For schoolteacher Nicki Fitch, a summer in Hawaii is the perfect opportunity to overcome a lifetime of phobias and heartbreak. But when she gets to Maui, she discovers the guy who broke her heart in college is living in her paradise. How can she tackle her fears when the biggest one of all is walking around shirtless—and refuses to leave her alone?
About to turn thirty, Ansel has never wasted his life of privilege—if only his father saw it that way. When Dad cuts him off financially, Ansel moves into his family’s vacation home to make his own fortune in real estate. The last thing he needs is his sister’s leggy, beautiful friend distracting him. Unfortunately, he’s had little practice resisting temptation.
As the days and nights unfold along the luxurious Maui shores, Nicki and Ansel find themselves sharing more and more… and more. But will either one of them have the courage to bring what they find together home with them when the summer’s over?
Diving In by Gretchen Galway is a steamy contemporary. The romance is brewing to a whole new level. The heat is just right. A school teacher who crushes on her hot friend soon learns that he is engaged to another woman. Feeling a bit betrayed and hurt, Nicki Fitch, leaves for Hawaii. There she gets to stay in a friend's house while relaxing...but then trouble soon finds her. What she didn't expect was to find her first love aka crush hotter than ever and living in the same condo...it was his condo.
But he doesn't tell her that nor corrects her. She's gorgeous and something about her...hits him hard. He can't remember but he definitely knew her...
Nicki finds her friend's brother at the condo...but he doesn't recognize her at all. That only makes her feel worse. But as they spend time together, their chemistry levels spike.
Diving In is intense,sweet, and funny. I loved the interaction between characters. Their issues were realistic. Gretchen Galway created a fun atmosphere with a feel good emotional journey attached. The rode to this new adventure starts out bumpy but ends up smooth...hot, addictive, and entertaining. I couldn't stop reading. Overall, I recommend this new romance to readers everywhere.
If I thought the first book had heaps of dysfunctional family drama, this one ups the ante by another factor of magnitude entirely. Ansel and Nicki have well-ordered lives that are pretty close to exactly the way they like them. But then both of them meet outside forces that shove them off their garden paths. Nicki discovers that her best friend and secret crush is engaged to another woman. Ansel receives an ultimatum from his father to prove that he’s not just wasting his life and the family fortune. When they’re stuck under the same roof in Maui, they not only have to deal with all of the things that have disrupted their regularly scheduled lives, but also all the feelings and hurts from that decade-ago encounter that left a deeper lasting impression on one of them. I loved seeing the very careful way Nicki approached overcoming her fears and phobias. And I was particularly glad to see Ansel and his father sort out their differences. I loved Ansel and Nicki as a couple almost as much as they frustrated me. And I adored that we got to see the Happy Ever Afters of just about everybody from the first book as a special bonus to this one.
This book succeeded despite itself. I really didn't love Nicki in the beginning - she was way too self-deprecating and glum for my taste. I don't know if the author is 6 feet tall herself, but the beginning definitely captures some of the feelings of a taller than average woman at probably some point in her life. I didn't need so much emphasis on that since it doesn't really impact the majority of the book. It was odd she dwelled on it for as long as she did.
I also didn't get the whole Miles part outside of the beginning. We never really get into what made him SO great - we didn't get to see it only hear about it and not even that much. There were lots of bits and pieces like that dropped as well as a super quick wrap up, but the essence was there. I felt like Ansel was a better developed character that had sides and some depth. I think I'm good on not reading another in this series but this one did make me want to see how it ended.
After an unrequited love gets engaged, Nicki is using her summer break to deal with all her reemergent phobias. But whom does she run into? An old school fling, if you can even call him that. Ansel is crashing at his parents' Hawaiian condo while he's in town on business. The arrival of Nicki just made his stay there an indefinite one. The two reconnect while Nicki challenges herself and overcomes her fear of water. Up until this point, the book is great- humorous and smart and emotionally real. Then there are some unexpected visitors, some overheard words, some unfriendly opinions and an argument about an early declaration of love. I agree. It was entirely too soon for him to make the declaration, but what follows doesn't fix the ridiculous nature of their relationship. Sadly, the novel falls into romance novel cliches and ends with the cliched HEA. So for plot and romance, this novel almost succeeded in being both realistic and uplifting. The characters were likeable and well-developed, but there was some narration that forgot key information, thus falling again into the RN cliche.
