Blurb

Delaney Hart has come a long way from her wild youth, dating tattooed bikers at her father’s bar, The Bad Seed. But when his death pulls her back to Wildwood, California, she must stay to renovate the dive he left her. And also face the lies and secrets that sent her running ten years before.

When Wildwood’s chief building inspector, Ethan Hayes, shows up on the property, Delaney doesn’t recognize him. The last thing he wants to do is save the bar where his cousin died in a brawl. But the good boy from her past is all too willing to remind her of the bad girl she used to be. And one night of passion leaves them both in a compromising position.

The last place Ethan should be is in Delaney’s bed. Guilt, family pressure, and plans for a brewpub of his own make shutting down The Bad Seed his top priority…until his feelings for Delaney interfere. Because her future depends on the success of the bar’s renovation and his dreams are rooted in its failure, their forbidden romance may be destined for heartbreak.

I have read and very much enjoyed Skye Jordan's Renegades series - contemporary romances involving Hollywood actors and stuntmen. These stories are witty and sexy, without too much drama and just feel-good sweetness.

When I saw Ms Jordan was starting a new series I was curious to try it. This time she offers her readers a small-town romance and I'm always on the look out for such stories. There is often risk for them to come off as cheesy and too sentimental but I'm happy to report that this was definitely not the case here.

Forbidden Fling offers a surprising depth of emotion and a really detailed and convincing portrayal of the complexity of family relationships, love, guilt and the struggle to be your own person.

This is an explosive story including family feuds and broken dreams, on the one hand, and on the other it's a love story that shows such delicious sexual chemistry between Ethan and Delaney and their lust for each other gradually turning into love and devotion.

Delaney was amazing, a strong and determined person who tries to build a future for her (and her two sisters) out the ruins of their past. She is a reformed bad girl who has to prove to everyone and mostly to herself that she has a future back in her hometown, that she can turn her life around and stop running from the past and start working on her future in the place where she belongs.

I very much liked Delaney but found Ethan even more interesting - a smart professional and with a promising future, yet totally under the thumb of his family, guilted into submission, force to give up his dreams (for now or forever). 

Their meeting proves life changing for both of them. It sparks a wild attraction between them but also pushes them to be better, to try harder, to go for their dreams (despite the conflict arising between them and despite the dangers this places them under).

There is a lot of going back and forth in Ethan and Delaney's relationship, some pretty bad secrets, yet itit didn't feel too much foe me. The problems they face are not easy to solve and it did take them some time, some sacrifice, a lot of re-evaluation and determination to deal with them.

Overall, this is a complex, detailed story set in a richly built background. It has a strong small-town feel which I loved and explored family relations that are messier than most. In short, this is the perfect summer read and strongly urge you to pick up for your vacation.

Purchase link: Amazon