Member Reviews
Johnny Alexander, special agent with the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco and Firearms (ATF) returns from an 18 month mission, as disguised, and receives a bomb news: 1 year ago his wife had left an envelope for him with a farewell letter and the divorce papers. After 10 years of marriage, Terri left leaving behind only papers.
Wanting to get his life back, and his marriage, Johnny wants to find out the whereabouts of his wife, but for that, he would have to undergo a program of re-adaptation to society, after living in a hostile environment. He goes for Sanctuary Island.
Terri Alexander, or rather, Tessa Mulligan, was happy with her new life, working on Patty Cakes.
She didn't divorce from J because she didn't love him, in fact, she still loved him, but their marriage was a farce and she preferred him to be free to find someone he could love.
Upon arriving in the small town, J barely recognized his wife, more beautiful and smiling, as he had never seen her before. He asks her another chance: 1 month so he could show her that their marriage was worth it. She accepts on condition of both being in therapy together.
This period is one of discovery. Tessa barely knew her husband's past, as he knew all about her past; He paid for the treatment of her illness; and He protected her like no one else had ever done before.
But she didn't want a protector. She wanted a husband indeed. She wanted to be loved.
But J's past contained a history of suffering that led him to believe that he no longer had a chance to love.
Until once again Tessa is in danger and his protective sense is triggered, and the fear of losing her takes care of his soul...
As secondary characters, there are the couple Marcus Beckett and Quinn Harper, who are not exactly a couple, but are just having fun together.
Marcus is 10 years older than Quinn and sees no possibility of any compromise between them, while Quinn, always cheerful, wants to prove to Marcus that he is wrong.
A delightful story with a sweet and calm narrative and an ending that leaves the reader wanting to know the rest of the series.
This is the first book of this author I read and I really enjoyed it.
5 stars
They are calling this Sanctuary Island #5 but I have read every book in this series and it goes back to 4 books in the The Billionaire Brothers series and then 4 books in The Billionaire Bachelors series were all Sanctuary Island books and totally entertaining and enjoyable. Now we have the previous 4 books in the "official" Sanctuary Island series to which we are not adding this book "Closer To Home" and a month later adding "Home At Last" which will most likely be about a couple we see in this book and to be honest some of the most unlikable parts of this book are actually about THAT couple and not our main couple of Johnny and Tessa.
The stumbling "romance" of this book was a bit strange since our couple have been legally married for several years but it was a marriage of pity to get Tessa some much needed medical treatment and he has never really seen her as a "wife" which is the main point of this story.
There is a bit of mystery "bad guy" that adds to the excitement and you will never see coming, it was a nice touch and did not get blown into a full "thriller" type plot so it did not detract from the romance of the story but does give the story a bit more depth.
Bottom Line: Another great entertaining romantic story of Sanctuary Island and as I mentioned earlier, most of the distasteful parts of this story had to do with the "other" couple that we will be seeing much more of in "Home At Last" so 4 Stars it is and highly recommended. I should mention that this book really requires no previous knowledge of previous books but I would recommend reading them because they are all great and will add a bit more enjoyment to this story.
My first time reading this author. This is a clean romance story about second chances.
Tessa ran away from her home at the age of seventeen. Her family lived in a commune and never ventured out into town. But Tessa gets sick and her mother takes her to the doctor and she is diagnosed with seizures, that can b treated with meds. Her father refuses, she runs away and ends up in a barn on Johnny's farm. He is a couple of years older and takes her in and marries her at eighteen.
Johnny was in the Army and the joined ATF. He was undercover for twenty seven months, when he comes out, Tessa has left and left him divorce papers to sign. Johnny isn't giving her up without a fight. So he locates her on a tiny island working in a bakery. Happier than he's ever seen her. They both agree to couples counseling.
Tessa has loved Johnny from the moment she meet him and eight years later hasn't changed that. But she needs his love in return and he doesn't believe in love. He believes in his promise to protect her. Can they work past their problems to find their way back to each other?
Secrets. Secondary characters interesting. Not exactly a cliffhanger but you know there will have to be a book about them. Better than I expected.
Sometimes we don't realize what we have until it's gone. How late is too late, though?
Johnny and Tessa had a marriage of convenience. It wasn't a relationship based on love with a solid foundation. Well, at least it wasn't for Johnny. Tessa, though, she wanted to be Johnny's wife. One person can't hold a marriage together on their own. Johnny learned this when the Dear John letter arrived.
