Because of You

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.

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!

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

This was definitely a page turner! I loved this so much. This was my first read of Allie Boniface, and now I love to read more from her.

She wrote everything perfectly.

The main characters and the secondary characters are complementing each other.
From the antagonists, to the protagonist. I think they are wonderful.

The plot was perfectly woven. I love the storyline, I still think it was unique. I've read and watched a lot of stories about rekindled love stories, but I loved how this one was different in its very own way.

I love how the ending kept me hanging. I definitely want more from this book. I love a little mystery in a romance book, and this book gave that to me! know this is a start of a book series and I really can't wait for the next one!

Drake Island would be a modern-day Mayberry if not for the tragic death of college student Piper ten years prior. Piper and Emerson were best friends celebrating at a frat party when Piper mysteriously fell to her death. Blake was the fraternity president at the time of Pipers death and Emerson’s boyfriend. The weight of the tragedy destroyed Blake and Emerson’s relationship and caused the college to close.
Despite not having spoken to Emerson in ten years, Blake shows up out of the blue at Emerson’s yoga studio. Blake is now the CEO of the company looking to re-develop the college and needs Emerson’s property. Emerson and Blake still have feelings for each other, but the current conflict with the property and past hurt are obstacles in the way.
Because of you is heartwarming and well-written. The multiple characters in the book gave me a deeper sense of the islands residents and investment in their future. The lingering mystery of Piper’s death kept the book from being too sappy. My only complaint is that Emerson was a little too naive for a business woman. I am looking forward to a return to Drake Island and the second book will definitely be on my TBR.
Thank you to NetGalley, the publisher, and author for allowing me to read this ARC in exchange for an honest review.

A beautiful second chance romance.
My first book from this author and it was amazing.

I liked the different perspectives of this book. Both the protagonists got the moments to shine as a result of the different perspectives. Emmy was strong and independent, and didn't let her circumstances hold her back. Blake finally broke through the clutches of his family. I like the fact that the grief and hurt didn't keep them apart forever, but long enough for them each to discover themselves.

I felt that there were too many side characters and it would have suited the main plot if these characters
were better distinguished from each other. The mystery was quite interesting and I definitely want to read the next book in the series.


I received a copy of the book from Netgalley in exchange for an honest review and all opinions are my own.

Luanna

A great summer read. Good story line! Kept my attention. Characters show us how to overcome their past and revisit true love. Will add to my shelf to reread.

Welcome to Drake Isle, where time moves differently, the air feels cleaner, the sun warmer, and the world feels calmer , it represents freedom and simplicity!

Emerson Doyle left Drake Isle after her best friend died and her boyfriend iced her out . After traveling around she realized Drake Isle is home. She makes a nice life for herself on the island... now 10 years later Blake , her college boyfriend , is back to buy her business to further his own company .
This story is the best of both worlds a story of the past Drake Isle and the present. I enjoyed this story so much and I recommend it.
I, myself can’t wait to revisit the Isle and it’s people again and again!

I really liked this story...until the end. This was an interesting story and a good romance. Then suddenly everything was all wrapped up and the book was over. I felt like a more emotional connection with the reader was needed at the end. I felt like I was left hanging.

That being said, it was well written and I was drawn into the story and the lives of the characters.

This was a really great book. I didn't think I would like if as romance isn't really my thing but it isn't on the physical part of romance rather the emotional part. If you can follow 3 story lines the mesh together then you can follow this book. It's mostly written in 3rd person, which is another thing I'm not a fan of, but it was really well written and I would likely recommend this book to someone.