I read this book a little while back and whilst unpacking I found it in my pile of books and settled down to read it again. In a little under twenty-four hours, needless to say no unpacking was done that day and I still love this book much as I did the first time round.
Daisy Monroe is back in the town of Lovett Texas, after fifteen years of staying away, because she has some things to settle. Daisy was eighteen when she left Lovett not because she wanted to but because she was eighteen, shit got real, real fast and she had to. With the best friend of her boyfriend…Oh Daisy. She went away, made a life for herself but tragedy has struck and she knows its time to put to right what she did wrong those many years ago. Heading back to the place where it all started.
Jackson Parrish is the man Daisy left for his best friend, the man who has been in love with her for most of his life and the man who wants nothing to do with her for the rest of it. The only thing is, Jack has no idea what Daisy has come back in town for but he knows she is not leaving until its done, and it involves him. Only him. In a lot of ways. Seeing Daisy again brings back memories hard and soft, he is not ready for her. Maybe he never will be. Jackson knows if Daisy sticks around, things are bound to get bent out of shape.
So what does Daisy want with Jackson? What is she back for? And when does she plan to leave?
Some parts of this book had me stack raving mad at Daisy and Stephen for what they did to Jackson fifteen years ago. It was cowardly and wicked. Although looking at it from another perspective, they were young and Daisy just found out the one thing that will change the course of her life and she needed to know that Jackson would stand by her, but it is Sod’s Law that on that same night Jackson suffers the worst tragedy of his young life; his parents are killed in a car accident so he is not thinking straight. The time when he needs his best friend and girlfriend to stand by him the most is the time he is abandoned by both of them, in the most callous way possible. Different perspective granted, she wasn’t eighteen forever she should have done the right thing years before…I found that a hard pill to swallow.
Still, I enjoyed reading this book again, although it is very obvious how it will all unfold, it plays on very nicely because its an easy read. There were sizzling sex scenes, tastefully done, hot and heavy and at times sweet and raw. The characters are well developed for a book this small and the story even more so, with the ability to draw strong emotions from the reader- Daisy is like marmite sometimes, and it was stupid of her to think herself deserving of forgiveness from Jackson, her reasoning was selfish but there was something about her that I liked. And Jackson, it was easy to fall in love with him and take his side because he was dealt the bitter end of the blow- losing the girl you love to your best friend, losing your best friend without being able to make amends and then realising what it is they took and kept from your for fifteen years… well lets just say he is a better man for it and I think because we love him, its easy to forgive Daisy… For me anyway. We meet her wacky family and different characters in the story that give us good comic relief but its also a very sweet tale of hurt, loss, forgiveness and second chances.
Daisy’s back in town and she has a secret and she is not leaving until the secret is out. Oh Daisy.