As the marriage is unraveling Johnny may have discovered that there was more to his feelings. Maybe he wasn't done after all. What if he's too late, though? Lily brings us a story of a couple on the verge of an ending marriage if you can even call it that.
This was an emotional read, I wanted nothing more than for Johnny and Tessa to work through their problems, with a side of he doesn't deserve her, and a splash of she isn't ready for this. I was sucked in from the beginning and was more than happy to be held captive throughout this book.
4 - "Give us a month." Stars!
Close to Home takes me back to one of my most favorite places; Sanctuary Island, this is the fifth book in Lily Everett’s captivating series.
IMAGE.
I absolutely adored Johnny and Tessa Alexander’s story, a couple who have been man and wife for years, but have never really lived as man & wife so much so that Tessa decides it’s time to up-sticks and make a fresh start for herself on Sanctuary while Johnny is deep undercover and knows nothing about it.
"I’m not the meek, mousy weakling you married."
This isn’t your standard romance in the respect that this is a married couple. But I liked that the author took their situation and ran with it. Tessa’s early life plays a huge part in the reasonings as to why they were married in the first place, and Johnny with the ghosts in his past and a massive hero complex, just cannot accept that she has moved on and no longer needs his protection, as such it takes him the length of the journey to arrive on the Island to decide he is going to win her back, but she’s not the girl he left behind, she’s a woman, and one who has been managing on her own very well, thank you very much.
"I want to live. I want to love, and be loved."
Their reconnection was sweet and poignant, both of them have secretly been lusting after the other the whole time they have been married, but it takes the threat of divorce for Johnny to step up and admit to his feelings.
"You’re every fantasy I’ve had for years. Give me a chance to prove what kind of husband I can be…"
There is a little suspense running through the plot as well as great inclusion from Marcus and Quinn, this is the couple who the next book in the series focuses on, and from what you see of their coming together in Close to Home and subsequent separation, I am expecting great things from their story Home at Last, which is due for release early March.
"Sanctuary Island is pretty wonderful. I can’t imagine ever wanting to live anywhere else."
I love this series, the Island, it’s inhabitants, it’s like taking a holiday in your mind while sitting on the periphery and watching a really good love story unfold.
ARC generously provided via Netgalley, and it was my absolute pleasure to provide the above honest review.
Tessa and John did not have much of a marriage so while John was working undercover Tessa went off to discover who she really was and she started a divorce proceeding thinking she would free John. Turns out John did not want to be free. This was a lot about learning about yourself and trusting your partner. Both Tessa and John had a lot to overcome and had to discover who the other really was. A nice romance with several premises that are unusual in romance stories. Both were wonderful characters who pulled at my heart strings and had me pulling for them from the very first page of the book. This was not my first visit to Sanctuary Island and it was good to be back. The next book is out soon and it was easy to see who the next two to find an HEA will be. I received a free copy of Close to Home in return for an honest review.
Tessa had spent years waiting for her husband, Johnny, to return the love she so freely gave to him. After wait so long with no results, she has given up hope and found the strength to walk away. She loves him just that much. She left to give him the freedom to choose the one he did want. Johnny had been keeping more than his love away from his wife. He had been living a completely, separate life. Now that he was free of the obligation that tied his hands and his words he was ready to make things work out with his wife. It was just a bit too late to do so.
I found this installment of Sanctuary Island to be beautiful. A man that wanted the idea of a life with that one woman but had not the foresight to see that what he had was not going to wait forever. A woman that gave up the idea of having that forever. Opting to live again and not wait on the sidelines. I found a rich compelling romance of taking that second chance and making it more than a lifetime with that someone. Johnny and Tessa had much to overcome. The needed to get to know each other all over again. Everett had me turning pages and consuming the read like it was all that I could think of. The connection and passion Johnny and Tessa shared was lovely. The words on the pages made you want to sit up and take notice.
How do you find your way back home? Johnny is back from being undercover but his wife has left him and he can't accept that. He needs Tessa more than ever and he will find her and let her make up her own mind. Tessa had to leave, she was dying inside everyday as she loves her husband but it is a loveless marriage and she deserves more. So she is shocked when he comes to look for her and asks for another chance.
Can Johnny really want a real marriage with her or will she be the one that he will always want to save? Tessa wants to give him another chance and she hopes that he wants a proper marriage and that they can move forward but he has shown her that things will not change.
