Love has only ever meant one thing for Charia Brooks: pain. Enduring years of emotional and physical anguish has taught her how to survive. Now she’s determined never to let anyone in again. Comfortable with her new life, she celebrates her success by treating herself to a tropical island vacation. Garrison Carter’s life has proved as volatile as the waves he surfs, and he’s learned to roll with … roll with the punches. So, when the crimson-haired beauty rejects his advances, he has no intention of giving up easily. He’ll do whatever it takes to wear down her defenses, even if it means exploiting his duo-tone eyes and enticing dimples. Unable to resist the blond and tatted surfer, Charia gives in with the notion that it’ll be nothing more than a few lecherous encounters. However, it’s an easier-said-than-done resolve when he proves very different to other men and her defensive instinct kicks in.
Helping Charia come to terms with her past isn’t as easy as Garrison had hoped. The closer he inches to her heart, the further she pushes him away. The struggle also brings Garrison’s own dark history to light. Atrocities will be shared, weighted guilt will be borne, and profound realizations will surface. It will not only take the couple down a turbulent path, but cast doubt on any possible future they may have.
Sometimes, when two people seem irrevocably shattered, they’ll find their broken pieces fit together just perfectly. But, is mere love ever enough to truly conquer all?
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4.5 sexy, swoony stars!
I love this book! A passionate and intense romance with just the right balance of drama, angst, sweetness, emotion and steamy sexy time. It’s a sexy swoonfest that completely captured my heart.
This is my first read by this author, and it’s only her second novel, and I am so freaking impressed! She writes cleanly with heart and emotion, putting so much into the story and it flows beautifully, and this is a really special book.
Charia Brooks is enjoying the first holiday of her life. After a prolonged traumatic and tragic experience left her shattered, she erected walls around herself and she is no longer the woman that she once was, but she is vacationing on an island paradise, spending time alone and just ‘being’ for the first time ever.
Garrison Carter lives to surf. He has also had trauma in his past, and apart from his younger siblings, there’s nothing he cares more about than the waves… until he spots a red-headed Goddess on the beach. He is instantly smitten, and knows that he needs to get to know the woman who so instantly and completely captivates him.
There is flirting, banter and a whole lot of sexual chemistry, and though Charia is initially resistant to getting involved, she can’t resist the sexy young surfer (he is six years younger than she is), and oh holy God, these two are so freaking hot together! And what started off as a hook-up soon becomes a whole lot more.
“She was going to have her horizons broadened to experience unrushed, deliberate and maddeningly pleasurable sex. He was going to make her feel the difference between giving and receiving. By the time he was done with her, she was going to know what it feels like to be treasured…and he was just the man to show her.”
Garrison is an absolute dream as the man who pursues the woman he wants with single-minded determination. He holds nothing back from Charia, letting her know how he feels and what he wants from her, and opening himself up to her completely. But Charia has been through hell and she’s not prepared to put herself into a situation like that again. She refuses to be vulnerable and does her best to keep Garrison from getting too close, setting the stage for the battle for her heart, and I loved every moment of it!
“He’d tried to make her realize the depth of her feeling by overwhelming her with every level of seduction he knew. At different times, in different places, and he was done with it. His bag of carnal tricks empty, he now only had himself left to give.
If he was never going to be enough for her to love, then that was a nightmare he’d have to face when the time came. But from here on out, he would simply adore her the way his heart told him to and the broken pieces would just have to fall where they may.”
It’s beautifully romantic, and it’s seriously sexy! The sex in this book is absolutely sizzling, there’s lots of it, and it’s a big part of Garrison and Charia’s connection, an extension of everything that is developing between them, and an important part of who they are becoming together. Their journey is sweet yet heartbreaking, and it’s so beautifully written. They learn and grow so much together, I could feel what both Garrison and Charia were going through and my heart ached for them, but at the same time I was falling in love right along with them.
“I love you, Charia.”
…
“There’s nothing more I can do. This is my heart talking, declaring how it feels about you.” He lifted a hand and cupped her cheek. “I can’t be without you, it’s as simple as that.”
This book is all romance! There are no other storylines happening in the background, it’s all about Garrison and Charia exploring each other, falling for each other and then figuring out what to do about it. They do have some personal issues going on but it’s so closely related to the unfolding romance that it seamlessly flows into one beautifully romantic story that had me hooked from start to finish.
“He’d learned that love meant holding on, as much as letting go. That love was not a controlling grip to protect … but a caring hand in support for when one might fall. The overwhelming love his heart harboured for Charia was precious, and something he’d fight for until his very last breath.”
It’s a total swoonfest, and I absolutely loved it.
4.5 stars!