Summary
He wants a second chance.
I want revenge…
And I’ll do anything to get it.
Two years ago I left Hawaii with a broken heart and a sunburn, and never thought I’d go back.
Then I got the invitation to my best friend’s wedding. She’s marrying the surfing world’s biggest dreamboat. And she wants me as her maid of honor.
There are two big problems:
- The wedding is in Hawaii
- The best man is the same gorgeous tour guide who broke my heart
I never want to see Bones Keakealani again. In fact, I wish a piano would fall on his head. But he doesn’t feel the same way about me. He’s insisting he deserves another chance. He promises he has a good reason for breaking my heart, but it will take more than promises for me to forget my heartbreak or my desire for revenge.
I plan to drive him crazy with my rich, handsome (and fake) wedding date.
Because even though the sexy Hawaiian is every bit as tempting as I remembered, the last thing I want with him is another try.
Review
(audiobook) I keep saying that I’m tired of instalove, because it offers no time for seduction and building of a relationship beyond the physical. However, although this book is pure instalove–they confess their love for each other less than a week after meeting–I found out that it worked. Probably because they’re soulmates. It’s explained many times that they’re bound to end up together, that they’re made for each other. And I thought this tiny somewhat magical touch worked well with the setting and the story.
Though I loved Bones, I had a hard time appreciating Penny. She’s lively and smart, but she makes decisions that made me cringe. For instance, when she falls for Bones, she’s already in a relationship, but she doesn’t care because she wants Bones. I won’t give any other example, as I don’t want to spoil too much of the story, but let’s just say she does a few other cringey things.
Bones was way more loveable. He’s huge and scary, and uses those attributes in his job. But he also has a big heart, and lots of love for his culture. That doesn’t mean he doesn’t do dumb things at times–which I won’t spoil at all. But he knows how to make amends, and understands the meaning of sacrifice.
As a second chance romance, the book is in two parts–first meeting, and reunion. The before part is a fun and sexy vacation fling, with a sad ending. The after part is a twisted version of enemies to lovers–Penny claims that she hates Bones after what happened the first time, but even she doesn’t believe it. And Bones is definitely a lovesick puppy. Funnily enough, that’s when the seduction takes place. That’s when they learn everything about each other and really fall in love. I loved that.
It was also great to see again characters from previous books. The first part of the story is concomitant to Keoni and Lou’s book, while the second part happens when they get married. But we also see a lot of Henry and Claudia, as Penny is Henry’s cousin, and we get a glimpse of Declan and Pearl. Weddings are a great way to reunite people, right?
As usual in this series, the Hawaiian culture is predominant. I thought Bones represented the intersection between the past and the present–traditions mean everything to him, but he also knows the value of the islands for outsiders, and how to make money out of it. Or how to keep outsiders from doing the same.
The narration wasn’t bad, but I found both narrators sounded too neutral when reading, while they expressed a lot during conversations. As such, the pace wasn’t great, though it was still a very good audiobook. A great addition to the series.
Quickie
- Series: Aloha #4 (can be read as a standalone)
- Hashtags: #retro romance #second chance romance #multicultural relationship #instalove
- Triggers: past death, cheating (technically, but not between the main characters)
- Main couple: Penny Longchamp & Bones Keakealani
- Hotness: 4/5
- Romance: 5/5
- + the ring incident was both cute and hilarious
- – second conflict came out of the blue and made little sense, in my opinion
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