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Review

3 “no regrets” stars

An angsty friends-to-lovers, almost-second-chance romance that is sexy and heartfelt, I enjoyed this one.

This is the first book in the Camp Bexley, which spins off from book #4 of the Bellecurve series (Over the Moon), though you don’t have to read that one first. I actually read the second book in this series, Moments in Time first, because at the time it hadn’t been labelled part of a series and I didn’t know I was reading out of order. But the books read well as standalones, with just enough hint of other characters’ stories to have you wanting to read more.

Hope has spent the last few years living and working at a family-run campground. She was the activities director, and loved her job, but it was her unrequited love for camp owner, Anderson Bexley, that ultimately drove her away when he gave her a heartbreaking push to go and live her life and pursue her career dreams in the city. A year has passed, and she’s done exactly that – she has a brand new job, and a friend with benefits (who just happens to be her boss), and she’s worked hard to make a success of herself and put her past behind her. But then she gets her first big solo marketing project, and it’s none other than the reopening of the newly renovated Camp Bexley.

That’s the problem with unrequited love. It doesn’t give back, even when you think you’re on the verge of something spectacular. It’s like looking into a one-way mirror, knowing in the depths of your soul that you’re standing in front of the one, but he never sees you in return. Still, you try. It’s an addiction. A trap. And the deeper you fall, the harder it is to climb your way out.

Anderson is a complex man who has dealt with a lot of pain in his life, but his life is his camp, his family legacy, and it’s his dream that one day his brothers will all return home to help him run it just like they always planned before devastating circumstances pulled them all apart. In the meantime, he’s determined to build the camp to be what they wanted it to be. What he doesn’t expect is for his new marketing expert to be the woman he pushed away a year earlier, breaking his own heart in the process.

The second I recognize Hope is the moment the pain of losing her comes crashing and burning all around me. The damage I did, the woman I lost, the deep-seeded desire I smothered like it wasn’t the last flame left standing in my life.
She was the one. The only one I’d ever felt could make my dimly lit world a better place, and I pushed her away as though she didn’t even matter.

The dual POV allows us to get right to the heart of these characters and we very quickly realise that there’s so much more to Anderson than we originally thought. He is a man who feels deeply, and who does what he thinks is best for others – at the expense of himself. A year ago, he thought he was doing the right thing by letting Hope go. Not only is she ten years younger than he is, but she had a huge future ahead of her and he didn’t want to stand in the way of that. But now she’s back, that spark that always existed between them is still very much there, and he realises this is his chance to win her back.

The last time I gave Hope the space I thought she needed, she walked away and left a big, gaping hole in my chest. I won’t make that mistake again.

Anderson hurt Hope badly, and he has a lot that he needs to make up for, but she’s on a mission to be nothing but professional during her two week stay at the camp while she works on the reopening. It’s a bit snarky to begin with as they both work through their feelings about their reunion, and Hope is understandably still angry and hurt, but Anderson is single-minded in his pursuit, and it’s beautifully emotion as they finally start to lay it all out for each other.

“I knew you’d leave one day. You were young and still figuring out what you wanted to do with your life. You were bound to leave, whether I pushed you away or not. Everyone leaves.”
From my peripheral, I can see her scan me like she’s assessing my expression. ”I’m not everyone. I was yours. And you were the only one who couldn’t see it.”

“You’re right. About everything.” I bend down to touch my forehead to hers. “I was cruel, and I forced you to leave when it was the last thing I wanted you to do. I’ve never wanted anyone to stay more.”

There’s so much emotion between these two, and the chemistry absolutely sizzles. I was feeling it all, but there is the pesky issue of Hope’s boss and lover…

But the love story is gorgeous (and super sexy), and I liked seeing these two finally find their way to each other.

“You brought me back to life at a time I needed it most. If you think if you think I’m giving up on you now then you’re wrong. I get a second chance to show you exactly what you mean to me – and just how far I’ll go to keep you.”

There is some drama from the aforementioned boss, and the fact that Hope has created a life for herself away from Camp Bexley. She’s determined to protect herself, and her new career, but will she have the strength to walk away from Anderson again, or can she have it all?

I enjoyed this book. It didn’t hit me in the feels as much as I was hoping – probably because of the issues in the spoiler – but definitely a good read. We get a bit of an introduction to who Anderson’s brothers are (and I already know I love Jamison), and I’m keen to continue on with the series as the boys find their way home.

3 stars.

Camp Bexley

Meet K.K. Allen

K.K. Allen is the USA TODAY Bestselling and award-winning contemporary romance author of sweet, sexy, and inspiring stories that evoke emotion at every turn.

K.K.’s debut romance novel, Up in the Treehouse, was named the Best New Adult Book of the Year by RT Book Reviews, an honor beyond belief. And she continues to take reader’s emotions on an epic ride every single time with real, layered, coming of age romance stories that will make you fall in love over and over again.

Born in Hawaii, raised in Washington, and currently residing in Florida, K.K. lives for laughs with her little dude, the great outdoors, watching football, dancing the night away, and her eclectic taste in music.

K.K. also loves connecting with her readers and attends signings when she can! You can find upcoming event dates and other information at: www.kkallen.com.

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