The prodigal playboy is back
and nothing is the same...
...except the attraction that still sizzles between Jake Lowell and the woman he left behind. But the globe-trotting bachelor is in for a surprise! Nikki Reardon is now a mother -- to the daughter he never knew. He once blamed Nikki for the fall of his iconic family...now he can't resist her. Will their slow burn spark a second chance or burn down all they hold dear?
Good book. It is the last in the series, and even though I haven't read the others (yet), I felt that I knew what was happening. Fifteen years earlier, both Jake's and Nikki's fathers were accomplices in embezzling from their company. Nikki's father died while fleeing from the police, and Jake's father disappeared. The ensuing scandal ruined the lives of many people, including Jake and Nikki. They had been high school sweethearts, and Jake broke her heart when he left.
Nikki and her mother were left with nothing after her father's death. Several years were very hard as they adjusted to their new circumstances. Five years ago, Nikki ran into Jake in Atlantic City, where they had an intense night together before Jake disappeared again.
Jake's method of coping was to flee the country. He hasn't been home in fifteen years and only recently reconnected with his brothers. Their father has been captured, and they plan to attend the court proceedings. Jake gets the shock of his life when he finds out he's the father of a four-year-old girl.
I enjoyed the development of the relationship between Nikki and Jake. He is knocked for a loop when he finds out about Emma. While he wants to do right by her, he has no plans to stick around. Nikki is wary of Jake's intentions and is reluctant to trust that him. Protective of her daughter, she doesn't want Emma to grow to love Jake, only to have him disappear from her life. Complicating matters is the intense attraction between Jake and Nikki. Their chemistry is explosive, but Jake has a hard time dealing with the feelings that come along with it.
I liked Jake, but there were times I wanted to shake him. He's great with Emma and wants to be a good father. He also believes that he isn't capable of the commitment needed because he ran away before. He yearns to have something more with Nikki but is afraid of the strength of his feelings. When he tries to half-ass his relationship with Nikki, she rightfully blasts him for being unwilling to take a chance.
I liked Nikki. She has come a long way since her days as a spoiled teenager. She is strong and resilient, and protective of her daughter and mother. Her worry over whether to trust Jake was understandable considering her experience with him. I liked that she was willing to give him a chance to get to know Emma. Though Nikki tried to protect her heart, she soon realized that she had never stopped loving him. Because of that, she refused to accept anything less than his love in return.
It took facing his mother and brothers, admitting his mistakes, and finally confronting his father for Jake to let go of the past. I loved his big moment at the end as, in an emotional scene with Nikki, he finally shared the feelings he'd been running from.
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