Need You Now takes place in the fictional town of Lansing Island, California and as such has a very small town feel complete with all the charm, quirkiness, and everyone knowing your business that comes with life in a small town only this small town hosts a huge rock music festival every year that was started by the front man of Blacklight and now carried on by his daughter following his death. Need You Now is everything I look for in romance and a fantastic start to a new series!

Faith Harper has spent a good part of her life in the public eye, as one of the children of Blacklight’s front man, Grey, she grew up backstage, being around musicians, and now organizes CloudFest every year as well as oversees many of the family’s other businesses. Busy doesn’t even begin to describe her life the week before the festival begins and knowing she’ll be able to get away after and find someone to blow off some steam with, while waiting for her Mom to get off the ferry coming to the island she spots a man that takes her breath away.

For the last 20 years, tennis has been Caleb White’s life and following a shoulder surgery and a comeback of epic proportions to take the number two spot and making the Wimbledon semi-finals, Caleb announced his retirement from the sport at age 32. He didn’t handle the announcement well and with the media hounding him and his friend Liam offering him the chance to get away to Lansing Island and CloudFest, Caleb jumps at the chance to get out of his house and away from the press and prying eyes.

At first it was all attraction, need, and lust between Faith and Caleb and neither one was interested in more, but as they spend more time together it becomes easy to see how much they truly enjoy each other’s company, feel better when the other one is around, and find it easy to talk about their lives, their fears, and their hopes. They fell fast, they made mistakes, and they both had to face some cold, hard facts about their baggage but they did come to the realization they needed one another and together they would work towards a future.

I was perfectly happy with the happy for now ending in this book because I have no doubt that we’ll see more of this intriguing couple when Faith’s half siblings meet their match, probably both of them kicking and screaming.

Faith Harper is the daughter of Grey Harper who started a band called Blacklight and the festival CloudFest. Faith is now responsible for this festival every year. She is used to the life of a famous family and when retired tennis star Caleb White shows up just at the start of the festival, she thinks she only wants a hot fling.

But what does Caleb want? And what does her mother and sister and friends think she needs? All of this unfolds in the pages of this story. Between the descriptions of the pretty island, the bands at the festival and the life in the fast lane, this story held my attention from start to finish.

NEED YOU NOW - Emma Douglas

#1 in the Cloud Bay romance series

ROCK MEETS SPORTS - 4 stars

Plot - 4 stars - Faith, daughter of a rock legend, is continuing his legacy by hosting a huge 4-day music festival on her home island. She's usually fine with it, but this year she's tired and disappointed, and she meets a hot tennis pro who really appeals to her. She's ready for a fast and flirty affair, but their feelings start to get a lot stronger, much to her chagrin.

Writing - 4 stars - I was caught up in the story right away. Actually, it was the characters who appealed to me right from the start.

Characters - 5 stars - Faith is a great heroine. She's strong and professional, but she has heart and emotion and hidden talent. She's dedicated to her work, but I liked how she fought to keep her independence even as she stays close to her family. Caleb, the recently-retired tennis star, is hot and sexy and very attractive. But he's humble and definitely very attracted to Faith. Their chemistry is off the charts, but it's not blatant--just hot. Secondary characters of sister Mina, brother Zach, and friends Danny and Liam make great secondary characters who really add depth.

Title - 3 stars - I'm not quite sure what the title specifically refers to, although I suppose it means that they're so attracted to each other that all other problems are ignored.

Cover - 3.5 stars - Nice cover, nice colors, beautifully relaxing scene. Interesting that this isn't really what the book is about. I think a more vibrant color reflecting the crazy rock vibe that was emphasized in most of the book would have been more effective.

Overview - 4 stars - The story kept moving forward quickly and energetically. It was fun to hear about the music festival and all the preparations that it entails. Combined with learning a bit about what it takes to be a tennis star, we ran the gamut of fascinating information. Add in some great characters, and the story felt warm and friendly and loving.

3.5 stars

Need You Now is an interesting take on the "rock star romance" subject. Faith Harper is the daughter of a famous, and now deceased, rock star, who lives in Cloud Bay to keep her father's company and music festival alive. Caleb is in Cloud Bay simply to have a good time at the festival and escape his own fame.

I fell quite easily into life in Cloud Bay with Faith, her mother, half-sister, and various employees of her father's company. The setup for the series about the half-siblings is very nice. While Faith bristles at the attention of being Gray Harper's daughter, she handles it with grace. Caleb definitely pulls her out of her shell and encourages a more free version of Faith.

As always I want to start by thanking NetGalley and St. Martins Press for providing us with a copy of these books so that we could bring you this review.

