This book proves two things: that long distant relationships are a lost cause, and living in a small town can make you do crazy things.
What’s it About?
Texas summers are no doubt some of the hottest you’ll find. The heat encountered during this summer is not at all what Taylor bargained for. She’s at a crossroads between childhood and womanhood, rummaging through the emotions of first love versus passion. Two young men tangle a web of needs and desires in her heart. The summer before college begins, Taylor is thrust from her childhood home in Houston to an inherited family farm on the outskirts of Schulenburg, Texas. Eric, her first love, has gone states away to play college football. Low-spirited and merely trying to get through an expectantly boring summer, she is nearly run off the road by her new country neighbor, Maxwell. Ruggedly handsome, devilishly charming and everything Taylor seeks to avoid, Maxwell does something to her emotions she’s struggling desperately to interpret, as they spend the summer filled with each other. Boundaries are tested and the scales of lust tip despite hesitations. A final decision must be made. Did she ever truly love Eric? Is Maxwell simply a lustful thought, or is there more to uncover beneath the surface? One thing is for certain, this summer will change Taylor in every possible way: mind, body and soul.
First Impressions
After moving to a new house with her family during the summer before college, Taylor has an immediate attraction for her neighbor Max. She initially tries to stay away from him, but boredom, and the constant urging from her parents pushes Taylor and Max closer together. Pause.
What the hell kind of parents are these that they are basically encouraging their daughter to hang out with the hunky neighbor boy, and ignore the fact that she has a boyfriend? They have absolutely no reservations about the two spending more time together, and really seem to want them to hit it off. And not just in a friendly way, if you know what I mean. I feel like this encouragement would have been much more believable if they hadn’t liked Taylor’s boyfriend, Eric, but he seemed like an upstanding guy.
Attraction Equals Trouble
The majority of the book deals with Taylor struggling with her love for Eric, and these new unknown feelings for Max. I guess what really surprised me was how quickly Taylor equated her attraction to Max as reflective of a deeper issue in her relationship with Eric, especially since things were going so well between them at the start of the summer. But as soon as she meets Max, and admits to herself that he’s good to look at, she thinks that means she doesn’t really love her boyfriend. Oh honey, just because you’re in a relationship doesn’t mean that all other men suddenly become frogs.
I read an article once which talked about how a high percentage of people are already dating someone else when they meet “the one”. Therefore, I guess it shouldn’t be hard to believe that Taylor would have considered moving on to Max even though she was already dating Eric. I suppose what I found so strange though was that she started questioning her relationship with her boyfriend merely because of her physical attraction to Max. They hadn’t even spent a lot of time together to actually see if they connected on a deeper level before she started having doubts.
*I received a signed ARC of this book at BookExpo America*
Series: Nope
Should you read it? It’s actually a very interesting tale of growing up, and questioning how you’re supposed to know if someone is worth the risk. How do you know when it’s time to end a previous relationship? If it should end at all? And if it’s right moving on to someone new?
Smut Level: There are a few sex scenes, but nothing too detailed.
Get it on Amazon: Click Here– this book just came out today! $1.99 Kindle Price. Waldorf Publishing. 138 Pages.
Romance Novels for the Beach 