Then… He was the boy next door, sweet and kind even in his teenage brooding, the whip-smart kid teachers revered. He was her first love.
Now… He is a prodigious real estate mogul, achingly handsome, a man who feeds on big-city energy. He wants her to be his.
Will he be her first and last love? That was a very dangerous prospect.
Robby Galleon ripped Sophia Whitman’s heart into jagged pieces when he went away to college. So when he came back to Sonoma Valley after five years, Sophia refused to let him woo her. Until that unintended kiss. The boy had become a man—a handsome, compelling scion.
But things were so much more complicated now. Robby’s work as a real estate broker required him to be in San Francisco, and hers as a tasting room manager required her to be in wine country. He chose his career over her and moved away, again. And she bled, again.
But it was when she bought a house to renovate and flip, that the real trouble began. Their love was all grown up, but could it survive the punishing realities of life and a secret kept?
A SEXY NEW ADULT ROMANCE RECOMMENDED FOR READERS AGE 18 AND OVER, DUE TO MATURE CONTENT.
Through one of the GoodReads discussion groups, I volunteered to read this book for review and received this eBook from the author. This is the second book of what appears will be a trilogy, titled Winemaker's Daughters -- three daughters being the backbone of three related, but stand alone, books.
In summary, this book picks up with a former high school sweetheart couple becoming reaquainted upon his return to the West Coast, after college years spent on the East coast where his education, time and efforts were focused on learning the real estate trade. While he was at college, she remained home in the Sonoma region working in her family's winery business, becoming good at her job. In a cold turkey method, he broke up with her when he left for college and both ended up having heart break from that break-up. He has returned and is interested in getting back together with her, though, she feels a bit unaccomplished and non-adult by having not gone to college and still feels the sting of his break up from years ago. He comes back a "city boy" and she remains the "country girl" and the question is whether the two can indeed get back together. Layered on top is a challenge she's put herself into to prove to herself, her family and him, that she has grown into her adult self and can rise up to challenges and succeed.
At slightly over 200 pages and little to mild angst/tension/drama, this quick read story has a novella feel. This is a new adult romance, but I found that the H/h couple were very calm, nearly nonplussed, in their reacquaintance and possible "back together again". Her thoughts and their words speak emotion, but I don't feel the uncertainty or wariness he or she is said to have in their reunion.
For a newly released book, a (thankfully) good, solid, respectable effort was made in editing! The characters are logical, capable, intelligent, realistic individuals (too often 20-somethings written in contemporary NA romances are naive, ignorant and unbelievable in so many ways, but not here!!), though possibly not as vibrant as they could be. Our heroine may be a limited-experience, small-town, country girl who believes she has something to prove, even if it is just to herself, but she is indeed capable, intelligent and knowledgeable enough to know when she needs to learn and when she needs help.
The story line is uncomplicated, straightforward and a bit too neat. On the whole, this book is a good, solid, light read. You know going in how the story will end -- no surprises.
I really liked Sophia. She was a strong, independent heroin. She knew what she wanted and went for it. Though she did have some trouble standing her ground when it came to Robby.
I thought this was a fun easy read. I really liked the whole Whitman family. I enjoyed everything with her project. The only thing is, I felt like the story focused so much on that and on Sophia, that there really wasn't a lot of romance to be had. I would have liked to see a little more of Robby and Sophia. I never really got the connection with Robby, that I usually get with the male lead in a book.
I did enjoy the HEA ending and I would definitely check out more books by this author.