Monday, July 7, 2014

Review: No Sunshine When She's Gone (Barefoot Williams #3) by Kate Angell

The Barefoot Williams contemporary romance series by Kate Angell is made up of summer goodness -- romance, sunshine on the beach, and life on a boardwalk that feels like an eternal fair. These books, without failure, whisk me away to a better place.

Jillian and her childhood friend Carrie work for the Richmond Rogues baseball organization. They came to Barefoot Williams for a year to work with the construction company building a new spring training facility and to prepare the public relations groundwork. The construction company owned by Aidan Cates and successfully managed with the aid of friend and construction supervisor Mike Burke. Jillian moves into Shaye's docked boathouse for the duration of her stay at Barefoot Williams and Aidan provides Carrie with the penthouse at a luxury apartment complex.

Jillian and Aidan first meet on the boardwalk when she is mistaken for a fortuneteller, leading to a cute pursuit by Aidan, flirtatious meetings and fun misunderstandings, and a quick attraction between the two. Aidan is confident, down-to-earth, warm and known to family and friends for his kindness. Jillian has some of the same qualities, plus she is tough and extremely protective of family and friends. She is also accustomed to telling white lies and reticent when it comes to commitment. They become friends and lovers with Aidan falling deeply in love while childhood baggage presents a conflict for Jillian.

In the meantime, Carrie and Mike also become embroiled with each other. Their relationship begins on a hostile note when Mike crosses the line by making personal sarcastic remarks to Carrie. Carrie is a sweet giving person and sees something in the abrasive man, choosing to ignore her friend Jillie's warnings to stay away from him. Both Mike and Carrie have gone through life-changing situations, but whereas Carrie made the best of it, Mike became an angry, bitter man. The last thing Mike expects when he pushes his way into Carrie's life is to find a passionate woman capable of healing his wounded soul.

I enjoyed the central romance. Jillian has issues to work out, but she is a delightful woman whose romance with the hunky Aidan is fun and emotionally satisfying because he falls for her completely. And who can resist that? Not Jillian. And, I love the secondary romance between Carrie and Mike. It has depth of character, intimacy, and passion, and a great couple that deserves a happy ending. Ms. Angell weaves both romances tightly which made both romances stand out. For example: the Carrie/Mike relationship and their individual histories are revealed through their personal points of view as well as through Aidan and Jillie as their close friends.

I previously enjoyed Ms. Angell's Barefoot Williams series because of the fantastic summer atmosphere. However when it comes to the romance, I often complained about the lack of focus on the central couples because of Angell's tendency to include multiple secondary romances. In No Sunshine When She's Gone, her style finally worked for me. This is a recommended as a fun summer/beach read.

Category: Contemporary Romance
Series: Barefoot Williams
Publisher/Release Date: Kensington Books/April 29, 2014
Grade: B

Series:
No Tan Lines #1
No Strings Attached #2
No Shirt, No Shoes, No Service (Novella in He's the One Anthology)
No Sunshine When She's Gone #3

2 comments:

  1. So glad you enjoyed this one Hils!! :) It is indeed the perfect summer read. For me, Carrie and Mac didn't work as well... but Olive made it up :)

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    Replies
    1. Nath, this is my favorite book from the whole series so far. LOL! Olive is a hoot! I loved her. And, I loved Carrie and Mike. I believe that's one of the reasons this book worked so well for me. :)

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