Overall an enjoyable read, but the ending fell flat for me.
This was a cute story with good characters. It's easy to sympathize with the heroine, who finds out the guy she's been obsessing over just got a new fiancee. She definitely has to mourn that loss of relationship, and it's not something she is going to be able to talk to most people about. I like that her anxiety and phobias are treated as challenges that are not insurmountable, and we get to see her deal with them. I liked the hero, too. It was nice to see him questioning things about his life and trying to figure out what his calling was. Fun read, well written, and it made me almost want to go to Hawaii.
Fear can be many things. Mostly, it is considered as an obstacle or an opportunity. hen we learn to let go of our fears, we learn how to live fully, without worrying all the time or having panick attacks. Life is supposed to be lived completely, but how are we supposed to do that if we are afraid? I am not saying that it is wrong to be afraid, because it is okay to be of some things, but the real problem comes when we let our fears dictate who we are and what we do.
Should have been a sweet story with sympathetic characters about overcoming obstacles and finding happiness in yourself and helping someone else do the same and then finding happiness together, but their combined neuroses were so overwhelming that they ruined the story. I had no idea where these two stood either with themselves, with their families and friends. or with each other. One step forward, 1-3 steps back. Very frustrating.
A quick read, with a good plotline. The characters are dynamic and very self introspective. The main characters had a lot of growth throughout, and the back round characters, provided some insight into the main characters neurosis' and flaws. A good, light read all around.
Even a week and a half after reading, this book stuck with me. The heroine's phobia was well done without making her look weak and worthless and the hero's issues with his father/the family wealth was thoughtful and ended far better than I expected. Overall, a fun read that also had more depth than is average for its genre.
DNF at 51 %. This is one of the most boring books I have ever read. It is a very rare occurrence that I dont complete a book, but I have been trying to push myself to finish this book, but I just can't take it anymore. The characters and story are both so slow paced that they make me want to fall asleep.
Nicki has lots of fears. They keep her living in a tight spot. Just as she loses her male friend(who she never told of her love), she gets a free summer in a Hawaiian condo. She decides to work on her fear of the water there. On arrival she finds a man from her past and all bets are off.
A fun read about a heroine with a lot of anxieties and a good heart and a sense of humor. For a book I picked up because it was free (and had an illustrated cover rather than this one), I really enjoyed it and found it well-paced and clear of any writing or editing issues. Hanging out in Maui during a chilly March in upstate NY doesn't hurt, either.
Such an awesome story. The story is about Ansel with the huge giving heart and Nicki who has anxiety and phobias to overcome. Their journey and discovery to find themselves and true love is a lot of fun. I loved every minute of this book!
Neurotic protagonist working through her stuff, sensitive guy that is a bit lost and meddling characters, Maui... This book had everything going for it but something just annoyed me. I was really disappointed with this book.
I have loved all the books from Gretchen Galway.. Dis one was a add to it.. With a female character having many phobias.. And the male character supporting about it.. A very fun and breezy read.. And make u feel like you are on a beachy tropical island..!!
This book felt more like real life than any I've read before. It reminds me of Shakespeare with characters working at cross purposes but things coming right in the end. I loved Nikki and Ansel.
Liked the writing style, easy to read. Realized it's part of a series, so they will probably go on my never ending to-read list :) I liked Nicki a lot with all her strange but at the same time familiar fears!
Uch! I didn't even finish this book. It was boring. I got as far as 52% and gave up. Nothing really exciting happened to hold my attention. I struggled to get as far as I did. Just couldn't read anymore. Both main characters are boring.
A truly funny love story. Nicki and Angel figure it out when she wins a trip to his family’s condo in Maui. Angel happens to be there. That work together to have Nicki get over her anxieties bring about a HEA.
This book was great. After reading another poorly written romance, this one was a real treat. I was hooked straightaway on the characters and really invested in their love and life story. Looking forward to reading more from Gretchen
This book was super cute where a girls best friend sets her up with her brother, while trying to tackle her phobias after being heartbroken by who she thought was the one