Cloud Bay and the Harper siblings were such a joy to read. Each one had something that their father left them with. Not necessarily a good thing. Most of it is fears and scars, but they were each able to find someone that loved them and showed them that those things that Grey did didn't define who they were and didn't have to let them hold them back. Each person that the siblings fell in love with were strong in their own way because they were able to help them. Though it took the Harper siblings some time to realize that they had love staring them in the face, the eventually did and were able to recover something they almost lost. I have thoroughly enjoyed this series and look forward to reading a lot more from Emma Douglas in the future.

I gave all these books as a series 5 kisses.

Happy Reading... Adri

Great read. Fast paced. Well written. Strong characters.

So this was the first Emma Douglas that I've read and I quite enjoyed it. I had a few problems with the final-final act and the way that it played out and I felt that you didn't quite get to know the characters well enough to really be invested in their romance the way that you are in some novels. But the set-up was nice and I liked the island location. I would check in with this author/series again in a few books time to see if the characterisation has deepened any and if the one-step-too-many final act was a blip.

New to me author and I loved this start to a small town family series. The character's were likable and relatable. Enjoyed the supporting characters and will watching for more in this seies.

Really fun start to a new romance series, although I'd have liked to see a little more growth or resolution from both main characters. The ending left me feeling a bit like they only existed for the relationship, not to actually have lives and goals of their own. Still a fun read, and I'm definitely looking forward to book two.

I absolutely loved this story. It's packed full of drama and romance. This is the first in the Cloud Bay series and I have also reviewed the second "A Season of You", which I recommend. In this book we have the love story of Faith and Caleb. She is the daughter of legendary rock star Grey Harper and Caleb is a tennis star who has just decided to retire. They meet at Cloud Bay where Faith is organising the yearly Cloud Fest. He is a guest and for some reason sparks fly when they meet! Read on!

I received a NetGalley review copy for an honest review.

Faith Harper has it going on she is in charge of putting together Cloudfest along with running a company. She has it together for the most part. There are just a few issues that make her lose her cool. When Caleb comes along he messes with her no island hookup rule and her busy life.

Caleb is sexy and a great guy. He just needs to get his life in order after turning it upside down with the retirement announcement.

Emma Douglas tells a story that was entertaining and romantic. The characters drew me in with their love, struggles, and personal growth.

I didn't realize this was the debut novel for Emma Douglas until after I read it. She did an awesome job on it. There was something different about the tone of her writing that I really liked. I haven't quite put my finger on it, but there is something. Maybe it was the maturity of the characters that she brought out in her writing. I guess it kind of felt like they already knew who they were and were fairly comfortable in their own skins.
This book didn't grab me right from the beginning, but I soon got there. Caleb is a tennis pro who just recently retired, which makes for all sorts of yummy descriptions of his lean but muscular body. The author definitely made me sigh a time or two with those. Faith, the daughter of a rock star, fights her attraction to him from the moment she runs into him on the small island off the coast of California where she lives. When someone in her life disappoints her (again), she decides she wants to act on that attraction. I loved the fact that her one night stand turned into more as she half-heartedly fought it and that emotional part of their relationship grew very gradually. I thought the sex scenes were extremely well done--hot, but not overdone. Douglas added just the right amount of emotion to those scenes as the book developed.
I was given this book by Netgalley and certainly hope that I get to review the other two in the series.

Although Faith Harper wasn’t necessarily following in her rock star father’s footsteps, she enjoyed the adrenaline rush from running Cloudfest, the music extravaganza Grey Harper had started years earlier. After Grey’s death and the breakup of his wildly popular band, Blacklight, the other members left Cloud Bay to continue their careers, though they maintained their homes on the island. While Faith was busily preparing for the current Cloudfest, due to start in just a few days, her brother Zach and his band Fringe Dweller pulled out of the “secret spot,” leaving Faith in a difficult position and angry as hell with Zach.

Caleb White, top tennis player, had recently announced his retirement after shoulder surgery, upsetting his manager, coach, and sponsors. Looking for a place to relax, he accepted his buddy Liam’s invitation to attend Cloudfest, where they’d be staying in a band member’s home and enjoying VIP All Access passes. Caleb and Liam were hanging out the night before the festival at the local bar, and while Liam was on his phone, Caleb and Faith began talking, and their connection was undeniable.

I loved that Faith was a strong, independent woman who ran a major company and managed to put together a notable music festival once a year, and yet had a few (understandable) issues with relationships. Family loyalty is a theme woven throughout, from the band members who still maintained homes on the island, Faith’s mother Lou who raised not only Faith but Grey’s two other children, to the desire to keep Grey’s memory alive by continuing to hold the festival he started so many years earlier. This was a good, solid romance, predictable in its format, with the ever-popular HEA. Since this is the first book in the series, I wonder if the subsequent books will follow Faith and Caleb’s romance or focus on other family members.

