Kim’s Review of Desire After Dark (The McCarthys of Gansett Island #15) by Marie Force

Several years ago I was scavenging on the Barnes & Noble website for a new nook book to read. I stumbled upon Maid for Love by Marie Force and was transported to a tiny New England island called Gansett Island, which was modeled after Block Island.  I read Maid for Love in a night, downloaded the next books available in the series (6), and proceeded to read them all over the next two days. Since Maid for Love I’ve downloaded each new book on its release day and completely devoured it. Yesterday, Force released the 15th book in the series (!!!) Desire after Dark.  All I can say is, what a wonderful return to Gansett Island! Every new book in the series feels like a homecoming. Each book and each love story given to us is another glimpse into the lives of our Gansett family, because that’s what this group of characters has become, family. We’ve been with them as they’ve found love, started families, dealt with miscarriages, abusive parents, new career paths, divorces, and grief. Just when you think you’ve experienced everything possible with them, Force surprises us and gives us something new to love.

Plot from Goodreads:

Tobias “Slim” Jackson has the perfect life as a pilot on Gansett Island in the summer and in Florida in the winter. He’s happiest when he’s in the air, or at least that was the case before last summer when he met Erin Barton, Gansett Island’s newest lighthouse keeper. Now he can’t seem to find his usual enthusiasm for flying, winter in the sunny South or anything that doesn’t include her.

Erin has been stuck on pause since she lost her twin brother. She’ll tell you herself that her life has been a hot mess since Toby died. After dropping out of law school, she’s flitted from one pointless job to another, existing rather than truly living. Then she comes to Gansett Island to take over as the new lighthouse keeper and meets Slim, who happens to share her beloved brother’s first name. That small coincidence is enough to convince Erin that she needs to spend more time with the dashing pilot—except for the fact that he’s spending the winter more than a thousand miles from her.

Now Slim’s come home to Gansett for the holidays and to hopefully pick up where he left off with Erin. He’s got twelve days before he’s due back in Florida to finish out the remainder of his winter obligations. A lot can happen in twelve days, but will it be enough to convince Erin that it’s time to start truly living again? Read Slim and Erin’s story and catch up with the rest of the Gansett Island cast in Desire After Dark!

If you’re new to the Gansett Island series, I highly recommend starting with Maid for Love and working your way through the series and ending with this fantastic latest installment. I know that 15 books may seem daunting, but trust me, it’s worth the wait. Each book acts as an additional chapter to the overall story of the island and its inhabitants, and you get the opportunity to revisit couples from previous books as time passes. Force does a wonderful job immersing the reader in the story, and before you know it the books fly by. This new work is no exception.

Erin and Slim’s story is yet another wonderful chapter to the Gansett series. When I first learned about Jenny (the heroine of Meant for Love) and Erin’s past and the substantial amount of grief that existed in their lives I wanted so badly for them to find their happy-ever-afters. They are such beautifully strong women, and the men who love them treat them like the queens they are. They are showered with so much love and desire that they can’t help but fight against it for fear from their past losses. Thankfully Slim and Alex fight through their grief and prove to them how wonderful love can be.

Not only was Erin and Slim’s story a pure joy to read, I was SO excited to get more of Owen & Laura, Grace & Evan, and David & Daisy. Force is a master at giving you JUST enough of the other couples and rotating the focus of each new book so as to never feel like you’re missing out on anything important in their lives. Sweet, romantic, and fun, this is the perfect read to get you in the mood for summer!

4 out of 5 Stars

Special thanks to Ms. Force for my review copy!

Desire After Dark by Marie Force
HTJB, Inc (2016)
eBook: 280 pages
ISBN: 2940157747572

The March Round-Up

Holy crap. Where did March go? March was a JAM packed month of busy-ness for me! I am happy to report though that I had my best reading month ever! 21 books in one month! That’s ALMOST a book a day. Yippee!!  I’m not sure how I had such a hardcore book binge this month because I was stuck doing about 1,000 other things.  The 21 books brings my year-to-date total up to 49 books.  I’m almost half way to my total goal for the year!

Todd and I made more trips to NYC this month. (This is beginning to happen like every other weekend) Anyway, I was fortunate to get to meet up with two of my very good Twitter friends, Christine and Stacey, for the first time and experience Newsies on Broadway with them! I had the absolute time of my life.  The three of us have been conversing of our love for Newsies the movie for months and months and months.  When the news came out that it was hitting Broadway the three of us immediately started making plans.  Turns out Christine was flying to NY in March anyway to meet up with another friend, and decided that a trip to see Newsies was a necessary addition to her agenda!  We had fantastic seats, the play was amazing, and it couldn’t have been a better weekend (celebrating St. Patrick’s Day in NYC is also not too shabby).

Dad, Christine, and Mom

The following weekend we again traveled to NYC, this time for my sister Christine’s thesis defense.  She has worked tirelessly for the past six years and was granted her PhD with distinguished honors.  Needless to say my entire family is extremely proud of her.  She was the first person in my immediate family to graduate from college, get a master’s degree, and we can now add getting a PhD to that list!!  We had a fabulous celebration for her that included beers and karaoke.  (Honestly, is there anything better?)

