Publication date: July 20, 2021
Genres: Adult/New Adult, Contemporary, Romance
Series: True North #8
Format: eARC
Source: Author
4.25 Stars
It’s a tale as old as time: the bad boy meets the
good girl. He makes a daring proposition. Then the boy gets a mysterious head
injury and loses a year of his life…
The first time I meet Rickie, I don’t know what to make of him. The second time
we meet, he doesn’t remember the six hours we spent together. Or standing me up
afterward.
I’m not the same, either. I’ve got secrets. I’ve told lies. Bad boys aren’t my
type, anyway. Even the ones with seductive gray eyes.
But now we’re roommates. Cue the awkward moments in the hallway when he’s
wearing only a towel and a smile. He’s determined to win me over, and his
talented hands weaken my resolve.
It’s all fun and games until my past rears its ugly head and his secrets come
to light, shaking our fragile connection, maybe even breaking it…
It’s hard to explain Rickie’s unusual appeal. Every sexy word that comes out of his mouth is infused with humor. Like he’s teasing himself at the same time he’s teasing me. As if he doesn’t mind sounding a little ridiculous if he makes his point.
Rickie is flirtatious and charming but there is so much more going on than the here-for-a-good-time persona he displays. Dealing with the after-effects of an event he can’t even remember – an event that left him physically broken and emotionally traumatized – Rickie has secrets of his own.
I loved Daphne and Rickie as a couple and they way they balanced one another. They were both trying to deal with their pasts and that gave them a unique perspective and allowed them to understand and support each other in a way they truly needed. Rickie’s background, in particular, captivated me and added something of a mystery element to the story. I was so impressed by the amount of research that must have gone into Rickie’s backstory (and recovery) and I lapped up every detail as the past was slowly revealed.
“We’re more alike than you think.”
“We are?” I ask as his hand cups my face.
“Yeah,” he whispers. “Messy lives and greedy hearts. That’s us, Shipley.”
Beyond Daphne and Rickie, there was so much Shipley family goodness to enjoy. Old favorites and new, a wedding, and Grandpa Shipley’s dating antics… it all combined to deliver another top notch entry in the True North series from the amazing Sarina Bowen.