Tessa knows that Johnny needs to let her go so that they can both move forward even though she loves him. Johnny knows that something is going on with his new landlord Marcus, he is hiding something and Johnny wants to know what it is. But Marcus isn't willing to talk and he wants no one to know his business even the pretty little thing from his past. Will Johnny be able to trust him even to look after Tessa if need be.
Will Johnny & Tessa get another chance at happiness or will someone from her past take it all away?
A great story of love, forgiveness and new beginnings. I was lucky enough to receive a copy for my honest thoughts via Netgalley & the publishing house.
Loved this and loved returning to Sanctuary Island! This is a wonderful story of Tessa, a woman who loves her husband with her whole heart. She loves him enough to let him go so he can find a woman who will fill his heart. Johnny is a man who loves deeply but doesn't quite know how to show it. He thinks he's giving his wife what she needs but when he returns from an undercover assignment to find her gone, he has to face the fact that he needs to fight for her and show her exactly what she means to him. Their marriage may have started out unconventionally but anything worth having is worth fighting for.
I highly recommend this one.
Don't miss the hilarity of this book. I definitely recommend it.
Girl in crisis, Man with a savior complex, and a marriage-of-convenience story is born.
I enjoy a good marriage-of-convenience story and because the wedding happened 8 years prior to the beginning of this book, it's actually a marriage romance story. I love this since married romances are under-represented within this genre. Usually, it's all leading up to a wedding.
Johnny has just completed a successful and long undercover stint with ATF only to discover that his wife has left, leaving behind divorce papers. Johnny married Tessa to rescue her from a life that was detrimental to her health. Tessa was young and being honorable, Johnny would only allow the marriage to be in-name-only. Tessa loved Johnny, but never felt it returned and was relinquishing him of his vows. Making a new life on Sanctuary Island, Tessa becomes a stronger and more independent woman. Johnny wants his wife back and Tessa wants his love.
This story had all the elements of a great romance novel with some added suspense. I thoroughly enjoyed it and loved that I finally delved into Lily Everett's Sanctuary Island life. I immediately fell for Johnny and rooted for his recovery and reconciliation with Tessa. Both of their back stories were unique and heartbreaking and added to a potentially grand love story. My only qualm was that I feel like there could have been more development to the their overall story line. This may have been due to secondary story line that intertwined with Johnny and Tessa's romance. I didn't mind reading about Marcus and Quinn's beginning romance, but I wish it hadn't taken away from what could have been devoted to more of Johnny and Tessa's. At the same time, I look forward to continuing Marcus and Quinn's story in the next book. I've already purchased some of the previous books and look forward to discovering more about this fictional place.
Tessa and Johnny had a marriage of convenience. Johnny had married Tessa to protect her but he had never touched her intimately. They had been married for close to eight years and he had never touched her. Not that he didn't want to but she was innocent and he was not. His job made him a dark, dangerous person and he didn't want to hurt her. He had his own demons to deal with.
Johnny was an ATF agent and had been working deep undercover for the past year and a half after having been gone for multiple tours of duty in the army. Now he was finally coming home and all he wanted was to see his wife, Terri. However, when he got home, Terri wasn't there. She had left him a note telling him that she was leaving him along with divorce papers for him to sign. He was crushed but determine to find her and win back his wife. He didn't love her. He just couldn't love anyone anymore, but he cared deeply for her and wanted to protect her.
He finally found that she had moved to Sanctuary Island to start her life over. She had changed her name and now went by Tessa instead of Terri. She had cut her hair and she had made friends and was happy. He had never seen her really happy before. He knew he should let her go but he just couldn't leave her. He wanted her with everything that was in him but he just couldn't love her.
Tessa had loved Johnny from the first day she had met him but she wanted more from him. She wanted a real marriage with love and intimacy. She knew he could never love her so she needed to let him go. It was the only fair thing to do but she was going to miss him terribly. He agreed to sign the divorce papers and leave if they would go to couples counseling together and the equine therapy center on the island.
Could they both open up their hearts again and risk the heartache that might bring? Would it be worth the risk?
I enjoyed this story. Tessa had started out kind of mousy and dependent on Johnny for protection but she had blossomed and become strong and independent and realized that she wanted more from her life than she had had in her marriage. She wanted to be loved. Johnny had secrets and pain from his past that he had never shared with Tessa because the pain was just too great. These were two damaged souls who needed to learn to communicate with one another in order to have what they really wanted.
There was mystery, as well as romance in this story. This story wasn't without some descriptive sex scenes, which I don't particularly enjoy. I realize that is a personal preference, however.
