The idea of a sexy bartender with a sleeve of tattoos is mighty tempting and could almost convince me that a cruise trip is a good idea for a holiday. If only it didn’t involve being trapped at sea with other people for days on end! Even so, despite my misgivings about life at sea with a crowd, this is a lovely romance and very atmospheric. The island locations are definitely seductive and the warmth and history between the two leading ladies is beautifully written. I really liked the friend characters, who again were well written and properly part of the story rather than just fillers. Spoiler alert. The author missed a trick by not having the ex show up. A bitchy scene with Veronica, who sounds like she could have stolen the plot, could have livened the story up. The sex scenes were pretty hot so be prepared to read this one somewhere private.

Second Chances!
When Charlotte decides to go on a cruise, she is unexpectedly re-united with Lexi who she has not seen in over 10 years. As they both realize that they still have feelings for each other, they have to figure out how to navigate the many challenges they face.

This was a good read. The concept of getting a second chance to reconnect with someone that meant a lot to you makes for a compelling story. And the setting.of a cruise ship and beautiful islands cannot be beat. It was interesting to see how the self-doubt, regret and pain came into play when both Lexi and Charlotte try to re-establish their relationship.

This is the first book that I've read by Fiona Riley and I really enjoyed the story of Lexi and Charlotte reconnecting on a cruise after their early years together. The chemistry between these two characters was amazing especially immediately after reconnecting after several years of being apart. The sex scenes were numerous, varied, and decliously heated. But I also enjoyed the emotional part of Lexi and Charlotte reconnecting as adults. Finally, the secondary characters such as Zara, Ahmed, Enrique, and Paw Paw added to the story and provided humor along the way.

I received an ARC from Bold Strokes Books and NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

An honest review thanks to Netgalley. This was a great read, I love reconnecting romance and this one was perfect. The first scene where they see each other again was iconic and really set the tone of this story for me. As the story went on the chemistry and connection between these two were undeniable and made me want to read about them all the more. The ending to this book was also fantastic, it gave me the closure exactly what I was looking for.

Can I tell you how much I love this book and this author?! I have not read one of Fiona's books that I have not liked. Both of the female characters were likeable, strong, warm, caring and I just wanted to see them work it out this time. My favorite was Charlotte because in my opinion, the more feminine character can be a little more shy and meek, and Charlotte was strong and confident. The story moved along, there was no forced drama, and the dialogue just shined. Read it. You'll love it too.

Charlotte Southwick is boarding her honeymoon cruise alone after catching her fiancée in bed with another woman. To her complete surprise, her first love and woman she left behind for college works in the cruise ship. Lexi Bronson has been running away since Charlotte left her behind ten years ago. Bartending for the cruise line, going from one tropical location to the next has been managing her disquiet. That is, until she sees Charlotte again. Can this first love get a second chance?

This is a hard one for me to rate. I have read a couple of other novels by this author and enjoyed them both. Her ability to create chemistry is excellent and the reader will find that she succeeded again in this book. The light touches and flirting make Lexi and Charlotte a good couple. That said, Lexi is a very forgiving woman to not require much of an explanation for Charlotte leaving her 10 years ago. The reason is ok and well, things happen when you are young. I’ll be honest, I wish I had Lexi’s ‘moving on’ mentality. There are a few explicit sex scenes that will not disappoint those readers that have come to expect that from Ms Riley.

The second big hurdle is Charlotte’s failed engagement. I liked that her breakup happened months before as the honeymoon was not planned for immediately after the wedding. Acceptable fix for not having a main fall for someone else right after breaking an engagement up. The fact that they share a history also helped.

The cruise life got a little boring for me. I appreciate the effort the author made to bring the mains together as no employee is allowed to romantically interact with a guest. Unfortunately, that meant many cruise ship activity descriptions that lost me. The older woman Charlotte met was intrusive and seemed wasted effort as the character faded to nothing. The other disappointing part was the big conflict in the story. All of a sudden the end of the cruise week is such a horrible thing and defining issue but the reality is the cruise was going to always end. I feel the real conflict of the story was the how to continue the relationship beyond the cruise time and things were not developed on that front. Felt like a missed opportunity to delve into something more critical and what really matters in a forever love story. That also meant some skimming on my part to reach the final resolution.

