Author: Kimberly Derting
Series: The Men of West Beach #1
Genre: Adult contemporary romance
Release Date: August 27th, 2017
Publisher: Kingsley Books
Source: Review copy received from Xpresso Book Tours
My rating: 5 stars
Synopsis:
Can two people whose dreams have been cast aside find a new passion…together?
No one ever expected straight-A student Lauren Taylor to make waves. But that was the old Lauren, before she went to college and became an online stripper to make ends meet. Now, Lauren is on the run with a secret and a bag of cash, fleeing landlocked Arizona for the beaches of California.
Will Gabaldon was one of the hottest surfers on the circuit, but fate had something else in mind. When a surfing accident shattered his budding career, Will was forced into a life of tending bar and doing odd jobs just to survive.
A swim instructor with secrets like Will is the last thing Lauren wants. A distraction like Lauren is the last thing Will needs.
But soon, both discover there’s one thing more dangerous than the wave that ended Will’s career: Love.
My Review:
I've enjoyed Derting's YA books, and I guess it isn't surprising that I really enjoyed her first adult romance book as well. I pulled this book up on my computer at work on Monday during a time when I wasn't able to do much besides sit at my desk and help students. I got sucked in, and when I got home, I pulled it up on my phone's Kindle app, and pretty much finished it before bed. It was a very quick read, and also kept you on the edge of your seat with the back and forth between Lauren and Will. Honestly, I kinda hated Will for his wishy-washiness, hot and cold treatment of her from the beginning. Like Lauren, at first we were left wondering who the girl that Will was living with was, and why he had to take care of her first before letting himself be happy.
I had to wonder more about what had happened to Lauren though, that made her so sure she would be in trouble with the police for the incident that occurred due to her online stripping. And I like how the author kept us wondering for so long, as well as how it was resolved. In the end I did fall in love with Will, once I knew all of his story, and I was able to forgive him, mostly, for how he had behaved in the beginning.
There were definitely very steamy scenes in the book, as well as some that did bring a tear to my eye. There were parts that made me laugh, and I'm excited to read more in this series, and find out about the other characters we met in this book. Definitely a great debut into the world of adult fiction for Derting. And because I am such a fan of her, I'm going to share one of the pictures of when I've met her. Now I'll have to get a physical copy of this book to get autographed next time I get the chance to see her.
