Reviewed by: Sue Eaton

TITLE: Like I Promised

SERIES: Heather Bay

AUTHOR: Charlie Novak

PUBLISHER: Self Published

LENGTH: 268 pages

RELEASE DATE: July 21, 2022

BLURB:

Moving back to Heather Bay wasn’t on Oliver’s agenda for the summer, but after inheriting a cottage in dire need of renovation he doesn’t have much choice. Supervising the builders should be easy… except the man in charge is Oliver’s childhood best friend and ex-boyfriend.

Lane’s spent nine years desperately trying to forget his first love, but that doesn’t stop him from fantasising about Oliver in every spare moment once he discovers Oliver’s back in town. Falling into bed together isn’t supposed to mean anything, even if Lane’s emotions feel too big to be ignored.

Being drawn to each other is one thing, but being stuck together after disaster strikes the renovations is another. The pull of the past is strong but Oliver and Lane have been down this road before. This time they’ll need to learn from their mistakes so they can finally keep their promises.

REVIEW:

This was a sweet engaging second chance romance, when you let the love of your life slip through your fingers because you are too proud, young, and hurt to admit you were wrong.

On the surface, Oliver is living the life in London, as a book editor, he has a good job he loves and some friends.  His past mistakes haunt him and he doesn’t know how to put them right so buries them deep.  He left Heather Bay to go to university and has always avoided the ex-boyfriend and friends he left behind on his infrequent trips back home.

Lane stayed in Heather Bay it’s his home and he loves it; he works for his family’s business and has close dependable friends.  The ache he feels at being left behind is masked by his anger at how everything happened which has dulled into resignation over the years.

When your ex-boyfriend turns up on your doorstep as the project manager of the renovations on the cottage you just inherited, the shock is real.

Oliver is a lovely character who is determined not to repeat the mistakes of the past but struggles to communicate, which was the main problem the first time around.  The classic battle between heart and brain, what are we doing, is it just a fling, what happens when the summer is over, what about ……. So many questions, so much confusion, but so much happiness at re-connecting.

Lane is much more conflicted between his heart and head and surprisingly it’s his friends who picked up the pieces last time, who give such good advice about second chances and not wasting this opportunity.

The second chance romance is at the heart of this book, but all the friends are delightful and make a perfect foil for Oliver and Lane.  They are an eclectic bunch with a rapport that comes from knowing each other so well.  Like all close-knit friends they love to stick their noses in and have their say but it comes from a place of love, they are genuinely rooting for Oliver and Lane.  I joined in wanting it all to work out and that they didn’t let their past spoil their future.

Charlie paints such an evocative picture from the windswept secret bay to the bustling seaside town, she perfectly captures the spirit of the North of England sea and countryside, filled with friendly down to earth people.  I could taste the ice-cream and hear the seagulls flying overhead.  This is such a feel-good book, it made me smile and laugh at all the antics.  It refreshed my soul and reaffirmed my faith in happy ever after, even after a bump in the road.

RATING:

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