What’s wrong with a little white lie? There are a lot of things Ali Marshal doesn’t do: pink anything, a day without chocolate, and Hawk, her sister’s ex-husband. Sure, he’s a sexy former NHL star who can make her pulse pound with just a wink. But he belonged to Bridget first. And no matter how long she’s had a crush on him, how great he’s always been to her dad, or that her sister is engaged to … her sister is engaged to someone else now and Ali needs a date to their engagement party, she can’t give in to temptation. Can she?
It’s been years since his disastrous marriage crashed and burned, and Bradley Hawk has finally moved on. So when Bridget blows back into town with her new fiance, throwing the engagement party of the year, he could care less . . . until Ali tells one little lie that lands him smack dab in a fake relationship. After one promise to be Ali’s date and two of the hottest kisses he’s ever had, Hawk can’t deny how much he wants her. But what happens when this fauxmance starts to feel very, very real?
more
Ali Marshall has had a thing for Hawk since before his marriage to her sister years ago. She has been there for him always. When he was in the hospital recovering from knee surgery after winning the cup, while also delivering the news that her sister was divorcing him. Now on a night that for once her family should be celebrating her achievement, her sister has once again come in with her grand ways and made it about her and has announced she is getting married. Hawk seeing this does not let Ali down and they announce to everyone that they are dating. The only one that is being fooled though is Ali and when she realizes that Bradley Hawk had been serious the whole time she now wonders if she can get back the only man she has ever truly loved, and stills love. Hawk is still wondering what he needs to do to prove to her that he was serious when he said he wanted to spend the rest of his life with her and that he has been over her sister for a long time. Can they work it out and get back together? Read this book and find out. A good story with very good characters. I got this book from Netgalley.com I gave it 5 stars. Follow us at http://www.1rad-readerreviews.com
Woah buddy. Fake dating, forbidden romance, friends to lovers, Feels Like the First Time has it all for me. For years, Ali has harbored a crush on Bradley Hawk. He’s a handsome, former NHL player, all around great guy, and… her sister Bridget’s ex-husband. But when Bridget comes back to town with her new fiance in tow, Ali reaches her breaking point. She’s tired of Bridget always being the best at everything and always acting like she’s still got Hawk on the back burner. So Ali does the unthinkable and kisses Hawk, in front of everyone, and declares he’s her boyfriend. And Hawk? He doesn’t really mind at all. Lately, he’s been having the most inappropriate thoughts about his friend and former sister-in-law. So he’s all for fake dating and hoping that it turns into more than that.
Normally, I find the idea of siblings dating the same person… unsavory. So I was definitely hesitant about Ali dating her sister’s ex-husband. But Adair did a great job of giving Ali and Hawk enough of a backstory as friends long before Bridget came along and long after Bridget left Hawk that it didn’t feel so weird. Their friendship felt fun and natural, so it amping up into a fake dating (with real feelings) situation didn’t feel totally out of left field. And as their relationship developed, I just loved them even more together. Their love was heartfelt and charming and based out of a deep respect and admiration for each other, which was particularly nice considering the issues they each harbored about their individual relationships with Bridget and the rest of their families.
Because Bridget and Gail, Ali’s mom, were the absolute worst. They both made for relatively entertaining villains, but there was absolutely a point where I was tired of Bridget’s selfishness, and more significantly, Ali just letting Bridget walk all over her. It made for good drama, but I didn’t really like how the shadow of Bridget loomed over the new relationship between Hawk and Ali. What I did like about the Bridget drama was the opportunity it provided for Adair to really show how good of a guy Hawk was. I didn’t particularly like that Ali seemed to regularly need saving, but I did love how Hawk came to the rescue. He was a good guy through and through and that made me love him as a match for Ali.
But Hawk wasn’t the only great character. I absolutely adored Ali from the very beginning. I loved that while she had a very artsy career, it wasn’t an ultra feminine one. It gave an interesting spin on an artistic character and shaped who she was as a person, especially a person trying to figure out where she belonged in the life of an ultra handsome former professional athlete. I also absolutely adored Ali’s dad. He was great comedic relief at times and made for a really special voice of reason for all the characters. I loved that he wasn’t just a throw away character, he really was an incredibly important part of the lives of the main characters and was appropriately well developed for how signifcant he was to the plot.
At times throughout the book, I did feel like I was a bit thrown into the action and felt like I never really got enough backstory about Hawk, like perhaps I was supposed to know things about his past and family history that I didn’t. But that could just be because, while these books can be read as standalone, this was the second book in the Destiny Bay series. But now that I’ve fallen completely in love with this world, I’m looking forward to catching up on the first book and carrying on reading any future books in the series.
Bradley Hawk thought he had found the kind of love that lasts forever, but his happily ever after came to a screeching halt when his wife decided that their marriage wasn’t built to last forever. He suffered an injury on the ice, and his NHL career was suddenly over, and not long after his wife decided that their marriage was over too. So he decided to move home to Destiny Bay, where he could heal in peace, and possibly discover a new path in life… never expecting that new path to lead him to his ex-sister-in-laws door!
Ali Marshal fell hard for Bradley Hawk the first time he walked into her life, they became fast friends, and she always hoped it would lead to love… and it did, but with her sister. Watching her sister have the life with Hawk that she had always dreamed of was excruciating, but then her sister did something totally unexpected and walked away from him. Now he is moved back home to Destiny Bay, and they have fell back into their comfortable friendship, and while she is thankful for his friendship she can’t help but want more… no matter how wrong it maybe. When her sister comes breezing back into town with life changing news, Ali’s instincts kick in and she comes to Hawk’s aid, claiming to be his girlfriend. She knows her sister news has the power to crush him, and she isn’t about to let that happen again, even if it means lying to her family. But soon the lies start to become the truth, and Ali finds herself getting a little closer to the dream she has had for so many years…
As soon as I swiped the last page on “Last Kiss Of Summer” I was left aching for more, I just wanted to spend a little more time with the folks from Destiny Bay, and stay wrapped up in their enchanting little world. So, when I had the opportunity to meet Ali and Hawk, I jumped at the chance, mainly because I knew just what I would be getting myself into… some seriously good reading!! Nobody does romance quite like Ms. Adair, she has a knack for creating story lines that have just the right amounts of sass, heartfelt emotion, sexy-fueled banter, and toe curling romance sure to steam up your screen!! Ali and Hawk were quite the pair, they had me laughing one moment, feeling the emotions and near tears the next, and then soon after blushing with their steamy between the sheets action… their story was AMAZING! Highly recommend you meet these two, their little journey to finding their forever love is sure to score a special place in your heart!