What happens when the world thought you were dead and suddenly, now you are alive?Ben Turner is back! Not quite as dead as everyone thought, fresh out of a nine-month stay in prison, and back home in Kill Devil Hills, North Carolina. Having been dishonorably discharged after charges of desertion from the military, this once well-loved local has fallen from the top. With no plans for college or … for college or the future, and hated by the town that once loved him, Ben feels like he’s drowning all over again.
Juniper is pregnant, alone, and running from her crazy fiancé. With only enough money for a one-way bus ticket, she heads to Kill Devil Hills, NC, a town she vacationed in as a little girl, a town she knows, come February, will have plenty of beach rentals to lie low in for the next couple months. Except she didn’t plan on getting caught on day one by the man living next door. Ben. He’s a man who has even more problems than she does, but maybe it’ll take a man like Ben to save her life.
NEW ADULT ROMANCE
Recommended for 18+.
Standalone.
Fourth (and final) book in the KILL DEVIL HILLS Series.
KILL DEVIL HILLS reading order:
Kill Devil Hills
Changing Tides
Pulled Under
Adrift
more
Adrift was oddly enough my first Sarah Darlington read and the fourth and final book of a series, and while Adrift had solid legs and stood well on its own, I feel a strong desire to read the previous books for my own enjoyment. All of the primary and secondary characters were interesting and compelling, each with their own unique quirks. I was enamored with and curious about the complicated and complex character of Ben. The plot was active with a large cast of characters and provided a bit of everything – a faked death, strangers hiding their pasts, a bit of danger, suspense, intrigue, a new romance, a fresh start, and steamy sensual scenes. Despite a storyline heavy with two of my least favorite tropes of angst and pregnancy, the author’s writing style and craftily paced tale held my attention and kept me engaged and intrigued from beginning to end.
I’m so sad to see this series come to an end! It’s probably my favorite new adult series out there, I’ve loved these characters so much, and have really enjoyed the continuing storyline from book to book. I feel like I’ve been a part of the Turner family for so long that I’m finding it hard to say good-bye.
And now for the conclusion to the series we finally get the infamous Ben Turner’s story! I really didn’t know what to expect out of Ben, other than we know he faked his death and put his family through unbearble heartache- with some really tough consequences. But in Adrift we get the chance to get inside his head- see what makes him tick and learn why he did what he did. Since he’s been home he really has been adrift- not knowing what he wanted out of life, just that whatever it was wasn’t in Kill Devil Hills. He’s just biding his time until his parole is over and he can move on. But Adrift isn’t just Ben’s story, it’s also Juniper’s. And when Juniper enters Ben’s life she’s like a balm to his soul. Not to say it’s all smooth sailing, because it’s not. But even when they hit some rough waters, there’s a connection between Ben and Juniper that they can’t deny or hide from.
I adore Ben. He was a bit like a lost puppy, just wandering about with no direction until Juniper arrives. And then he realizes that maybe he does have a purpose in life, that maybe everything in his life did happen for a reason, and it was all to lead him to Juniper and her unborn baby. But because of what happened in his past he’s a little conflicted as well, not sure if his feelings for her are true or misplaced guilt.
Neither Ben nor Juniper were at a point in their lives where they were looking for love, but sometimes that’s the way life works out. They were two people who needed each other but didn’t know it until their paths crossed at just the right time .
As I said, I’m really sad to see this series come to an end. Sarah has written such real and engaging characters, and I was so glad we got to catch up with the rest of the family in Adrift. I’m holding out hope that maybe there’s a novella for Georgie and Noah, sometime in the future!
Wow. I just released the breath I didn’t realize I’d been holding while reading the last few chapters of this story. I wasn’t sure Ben and Juniper’s story was going to end in happily ever after or in tragedy. Ben and Juniper’s story is a sweet one. Both are broken and looking for away to escape the ghosts of their pasts. They meet, become good friends and their love blossoms and grows from there. This is the first book I’ve read of Sarah Darlington’s and now I can’t wait to go back and read the first three books.
So this book was the a ultimate test for me.
I came to it with a pre conceived notion of really disliking the male protagonist after reading about everything all the people who loved him went through because of his stupid decision.
I have to say, I still don’t think his excuse is good enough for what he did.
However, even though his reasons for past actions were sketchy at best, I fell in love with Ben for his current choices and insanely sweet character.
So… I guess his forgiven.
5 stars and a ghost crab
After reading the first 3 books in this series, I was very curious about Ben Turner. Because his ‘death’ (which was fake) was the cause for some emotional reactions in the previous books. His sisters and friends all reacted in different ways on his ‘death’ as we can read in their stories.
So, to than to discover that Ben was still alive made me very curious about him and his reasons for doing it. Because there has to be a good reason to let your family and friends believe that you’re dead! And I can imagine that it must be very hard to come back to them and deal with their hurt and pain.
Just like in the previous stories, the writer kept the story light but still emotional. That’s one of the things that I like about her writing. This story isn’t only about Ben, it’s also about Juniper and her problems. It was wonderful to see how both felt a connection from the first moment, how they respected each other feelings and even in the beginning when they were strangers to each other, they took care of the other one. I liked that.
The story is told from both POV’s. Ben’s character is very caring, he’s a good guy and Juniper is strong in her own way. She comes from an abusing relationship and yes, she stayed too long in it but like so many, she was looking for love by the wrong person. I’m very glad that she found Ben and his family. It was great seeing the other characters from the previous books again.
Although we got an epilogue at the end of the story. I did feel that the story was a bit rush in the end. And I would have loved some more information about certain things. But ‘Adrift’ was a good end to a lovely series.