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New Release Review and Giveaway! DESIRE AFTER DARK by Marie Force (Gansett Island #15)

About the book:

Tobias “Slim” Jackson has the perfect life as a pilot on Gansett Island in the summer and in Florida in the winter. He’s happiest when he’s in the air, or at least that was the case before last summer when he met Erin Barton, Gansett Island’s newest lighthouse keeper. Now he can’t seem to find his usual enthusiasm for flying, winter in the sunny South or anything that doesn’t include her.

Erin has been stuck on pause since she lost her twin brother. She’ll tell you herself that her life has been a hot mess since Toby died. After dropping out of law school, she’s flitted from one pointless job to another, existing rather than truly living. Then she comes to Gansett Island to take over as the new lighthouse keeper and meets Slim, who happens to share her beloved brother’s first name. That small coincidence is enough to convince Erin that she needs to spend more time with the dashing pilot—except for the fact that he’s spending the winter more than a thousand miles from her.

Now Slim’s come home to Gansett for the holidays and to hopefully pick up where he left off with Erin. He’s got twelve days before he’s due back in Florida to finish out the remainder of his winter obligations. A lot can happen in twelve days, but will it be enough to convince Erin that it’s time to start truly living again? Read Slim and Erin’s story and catch up with the rest of the Gansett Island cast in Desire After Dark!

 

Excerpt:

“I think your guy is here,” Jenny said.

Erin was on the verge of reminding Jenny that he wasn’t her guy when Slim came into the kitchen and made a liar out of her. Her heart nearly leapt from her chest at the sight of his handsome, smiling face as well as the windblown hair and the rugged leather jacket he wore. He was like a fantasy come to life, and his dark eyes drank her in.

“Is that Alex calling me?” Jenny asked, scooting from the kitchen to give them a moment alone.

“She’s nothing if not subtle,” he said.

“Always has been her strong suit.”

He came over to her, making her entire body go haywire in reaction to his nearness. What. The. Hell.

Unsure of what he expected, she looked up at him, trying to anticipate his next move. But when he merely hugged her, she sagged against him, breathing in the bewitching scent of man and leather and soap.

“Missed you,” he whispered, close enough to her ear to set off another series of unprecedented responses that converged in an insistent throb of desire between her legs.

Dear God. What was it about this man? How did he reduce her to a quivering pile of want simply by walking into a room and hugging her?

When she came up for air, she realized her arms were inside his coat and wrapped around his waist. If this was how she reacted when he was gone for a few hours, how would she feel when he left again to resume his winter life in Florida? She didn’t want to think about that, especially not while he was standing right in front of her, sizing her up with those sexy dark eyes that saw her a little too well for her liking.

“Did you miss me?”

“Did you go somewhere?”

His eyes glimmered with amusement, his smile transforming his face from handsome to ridiculously sexy. “You hurt me with your nonchalance.”

“Yes, I missed you. Feel better now?”

“I’ve never felt better in my life.”

Never?” she asked, relying on humor to hide her emotional reaction to his heartfelt words.

“Not that I can recall.”

With his fingers on her chin, he tipped her face up for a soft, sweet kiss that left her dizzy and dying for more.

“To be continued,” he said, releasing her.

 

Review:

A sweet romance and emotional read–this isn’t my first Marie Force book, but it is my first from the The McCarthys of Gansett Island series. Book 15 probably isn’t the one to start with–I’m pretty sure every single H/h from the series shows up here, multiple times–but it was an enjoyable read nonetheless, even if I did feel a little lost occasionally.

I loved Slim, even though his nickname is a bit odd. (Is it just me, or does “Slim” just scream “cowboy”?) He’s pretty much a dream guy–romantic, understanding, patient, gorgeous, and a pilot–seriously, if he had any flaws besides eternal bachelor (which was pretty much a thing of the past when the book started, though he hadn’t admitted it yet) I’ve completely forgotten them. I’m pretty sure if you looked up a definition for “sigh-worthy” you’d find his picture.

Erin, on the other hand, has issues. And then her issues have their own issues. I’m not saying they’re not justified, because they pretty much are, but whoa. I spent a lot of time urging her to “just tell him already!” (that she’s afraid of flying after her brother died in 9/11–she lives on an island and pilot BF Slim wants to fly her to lots of different places) before she finally did…when she absolutely had to. But still. She did work through a lot of her issues by the story’s end–though not the OCD, I don’t think–and it was rewarding seeing her finally embracing life (and Slim, LOL) more by the end.

There was a whole lot of scenes/side storylines from characters’ POVs that weren’t Erin or Slim–if I had to guess, I’d say about 1/4 to 1/3 of the book deals with past series characters. Though they added a lot to the story, I did feel a bit behind the times (not to mention slightly overwhelmed, trying to keep everyone straight!) because I didn’t already know these people and know them well. I can imagine that people who’ve read most or all of the rest of the series will love these parts. I will admit that at least one of them had me tearing up, but there were times that I just wanted to get back to Slim and Erin already. My fault, though, for starting with book 15. Boy, do I have a lot of catching up to do! 🙂

Rating: 4 stars / B+

I received a complimentary copy in exchange for an honest review.

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