Tracey Alvarez

Police diver, Piper Harland, returns to her island home town when her brother, Ben's charter business and home are in jeopardy after his ankle is broken in an accident. Ben's best friend Ryan “West” Westlake is helping Captain the boat and Piper will lead the dives. Piper and West have a history. The Westlakes own a bar, restaurant and inn where most of the Harland family also works; so the story becomes very intertwined. Unfortunately this is one of those stories where a lot could be resolved sooner if people actually talked to each other. A few things about New Zealand and about free diving were new to me and kept me interested enough to finish.… (more)

In the first Bounty Bay novel, former runway fashion model Lauren Taylor is hiding out in the wilds of New Zealand with her four-year-old son. Except for her family, no one in the small town of Bounty Bay knows about her celebrity status and the abusive ex-husband she left in the States. When a famous photojournalist buys the dilapidated property next door to hers, she fears her carefully crafted little world will soon fall victim to the paparazzi.
Nathan Fraser bought the rat-infested house and overgrown property to make into a celebrity hideaway, and he’s sinking every penny he has into fixing the place up. With the profits, he’ll be set for life and will no longer have to travel to war zones. After he rescues Lauren and her son Drew from being stranded on the road in the middle of a storm, he finds himself drawn to the mysterious woman and the adorable boy, but settling down is the last thing he wants.
Both Lauren and Nate are stubborn and emotionally withdrawn people. She’s still living in fear because of the trauma she suffered at her ex’s hands, and he’s so much of a loner that he doesn’t realize how much he actually needs and wants a family and home. Trust, friendship, and romance bloomed slowly between them. Her little boy Drew is completely adorable (my favorite character in the book) and it’s easy to see why Nate fell head over heels for him.
The sex scenes were brief and sweetly sensual rather than explicit, and furthered the H/h’s budding romance. I normally read stories that have a lot of fast-paced action and mystery, but this one was slower and focused more on family ties, emotional turmoil, and simple, small-town living. Nothing big really happened, but I enjoyed the story and the beautiful descriptions of New Zealand.
3 Stars
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