I loved the last Mira Lyn Kelly book I read, so I was excited when NetGalley sent me an email about this one. Not only do I enjoy the romance in her novels, I like the friendships between the various characters.
I received an ARC of this book from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.
One-Sentence Synopsis
A game developer falls back in love with the woman who’d left him in college, determined to make it work this time despite how reluctant she seems to engage in a relationship with him. For a full synopsis, see this book’s Goodreads page.
Blast From the Past
Ford Meyers is the mind behind a major video game that, along with some good investments, has made him a wealthy guy. But he doesn’t share this with women because he’s been burned by them wanting him for his money and all the things he can buy them. The only exception is Brynn Ahearne, who knew him before he made it big. In college, they had a great connection, and Ford thought they were in love…until Brynn left and never came back. So when he sees her in a bar and finds out she’s living in his neighborhood, he hopes to become reacquainted.
Family Obligations
Brynn loved Ford just as much, but her family was a mess, her father a compulsive gambler who got in trouble with loan sharks and always found a way to manipulate her and her loved ones into funding his ventures. When Brynn lost everything to one of his schemes, she stayed away from Ford to protect him from her father. Now that they’ve reconnected, she feels she has to keep her distance because her dad is getting out of jail and she knows the whole cycle is about to start again.
Conflict & Chemistry
I loved Ford as the nerdy hero who wants Brynn to trust him and to stop leaving him. Brynn is likable, but she frustrated me with her “need to protect” stuff. I understand that she was scared that something would happen to Ford and his family, since she’d seen it firsthand when it came to her father, but I really just wanted her to tell her father to go piss up a rope or run him over with a truck or something.
The Romance Factor
So many feels. The story is told from both main points of view and I found it sweet how much they felt for each other. Even though this was a second chance romance and not my favorite trope, I really liked that there seemed to be a hint of fate to them having met again. And while it’s not really blatant until the end, I enjoyed the damsel-in-distress factor as well. 5/5
The Steam Factor
I think the previous book in the series was a little steamier, but this one definitely held its own with a mix of intense and emotional sexy times between Brynn and Ford. 4/5
Final Thoughts
This was a fast read that still managed to pack in a ton of angst and enough conflict to make me happy. Now I want to go back and read the series again.
The Romance Factor 