Overall, an okay second chance story. 3 stars

ARC generously provided to me by BSB via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

For some reason my thoughts on this book are pretty different from most readers. I love the idea of the second-chance romance, even if the "first chance" ended before college. I love the idea of paradise as a backdrop. There were a couple of things that hit me funny though ... why would you ever bring your wedding gown on a cruise? Charlotte's mother was mentioned several times but we didn't get to meet her. Once Lexi and Charlotte knew they would get back together to some degree, I worried the entire time that they would get caught.

For me, this felt like an erotic romance because there are a ton of sex scenes but we don't get to understand a lot of the emotions and history behind them. The book also felt about an hour too long - I found myself skimming over chunks. Maybe it was the pacing that was off.

I would still recommend this book for anyone looking for a hot, sexy, low-angst romp.

ARC received via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

I’m a Riley fan, and this was an ok read, but it’s not my favourite of hers.

Here, we have Lexi, who works as bartender and VIP liaison on a cruise ship, and Charlotte, who’s fiancé cheated on her and who is now taking the honeymoon trip alone. Lexi and Charlotte also happen to be high school sweethearts who broke up when Charlotte left for college. The two reconnect on the Majestic Princess (which I found weird because that’s an actual cruise ship) and sparks fly.

It’s very much an instant attraction, and while that (and the insta-love that followed) would usually annoy me, it’s less of a problem here due to their shared past and that I believed they each were ‘the one that got away’ for the other. The setting is the issue, because (as Lexi points out over and over) cruise ships have strict policies about crew hooking up with guests, and the cruise was a week long! Seriously, how hard is it for two grown ass women to hold out for a week. They don’t though, and this leads to plenty of sexy times, which should please those who like a lot of hot sex in their stories.

So, while I enjoyed the start of the book and their reconnection (and Lexi’s friends). I was annoyed by the sex on the ship shenanigans and the resulting repercussions. I was, however, thankful that this did not dissolve into a protracted break up as I was expecting it to. Still, I would have preferred that they had just met on the ship and used Lexi’s upcoming vacation as the point of actual reconnection. The book also lacked any depth to them getting back together, outside of apologising for what went wrong and flirting/having sex, they didn’t really talk about anything of actual value and that made the new relationship seem sort of shallow. There’s also the fact that Charlotte is still nursing a broken heart and it’s not addressed nearly enough.

I liked both characters, and enjoyed their banter. I also liked the circle of friends (I was disappointed not to see Barb at the end), and that time had passed before the end of the book, but would have preferred a bit more time on that part of the relationship. It’s probably 3.5 stars, rounded down.

NetGalley:

Totally fun, light-hearted and enjoyable. I recommend this for anyone who wants low- angst and pleasant writing.

Fiona Riley writes well. And to me she’s one of the best writers in BSB. And she writes really good sexy scenes. So when this book came out I was thrilled. I’m a goner for romances with second chance at love as the trope, especially when the main characters met when they’re not yet jaded with the world, when feelings were honest and pure. Thing is, I’ve read a lot of stories of this trope and although this is well written, it didn’t give me that specially sweet feeling that I usually feel when I read stories about first love and second chances. Riley chose to write all in the present. No flashbacks of when they first noticed each other, of when they first caught feelings; no flashbacks of teenaged Lexi and Charlotte in the backseat of a ‘57 Chevy, or of broken hearted Lexi. And I think that’s what’s missing. It’s still a good read, still worth reading. But personally I would love to be taken back to when it all started. It makes the feelings in the present feel more profound. Again this is still a good book and I would still recommend it.

4.25 stars

This is my favorite book by this author. It's also in the top five favorites for the year and I read a ton of books! I usually don't go for second chance books especially with teenage love, but there was something about this one that really grabbed me. Thankfully, it skipped the flashbacks to their high school love. Maybe because I have a teenager, but I'm just not a fan of adolescent love scenes in my adult lesfic. I am so glad I gave this book a chance. It has the insta love so many readers (not me!) find unbelievable, but really, in a second chance storyline can it even be insta love or is it really a long term love reconnected? I loved the secondary characters almost as much as the main characters. Sometimes a book with this many characters with such prevalent parts to the storyline can get muddled or distracting like they're there for filler. These secondary characters fit seamlessly and the storyline would be less without them. The romance was touching and the ability to have the characters communicate throughout the book made for a better read. It was lovely not having artificial angst to further the storyline because they didn't share their feelings. There were challenges that they had to face, so the storyline isn't all hearts and flowers. This book is a definite recommend and reread for me.
I received an ARC of this book from the publisher via Netgalley in exchange for an honest review.

