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A series of chance encounters leads to a sizzling new romance from the New York Times bestselling author of the On Dublin Street series.
The universe is conspiring against Ava Breevort. As if flying back to Phoenix to bury a childhood friend wasn’t hell enough, a cloud of volcanic ash traveling from overseas delayed her flight back home to Boston. Her last ditch attempt to salvage the trip was thwarted by an arrogant Scotsman, Caleb Scott, who steals a first class seat out from under her. Then over the course of their journey home, their antagonism somehow lands them in bed for the steamiest layover Ava’s ever had. And that’s all it was—until Caleb shows up on her doorstep.
When pure chance pulls Ava back into Caleb’s orbit, he proposes they enjoy their physical connection while he’s stranded in Boston. Ava agrees, knowing her heart’s in no danger since a) she barely likes Caleb and b) his existence in her life is temporary. Not long thereafter Ava realizes she’s made a terrible error because as it turns out Caleb Scott isn’t quite so unlikeable after all. When his stay in Boston becomes permanent, Ava must decide whether to fight her feelings for him or give into them. But even if she does decide to risk her heart on Caleb, there is no guarantee her stubborn Scot will want to risk his heart on her....
384 pages, ebook
First published October 9, 2018
It's interesting how the subtext of this story is more significant than its overarching plot.
I'm a proponent of women having the power to decide what happens with and inside their bodies. If bringing life to this world were that easy then men would have long since volunteered because, and as we all know, men know EVERYTHING and are always eager to either mansplain or show us how errant we are.
The fact that they haven't undertaken the process of incubating a live human in their bellies suggests they know they have no authority over us but are willing to push until we either fight back or acquiesce.
The entire premise is about a guy, Caleb the hero, who hates beautiful women simply because his beautiful ex-fiancee got an abortion -or as the hero says "she killed my baby". 🙄 His abusive and disparaging behaviour toward the heroine, Ava, throughout the story is unwarranted and excessive, however, it's what brings and keeps them together.
He's rude. She's ruder (is that a word?).
He's gorge. She's gorgeouser.
Then they have sex and Caleb unilaterally decides not to use condoms even going so far as to scoff at Eva when she insists otherwise.
Do you see a pattern? That's why I said the subtext is weightier than the enemies-to-lovers veneer the author wants us to see.
Despite all that, and although this is my first time reading Young, I think she's a good storyteller and I'm eager to read her other books.
One last thing. There's irony in Ava helping her BFF escape an abusive relationship while she was in an emotionally abusive one. Isn't it amazing what we choose not to see?
“I never believed in fate until you”
“You win when you realize that anyone can hurt you, even those you never expect it from. Once you know that … you’ll never be knocked off your feet long enough to lose.”
Oh God, yes.”
“You keep calling me God, lass, and my ego might get out of control,” he murmured.
“Can we just ignore this tiny, angry person and upgrade me now?” the deep, accented voice said somewhere above my head to my right.
“It’s sex with a guy who somehow manages to make me feel this small”— I gestured with my forefinger and thumb—“ every time he opens his mouth."
"A man who knows what you’ve been through, who knows what saying that to you would do to you, doesn’t deserve you."
Even if he does care about me, I couldn’t be with someone who would choose to inflict that kind of pain on me just to protect himself...
Somehow, impossibly, I’d developed feelings for my Bastard Scot.
Feelings plus sex? Bad idea.