Review: Fantastic Read
Rating: 4 out of 5
Date: 06 11, 2013
What an excellent start to a brand new contemporary series from Shelli Stevens. This red hot series is set on an island in the Puget Sound area. The players are a sinfully sexy family of transplanted Scots. I'll take a hot Scot any way I can get them- gotta love a guy in a kilt- and this story played out well for me, keeping me on the edge and raptly attentive. No wandering interest on this one. No time for that... with all those wonderful characters and a big old secret just waiting to be let out. And blow up it did and I was glued to the pages for every minute of it.Sarah came back to the island to tie up some family business. The last thing she needed was to run into her first love, bad boy Ian McLaughlin. He was her high school flame and her biggest temptation. She was a good girl who lost her heart to a bad boy. You know that old story. Then Ian broke her heart when he betrayed her just like her dad predicted. Sarah took off to Japan with the Navy family and hasn't been back to the island since. A bad marriage behind her, she doesn't want to get involved with Ian again.I found out fast why Ian was the bad boy of the McLaughlin family. He really was... bad temper and bad habits for sure. He was into Sarah big time and wanted to be better for her. But alas, like the rebel he was, the boy broke her heart. Yeah, you can guess what he did. It was a nasty scene and it tore them apart. Ian did some hard time before he got his act together but now he's in a good place. So now Sarah is back and he can't help but act like a jerk. He's still hurting and he gets pretty nasty with her. Can you see where this is leading ? It was some heady stuff indeed and I loved all that angst.Sarah was a great heroine. I loved her to death ! She was vulnerable from having her life shattered by the men in her life. But she was strong, taking the crap that a pouting Ian dished out. She sucked it up cause she wanted to get out quick. Got a guess as to why ? Oh, she's got a secret all right. It's a big one just waiting to get out. Of course, it gets out and things get real emotional. Ian gets even angrier and so did I. I wanted to kick his butt for being so mean.The story had an extensive cast of wonderful characters to build this series. A bunch of sexy brothers and a secretive minx of a sister. Emily, Sarah's little girl, was a lovely addition to the story and she really brightened it up.  This story is completely character driven. They made the story engaging, made me want to know their secrets (they have a lot of them I'm thinking) and find out what was going on with them. An angry hero ... a vulnerable heroine... and a past that comes between them. I got fighting mad at Ian but the guilt he felt when he learned about everything his woman went through from her douche bag ex... my heart just melted. I got that he felt it was all on him. You know... cause he drove her away and all. Another surprise and a big reveal as to the instigator behind the scenes.That was good for a couple more surprises that cleared up some mistakes and revealed even more secrets. It also opened the door for another book. Could it be ? Can this series really get more intriguing ? Why yes, I do believe it will.I loved this story and am already sold on the series. I can't wait to read more. This one was engaging and chock full of angst. Lost love ... that's some good stuff. Everything flowed just right with things happening at a credible pace. This couple did not go after each other right away... not romantically any way. They were mad as hell and weren't shy about letting it show. The characters were incredibly likeable. I completely fell for Ian and totally admired Sarah for standing up to him. The plot was interesting from beginning to end. The only flaw that I saw was that the writer didn't go anywhere with regards to Ian's old pal, the crook. I felt that she was going somewhere but it never happened. It wasn't that big of a loss... but it could have brought some suspense to the whole story. It kinda looked like she started to take that road and then changed her mind. How's this for descriptive talent ? When Ian calls Sarah doll and he says s***.... I was imagining that sexy Scottish accent. That's some kinda talent.Originally posted at Long and Short Reviews