Title: Some Kind of Wonderful by Sarah Morgan
Puffin Island Series Book Two
Publisher: HQN Books
Genre: Contemporary, Romance
Length: 384 pages
Book Rating: B+
Complimentary Review Copy Provided by Publisher Through NetGalley
Summary:
USA TODAY bestselling author Sarah Morgan will sweep you away with her Puffin Island series! In a town where anything can happen, sometimes love can be found in the most unlikely place of all…
Her whole life, Puffin Islander Brittany Forrest has dreamed of adventure. And at the age of eighteen, she thought she’d found it in bad boy Zachary Flynn. But after just ten tempestuous, smoldering days, their whirlwind marriage went up in smoke, and Brittany resolved to put him out of her mind forever.
Zach knows he let Brittany down, but being back on Puffin Island and seeing Brittany again stirs up long-buried emotions. This daredevil pilot has never felt worthy of her, yet he can’t stay away-even when he knows the chemistry between them will only complicate his life.
As long, hot summer days on the beach dissolve into sultry, starry nights, Brittany and Zach find that the sparks between them are more powerful than ever. Could it be that the second time around, their dreams of a happy-ever-after will finally come true?
Review:
Some Kind of Wonderful by Sarah Morgan is a beautiful second chance at love romance for Brittany Forrest and Zach Flynn. This second novel in the delightful Puffin Island series is also a wonderful story of healing not just for the couple, but also for Zach as he finally begins to open his heart to his friends and makeshift family.
Ten years earlier, Brittany and Zach’s whirlwind marriage ended in divorce and they each went their separate ways. Brittany went on to college as planned and fulfilled her dream of becoming an archeologist. Zach turned his love of flying into a lucrative career as a private pilot in remote areas such as Alaska. Both have recently returned to Puffin Island and while their smoking hot attraction has not diminished in the intervening years, neither is ready to face their shared past or enter into another relationship.
Brittany is open, trusting and positively radiates happiness. Her childhood on Puffin Island was pretty much a dream come true but she was eager to experience life off island as well. Her career has taken her all over the world but Puffin Island remains near and dear to her heart and when she needs a place to recuperate after breaking her wrist, Brittany heads back to the loving and close-knit community and her friends.
Unbeknownst to Brittany, Zach, too, has returned to Puffin Island where he now runs a private airplane charter in addition to helping out at the wilderness camp that changed the entire course of his life. Despite turning his life around, he carries both invisible and visible scars from his abusive childhood and sadly, even into adulthood, he is emotionally closed off, unable to trust and incapable of seeing how much the people in his life love him. While some islanders (and Zach) continue to view him as the troubled youth he once was, most everyone else recognizes his kindness and compassion (which is brilliantly showcased in two particularly heartwarming (and poignant) scenes that are incredibly moving).
While Brittany tries to remain unemotional and detached, she is still hurt and angry over their failed marriage. She grudgingly accepts his help and as their paths continue to cross, it is quite apparent to both of them their desire has not waned in the intervening years. Brittany hides her attraction behind indifference but Zach is not quite able to mask his passion for his ex. Older and wiser, she makes peace with their tumultuous past which eventually smooths the way for them to renew their friendship. Zach remains guarded as they give in to their explosive desire but Brittany respects his need for emotional space. Feeling less threatened, he begins to open up about his dysfunctional past and once he realizes Brittany is not going to push for more than he is ready to give, Zach begins to relax. However, just as it appears they have a good chance at a future together, a major misunderstanding threatens their happiness.
Although a bit slow paced and repetitive for about the first hundred pages, Some Kind of Wonderful is nonetheless a captivating and emotional romance that is ultimately a very sweet and sexy addition to Sarah Morgan’s Puffin Island series.
