FEELS
LIKE THE FIRST TIME
Author: Marina
Adair
Series: Destiny
Bay, #2
On Sale: April 25,
2017
Publisher: Forever
Mass Market: $7.99
USD
eBook: $5.99 USD
In
the tradition of New York Times bestselling authors Rachel Gibson, Kristan
Higgins, and Jill Shalvis, comes the second book in a funny and charming new
small-town contemporary romance series by Marina Adair.
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 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 fiancé,
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?
Ali nodded because she needed him more than
she needed her next breath.
The
intensity of her feelings terrified her. They always had. Even at seventeen she
knew what she felt went beyond the run-of-the-mill teenage crush. She’d been in
love. Sure, it was a young, simple love, but it was love all the same.
Only he’d loved someone else.
So when he married her sister, she did her
best to let him go. But no matter how painful it had been for her, and at times
the ache was so acute it had been paralyzing, she was never able to set him
completely free. Choosing the pain over the loss.
Now he was back, looking at her how she
always looked at him, as if he’d never let go, and Ali gave in to the fantasy.
Played out the what-ifs she carried with her for over a decade. He’d been hers
for so long, she let herself believe that she was his, too.
He was asking for right here, right
now—this she knew. Tomorrow, reality would creep in, and everything would go
back to the way it was. But tonight, sitting on this beach, overlooking a world
bigger than the two of them, Ali wanted to feel what it was like to be loved by
the man who owned her heart.
“I want,” she said.
“What do you want, Aliana?” he whispered,
the sound of her name on his lips doing crazy things to her. Crazy girly things
that made her feel delicate and desirable.
“I want you.” She trailed her hands down
his pecs to that flat stomach and lower, loving how his muscles rippled and
curled under her touch. “I want you to pamper me so hard I won’t remember how
to walk come morning.”
Hawk’s eyes darkened, and his mouth was on
hers. Hard and demanding, and just how she’d imagined. There was no warm-up, no
testing the waters. He was kissing her as if he knew what he wanted.
And he wanted Aliana.
Their mouths were fused together, her hands
gripping his shoulders for purchase, but his fingers were gentle, languidly
exploring her face, her neck, the curve of her shoulder, slowly moving down her
arm and bringing the wide neckline of her shirt with him.
He never stopped kissing her, but she felt
his lashes flutter open, realized that she’d never closed her own. Then his
deep brown eyes locked on hers, watching her as they kissed, and it was erotic
and unexpected. As she watched him back, she felt his lips curl into a smile. Could
feel the dimples on both cheeks come alive under her touch.
“You like to watch,” Hawk growled, and she
felt her cheeks flush.
Ali never considered herself a watcher. But
Hawk was such a beautiful and commanding man, she’d never been able to look
away. Not even now, when her body was begging for release. He was that good—a
simple kiss and she was so turned on, she could feel her body shaking.
That smile turned cocky.
“It’s not like I stand there peering
through your bedroom window at night,” she said, leaving out that night he was
at the bar. His bedroom window during the morning, when he was walking around
after a shower. She was more than guilty.
“I’ve peered through yours.”
And to prove he wasn’t the least bit
ashamed, he lowered his head and placed an openmouthed kiss on her shoulder,
those eyes of his never leaving hers. Not even when he moved lower toward her
collarbone, his mouth working her with a softness that took her by surprise and
a reverence that made her feel as if she was precious.
Ali wasn’t sure what to do. Hard,
challenging, complicated—that was what she was used to. But this was light,
simple—too easy to be real. It confused her as much as it terrified her.
Feels Like the First Time is the second
installment of Marina Adair’s Destiny Bay series and this is Ali and Hawk’s
story – and my goodness, what a story it was.
Ali has been in love with Hawk for the longest time, but Hawk is still has
feelings for his ex-wife, Bridget (who just happens to be Ali’s sister), and
doesn’t have a clue about Ali’s feelings – so they have remained in the friend
zone for the longest time. Things change
though when Hawk agrees to be Ali’s date to Bridget’s engagement party and
sparks start to fly and Hawk finally sees that true love was right in front of
him the entire time. There is a lot going
on in this story, and I don’t want to spoil anything, but it does end happily
and left me with a huge smile on my face.
For
the most part, I loved this story except that there was a lot of family drama
going on and I felt like at times it overshadowed the love story that should
have been the focus. I understand that
for Ali and Hawk to get to where they needed to be in their relationship, the
drama was important to the story, I just wished there could have been less. Regardless, this was a sweet romance that
swept me away and tugged at my heart.
All the characters were amazing, especially Marty (Ali’s father), who
will forever have a place in my heart. I
love with the small town feel of Destiny Bay, not only for its charm but also the
hilarity of how everyone knows everyone’s business due to the gossip train.
I
absolutely love Ms. Adair’s writing style, as she has a knack of drawing me
into the story, keeping me engaged and entertained the entire time. Feels
Like the First Time is a lovely story of second chance love that left me
feeling lighthearted and happy. Even
though this is the second book of the series, it could be read as a stand-alone,
but I highly recommend reading the first book, Last Kiss of Summer, because it was also a great book and you are
introduced to the characters that are mentioned in this story. Overall, Feels
Like the First Time is a wonderful story filled with romance, friendship and
a lesson in learning to forgive, set in a charming town with lovable
characters. Check it out….you will not
be disappointed!
4
stars
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THE
DESTINY BAY SERIES
Marina
Adair is a #1 National bestselling author of romance novels and holds a Master
of Fine arts in creative writing. Along with the Sugar, Georgia series, she is
also the author the St. Helena Vineyard series, and her new Heroes of St Helena
series. She currently lives with her husband, daughter, and two neurotic cats
in Northern California.
As
a writer, Marina is devoted to giving her readers contemporary romance where
the towns are small, the personalities large, and the romance explosive.
