Hannah has a secret.  She knows James did not recognize her, but she wants to see where it leads before she tells him.  Hopefully the man of her dreams will make them come true.

James is frustrated.  Newly divorced from a diva with a capitol D, he wants to relax and find someone who cares about him for him.  Not his money.  He has secrets he is keeping too.

When it all hits the fan, these characters are stronger than they know.  If they can keep together and stay strong, it will be a brighter future for them both.  Can they make it past the secrets form their pasts?

I found the story to be charming.  Second chances in real life, are rare.  So that makes them all the more special.  I found Natalie's voice to be unexpected.  Very pleasant to listen to with the occasional surprises of accent with the words thrown in.  The story flew by and before I knew it was over.  I give this a 3/5 Kitty's Paws UP!

***This story was provided in exchange for a review.

There is a lot to unpack here with my feelings so I will try to be fair and concise with my review. While I did enjoy the writing style of the author, by the end of the book I was thoroughly aggravated with these characters and I wanted more answers. As noted in the content warning, this is not a book for young readers. There is a lot of dark and sinister things going on throughout the story and you should be prepared. I can’t go into too much detail without giving some major spoilers so just know that this is not a lighthearted book.

A few things I did enjoy about this story were the varying points of view. Olin and Gil find each other as adults after a high school romance ended badly. We are slowly filled in on their past as the story progresses giving unique perspective to the present situation. Gil’s troubled past and Olin’s unanswered questions about their breakup make for a lot of tension.

Truth be told, I feel like the story could have been a bit shorter. There was a lot of back and forth between Olin and Gil that seemed unnecessary. The chemistry between them was clear from the beginning and it felt like chapter after chapter of Gil telling her to go away and Olin refusing to stay away. By the time the story progresses it’s the end of the book and you are left to wait for the next book to get any real answers.

I did enjoy the author’s writing style and beautifully descriptive setting. The actual body painting scenes were so immersive you felt like a fly on the wall in the room. The artistry of the the process came through and was really interesting to read. The chemistry between Olin and Gil was strong, the tension immense, and the unanswered questions plentiful.

I would recommend this story to readers who enjoy a lot of suspense and love/hate relationships. If you enjoy jumping into a storm of drama and mystery then this is the book for you.

He's the fly in her ointment. She's the queen of his heart. If only they would get on the same page. Stone and Pepper are like oil and water. They don't mix. Until one kiss changes all the rules. Cliffside Bay never fails to turn my emotions into a sappy mess. Thompson explores the best and worst that love has to offer. With whimsy, heart and wisdom, she gets it right every time.

The Audio Book:

Book source ~ ARC. My review is voluntary and honest.

This story is about Sean O’Donnell, a poor Irish-Italian kid who ends up working for a snob mob boss. Then he falls head-over-instalove for said mob boss’s daughter despite all the warnings to stay away from her. Damn. This guy is a moron. At least the mob boss’s daughter is also stupid, so they have that in common.

I was so close to just giving up on this one. Sean isn’t a very good character. He calls himself stubborn to a fault. Yeah, he is that. He’s also not smart. And he’s a tool. There’s also instalove between him and Nicole. Sure. Let’s believe that. Nicole is a caricature. The pretty, bratty, mob boss’s princess. She has no other identity other than this. Gag me. The whole book is one huge flashback. The best part was the ending. Not because it was the ending, but because the ending was pretty awesome. Other than that, it’s an entire book of meh filled with two-dimensional characters and clichés.