Thirty six year old art teacher, Devan Scott has been
unceremoniously dumped by the woman she thought was her happy ever after lover,
Steph. She decides she needs a fresh start and to move from her home in Austin,
Texas back to nearer to her roots. She eventually gets a job in Vancouver,
Washington. Her one regret is leaving her older brother and his young family
behind in Texas.
Devan finds herself a nice little place to live and with her
new job in a local school, she’s set up. She decides she isn’t ready for
anything heavy. She’s going to enjoy her new single status, go on a few dates,
nothing serious. All these plans are going really well. That is until she meets
Alex.
Devan is warned off Alex, warned that she’s a player, a heart
breaker. Which of course is true. So Devan, forewarned, decides that Alex would
make a great friend and nothing more. The only thing is, her heart is telling
her something different.
After an accident to Alex’s sister, Cleo, Devan and Alex are
pushed into taking the vacation together to Maui that had already been booked
for Alex and Cleo. Their friendship begins to change. Will Devan fall in love
and get her heart broken? Will Alex change her womanizing ways? Or will Devan be
yet another notch on her bedpost?
This is the first book in the Vancouver series. As far as I
can tell, it’s JJ Wallingford’s debut book. I have to say, I absolutely love it.
I love the characters. The main character Devan starts off being this very
unsure, somewhat shy person, virtually in the closet. It’s great to see how she
meets up with new friends and gradually comes right out of her shell. Devan has
no intentions of getting involved romantically with anyone after being dumped by
her lover. But it really isn’t who she is. She is meant to be loved and in a
relationship. She attracts women, but they all seem to be the same type as her
ex, Steph. Until she meets Alex.
The change in Devan is almost immediate. It’s obvious to see
that Devan and Alex will get together. What isn’t so obvious, is whether Devan
will get hurt or not.
The characters are all well formed and easily interact with
each other. It’s nice to see a group of friends getting on so well together.
This is a wonderful book, the dialogue flows and I simply
couldn’t put it down. This is more than just another romance, these characters
are so much like an everyday group of friends, that I’m still thinking about
them two days after finishing the book. The story has it’s highs and lows. There
are issues that JJ Wallingford has written about with a sympathy and
understanding that takes the edge off the subject without playing it down.
That’s as far as I can go without putting in any spoilers.
I can’t wait for the second book in this new and refreshing
series. I’ll definitely re-read this book again.
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