Reviewed by: Sue Eaton

TITLE: Like I Needed

SERIES: Heather Bay #3

AUTHOR: Charlie Novak

PUBLISHER: Self Published

LENGTH: 269 pages

RELEASE DATE: February 9, 2023

BLURB:

One night isn’t supposed to lead to love.

Jamie Stone is rich, beautiful, and bored out of his skull. The past few years have been an endless round of parties, and the decadence has lost its lustre. When a late-night decision to get away lands him in the small seaside town of Heather Bay, Jamie’s convinced he’s made a mistake.

Heather Bay is no Ibiza, but it does have Will.

Will is stressed, stretched, and doesn’t have time for anything but work. He’s too busy trying to keep his head above water to focus on the London party boy who keeps ending up in his bed. Jamie is nothing but a distraction, but Will can’t resist coming back for more, especially with the harsh realities of farming nipping at his heels.

With the clock ticking on Jamie’s stay and the chaos of lambing season fast approaching, both men will have to look beyond themselves and let go of their fears. If they can, they might find the one thing they’ve always needed.

REVIEW:                            

It was wonderful to return to Heather Bay, these books are so warm and welcoming, with gorgeous atmospheric descriptions of Yorkshire.

Jamie has led a life of unparalleled luxury, wanting for nothing, spending money on parties and an excessive lifestyle.  Has he friends or hangers-on?  When life is a whirlwind of parties and expensive holidays.  What does he do, when it starts to feel hollow and he can’t face another day of the same old thing?  Run away to the seaside town of Heather Bay, which is bleak and cold and a far cry from the bright lights of London.  Pondering his life and what he wants from it, is something Jamie has never had to do and frankly he has no clue where to start or how to start.

Will works tirelessly at his farm, in all weathers, like his father and grandfather before him.  He has the weight of the responsibility to keep the farm running and is the fourth generation of his family to run the farm.  He is the strong, silent type, salt of the earth, firmly wedded to the land, who works hard but hasn’t got time for anything but the farm and the approaching lambing season.  He manages to get away once a week or so to meet up with his group of friends at the local pub.  Will has the occasional hook up / boyfriend but they never understand farming life and the hours he has to put into the farm.

Then one night Will meets Jamie.

I expected Jamie to be a vapid, shallow character but his journey to understand how he can change his life was emotional and inspiring.  He didn’t shy away from his self-reflection, he understood that his life was something that most people couldn’t aspire to never mind experience, but he wonders if there is more.  It would have been easy for him to spend a couple of days in the country and then go back to London and his empty life of luxury.  I really loved the descriptions of Jamie helping out on the farm with the animals, especially the lambing, which was truly beautiful.

The connection between Will and Jamie was undeniable and strong despite the fact they had only just met.  It was lovely to see their relationship develop from a one-night stand to a full blown relationship.  We got to see the now inevitable meeting with the friends at the local pub, which as usual was funny and weird, this is a group of friends I would like to hang out with.

Once again Charlie gives another lovely romance from this series, a definite opposites attraction, peppered with gorgeous descriptions of country life.

RATING:

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