Review: Barefoot in the Sun by Roxanne St. Claire

Barefoot in the Sun 

By Roxanne St. Claire 

Book #3 in the Barefoot Bay series 

When running is all you've ever known . . . Caught between fight and flight, Zoe Tamarin has always picked flight. Since she was rescued from a nightmare childhood by her great-aunt Pasha, they've been on the move, never staying in one place long enough to risk exposing their precarious past. But now that they've reached the sun-baked shores of Barefoot Bay, Zoe may have to stay and fight-for her aunt's life . . . and for a love she ran from years before.

Sometimes the bravest act of all is to stand still. Oliver Bradbury came to Florida to start over, as both a doctor and a father to his eight-year-old son. He never expected life to hand him a second chance with the woman he lost years ago-but one look at Zoe Tamarin and he knows he'll do whatever it takes to prove that this time, he can be the man she needs. But when demands of family and friendship threaten to shatter their rekindled passion, Oliver must heal Zoe's lifelong wounds with more than hot kisses . . . but will that be enough to keep her from flying off with his heart?

I've looked forward to going back to Barefoot Bay for months and this book didn't let me down. Zoe's story promised to be interesting as we knew she was hiding from something or someone. The last story ended with her running from Dr. Oliver Bradbury when he recognized her at the resort grand opening while performing the emergency delivery of Lacey's baby.

Zoe's story and past may have been tragic but Oliver certainly was a big payoff. He is smoldering sexy and head over heels in love with this woman who is conditioned to run when people get too close. Time after time he affirms his love (in some really great ways) and commitment to her but Zoe has no frame of reference for loving someone without having them be taken away in some manner. While her behavior is understandable, it got old after awhile (my reason for deducting a 1/2 halo). As if Oliver wasn't a complete enough package, his precocious 8-year old son Evan, brought the best out of him and everyone else around him.

I also continue to be drawn to the close-knit circle of women friends that make this series cohesive. Their relationships with each other aren't always perfect but they're devoted to each other. We don't see enough of these type of relationships between women and they're a great model.

Here I am again, primed and ready for the next book in this refreshing series but will have to wait a few months. You don't have to read these books in order necessarily as you can get up to date pretty easily. But, I wouldn't miss a paragraph about any of the women in this circle and would serve them up in order. It's a sexy, fun romance involving women with some tough issues paired with men you'll just keep dreaming about.

 

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Review: Barefoot in the Rain by Roxanne St. Claire

Barefoot in the Rain 
(Barefoot Bay #2)
by Roxanne St. Claire
Paperback, 448 pages
Published October 30th 2012 by Forever
 ★★★★

They say you can never go home again . . .

When "Life Coach to the Stars" Jocelyn Bloom is embroiled in scandal, the only place she can hide is the one place she wishes she could forget. She left Barefoot Bay-and the boy next door who knew all her secrets-years ago. Now nothing about the tiny island off the coast of Florida is quite how she remembers it, especially Will Palmer. He's even more gorgeous and tempting . . . and still capable of turning her world inside out.

But what if someone is waiting for you?

To Will Palmer, Guy Bloom is more than the elderly, senile neighbor he looks after-he's the last connection to Jocelyn, the woman Will loved and lost. But the reunion with Jocelyn doesn't go smoothly. Shocked by the change in her father's personality, Jocelyn struggles to reconcile her dark childhood with the sweet, confused man who has grown close to Will. Jocelyn has guided countless clients to happiness-but can she escape the rainy days of her past for a new sunny future with Will?


REVIEW:

Jocelyn Bloom has a thriving business in L. A. as a life coach to the elite of Hollywood. She's now embroiled in a scandal involving the famous husband of one of her clients and she's come home to Barefoot Bay to take cover. Her friends rally around her, including Will Palmer, who once was her lifeline during her miserable childhood. Jocelyn has been estranged from her father since she left Barefoot Bay for college and is stunned when she discovers Will has been seeing to his care because of his senility.

