Series: Ocean Breeze (Book 3)
With her two younger sisters heading for the altar, will
Samantha Castle exchange old dreams for new ones? Lately she'd rather be on the
North Carolina coast with family than in New York with agents and actors.
Though she vows not to let her teenage crush on Ethan Cole influence her
decision, it's hard to ignore her feelings for the local war hero.
Ethan lost more than his leg in Afghanistan. He lost his
belief in love. Even being surrounded by couples intent on capturing
happily-ever-after won't open this jaded doctor's heart. It's going to take a
sexy, determined woman -- one who won't take no for an answer.
Very good conclusion to the series. Samantha is an
actress who lives in New York and is headed home for her sister Emily's wedding.
In the previous book, Wind Chime Point, her career was slowing down, so her
sister Gabi, a PR specialist, helped give it a boost. That boost didn't last,
and now Samantha realizes that she's lost the passion that drove her early
career. Going home will give her the chance to look at her options and come up
with a plan. Getting involved with her teenage crush was not in the plan.
Ethan came home from the war after losing part of his leg
and opened a clinic in his hometown. After being dumped by his fiancée because
he wasn't "whole," Ethan became jaded and cynical about love. As the
best man for Emily and Boone's wedding, he's surrounded by people that do
believe. This puts him at a disadvantage when the bride's family seems
determined to push him into Samantha's arms.
I liked both Samantha and Ethan. Samantha is independent
and focused, even when she's having a career crisis. Her family means
everything to her, which shows in her determination to do whatever her sister
needs. She is also very observant, a side effect of her work as an actress.
Ethan is a good man whose heart was stomped on by his ex. It did a number on
his confidence in his appeal to women, and as a result, he built up some pretty
solid walls around his heart. The only ones who get through them are the kids
he works with. I loved seeing him use his experiences to help children adapt to
injuries like his.
I loved watching the development of the relationship between
Samantha and Ethan. As maid of honor and best man, they need to be able to work
together. Because her family is well aware of that teenage crush, they are
determined to push Samantha and Ethan together whenever possible. Though the
sparks fly whenever they are together, Ethan is particularly resistant. It
doesn't take long for Samantha to be ready to see where those sparks take them.
She knows that she is risking heartbreak, but if she can break through his
walls, it will be worth it. I loved seeing how well she understood Ethan and
his fears and knew when to push and when to back off. Ethan knew he was
fighting a losing battle, but his fears went very deep. Just when things looked
very promising, they found themselves in the middle of a minor scandal. I
wanted to shake Ethan because he used what happened as an excuse to push Samantha
away, convincing himself that she would leave anyway. I was also mad at him for
failing to support her when she needed him. He did finally redeem himself in a
very satisfying manner, but he still let his pride hold him back. I loved
Samantha's strength as she stood up for herself and her needs. I liked his big
moment at the end as he finally let go of his fears and his pride. The epilogue
was a great wrap-up for the book.
A good part of the story was spent on Samantha's career
crisis and what she was going to do about it. I loved watching her at the high
school and how the drama kids inspired her. I especially liked her connection
with Cass. I ached for Samantha when she had to deal with Ethan's attitude and
lack of belief in her plans. It was hard to see Samantha's insecurities over
her chances to make those plans work, especially when she hit that bump in the
road. It was great to see the support she got from her family. When they talked
about bringing in guest actors, etc., I immediately thought of Bree from Flowerson Main. It would have been fun to see her provide some advice to Samantha.
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