Bestselling author Sarah Fine presents a powerful standalone romance.What if falling in love is the biggest risk of all?Sasha decided a long time ago that she would only allow herself a single night each year to go out and be wild. The rest of her time is spent at her pottery wheel or taking care of her father, who has early-onset Alzheimer’s. She has plenty of reasons to avoid anything more … to avoid anything more than this: one guy, one night, and no names exchanged. But this year, the long and lean stranger she chooses turns out to be more than she bargained for. He makes her feel alive–when it doesn’t seem safe to feel that way at all.
Discharged from the army after a traumatic deployment, Nate returns to his hometown riddled with guilt and unable to envision a future. Everything starts to change during a night out with friends, when a beautiful stranger offers him a no-strings-attached encounter against the wall in the back room of the bar. He knows the deal, but when they run into each other again at the local artists’ co-op where his older brother works, he can’t help but crave more. She makes him feel alive–but he’s still trying to decide if he wants to live at all.
She’s not willing. He’s not ready. But with an unrelenting attraction that weakens their resolve with every passing minute, Sasha and Nate embark on a friendship. One that makes them both stronger. One that makes them wonder if the future might be brighter than either of them ever imagined–until a devastating turn forces them to decide: Is risking everything for love is worth the pain of losing it long before they’re ready?
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Just like the previous two installments in the Starving Artists series, this book also pulls readers into the emotionally intense lives of an immensely likable main couple with a veteran struggling to return to life at home and his unexpected connection to a young woman caring for a father with Alzheimer’s. Their journey as individuals is a rocky one that’s vividly depicted and nicely balanced with a romance that moves at a slow and steady pace of support that each will rely on when things get tough. It’s a tale that put me through the emotional wringer but was empowering as well with its hard fought HEA that put a smile on my face.
Nate Vliet was mentioned a time or two in the previous book in this series, a glimpse gotten of him courtesy of his older brother Daniel. It’s a glimpse that showed a soldier clearly struggling, but who hid his pain behind stoicism, and whose return home makes his pain even clearer. Dreams of a friend killed in front of him, obligations from the family that death left behind, are balanced with feelings of guilt and uncertainty and it’s taking him to a very dark place that the author never sugarcoated. Along with his personal demons he also had to deal with his mother’s battle with cancer that was yet another anchor weighing him down and making his road to healing even rockier. The moment he saw Sasha, the moment of their clandestine encounter, was the lone bright spot during this dark time. Images of her kept him going, but meeting her again is what ultimately saved him. She gave him unconditional support, pushing him when necessary, and it made them a formidable pairing as it led to a satisfying HEA for them both. Nate’s a delicious hero, a wonderful combination of gentlemanly and endearing as he treated Sasha with sweetness and sensuality. Though therapy terrified him, though he feared it would be seen as a weakness, he committed himself to the process to become a healthier man who’s worthy of Sasha and it made me like him all the more. Through subtle words and deeds Nate showed himself to be the hero Sasha needs him to be, being there when she needs help with her father as well as calming her fears over her own chances of getting Alzheimer’s. There was a true give and take between these two that made for a richly rewarding romance full of heart and sizzling encounters.
Sasha and her father have always been close-knit so she’s feeling especially lost and alone that the man who once loved her unconditionally is now starting to forget her. She refuses to leave him though and devotes herself to his cares, leaving time for only her pottery work and the one night a year she lets loose with a man. This year she chose a returning soldier with a familiar look that is soon revealed to be her friend Daniel’s brother. Seeing him again is like giving an addict drugs as she can’t help wanting to be with him again despite her desire to not get involved. Seeing her father’s struggles, her mother’s inability to stay and live up to her marriage vows, has her scared of her own future with a partner and her isolating her heart broke mine. I applauded her devotion even as it broke my own heart. Her choice didn’t surprise me though as her relationship with her ex-boyfriend also had her going to extremes to make him and his family happy. The end of that relationship was another heartbreaking event that fueled her connection to Nate and was a timely reminder to readers about the struggles veterans go through. She too is feeling obligations to others, just like Nate, and it’s something they deal with together in a difficult but empowering journey. Sasha’s an immensely likable heroine with a tough exterior and a heart of gold. When needed she doesn’t hesitate to tell it like it is, but oftentimes she dealt with things on her own as a strong-willed heroine ultimately made even stronger by the power of love.
From the first page to the last this was an emotionally engaging read that dealt with the timely issues of the plight of returning veterans along with the care of those with Alzheimer’s. The author dealt with these issues head-on and with vividly depicted imagery that pulled at my heartstrings and made this a memorable read by the turn of the final page. The romance between Sasha and Nate was a charming one as they clearly wanted more from each other but worried they weren’t worthy of anything more because of misplaced guilt. It took a lot of work, a lot of tears and truths, before they became more than friends in a moment that had me cheering. Sasha and Nate are a delightful pairing, a strong support for each other, in a romance that I rooted for every step of the way. Along with this admirable main couple readers got to revisit past couples (Caleb and Romy, Daniel and Stella) who lend their support and concern to this newly-formed couple while showing their HEAs still going strong. These characters continue to entertain and Daniel showed special insight this time around into Nate that spoke volumes about how much he cared for his brother. Readers also got to see more of welding artist Marcus, an arrogant and tatted-up young man who frustrated me with his actions one moment before warming my heart the next through a heartfelt deed done in the name of friendship. I’m definitely drawn to him despite my occasional anger over his words and am looking forward to seeing more of him. Jewelry maker Nora is a new addition to the story too, an eclectic looking heroine full of energy but short on self-esteem, who seems to fit right in and I look forward to seeing her find her own HEA. On a whole this was a well-crafted story with a strong friends-to-lovers romance full of serious issues that the author dealt with realistically. I was pulled in from the very start and am impatiently waiting to revisit this world as there’s plenty of stories left to tell!