While I’ve never been on a cruise, it didn’t matter while reading this book. The author did a great job of describing the setting and it was easy to get invested in the characters and their friendships. The story was believable and not overly dramatic.

Fiona Riley, the power you have to get me to rush to your books is startling.

Usually, I'm someone who's more into a girl-meets-girl storyline, as in two people who've never met in their lives cross paths that lead to a romance. In this case, we have have Charlotte and Lexi, two twenty-something beauties, who reconnect years after breaking up. The spark between them is clear, but it did take me a bit to be convinced.

But, whew, once I was convinced...let us all bow down to all the smoking hot sex scenes, like damn. Once Lexi and Charlotte started getting intimate, I saw this book with fresh eyes. This is a sexy beach read, where the characters, at times, are quite literally at or near the beach. It's a vacation-setting love story I'm reading in October, when the air is getting crisp.

We get many scenes of Lexi and Charlotte flirting, which I am a huge fan of. Give us more lesbian flirting, other lesbian writers! Holy crap, the heated interactions at the white party were...*fans self*. Delicious.

I'll throw in a couple critiques. The first is one I've probably mentioned before, but Fiona Riley tends to over-write sometimes. While in some ways it's awesome (sex scenes!), it can come off like the reader can't be trusted to remember things. It can also make dialogue seem unnatural. And the other critique is something I used to see in fanfiction: making people who are over forty years old down decrepit. A character who's in her late sixties had "gnarled hands" and talked like someone who was over a century. I know that age group can have and do those things, I don't know, it made me take pause.

This is a sexy, fluffy read. Low conflict and no needless drama.

So I have to admit, I'm a Fiona Riley fan. She's got that sexy, steamy heat thing down pat without ever being repetitive or boring, that's for sure!

The setting in this story is nice. MC Charlotte is on her honeymoon cruise, except minus the wife. She left her ex after finding out she was cheating on Charlotte, but decided to go on this cruise anyway because - why not. Of course, Charlotte's first love, Lexi, happens to be a bartender on the cruise ship and, of course, also assigned to be her VIP rep for the week.

This is not a slow burn romance. When the two see each other again, despite the 10 years they've been apart, there's an instant re-attraction. Normally the speed in which they fell into bed would have bothered me, but with the massive history between them, it actually felt plausible to me this time. The part that bothered me most about this read was how the whole 'Charlotte was supposed to be on her honeymoon' thing just got swept under the rug. There's mentions of how she was sad and hurting, but it still surprised me a bit at how quickly Charlotte and Lexi fell back in love with other with the giant elephant in the room still.

The chemistry is off the charts and overall I really enjoyed this read, but I think there actually could have been a bit more angst included. The ending also felt like it dragged, but I also understand in a way why Riley wrote it the way she did. All in all, this won't hit my favorites list, but I still really enjoyed the chemistry and the read overall. 4 stars.

**Many thanks to Bold Strokes for providing me an ARC in exchange for my honest review.**

« I’m gonna make this vacation my bitch. » Charlotte is determined to enjoy the cruise she’d planned on taking with her wife even though she’s now wifeless and still hurt after finding her fiancée in bed with another woman. The good news is, her ex-fiancée wasn’t the love of her life. And as fate would have it, Lexi, who is the love of her life, just happens to be working on the ship and has been assigned as Charlotte’s VIP attendant. They haven’t seen each other in ten years, not since Charlotte left Lexi to go study in Europe, a decision she has regretted ever since.

I have a thing for second chance romances. One of my favorite novels is Turn Back Time by Radclyffe. There’s something delightfully angsty about lost time and making up for it. There’s often (but not always) some sort of betrayal the characters have to overcome, and trust to establish anew. And the question of whether the chemistry is still there. Fiona Riley deals rather quickly yet efficiently with the first issue. As for the chemistry, it definitely still exists. The love Charlotte and Lexi shared as teenagers has obviously never faded, but before they even talk about that and maybe imagining a future together, there’s a lot of sex. I mean, a lot. Not right away, there’s plenty of tension and teasing first, since Lexi is not allowed to have any relationship with passengers. A rule they try to abide by for a couple of days… It might seem fast but it’s not really insta-lust since they already were in lust a decade ago. They simply get to act on it again. It makes sense. And the fact that it seems so obvious, so natural, so easy between them stems from that love they’ve always shared, even when they were apart.

