This was an intriguing May/December romance. The age, job, and internal conflicts were repeated too often but not horribly so, and it ends really well. The title is perfect. I'm happy I read it and I wish the second in this series lived up to this one. ( )

Loved reading this..

The chemistry between Sean and Paul was believable. The sex was haawwtt.




The romance was so sweet and we get an amazing epilogue.

( )

As a Navy brat born and raised, I was almost giddy when this book mentioned places like San Diego (my birthplace) and Norfolk (we were stationed there twice). This book was going to be amazing and I. Could. Not. Wait!

Yeah, turns out I did not actually find this book to be amazing. I noticed early on that there was an awful lot of internal monologuing going on (which I hate). Way too much introspection in the form of whining & pining to themselves about the situation--Them: wanna-be-together-can't-be-together-want-you-need-you-life-sucks-hey-let's-hook-up-at-another-skeavy-motel--Me: Oh, god, please just shut the fuck up, already, you whiny little bastards!

At the 51% mark I couldn't handle it anymore and I began skimming. I was still curious enough to wonder how things would play out. Things picked up towards the end, but only slightly. I really liked all the parts that involved interactions between characters...with, oh, I don't know, dialogue, but it seemed like so much of the story took place inside their own heads. That level of self-reflection was exhausting.

Also, two very unclear things bugged me so much while I was reading that I seriously began to rethink my decision to skim because that was the only excuse I could come up with that would explain why, after repeated mentions of studying and coursework, I still have no fucking clue what Sean was studying. And two, can someone please tell me how old everyone is? We know Paul is 42 but then a ton of other numbers are thrown around in relation to Sean, his dad, the length of his dad's career, how old Sean was in relation to the length of Paul's career....I suck at math but pretty much nothing added up.

And please, do not get me started on the epilogue, which included a scene that Richard Gere would have been proud of, that had me torn between grinning in HEA glee and puking from the ridiculous sap.

I feel like all of this is reason enough for my rating. I don't know. I've read the other reviews here. People love this book. Maybe I'm just not the right reader for this, or at least, I'm not the right reader for Sean. I won't say I didn't like him, because that would not be true, but I definitely did not dig his attitude towards the Navy. Yes, everyone is different; and yes, many Navy kids might feel just like Sean. Resentful of what they have given up over the course of their lives just because their parent in serving in the military. This was not my experience as a Navy dependent. I went to ....*counts on fingers*... nine schools before I graduated from high school. That included three moves during high school (like Sean). My favorite story is how I was enrolled in three different schools in two different states all in August before eighth grade started. And yeah, it sucked donkey balls, but with that also came going to the beach every day after school when we lived in Puerto Rico, and it came with getting to have my dad's reenlistment ceremony at the freaking Liberty Bell, and it came with the almost-painful tears I shed every time I watched whatever aircraft carrier he was currently stationed aboard cross into Norfolk after being gone for what seemed liked forever....16 years after he retired my dad was laid to rest in his dress blues, surrounded by only red, white, and blue flowers because even our small town's two florists knew how much his service had meant to him and they went out of their way to coordinate the flower orders people placed....so, yeah, I had a hard time relating to Sean. At 13 you can get away with being a resentful, pissed off little shit when your dad's career fucks with your budding romance. You're a kid, you don't get to choose where you live. But at twenty-something? Not so much.

P.S. The sex? Smoking hot, though some of the locations left much to be desired.

Review copy provided by NetGalley in exchange for an honest review. ( )

Story: 7
First MC: 8
Second MC: 8
Secondary characters: 6
Mystery: 3
Sexual tension: 6
Humor: 5
Hotness: 7
Product placement: 3
Ridiculousness: 4
Annoying: 2
Audio: 9 (7h 17min)
To re-read: 8

L.A. Witt is a hit or miss for me, last book I read wasn't my cup of tea at all. This one is so much better. I'm ignoring the sappy ending; though it made me smile.

I hope the second book is as good. ( )