What starts as as enjoyable party ends up shattering the lives of Em and Drake as Em's best friend Piper dies under mysterious circumstances, causing doom to the college and to Drake's fraternity. Years and years later, fate brings Em and Drake back on the same path, and as they struggle to come to terms with their pasts while being unable to deny their festering feelings for each other. This is a lovely small-town tale that builds up momentum as it goes. I loved Emerson's characterization the most of all. This is a great one-time read. My thanks to the author, NetGalley, and the publishers DFM publishing for gifting me with a digital copy of this book.

I would especially like to thank DFM Publishing for allowing me to read this book which is the first in the series: "Drake Isle".

We learn that ten years ago Piper fell from the roof of the fraternity house and in Drake Isle nobody has ever been the same since this accident. This fraternity of Blake Carter was offended. As for Emerson she left the island after the death of her best friend.

Now they're back. Blake is the CEO of a company that wants to locate on Drake Isle and Emerson at a studio to practice yoga in the building that Blake wants to buy. It's been 10 years since they haven't seen each other and negotiations are going to be tense. Blake and Emerson will finally realize that the more they struggle to face their past, the more they will accept what happened ten years ago.

A book read in one go, so much so that I hooked into the story so captivating, full of suspense and twists and turns with endearing characters. Can't wait to read the book two..

Because of You is a book I couldn't get through the first couple times around. I continue to be intriqued by the blurb though, so I still plan on trying it again.

I received a copy of this book in exchange for my honest review. Thank you NetGalley.

This was my first read by Allie Boniface. Considering that, i wasn't sure what to expect of her writing style, but I was pleasantly surprised. The book was beautifully written. The characters were well-developed. The storyline was easy to follow and intriguing.

It's a second-chance, slow-moving romance, but truly a great read!

I'm sorry to say but in my eyes this is bot a good attempt to be a book that's romantic. I put it down, I couldn't care less for the characters.

I appreciated the multiple POVs and I am a sucker for romance, but this one seemed to fall a bit flat.
That being said, I was looking forward to reading more about night of the death, so I would likely read the second book in the series.

Complementary copy given for honest review.

This book was not my cup of tea to speak. I felt connected to the characters but the plot held confusing timelines.

I enjoyed reading about Blake and Emmy's life and the town they went to college.
The characters were great and enjoyable.
This was definitely a page turner that kept me wanting more.
I would most definitely recommend this book !!!

Because of You
Drake Isle series, Book One
Allie Boniface
DFM Pub, Oct 2019
250 pages
Second Chance Romance
Provided by NetGalley
⭐⭐⭐⭐

The cover is light and airy with this scene of the beach and certainly communicates the mood of the book. The pensiveness of this young woman on the cover as she gazes out at the restless ocean is truly what you will find in Ms. Boniface’s book one of the Drake Isle series.

Emerson Doyle, Emmy to anyone who knows her, owns a small yoga studio on Drake Isle in the triple-decker house she and her mother had renovated and lived in together until her mother had passed. Emmy doesn’t like to go up to the third floor of the house. She lives on the second floor and the yoga studio is on the ground floor.

Blake Carter works and lives in Boston. His father is his immediate boss. Not always a comfortable position to be in for Blake as he feels he’s been under his father’s control for far too long most days. And now his father is sending him to Drake Isle to try to buy the very house that Emerson Doyle lives in. And he’s supposed to get it on the cheap because she’s behind on her payments to the bank and is about to lose it anyway.

But Blake and Emmy have a shared past, a very close shared past. One that neither of them has ever really been able to forget or put behind them properly. And then there’s Piper Townsend. She still lies between them and they need to deal with her, but neither one of them really seems to know what happened. They aren’t even really sure which one of them abandoned the other. They do know they aren’t done yet, though.

Well written, heartwarming, slow-moving, and sweet, all the things a second chance love story should be. Set it in a beach town, add in the college they both went to and toss in a broken engagement and a dishonest ex-lover who runs off with the bank balance, and you’ve got a great rainy day read. Recommended for romance readers who love to see all broken hearts heal.

My first from this author and I found it a bit dry. This second chance romance, which is a trope I truly adore, never felt desperate for me. Meaning I just didn't feel the bittersweet connection between Blake and Emerson.

However, the overall story was sweet and I always enjoy a great small-town kind of feel. Many of the secondary characters truly made this book better that what I took away from the main love story. I wouldn't mind reading more about them in the future, especially with the underlying reason for Blake and Emerson originally ending their relationship, a mystery still unsolved.

For me, this felt more like chick lit than a true romance. But I'd venture into Boniface's words once more should she continue with Drake Island and its wonderful inhabitants.

3 stars.

I received an invitation from the publisher, via Net-Galley, to read and review Because of You, and since the book description appealed to me, I accepted. My opinions are my own and are not influenced in any way.

Because of You is an emotionally-charged romance, and it captured my attention right away. The writing flows well, and the dialogue is realistic. The pacing is steady and doesn’t lag in the middle. This is a second chance romance which is one of my most favorite troupes.

Blake and Emerson were together in college, but the tragic death of her best friend tears them apart. Now, ten years later, Blake returns to Drake island to do his father’s bidding and reopen his old college. He needs the building where Emerson has her yoga studio, which creates immediate conflict. Their reunion sizzles with tension and attraction.

