To say this month has been hectic is a *vast* understatement.  (Sports, camps, company, vacation, practice….) Because of that my reading has taken a hit… lack of time and lack of energy/focus.  

 

But this book.  This book was just what I needed.  In all of the hullabaloo of life, this book drew me in, charmed me, and kept me hanging on, eager for the next opportunity to read. 

 

Tae and her mother, April, are really more like sisters considering they basically grew up together.  Both struggle to find their place in the world and neither has found luck in love.  

 

Riggs is back in town, a bit begrudgingly.  He’s never been one to settle down, mostly because he constantly feels like he’ll let others down.  

 

This book is an exploration in love…both romantic and family.  While April and Tae grapple with reframing their adult relationship, Tae and Riggs reconnect and sparks fly.  Shalvis delivers a flirty, sexy book that also has depth and heart.  

 

From the meet cute to the raging chemistry to the real life lessons and growth we see in the characters… this was the perfect book to put me in that beach read mindset (which I desperately needed!).  

 

Last year I read the first book in this series and loved it so much that I immediately reached out to my #bookpartner and begged for this next book. I’m not usually a series reader, but this one has me hooked. Each book works well as a standalone, but definitely add all of them to your reading list!  (Thank you for feeding my obsession Lori, @getredpr!!!  Now about that third book… )  

 

Because of my (ridiculous) schedule commitments, I listened to at least half of this book.  I usually prefer physical books in the romance genre, but the narrator for this one, Andi Arndt, did a great job.  I’d recommend checking it out in either format. 

 

Many thanks to @williammorrowbooks @getredpr and @macmillan.audio for the #gifted copies of these books.  

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

The Friendship Pact is the 2nd book in the Sunrise Cove series but is definitely a stand-alone. The location is the only similarity between book 1 and book 2, not any of the characters.  So feel free to read the series “out of order.”  
What I loved:
💕Tae - I enjoyed her POV the most - strong female character with a bit of sass 
💕Tae’s journey in uncovering her father, but I did want the journey to start earlier in the book.  
💕Disability representation - Riggs’s brother Jake is a disabled vet. The company they own caters to wounded warriors and at-risk youths.  I love everything about this!!

Who Would Love This:
💕Readers who love second chance romance and insta-love tropes 
💕Complicated mother/daughter relationship
💕Uplifting Stories with HEA
💕Readers looking for a book for Disability Pride Month

Tae and April Holmes, though mother and daughter, basically grew up together since April was a teen mother. Now, they are still unutterably close. In fact, April helped Tae get the event that is getting her company off the ground and save her from penury.
While at the party, Tae tries to make a quick getaway when she discovers that the man she recently went on a date with is now attending with her mother. And she's standing there in a rented dress. When she tries to make a quick getaway, she doesn't get into her Uber, continuing the pain of the night. But it doesn't get better because the driver is an old friend/flame, Riggs Copeland. Oh, and they interrupt what appears to be a robbery at the local gas station.
The two of them start with a friendship pact but, since this is Shalvis it grows into more. 
I enjoyed this book mainly for the relationship between Tae and April. The one between Tae and Riggs was a little too fast for me. I did like that the Big Understanding was cleared up rather quickly when all of the characters finally talked to each other. 

This is the second book in the series but can be read as a standalone as these are totally new characters. Lake Tahoe is the beautiful setting and there is a great mother/daughter relationship with Tae and April. April had Tae at a young age and it's always been the two of them.

Riggs is a Marine and Tae's first love. They are thrust together again when Riggs comes back for a summer to help his brother and their business Adventures HQ where they help athletes with disabilities and wounded warriors.

I absolutely loved the business Riggs and Jake have! I loved the brotherly love/fighting relationship. 

This book will warm your heart with it's second chances everywhere and small town loving feel that Shalvis always provides.