Will and Jocelyn have an extremely complicated past, which unfolds gradually throughout the story. It's pretty clear that Jocelyn's father, Guy, was abusive to her and was the catalyst to her leaving Barefoot Bay. What's not so easy for Jocelyn is Will's new relationship with Guy. It's also tough for Will to accept that Jocelyn may have had an affair with her client's husband. The two of them grapple with their memories of who they were from the past and who they want to be with each other now. Their romance is passionate and troubled but so realistic. It was interesting to see both try to rebuild their fractured trust while continuing to harbor secrets from each other.

Jocelyn's relationship with her girlfriends is also a crucial aspect of the story. I really like how their friendship is portrayed and how they support each other, even when it just means giving Jocelyn space. It's one of the strengths of this series and it plays out nicely in this story, especially when it's clear that one of the other friends, Zoe Tamarin, is also hiding something. It was perfectly set up for the next book and I'm dying to read it.

The conflict in this story involving Jocelyn and Guy was a pretty tough one and the ending was a little puzzling. However, it more than compensated with the romance between Jocelyn and Will and the heartwarming relationships between the girlfriends. I'm still loving this series and am looking forward to Zoe's story.

(I received an ARC from NetGalley)

CR Review: Barefoot in the Sand by Roxanne St. Claire

Barefoot in the Sand 

By Roxanne St. Claire 

Book #1 in the Barefoot Bay series
Contemporary Romance
★★★★★

When all you hold dear is taken away . . .

When a hurricane roars through Lacey Armstrong's home on the coast of Barefoot Bay, she decides all that remains in the rubble is opportunity. A new hotel is just what Mimosa Key needs, and Lacey and her teenage daughter are due for a fresh start. And nothing, especially not a hot, younger architect, is going to distract Lacey from finally making her dreams a reality.

A second chance is the only thing you have left.

Love has already cost Clay Walker everything. And if he's going to have any chance of picking up the pieces of his life, he needs the job as Lacey Armstrong's architect. What's not in the plans is falling for the headstrong beauty. Her vision of the future is more appealing than anything he could have ever drafted for himself. Will Clay's designs on Lacey's heart be more than she can handle, or will she trust him to build something that will last forever?

REVIEW:

When 36-year old Lacey Armstrong lost her home and all its contents in a Florida hurricane, she thought it was a chance to not only start over again with her 14-year old daughter but an opportunity to fulfill one of her dreams. Lacey decided to use her insurance proceeds to build her Bed & Breakfast, something she'd wanted to do since inheriting the house from her grandparents. The architect who showed up was not the elder gentleman on the website but his son, 29-year old Clay Walker, a man on a mission to get this project no matter what. And, he's got a much bigger vision for Lacey and the project.

This is the first story in the new Barefoot Bay series and it is a winner. I loved everything about it, from the four women who have been best friends since freshman year of college, the setting in the town of Mimosa Key off the Gulf Coast, the offbeat people who live in the town to the conflicts Lacey faced following the loss of her home. Her romance with Clay is unconventional, fraught with issues and off-the-charts steamy, all the while juggling the challenges of a teen-aged daughter and a relationship from her past. Clay is pretty complicated and figuring him out was an interesting journey, too. I loved how the friendship between the women is so embedded in each of the characters without being inauthentic and predictable. They share a lot and support each other but they still have a fair amount of secrets individually that are yet to be discovered.

I'm really not a fan of love triangles but the one in this story was maturely presented. I always knew everyone's true feelings but wasn't always certain of the outcome because of outside pressures and factors. Lacey and Clay were pretty honest with themselves, if not always as open and straightforward with each other. I also liked how their age difference was handled, sometimes messy and at other times it being inconsequential.

There are a lot of characters in the story but all were pretty well fleshed out and strongly contributed to the storyline. The town is pretty small so everyone knows each other, their back stories and private agendas, which made them even more interesting. The story is really well written without falling into the trap of using well worn love triangle angst. I loved the story, am really excited about the rest of the series and cannot wait to start the next book.

(I received an ARC from NetGalley)