Emerson is struggling to make her mortgage payments, and the bank is threatening to foreclose. This creates a perfect storm between her and Blake. Can they overcome the obstacles in their path and find their way back to each other?

Emerson Doyle’s character gained my empathy early on. She has recently gone through a nasty break up with her ex-boyfriend, and when she checks her bank balance, she discovers most of her money is gone. Brian had her information, and now his number has been disconnected. I could feel her anger and frustration. She has more in her cup than a one person needs to say the least.

Blake Carter is an interesting character, but he needs to grow some backbone. He allows his father to manipulate him, and I didn’t care for that. I did like his character though because he’s actually a good guy, just torn by his family loyalties. I could feel his confusion and doubt over what his controlling father wants, and the conflict in him that creates, since he doesn’t want to hurt Emerson.

The chemistry between Emerson and Blake blazes throughout the book. I truly wanted them to find a way to make it work this time. Blake has to earn her trust which is difficult since he is still trying to appease his father while not hurting Emerson. Lots of emotions going on in this romance.

If you enjoy contemporary romance with engaging characters and an intriguing plot that has a splash of mystery, then you will like Because of You. While this is the first book I’ve read by Ms. Bonaface, it will not be the last Happy reading!

I really hate books with cliffhangers! The book is well written but there are two many questions left unanswered. I was really disappointed. Thanks to the publisher for my advance ebook. This is my unbiased review.

Good book. The story revolved around a small town that had had the college shut down after a girl fell from the room of a fraternity to her death. Everyone went their separate ways for 10 years. Blake comes back into Emmy's life to buy her building but what he wants more than anything is her. The story had some mystery, misundestandings, romance and family dynamics. I love the setting of the small town and how everyone helps each other. It was an interesting read and I hope will be continued in a future book

Because of you is a story that you'll enjoy. It has interesting characters and the storyline will keep you reading. Lots of twists will keep you turning the pages. There's a cliffhanger from the pass, that is going to drawn to next book.

I’m not really sure how I feel about this book. It was good but the story kept dragging on & I'm disappointed that we didn’t learn more about Piper’s death, also that we didn’t find out if Emmy got her money back from her ex. The story between Blake & Emmy was sad & I wasn’t actually sure what Blake was going to do about the problem of trying to buy Emmy's building out from under her. For Emmy's part she was strong & resilient when her life imploded on her. The quick turn around of emotions was a little surprising, as I thought she might resist a bit more than she did. I’m also confused as to why Tilley had such a large part in this book. Not 100% sold on reading more by this author.

Well written book. This is a new author to me, and I must say that I enjoyed reading this book. Will be on the look out for other books by this author.

Thank you NetGalley, Allie Boniface, and DFM Publishing for an advance copy of Because of You. I gave this book 4 stars because it was an enjoyable read. This story was a great way to introduce the story line of the series and the characters. The story should continue and focus on the death of Piper Townsend, but to start, we meet main characters Blake Carter and Emerson Doyle. We learn that they were college sweethearts, but because of Piper’s death and other circumstances, they broke up and lost contact with each other. It isn’t until years later that a business deal brings them back together. The attraction between Blake and Emerson is undeniable. Even after all this time, the love and attraction between them is still there and very strong. Through ups and downs throughout the story we see their love grow stronger, even though at times they fight it. I cannot wait to continue to read this series and see the developments surrounding Piper’s death. I will definitely recommend this book.

Thank you to Netgalley and the publisher for an ARC of this book in exchange for an honest review. 3.5 stars rounded up.

I will preface this by saying I don't read love stories unless there's something sneaky going on in the storyline to convince me of its merits. I was so disappointed in the beginning of this book because it seemed to be a straight up romance with little mention of Piper's death. But then it grabbed me and I'm glad I didn't give up.

Blake and Em are meant to be. Their story is sweet and that will absolutely appeal to anyone who enjoys romance novels. There's a little mystery going on that's pretty easy to figure out ahead of the big reveal, and the author left one big plot item open for the next book (I feel like I know what's going to happen but then something small happened at the end that made me doubt my detective skills).

At any rate, although I felt like I was reading the script for a Hallmark channel movie and I don't think I'll read the sequel when it publishes, I know this book will be loved by many. There's definitely some good writing here.

3.5☆

What I liked:
The writing style
The characters
Multiple POVs
Part of a series: Drake Isle
Standalone
HEA
Epilogue

I look forward to reading the next book in this series.

I am not 100% sure how I feel about this book. It ended with a cliffhanger but not really? The book revolves around the death of Piper Townsend, who fell/ jumped off a fraternity roof 10+ years ago. Her death was declared as accidental and closed. Her death has haunted the sleepy island of Drake Isle.

Not only did it close down the fraternity but it drove a wedge between fraternity president, Blake and Pipers best friend, Emmy. Now Blake has shown up at her door with a business proposition. It isn’t long before sparks are flying and they both realize how much Pipers death affected both of them.

There was not a lot of detail regarding Pipers death but I have a feeling more of that will be revealed in book 2. I look forward to reading the next book.