The day after her defense Todd and I went to go see Spiderman: Turn Off the Lights on Broadway.  We had fantastic seats right in what is called “the landing zone”.  For those unfamiliar with the show, the actors frequently fly off and on to the stage via harnesses on the ceiling to stimulate Spiderman’s “web-action flying”.  It was one of the coolest things I’ve ever seen in my life.  The choreography needed to do the stunts must have taken forever to put together.  It was really impressive.

Besides all of the above I’ve kept busy with our bowling league, Relay for Life meetings, and some follow-up doctor visits for Todd. Thankfully, it seems he’s back to the state he was in prior to his accident. (Read my February Round-Up for more info)

Of everything I’ve read this month, my favorite book was A Million Suns by Beth Revis!  I cannot wait to write my review and share it with you.  A Million Suns is the second book in the Across The Universe Trilogy.  I have 11 months to go before the third and final book in the trilogy is being released.  I am slowly going mad with the wait….

I tried to keep my book selections eclectic as always, but wound up reading a ton of romance novels!  This has to do mainly with my discovery of Tessa Dare and Marie Force.  Both women wrote romance series that had me hooked.  Marie Force wrote the McCarthys of Gansett Island series, which currently has five books in it.  My review of book one, Maid For Love, is here.  Tessa Dare wrote two series that roped me in: The Wanton Dairymaid Trilogy and the Spindle Cove Series.  Coincidentally, Dare just released the second book in the Spindle Cove Series on March 27th. (yes, duh I bought/read it at midnight)  My reviews for all the books in these three series will hopefully be completed by mid April.  I owe y’all so many reviews it’s crazy.

April is lining up to be a pretty exciting month.  Adam’s got a historical fiction review coming, Todd has some more science fiction and fantasy reviews, and Charlie’s working on film reviews of The Hunger Games and John Carter.  I’ve got some exciting books to tell you about this month including The Flower Reader, The Kitchen Daughter, Across the Universe, and A Million Suns!  Author Regina Jeffers will also be guest posting this month in celebration of her new book The Disappearance of Georgiana Darcy, slated for an April 10th release!

Belle!

In closing I’d like to wish my beautiful kitten Belle a happy 5th birthday.  She’s been with me since my senior year in college, and I don’t know what I’d do without her cute face greeting me when I get home everyday!

I think that pretty much sums up March! As always let me know what you’ve been reading and any recommendations you’ve got for me!

Happy Reading =)

#27 A Review of Maid For Love by Marie Force

In the first novel in the McCarthys of Gansett Island series, Maid for Love, Marie Force tells the tale of Maddie Chester and Mac McCarthy.  Mac’s family owns a local inn and are both wealthy and well liked in town.  By contrast, Maddie has a much harder upbringing, with an incarcerated mother and a difficult job as a maid that is constantly given the dirtiest rooms in the inn which Mac’s family owns (do you see the connection yet?).  Additionally, Maddie is haunted by a tarnished reputation that she has had from her earlier years in school, where a vicious rumor (which was false) labeled her as being promiscuous and a floozy. Upon returning to the island for a reprieve from his over-stressed life, Mac absent mindedly steps out into the street, colliding with Maddie who is riding her bike.  He injures her fairly seriously and she faces a long road of recovery, which Mac surprisingly offers to help her with.  Nursing her back to health, as well as caring for her young son and job while she is out of work, Mac falls head over heels in love with Maddie despite his original misgivings about even returning to the island.  Will Maddie return his affections?  Will her reputation be a thorn in Mac’s quest to woo Maddie?  Will Maddie be able to put aside the dislike she has for the McCarthy family?

I believe I’ve told you all before that as a child I spent a lot of time in Cape Cod.  During my trips to the cape we spent time at both Block Island in Rhode Island and Martha’s Vineyard.  When I heard about the Gansett Island and how it was modeled after Block Island I was immediately intrigued, having always found the island to be a quaint place to have lived.  It is the perfect setting for a book series, and I found myself greedily devouring Maid For Love because of it.  Force has created a wonderful setting that becomes as much of a character in the novel as the people do!

I LOVED Mac and Maddie! They are complete opposites and so utterly perfect for each other.  Of course what kind of romance would this be without its share of conflict, misunderstanding, and redemption?  Mac’s willingness to help out this woman he’s never met is not only romantic, but noble.  He’s a genuine good guy that deserves a happy ending.  Maddie helps him see a future he never believed would happen for him.  He left the island years ago and never looked back.  His surprise in finding everything he’s been looking for in the place he didn’t think he’d find it was a joy to read.  Not only is Mac a great guy, but Maddie has suffered SO much.  The teasing she’s suffered as well as the disrespect the other “island natives” have offered her is totally distasteful.  Mac’s acceptance of her and her son on her terms was the balm she needed to soothe all the wounds she’s received emotionally over the years.   Force does a great job at developing both of these characters really well, albeit their love match does happen over an unrealistic time period; I guess the old saying “you know when you know” comes into mind.

If you have yet to read any of the five novels currently in the McCarthys of Gansett Island series, may I highly suggest you change that ASAP?  I read all five consecutively and was drawn to each and every one.  They are written as stand alone novels, but I would tell you to read them in order.  It adds to the experience when you know everyone’s back-stories already.  Happy reading!

5 out of 5 Stars

Maid For Love by Marie Force
Marie Force (2011)
eBook: 636 pages
ISBN: 2940012457301

This book is currently a steal at .99 for nook users. GO GET IT!