New York Times bestselling author Samantha Young returns to Hart’s Boardwalk with a searing and emotional new standalone romance…

 

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Blurb

Local metalsmith and gift shop owner, Dahlia McGuire, likes her quiet life in Hartwell, Delaware. It’s the perfect place to hide from her family and the tragic events that led to their estrangement. However, when her father, the person she loves most in the world, needs her Dahlia has no choice but to return to Boston to face her ghosts. One of those happens to be her ex-boyfriend’s best friend, Michael Sullivan. The man she was never supposed to fall in love with.

Michael Sullivan has never forgotten Dahlia McGuire. Some might say he’s never gotten over her. For years he lived with the anger of her desertion, and now, newly-divorced, he’s finally ready to move on. That proves impossible when Dahlia returns to Boston and reawakens their explosive connection. Despite everything, Michael wants her back, but Dahlia can’t seem to let go of the tangled emotions of the past. When she flees home to Hartwell, Michael follows, determined to do everything in his power to convince her they belong together.

However, when the unthinkable hits the quiet seaside town, Michael finds himself trying to unravel more than the mystery of Dahlia’s broken heart. It’s time for truths left unsaid to finally be spoken or Michael and Dahlia might find themselves torn apart forever…

 

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Review

3.5 stars

Angsty, heartbreaking and wildly emotional, with this book, Samantha Young takes us back to Hart’s Boardwalk for Dahlia’s story, and it is an unexpected ride!

Dahlia is the best friend of Bailey Hartwell, and she runs a gift store where she makes her own jewellery on the Boardwalk in Hartwell. She has created a good life for herself there and is well liked. But secretly she is running from her past, refusing to deal with her past pain, and it’s all about to catch up with her.

When her beloved father needs her, Dahlia doesn’t even hesitate to return to Boston – even though it means she needs to face her estranged family and the tragedy that made her run away almost a decade ago. It’s emotional and heartwrenching and my heart ached for Dahlia, but her family is only one step of her journey, she also needs to face up to the love of her life and the man that she left all those years ago, newly-divorced Michael Sullivan.

Sparks flew when Dahlia and Michael met, but they were in an impossible situation as she was dating his best friend at the time. Over the years they grew close, but nothing was ever able to happen between them. It was angsty and messed up, and they both made mistakes, but when they finally found their way to each other, tragedy struck and Dahlia left town never to return. Now, all these years later, there’s still a whole lot of anger, guilt and heartache between them and it’s all about to be unleashed.

“You left me.” His words caught like stinging cuts on my lips. “You left me and I was so in love with you. I didn’t want to find you because you broke my heart, Dahlia. You broke my fuckin’ heart.”

OMG, the pain! The angst! I could feel it all, and it packs an emotional punch. Despite all they’ve been through, and as much as they may have tried to move on, you can feel the love between these two, and their fiery reconnection isn’t what either of them expected. But it’s a spark, and when the time comes for Dahlia to return home to Hartwell, Michael isn’t ready to let go and so he follows her, desperate to prove that he’s all in – but he’s going to have to work for it because Dahlia is fighting him every step of the way.

It you think that’s a spoiler, it’s totally not, because that’s only part of Dahlia and Michael’s journey. This book is told in two parts – Dahlia’s visit to Boston, and then her return to Hartwell, with key moments from the past replayed in memory. It takes a while for the full truth all to unravel, and I was glued to my kindle as it all played out, desperate to see what was the big thing that forced Dahlia to run and what is holding her back in the present.

Honestly, the back and forth did get frustrating, but mostly I was just heartbroken over how shattered Dahlia was. Her backstory was tragic, but it did seem a little overly dramatic and unrealistic. Would this really happen? Who knows – I certainly hope not! But it left it’s mark on Dahlia, which is what brings the angst in the second half of the book. She has massive walls around herself, and Michael has a battle on his hands to win her over. It seemed very reminiscent of the Joss and Braden drama from On Dublin Street – in that it seemed pointless, annoying and OTT, but it creates drama and makes the inevitable reunion all the more meaningful.

“This time I’m not letting you go.”

At the same time, there is a new mystery in Hartwell, bringing danger and a bit of suspense to the story. Honestly, I didn’t think it was needed because there was already so much going on, but it ties in with the rest of the series, continuing the storyline of the bad guys trying to take over the town.

We get to see the rest of the crew from the series, and I loved catching up with them. The girl-posse is fantastic, and Cooper and Vaughan are still awesome. There are more clues for Emery’s book (which I’m super excited for), and new characters introduced that we’ll hopefully get to see more of.

This book definitely wasn’t what I was expecting, and it’s a rollercoaster, but Young writes it well. It’s as much a story of Dahlia’s journey to move on from the past as it is a love story, and the two elements are very closely intertwined. And though it’s a long, windy and angsty road, it does end well.

“I’ll wait forever for you, Michael Sullivan.”
He shook his head. “No waiting required. I’ve been yours since day one.”

I loved being back with these characters, and though it definitely wasn’t easy, I was so happy to see Dahlia get her HEA.

3.5 stars.

An Advanced Reader Copy was generously provided by the author in exchange for an honest review.

 

Hart’s Boardwalk

 

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About the Author

Samantha Young is the New York Times, USA Today and Wall Street Journal bestselling author of adult contemporary romances, including the On Dublin Street series, Hero, and Fight or Flight. Samantha’s crossover romance/women’s fiction novel titled Much Ado About You will be published by Berkley (release date tba). Her debut adult paranormal romance novel War of Hearts releases under the pen name S. Young in October 2019.

Samantha is currently published in 30 countries and is a #1 international bestselling author.

When she’s not writing books, she’s buying shoes she doesn’t really need and searching for nooks and crannies to shelve her ever-expanding book collection.

 

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Email – authorsamanthayoung@gmail.com

 

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