Review: Not my favorite, but still great
Rating: 4 out of 5
Date: 05 13, 2014
There are so many things that I loved about this book, but other aspects just fell flat. Before I go further, I want to be clear that I think if you're reading this series you should definitely read this book. You will fall in love with Kurt just as you have for all of the other Remington boys.I enjoyed how Kurt and Leanna came together. It was as though they were drawn to each other right from the start. I liked the anticipation that I felt through Melissa Foster's writing, even though the characters had barely said more than two sentences to each other. It was artfully done. And, as always, I love when the author has the hero and/or heroine acknowledge the "insta-love" and the improbability of falling so hard so fast.As for the character of Leanna...I wanted to love her, really I did. And I did like her, for sure. But she was a bit one-dimensional in my mind. I think it was the fact that we get to know her through her friends (who I couldn't keep straight for some reason) instead of through her family. I believe it was supposed to be one of those "her friends are like her family" things, but it didn't work for me. There were quite a few times that Leanna brought her family up or thought about them, but just in the most surface way. How many siblings, what her dad did for a living, the freedom they had growing up...nothing about feelings and how close (or distant) she feels to her family. And, so petty of me, I had a hard time with her name. Random, right? It just didn't flow for me. Weird, but true.The theme of not letting us really get to know Leanna even spilled over to her dog, Pepper. Kurt thinks about how odd he is named Pepper so you would think he would as Leanna about that and her answer, whatever it may be, would have helped us get to know her better. But that never happened.I already mentioned that I couldn't keep Leanna's friends straight. Personally I think it was another case of the author introducing too much at once. This takes me back to Savannah's shower a couple of books ago when I complained that it was too much having them all re-introduced in one scene. Thankfully, when it came to Jack's wedding, Foster kept it simple and didn't feel the need to have every Remington and Braden have lines.All and all, it was a fun book. I loved the setting and, although I can't quite remember who is who yet, I'm looking forward to the books that are going to delve into the Seaside Girls. I'm hoping we also get to learn more about Leanna's back story in those books. And again, I absolutely adored Kurt. He alone is worth reading this.