I have to be honest here. I’m way more emotional at the moment than I usually am so I’m not entirely sure all the feelings I got came from the book itself. But it’s still a damn good story, with lovely characters (including the secondary characters), it’s well written and hot. So hot.

I received a copy from the publisher and I am voluntarily leaving a review.

I received an ARC copy of this book from the Publisher via Netgalley and voluntarily leaving my review.

Charlotte decides to go on the cruise that she booked for her honeymoon. Unfortunately, she never married as she caught her fiancee in bed with another woman and called off the wedding. She decided that she would go on the cruise by herself for the experience.

Lexi works as a Barwoman on a cruise ship. She has been on cruise ships for just under a decade. She used to go out with Charlotte when she was in her teens but got her heart broken.

I thought that this was a great story. Lexi is a sweetheart from the beginning. She wears her heart on her sleeve. Charlotte took me a little longer to like. At the beginning there was something that I cannot put my finger on, I just didn't like her. As the story progressed and you got to know the characters better that is when she started to grow on me. I thought the story line was good. The author wrote it in such a way that you feel like you are there with them. The chemistry between both MC was off the charts and the sex scenes, lets just say that Ms Riley is the queen at writing sex scenes. I wouldn't recommend reading any of her books whilst at work. A cold shower is recommended after reading them.

If you like second chance romances then this could be the book for you.

I received an ARC from NetGalley in exchange for a honest review.

Fiona Riley is a very promising author that really knows how to write amazing sex scenes. I assure you that this book has plenty of sex plus all the intimate scenes are very original.
Both main and supportive characters are very likable and the description of the locations they visit is engaging and never boring. Damn, now I wanna book my ticket to visit all these amazing places!
My only issue with this book is that I was always having the feeling that their connection was more sexual than emotional and considering their romantic history I felt there was something off. Still a very good read that I would totally recommend.

A second chance cruise romance.

Charlotte is vacationing on a cruise that was meant to be her honeymoon. Her ex-finance cheated on her and therefore they never married. As luck would have it... Charlotte's first HS love, Lexi, is employed and assigned as her VIP for the week.

Instant re-attraction. Instant feelings. Instant everything. This was the opposite of slow burn to the point of almost being unbelievable. But seeing as how they had a strong history, it is somewhat seemed plausible. I thought there was an opportunity for Lexi to have a bit more angst over reconnecting with Charlotte. She was so quick to fall back into things despite how Charlotte had broken hear heart. And alternately, Charlotte was so quick to jump into things despite the recent dissolution of her engagement.

The story was filled with many different settings and interactions. The best part of this book was the chemistry and flirty/dirty dialogue.

Another reviewer commented on considering this an erotic story. While there was quite a bit of explicit sex, it didn't feel that way to me. In fact, there were no intimate scenes until the second half of the book. But being the prude I am, I have to say that I PERSONALLY felt there were more than necessary. Having said that, the scenes were not repetitive like so many other books fall victim to. Each scene was unique and sexy.

Because there was so much of THAT, I felt that the book suffered from not creating a deeper connection between Charlotte and Lexi. Sure, they said the words and had inner monologues describing their feelings. But I didn't necessarily see it. Their relationship was more physical than emotional.

The ending dragged on a bit too long.

Overall, this was an entertaining story with a lot of sexy scenes. Not surprisingly, this would be a good beach vacation read.

I recommend to those who are interested in romance, second chances, vacationing, cruises, bar tending, friends who collude, dirty talk, sexual tension, and packing (not luggage).

I like Fiona Riley's romances though I will say the last book I read from her was from the "Perfect Match" series. Regardless, I really enjoyed this read. The romance was front and center and any obstacles the two main characters faced seemed realistic enough to me. What I loved most was that the story took place in the present and not the past. No flashbacks or drawn out angsty moments from long ago. The one liners were really great too: "...to celebrate your grand opening with my grand opening." That one made me snicker (yes snicker not laugh because well it's a snicker type line) a bit. Fans of Riley I think will like this low key, little angst, very well written, happy romance. I give it 4.75 stars.

Fiona Riley knows how to grow the sexual tension specially in this one !!. I was super interested in the book from the get go. it's well written for sure. i dont get to say it's unrealistic but it's such sweet story i can not not believe in.
I would've liked it if they met the mother at one point but it's ok
I liked the humor side of it as well.

thank you for the free copy