Sandy M’s review of The One Real Thing (Hart’s Boardwalk, Book 1) by Samantha Young
Contemporary Romance published by Berkley 6 Sep 16
I discovered Samantha Young after she’d already released a number of books in her On Dublin Street series. Though I’m better now about reading a book in the middle of a series, when I find an author I really, really like, I want to start at the beginning. So when her book Hero released back in February of 2015, I gave it try – and absolutely loved it. Thus, Ms. Young is now one of those authors I really, really like. If this new book of hers hadn’t been the beginning of a new series, I was determined to start reading On Dublin Street – from the beginning, yes. With this new series, however, I don’t have to worry about getting caught up. I’m already there, and I love her writing, her characters, her story telling. In essence, I love everything about her stories.
Jessica Huntington is a doctor in a women’s prison in Wilmington, Delaware. She enjoys her job, not only the doctoring but being an advocate for women who deserve kindness and a second chance. She has a guy on the side who she shares sex with, because a relationship would cause too many complications. Jess has no idea how complicated life is about to get.
At the prison she finds some forty-year-old letters hidden in a book. Jessica is so captivated with the partial story she reads in those letters, she decides to vacation in Hartwell, where Sarah, the inmate who wrote those mysterious letters, and her lost beau were from, when her original plans are cancelled. Her best friend, Matthew, and his family are needed at home and can’t make their annual trip with Jessica. So Jess makes her way toward the ocean and people who will change her life.
I love the way she runs into Cooper. Literally. He offers her sanctuary in his bar, and though their attraction is immediate, they both keep it under wraps. Jess is at peace in Hartwell. Bailey, the inn owner where Jess is staying, is the sister Jess never had. The shy bookstore owner next to Cooper’s bar opens up to the doc more than she has in the years she’s had her store on the boardwalk. There’s even something about slick businessman Vaughn Tremaine, Bailey’s direct competition in their small coastal town. All of the characters in this book are charming and have their own intriguing story. I look forward to learning more and more about them when it’s their turn in the series.
Jessica’s hero, Cooper Lawson, is one of those men who is too good to be true. He’s everything a romance hero should be – handsome, ripped, kind, fun, sexy, and a friend to everyone. All that, even though he’s had some tough times in his life. His ex is a piece of work, and I’m glad not only he but everyone in town makes sure the woman knows she’s not wanted around anymore. Cooper and Jess start out with a fling during the three weeks she’s in town, and there’s no denying the chemistry and deep emotion between them, along with the heat and sizzle. Their loving goes from intensely raw to lovingly sweet each time they’re together.
When all those feelings and emotions get tangled up in love, it’s Jessica who runs. There’s something in her past that makes her so sure Coop won’t want her after he learns whatever it is. This trope usually makes me very nervous. A good percentage of the time, once the past secret is revealed, it never seems severe enough for the reaction of the character so far in the book. However, this time it works. With a broken heart, Jessica eventually listens to those who know her pain and she finally puts her faith in the only one who really counts. I got pretty teary-eyed during the last quarter of this book as she tries to do what she thinks is the right thing versus what her heart wants and needs, especially the scene when she talks to her best friend.
Ms.Young does a wonderful job with small-town America in Hartwell. The community support at the end is the best and there’s lots of fun in trying to beat down the bad guy in town. There’s charm and emotion throughout this book, and I loved every last word. March 2017 can’t get here fast enough so I can revisit Hart’s Boardwalk and get more of the fast and furious banter between Bailey and Vaughn.
Grade: A
Summary:
Welcome to Hartwell, a quiet seaside escape where uncovering old secrets could lead one woman to discover the meaning of a love that lasts…
While Doctor Jessica Huntington engages with the inmates at the women’s correctional facility where she works, she’s always careful to avoid emotional attachments in her personal life. Loss and betrayal taught her that lesson long ago. But when she comes across a set of old love letters in the prison’s library and visits the picturesque town of Hartwell to deliver them to their intended recipient, she finds herself unable to resist the town’s charm—and her attraction to the sexy owner of a local bar proves equally hard to deny.
Since his divorce from his unfaithful ex-wife, Cooper Lawson has focused on what really matters: his family and the boardwalk pub they’ve owned for generations. But the first time Jessica steps into his bar, Cooper is beyond tempted to risk his heart on her. Yet as their attraction grows hotter and Jessica remains stubbornly closed off, he begins to realize it will take more than just passion to convince her there’s only one real thing in life worth fighting for….
No excerpt available.
Other books in this series:
