Presley Ayers has had a series of disappointments: disappointment in not being where she wants in her career, disappointment in the boyfriend she finally dumped, and disappointment in going on this surprise birthday fishing trip alone when she had planned it for her and her boyfriend. After a bumpy ferry ride, lodging renovations, and a freezing room, can she find anything to warm her heart?
Enter Beckett, who is also on this trip to help out his siblings who have unexpectedly taken on this formerly abandoned fishing lodge. What he also doesn’t expect is the attraction to Presley and the bond he develops with the other guests.
Unfortunately, this book fell flat for me. I finished the book in the hopes that there would be some movement, conflict, or some surprise somewhere in the ending. However, I was disappointed. There weren’t any surprises in the plot and instead it felt (to me) like a bland storyline without any memorable conflict. Also, I struggled to find any passion in the sudden romance between Presley and Beckett. I think this is because it felt very technical as far as the description of their dialogues and interactions. There is a lot of focus on who is looking down or up and where the characters’ arms and legs are positioned rather than the intimacy of the conversations and kisses. For readers who prefer clean romances, this may be the book for you as there is mostly kisses in greeting and the passion is distracted by the many projects each character has to take on to get the lodge in order or to accommodate guest requests.
I also found issue with the social media aspect of the storyline. Presley has a social media presence that gets Beckett a lot of attention for his abs and she gains a following for the lodge because of it. It also is used as a reconciliation tactic later in the plot which reminded me of part of the plot of B.K. Borison’s book In The Weeds. The main issue I have with it is how repetitive it gets in referring to Beckett as “hot mountain man”. It is overdone and it didn’t make sense to me as it is not very clear if they are even in the mountains but at a lake.
Thanks to NetGalley and St. Martin’s Griffin for the ARC! I am leaving this review honestly and voluntarily.
g for the lodge because of it. It also is used as a reconciliation tactic later in the plot which reminded me of part of the plot of B.K. Borison’s book In The Weeds. The main issue I have with it is how repetitive it gets in referring to Beckett as “hot mountain man”. It is overdone and it didn’t make sense to me as it is not very clear if they are even in the mountains but at a lake.
Thanks to NetGalley and St. Martin’s Griffin for the ARC! I am leaving this review honestly and voluntarily.
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