Worth the wait
5 stars

Ever since Aurora appeared - then kept popping up - in earlier Carly Phillips novels, I’ve been looking forward to reading her story. Her rags to riches back story - a homeless, aged-out foster kid who suddenly finds herself part of a close-knit, rich family - is told in prior books, but it’s retold in detail in this story. So you can be a Carly Phillips virgin and still completely understand this tale. But if you have read previous books, you aren’t bogged down in detail either. So long story short - this is a standalone with it’s own HEA.

Nick and Aurora met once, years before when they were both young adults. They had an instant connection, one night together with no last names, and then lost touch. When they run across each other 6 years later, that connection flares back to life. It’s palpable and I got giddy just reading it and wondering what was to come!

Our heroine is Aurora - a single mum with a difficult childhood. She’s understandably got trust and abandonment issues but she’s managed to make a great life for herself and her daughter. She’s got high emotional walls and is smart and strong but Nick still manages to get past her defences. A strong, capable woman who isn’t afraid to tell it like it is and protects herself - I just loved her. So happy that she was getting her HEA.

Nick was a force of nature. He was all in with Aurora and all in with Leah. He was gorgeous and sexy, obviously, but he was also a good man and determined to do right by his new found family. I loved that he was out of his comfort zone with Leah but always tried his best. And he was so kind, caring and understanding of Aurora and her issues - but also not above using his natural charm and their connection to win her over. Basically, he was the perfect book boyfriend.

Like I said, Nick and Aurora together have such a connection. It’s not all about sex - although that is definitely smoking. The small touches, kisses, caresses and lingering, longing looks and thoughts make things seem very real and very delicious!

I’m not usually one for kids in my romances but I loved 5 year old Leah. She was a little bit sassy and a whole lot of fun. In fact, all the secondary characters were great to hear about. There were a lot of name checks of past and future couples, as well as some cameos. It was nice to hear about couples from earlier books but even better to be teased about which family members will soon get their own stories. One of the things I really love about Carly Phillips’ books is that great connection between family. These big, quirky, crazy families are so fun to read about and wish were your own.

This was a wonderful story about a deep connection between two really deserving and likeable characters. I had been really excited for this story and had high expectations - I’m so happy that they were not only met but exceeded. Definitely another 5 star read for me and very highly recommended. ( )