I was given a complimentary copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.
I love visiting Sanctuary Island and the wonderful local community of friends and family. Johnny has been undercover for two years serving the ATF. Now he's finished and looking forward to coming home to his wife. Tessa loved her husband Johnny with all her heart but was sure he only married her to protect her. She delivered divorce papers to his boss and relocated to Sanctuary Island, becoming an apprentice baker. Now Johnny is moving onto the island, determined to win his wife back. Great writing and a love story that is an insight into communication and sacrifice. All the books in this series can stand alone but you'll want to read them all. Lily Everett is a great writer and the series Billionaire Brothers is also available.
In Close to Home by Lily Everett, when Johnny comes off a long, gruelling undercover assignment with the FBI, he's looking forward to going home again. To his wife. He is shocked to discover that in his absence, Terri, as he knows her, has left him, left their home, and worst of all left divorce papers for him to sign. Johnny is not giving up his marriage without a fight, even if it was more of a marriage of convenience. He's always wanted more with Terri than he's let on, and with Terri living her life without him, he knows he has to try to get one last chance with her. His agency has mandated him to take time off and get therapy after his undercover life...which sends him not only to Sanctuary Island for just that, but to Terri who has made her home there. John is the last person Terri expects to see walk through the bakery door where she works, and this unexpected version of his wife, who actually prefers to be called Tessa now, is a surprise for Johnny.
Tessa is finally living life for her, doing what she needs to do even if she is saddened at the thought of a marriage that never really was breaking up. Feelings had been left unspoken, desires not acted upon. On Sanctuary Cove they might have their last chance at finding what they both really want if they can be open, honest. Along with the help of couples therapy, do they stand a chance? Can their marriage work a second time around?
I really enjoyed Close to Home by Lily Everett. She brought the characters to life for me in a setting I'd love to visit! Johnny and Tessa have both been through a lot, and how they came together initially led to more of a convenient marriage. But as their feelings towards one another changed, neither of them would admit it, being sure that the other couldn't possibly feel the same way. Watching Johnny and Tessa work through this, acknowledge each other and their feelings, really made me feel for them separately and together. I admired Tessa and what she was doing, even if I didn't necessarily like how she tried to end things with Johnny. Johnny I really liked as well, and I really felt bad for him, coming out of a dark assignment to find out his wife had left him...via a "Dear John" letter. I liked how he pursued Tessa without being stalkerish,and really tried to understand. I liked that finally the communication seemed to be happening between them, because even if neither had declared their love, I could sure feel it between them. With Johnny's job not on Sanctuary Island, and Tessa's new life on Sanctuary Island, I was intrigued to see if they could make things work between them, what would happen next?
Lily Everett also gives us a little mystery/suspense in Close to Home, in a very unexpected way!
I liked the side story that is woven in and connected to the main plot. It worked very well to enhance the main plot and at the same time made me wonder what will happen in the next book in this series.
The setting of Sanctuary Island was the perfect place for Tessa and Johnny to try to pick up the pieces. I loved the sense of community I felt, the connections, and the caring. There are some great secondary characters that are a strong part of this community!
Close to Home has great flow and I fell into this story easily. The conclusion was unexpected and made me feel so good! Close to Home is part of the Sanctuary Island series, but can easily be read as a stand alone. I'd recommend Close to Home to any romance reader!
Tessa has moved to Sanctuary Island to start over after leaving her husband because he believes he doesn't really love her. She is now blooming as a baker and loving her new home. Johnny has spent the last 10 years
working undercover for the government and loving the wife he has spent so much time away from. When he comes home to divorce papers, he tracks Tessa down and is determined to win his wife back. Lily Everett is in a class of her own when it comes to writing love stories that rip your heart out then, put it back together piece by piece. This book does not disappoint..
Close To Home is a great romance. As the story begins, Johnny and Tessa have been married a few years. However, their marriage was more of a necessity than a true marriage. Tessa was escaping an oppressive family life in a hippie-like commune/cult, where she lived under harsh, unrealistic conditions. Johnny married Tessa, then called “Terri”, to help her escape from the cult and her family. Later, as an ATF agent, Johnny went undercover for two years to flesh out a gang trafficking in guns. During this time, Terri changed her name to Tessa, moved away from Johnny and filed divorce papers, because she truly felt he would be better off without her dragging him down. Finished with his undercover assignment, Johnny returns to what he thought was his wife and home, only to discover Teri had changed her name, filed for divorce and moved away from him. However, Johnny’s not about to give up on his life with Terri, so follows her to Sanctuary Island to convince her he does love her and wants to spend a lifetime with her. Both agree to give things a month while they try to work things out and attend couples sessions at the nearby equine center. This story follows the couple through this sometimes long month.
