Review: 4.5 stars for this New Adult contemporary romance
Rating: 5 out of 5
Date: 06 17, 2014
This book has hijinks. Lots of them. Kayla has long believed her father abandoned her. She hasn’t had any contact in five years–since he cut all child support and alimony. She’s broke, and indebted to a shady character to the tune of 20G’s–a debt incurred by her mother who has recently died. She arrives at her father’s funeral, for closure, only to learn that there’s an inheritance–and a catch. In order to pursue the undisclosed fortune, she must be (literally) shackled to her father’s former garden keeper–richboy/playboy Daren Ackwood. Ugh.Daren can’t believe Kayla even dares to show her face in their small town. She’s as heartless as her mother, he supposes, cutting all ties with her father and living like a princess on her trust fund. She didn’t even have the decency to visit when he was dying. And now she wants a piece of the joint inheritance? Daren doesn’t think so.Their constant interactions help reveal the complete misconceptions these two have. Neither of them is rich–and haven’t been for some time. As the story is revealed we learn that Kayla’s trust fund was squandered by another–she never even knew she HAD a trust fund, and Daren’s wealth was consumed by his father’s alcoholism and legal troubles. They are, essentially, indigent. Revealing all these frailties brings Daren and Kayla close in a way they hadn’t experienced with another.It turns out Kayla’s dad has set up a scavenger hunt, something he had done often when she was young. The memories evoked and letters he left behind gut Kayla. She learns so much about him, and his love for her, with no way to make amends for all they lost. Coupled with Daren, Kayla’s emotions are on overload and he gains compassion for her. He sees that she was abandoned–not by choice–and really connects with Kayla. Their attraction is mutual, but neither can easily admit the need to be together–they’ve been abandoned too many time to trust another person.  Until, maybe, it’s too late.The device of hitching these two played better than I had expected. There’s some fun moments when they take tumbles or bang around due to their physical attachment. I would have liked even a bit more of their coping–with, say, toilet time. Nothing more intimate then defecating in front of someone….unfortunately. It wasn’t even mentioned. I kinda felt the “love” was rushed–even in this extreme case–but I was glad to see the emotional shifts these two made. They are already old beyond their years, due to crap parental influences, so their brief bouts of silliness was refreshing. A quality HEA I could get behind!I received a copy of this book for review via NetGalley.