Close to Home by Lily Everett: Review


Posted February 13, 2017 in review Tags: ,

Close to Home by Lily Everett: ReviewClose to Home by Lily Everett
Pages: 304
two-flames

Series: Sanctuary Island #5
Genres: Contemporary Romance
Source: ARC, NetGalley
Amazon iBooks
Goodreads

The best journeys take us home….
When Tessa Alexander came to Sanctuary Island, she left behind a marriage to a man who didn’t love her the way she loved him. When she finally found the strength to set them both free, she discovered friendship and self-acceptance in her adopted hometown. Now she’s settled into a quiet life on her own—never expecting to see her husband again.
Johnny spent almost two years deep undercover, unable to let his wife into his cold, dangerous world. He’s shaken to the core when he comes home to find her gone. It’s painfully clear that Tessa is no longer the timid young woman he married—she’s become a force of nature, a brave and determined beauty. Johnny can’t let her go without a fight so he sets out to seduce his own wife. But will passion alone be enough to convince Tessa that her new life should include a second chance at happiness with a man who must learn to believe in love?

Close to Home was a different pick for me. Tessa and Johnny were married for 8 years, but Tessa filed for divorce and moved away while Johnny was undercover for the ATF. Their marriage failed for so many reasons, and the biggest one being lack of communication! Johnny decides to go after Tessa (Yay!) and they spend 4 weeks on Sanctuary Island, Tessa’s new home, where Johnny tries to win back his wife.

I loved the secondary characters of the island. You have quirky Quinn and brooding Marcus. Patty, the local bakery own who takes Tessa in provides that grandmotherly guidance with some sass. I have never read anything by Lily Everett before but I will certainly look into more of her books. This is a classic contemporary romance that made me feel like I was reading old school Jude Deveraux again and I love it!

Close to Home has a bit of mystery too. Johnny has a feeling that something sinister is going on, but the only thing he has to go on is his gut. As a reader, you are wondering if his paranoia is due to his long months spent undercover or if this tiny, quiet island really does have a predator in its mist. While this mystery isn’t the center of the story, it was a welcome bolster to the plot for me since I love romantic suspense!

My only struggle with this book was that the overall theme to their marital problems was miscommunication. This is, hands down, one of my least favorite plot tropes. However, it makes sense for this story and while I wished the 2 of them would talk it out, I could see how it had gotten to a point where they couldn’t.

I am also considering this one SAFE FOR MOM! There is only a scene or 2 that is sexy and it isn’t descriptive.

 

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Books by Jill Shalvis, Barbara Freethy, Jennifer Probst…then you will probably like Close to Home!

Close to Home

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Samantha
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2 responses to “Close to Home by Lily Everett: Review

  1. I love second chance romances. I like that this one shows a couple working on their relationship after marriage. So many times in romances the HEA is just them getting married like that means everything will be super easy and perfect for them after. I love when it’s more real like this. Miscommunication is definitely one of romance pet peeves. I want to grab the characters and shake them until they just stop and talk to each other. lol! Great review!

  2. Rowena

    I hadn’t realized that there were so many books in this series already. I haven’t read any of them but I’m always curious about them. Thanks for the heads up, I read a second chance romance last year about a married couple who were going through a divorce and I really enjoyed it so was looking around for another one and this one seems to fit that bill. Great review, Samantha!

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