeps placing a return to sender stamp on it.I really felt for Gage. He is really sweet and head over heels in love with Dani. Some things you discover about Gage makes you a little upset with him and a little disappointed, but even at the end of the book, my heart still hurt for him. He deserves happiness. He has dealt with a lot in his life and I can totally see (not agree with by any means) why he made the decisions he made. He not only dealt with his own issues, he also had the pain of losing the light in his life, Dani.Dani's heart loves Gage, but in a total platonic way. Her heart finds a home with the sexy piece of man that is Holden. Holden is super sweet and super sexy. Their first meeting/interactions was jaw dropping. At first I wanted to put Holden in the "Douche" category, but he definitely won me over and his reasons for his actions made me forgive his past discretions. His character was so well written as a man worthy of Dani that I felt bad for Gage, but I definitely wanted Dani to chose Holden.Dani and Holden find love and healing through each other and they are completely honest with each other about everything. This is where I am truly grateful to Erika Ashby. Nothing loses my interest more than two main characters who keep hiding stuff from each other. Its frustrating and annoying, but this book didn't have any of that between Dani and Holden. It was very nice to read.The only gripe I had with this book was when Dani and Holden would have a moment of honesty or a cathartic opening up moment. I say this because the dialogue was very stiff, like they prepared a speech and there was no feeling in the words. They were just getting the information out for the purpose of the story and lacked the organic quality that allows me to connect with the characters and their connection. It was a bit disappointing and truly affected my feelings towards the story, making it a 3 star rating for me.I would recommend this book to anyone wanting to read about a badass girl, who is also fragile, finding healing & friendship and discovering love in the arms of a man who adores and loves her for who she is even though she herself isn't sure of who she is. The ending is so sweet and spread happy warmth through me. I love HEA endings and this book provides it very well. So to Erika Ashby, I say, "Well done girlie!! I will look forward to reading more from you. XOXO."