Series: Banksia Bay (Book 3)
Nikki Morrissy is in beautiful Banksia Bay for a fresh start. Even
renting half a cottage from the town's lone wolf, enigmatic Gabe Carver,
cannot distract her from focusing on her new life!
And Gabe is determined that, despite having to share his home with the undeniably attractive Nikki, he will keep to himself....
Until a scared and lonely dog, howling into the night, has them
literally bumping into each other! As the pooch gazes up at them, Gabe
and Nikki realize they'll have to work together on this one. Suddenly
their plans to avoid each other are crumbling around them....
I loved this book. Gabe was such a grouch that he was almost unlikable, except I could see his pain. He didn't let anyone get close to him. He never let anyone thank him when he did something for them. Nikki had come to Banksia Bay to get away from her previous life, and had no intention of letting him mess it up. When they ended up rescuing a dog, they had to work together. Gabe didn't want to get attached to another dog, but Nikki needed his help. He tried to keep her at arms length, but she just wouldn't stay there. Nikki had no intention of letting another man close to her, but she knew nothing about dogs. She could also see that Gabe was hurting and wanted to help. I loved seeing the way the people of Banksia Bay were so helpful. The climax, when the whole town turned out to help, was incredibly moving.
Series: Banksia Bay (Book 4)
The last person Mardie Rainey expects to see on her doorstep is her
childhood sweetheart, Blake Maddock. Fifteen years ago, Blake Maddock
had walked away, leaving her teenage heart sore and broken. But now --
with a thunderstorm raging overhead -- she can't turn him away, nor the
injured border collie in his arms....
Blake Maddock spent his life running from one tragic mistake... Now the
frightened boy has become a formidable man -- and he's coming back for
the woman he has never forgotten....
Good book, pretty intense in places. When Blake came back to Banksia Bay for a class reunion he was hoping for a chance to see Mardie again, but wasn't sure if he should. When he had left for college, he never looked back. He had some good memories, but was also running from the tragedy in his childhood, always feeling that he had to make up for it. When he did show up on her doorstep, with a blind dog, he wasn't sure what to do. Blake was the last person Mardie expected to see. I got very frustrated with him, because he kept saying really stupid things, making him appear condescending about her life as compared to his. Every time he'd end up looking like an idiot, but he never seemed to learn. Mardie tried to protect her heart, since she had been devastated when he left. She did move on, marrying then losing her husband, but living a full life doing things she loved. She wanted to help Blake, but he just wouldn't let go of his past. I did like the way things worked out at the end. The funeral scene at the end was incredibly moving.