This is a great story. However, I wondered, as I read, about the setting. First off, I am not sure about the fact that Terri left Johnny and filed for divorce was never mentioned to Johnny before his undercover assignment ended. I realize the agency probably did not want to jeopardize the assignment and upset Johnny, but I also wonder how the agency justified this. They had to have known that Johnny would not react well upon learning his life had been blown apart during the undercover assignment, and would not be in a “good place”. Not sure they would have done this because they would have perhaps “lost” a good agent. Though the assignment was important, they would have wondered what they would do if Johnny “fell apart” upon learning the news or whether he deserved/needed to know the truth while on the assignment. Face it, they may have “lost” a good agent with this action. In addition, an agent has some rights, and could have made things difficult because they did not tell him this rather important fact about his life. Employees in agencies do not relinquish all rights when they agree to work at the agency. Also, they sent him to Sanctuary Island for rehab/reacclimation related to the undercover assignment. Though the author never really put a name on that rehab/reacclimation program when Johnny and his agency POC were discussing it, when Johnny arrives on Sanctuary Island and finds his wife living there and the state of his marriage, they suddenly go into a couples therapy program for a month. No contact with the agency, who is footing the bill, about this change. Johnny appeared to have just changed things himself. Not sure the ATF would have just up and changed things so easily. In addition, not sure the agency would have paid for couples therapy. Yes, this would have helped Johnny reacclimate after the assignment, but these programs are expensive, and there were probably other facets of Johnny’s life that also needed help—and I am not sure this couples therapy would have helped those areas. In addition, when Johnny asked his POC for help discovering someone he deemed suspicious on Sanctuary Island, the POC outright refused to help him, which really did not make sense. If Johnny was a good agent (and we should assume he was after the successful undercover assignment and the fact that they sent him to a program at Sanctuary Island), why just refuse to listen to his concerns and not help him. Isn’t his instinct worth something, after what he had just gone through? This scenario seemed a bit far-fetched and contrived to me. Also, I realize this is the story is for the next book, but the author left the reader hanging about this person Johnny had suspicion about, with no real resolution. I also found the situation between Johnny and Tessa a bit far-fetched. Things just sort of fell into place too easily. I am not sure that would have happened so smoothly after all that had occurred. Finally, the sudden entrance of Tessa’s father came right out of left field. No build-up. No prior hints. It made me wonder what the author was thinking.
The story is basically a good one. I think the author could have made it more realistic if she had not made great leaps of faith without any back story, resolution or realism. Perhaps it would have been better to introduce the characters for the next book in the series in a subtler manner, not making them such a large part of this story, while letting this be Johnny and Tessa’s story, without hints of things to come later in the series. These supporting characters also seemed to be far-fetched at times, possibly because of their often-vague, unanswered/unexplained introduction and actions in the story (hinting at things to come). I realize their story is for the next book in the series, but I am not sure the author should have left so many open questions about them, after hinting around and around, with little or no resolution. The two main characters, Johnny and Tessa, are well developed, though there were times I wondered about how realistic they and their situation and actions were. I think the book has merits, though, in my opinion, there are a lot of areas where things could have been tighter. I received this from NetGalley to read and review.
Well, this is different! Here we have a man working undercover and while he is undercover his wife leaves him.
It's not as bad as it sounds, well almost not. Don't let that stop you from picking this up. Immediately it is easy to think that the wife is in the wrong but there is so much going on here!
"It was Terri's choice to leave, and maybe it was time to stop torturing himself with wanting what he couldn't let himself have".
Interesting right?! Definitely!
This is a bit of a mystery to both the reader and to Johnny. While he is pushing down everything that he was taught in his career he has to change, if just a little bit, in order to get his wife (HIS WIFE!) to trust him.
The plot is different but something I was able to really get into. It was also light enough that I did not want to put it down but had enough depth that I was totally into everything that was happening. The characters are simply amazing. Patty is probably one of my favorites but I put the book down wanting to know more about all of the residents of this small town.
There are some tough issues in here which surprised me but in no way takes away from the story line but added to it. Very well done!
In short: It takes a while to get into all the what's and why's behind everything but it is worth it.
