Nathan knows something about Haven that he promised her he would never speak of to anyone. But this eventually also turns into the reason why he keeps his distance from her so he doesn't cause her any more pain. For years they skirted around each other, wanting each other but never giving in. Until one day Nathan helps Haven out during a storm, which inevitably causes them to spend time in close quarters, and all the feelings they'd tried to hide come rushing back. Nathan is done trying to keep his distance, and now he just needs to convince Haven to give him a shot and take a chance on him.

Both Nathan and Haven tried to avoid their feelings, and there was more to the story that made Haven believe that Nate couldn't stand her because of what he witnessed; however, that wasn't the case from Nate's perspective. The two slowly get talking and address these feelings and start opening up.

First, the things I liked:
The Shaw family lunch and game day. I honestly had so much fun with the way the entire family got together and competed. I especially enjoyed the way they all accepted Haven into the fold and how easily she got into the competitive spirit of the Shaw family.

I loved the way Lily teased Nathan. That whole part was so hilarious, and I laughed so hard at how she told on Nathan and left him scrambling and the death glares that followed.

The proposal. I found that proposal so damn adorable, and it warmed my heart. The epilogue that followed was also something I thought was so sweet.

I would still want to read the other books in the series because I am intrigued by other characters.


This book didn't hit the mark for me, and that was because (SOME SPOILERS AHEAD):

Once they addressed the miscommunication and the other feelings they had over their secret from the past, things went from 0-100 instantly. The romance felt lackluster, and I wasn't truly invested because I didn't quite feel the angst, build-up, or the push and pull between these two. I wish Nash's reluctance was explored more and better communicated.

It is said that after they had a sort of fallout, they resorted to being snarky with each other whenever they crossed paths, but I didn't really see that happening in the book. Yes, they were awkward and a bit defensive with each other at the beginning, but I just couldn't connect with them or get an understanding of what their relationship was like. A lot was told and not shown. This is also book 9 in the series, and I started with this, so that's partially on me too. It felt like the couple had already been established and their story was already ongoing, so it felt like starting midway. 

The POV kept changing in certain chapters at random intervals or in random paragraphs, which felt confusing. Like just one line or paragraph from a different POV in between.

Personally, I'm not a fan of the whole "Yeah, I slept around, but I was always thinking of you while I was sticking my dick in others." Yikes, no. Also, what made Nate randomly stop pushing her away now when he'd been doing so for years? It couldn't have been just because she spent a night at his place during the storm. What Haven went through was utterly traumatizing, but we never truly get into this or get her thoughts on it. They just mention that she's seeing a therapist. I'm sure that experience would've impacted her ability to get intimate, but she showed no signs of that, and it wasn't even discussed.

She was a virgin, and after all that shit between them, their first time was so rushed and lacked any emotional connection for me.

Some things felt a bit too repetitive for me. Also, why is everyone just so eager to do charity work? The minute things got serious between Nate and Haven, it's like the entire town was tripping over themselves to give back to the community (i.e., Haven's dog park). It just felt so unbelievable when so many people kept wanting to donate their time and do everything for free, or some member of that Shaw family was funding it.

There were so many jumps every couple of chapters where more weeks passed by, and they gave an update of what their relationship was like, and it just all felt like there wasn't much to show. They got together far too quickly, confessed their feelings the same day, and then it was just not going anywhere... I kept waiting for the other shoe to drop or for there to be SOMETHING more to it.

Her so-called ex kept showing up everywhere, not taking a hint... until he didn't. He just stopped existing as soon as Nate made his move. There was no drama from his side for the way he kept coming back for Haven even after she'd said no. I really thought that plot might be explored a bit, but it just felt random and incomplete. Like he was there only to add a bit of drama before they got together, which didn't make sense with the way he disappeared, never to be even mentioned again.

The situation with Haven's dad was so anticlimactic. When that happened, I was like, okay, now we're getting somewhere. This will be the closure she needed or the step she takes to fight back or whatever. But the way that entire situation fizzled out within 2 pages was just not it. I kept waiting for something... anything to happen, and it finally did, only for it to be dealt with sooooo sooo quickly.

Thank you to Kelly Elliott and Grey's Promotions for providing me with the ARC in exchange for an honest review.