Need You Now is my very first book by Emma Douglas so when I got a chance to read this book I was very interested to see what it had in store. I started it as soon as I possibly could and I thoroughly enjoyed this story. Watching Caleb and Faith story play out in this book was just fantastic.The romance was sexy, swoon-worthy and so well paced, I was rooting for these two from the very beginning and was just so happy with how everything turned out for them. Like I said earlier this my very first book by Emma Douglas so I didn't know what to expect, so when I started reading this book and realized that I could not put it down and how wrapped up I was in this story I was so happy . I had to go on the road and I had to wait on a store to open and I was out side, waiting , reading this book absoultely glued to the pages. I love this story and cannot wait to return to the cloud bay series when the next book comes out . If you are looking for a sexy , endearing , addicting story then your should definately pick up Need You Now because if you love all these things in your stories you will Need this book .

Island girl and daughter of a rockstar musician, Faith Harper had everything she needed in the small town of Cloud Bay. Managing CloudFest even after her father had passed, she was saddened when her brother/stage partner decided not to join this years music festival. For Faith, it meant one thing, she wasn’t good enough to be taken for the long haul, that’s what she believed in. That’s why she’s afraid to go out there and fall in love.

Caleb White had prematurely retired from professional tennis and decided to stay away from the limelight to fix his life. There’s a deeper reason why he chose to end his pro-tennis days, so he agreed with his lawyer friend’s decision to keep a low profile. But how could he do it if he’d been whisked away to Cloud Bay for the music fest? Might there still be a possible future for him after his retirement announcement?

Faith and Caleb’s story started with instant attraction but both weren’t looking for anything permanent with their situation. Both were reluctant to level up their romance, but they both didn’t want to become just fling either. Talk about commitment issues.

I sure enjoyed reading this book. I have a soft spot for celebrities going incognito and finding love along the way. Well, that’s the hopeless romantic in me talking.

I just wasn’t into Faith Harper’s fear of falling in love. She’s too focus on the negative side of the coin, always selling herself short and comparing guys to her fallen father. I thought it was too cliche. Or maybe I was just expecting too much from her.

Nevertheless it was a good read from start to end, with Lou’s fan girl moments providing tickles and wisdom to the undecided couple. The characters made me smile until my cheeks hurt. A nice comfy afternoon read, guaranteed!

A nice series starter. The setting was good.Caleb is retiring from tennis and has to decide what to do next. Faith continues her father's dream of organizing the annual music festival on the island after his death and has to decide whether it is what she wants.

Thanks Netgalley and the Pub lisher.
Need You Now by Emma Douglas was an enjoyable afternoons read.
The storyline was entertaining, the characters were likable and I liked them together.
Faith and Caleb weren't looking for a nothing more than a good time but the more time they spent together the more their feelings grew and soon they were falling in love.

The synopsis for this was intriguing taking place on an island off the California coast and taking place during a music festival, but unfortunately I was left wanting something more. The chemistry, or more actually the sex between the two main characters, Faith Harper, the daughter of a deceased rock idol and Caleb White, a recently retired top tennis player. I usually enjoy small town romance series, but this one for me was lacking something. I think the day after they met they were already in bed together. We just didn't get to know and root for the characters to get together since the majority of the book takes place within a week or two and it seemed that their entire relationship was based on sex. Some of the other characters, who you know will end up having their own stories in future books, just did not grab me. Maybe the younger sister, who became a widow after only three years of marriage after husband was killed in a motor vehicle accident, but I don't know if I want to invest the time after this mediocre book in hopes of the next one being better . But then one of my favorite authors, Stacy Finz, whose Nugget series I started at Book 2 or 3, when I finally went back and read the 1st book, I really did not care for that first book and was so glad that I did not start reading with that one. So I'll see if I read more of this series or not.

What a great book! Need you now is well written with a good plot and a super setting. I liked the play between the two main characters. I look forward to reading more books in the Cloud Bay series.

Need You Now by Emma Douglas is their first in a new series, Cloud Bay. I was instantly drawn to the premise of this book about a sleepy island that hosts a music festival each year. Faith Harper, the daughter of a famous rock star, is the festival coordinator. She meets Caleb White, newly retired tennis pro, and it's spontaneous combustion at first sight. As these two spend more time together it's clear what has begun as a fling is developing into much more. What isn't clear is if Caleb can be satisfied with the quiet island life there at Cloud Bay.
I really did enjoy this book, the characters were well written, the location good, and it had all the elements that usually draw me in, this wasn't quite a home run for me. I think this is honestly a case of me not being quite the target audience. I think Emma Douglas does a great job introducing this series, a new cast of characters, the idyllic location of Cloud Bay.
I received an advanced reader copy (eGalley) from St. Martin's Press through NetGalley. This review reflects my honest and unbiased opinions.