Fav word: Flibbertigibbet!
Nicely written and plotted second chance romance. I knew, just knew, that Tessa and Johnny would figure things out but Everett kept the pressure on. Thanks to Netgalley for the ARC- you can read this as a standalone but you'll want to read others in the Sanctuary Island series because you'll find the characters so well done.
I have read and reviewed "Close To Home" by Lily Everett for ReaderToReader.com, where it will remain on site indefinitely. If there are any questions or concerns, please contact Vickie Denney at: Vickie@ReaderToReader.com. The link is listed below.
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"Close To Home" by Lily Everett
Every woman dreams of marrying the perfect guy, but what happens when the marriage is only one of convenience? Tessa Alexander has dealt with this plight for eight years. Born and raised in a commune with overly strict parents, when Tessa becomes ill her father refuses to get her treatment. She runs away to a world she's never been a part of; terrified but in need of medical attention.
Freezing and scared, barely eighteen-year-old Tessa finds shelter in a barn where she is discovered the next morning by the owner, Johnny Alexander. Johnny takes her in making sure she receives medication and protection. An honorable man, he insists they wed so he can protect her. Though he is four years older and physically drawn to her, he will not give into his desires.
An agent for the Department of Alcohol, Tobacco, and Firearms, Johnny is often away on assignment, leaving Tessa safe at home. After a harrowing two-year undercover sting, Johnny cannot wait to get back to his wife, but upon his arrival, he discovers a "Dear John" letter.
Tessa has started a new life, believing Johnny deserves better, though she is helplessly in love with him. Johnny tracks her down to Sanctuary Island, a small community where everyone watches out for each other. Determined to win her back, he notices how the once frightened girl has blossomed. Even though Tessa's heart belongs to Johnny, she will not leave her new home, especially if he cannot return her devotion.
Johnny, hardened from past circumstances as well as his job, does not want to lose Tessa, so he remains in town, hoping things will change. When she gets abducted, he goes crazy with the need to find and save her, but can he also learn to love her they way a husband should?
Book #5 in the Sanctuary Island series, "Close to Home" is heartwarming and suspenseful with touches of romance.
CLOSE TO HOME – Lily Everett
A Sanctuary Island Novel, Book 5
St. Martin’s Paperbacks
ISBN: 978-1-250-07405-8
February, 2017
Contemporary Romance
Sanctuary Island, Chesapeake Bay
Johnny Alexander spent eighteen months undercover with a gun running gang. He returns to his home office where he is hailed as a hero. His boss hands him a letter from his wife. It contains divorce papers. While Johnny is required to go through therapy to make sure he is mentally recovered for everyday life, he is not ready to give up on his marriage and decides to follow Terri to where she is now living on Sanctuary Island. He found Terri as a terrified seventeen-year-old girl hiding in the barn on his family’s farm. Although he and Terri have been married eight years, six of those he was in the army and his recent assignment with the ATF has lasted nearly two years, so he hasn’t been around a lot. On top of that, it is an unconsummated marriage—a marriage of convenience so he could protect his wife. He finds her working in a bakery called Patty Cakes, where she works with the owner Patty. He discovers Terri, now preferring to be called Tessa, is a different woman, a more assertive woman who wants to be responsible for herself and control her own life.
Tessa Alexander didn’t think Johnny would come to Sanctuary Island. Matter of fact, she thought he would be happy to be relieved of the burden of an obligatory wife. She loves him, but knows he doesn’t love her.
The motivation behind these two characters is not always clear so presents a small puzzle as to why they remained in a marriage so long without sexual contact. The reader has to be sensitive to nuances shown in the actions, thoughts, and statements of these two. There is also the element of Johnny’s required appointment for psyche therapy after his long and dangerous undercover action. This turns into marriage counseling in equine therapy on Sanctuary Island, which is also famed for its wild horses. While this is the fifth book in this series, only the location is a repeat, so readers will have no trouble understanding the story line. Patty, owner of Patty Cakes, is a charming, sassy and witty mentor secondary character readers will enjoy meeting. The relationship between the characters Quinn with Marcus also offers another interesting side-story. Thwarted romance, secrets, a hint of mystery and danger, interesting characters, and a great location; what more does a reader need?
Robin Lee
Everett does it again. Sanctuary Island is always a treat to visit and it does not get old. Tessa and Johnny's story is fresh and I cannot wait for the follow up. It is rare that a setting gets fresher with each installment. Great job by Everett!