Georgia Kostopoulou
In this small town romance, we meet Duke and Shannon and we adore them from the first minute, or the first page if you have a physical copy!
Shannon has had a crush on Duke for years! Duke is her brother’s best friend, so he was always around. He is also a very big flirt and nobody expects him to have a serious relationship and settle down. Therefore Shannon never entertained the idea of revealing her feelings, neither to her friends nor to Duke himself. She tries to consider him a friend, especially since he always treated her as a little sister. So she dates and spends her time in dance classes, her father’s office or the salon where she works as a nail artist.
Duke on the other hand is in a very difficult position. When his best friend Chris left for the army, he asked him to keep an eye on his sister. He knows how bad some men can be and he doesn’t want his sister to get involved with someone that will break her heart while he is away. Chris knows that Duke understand the kind of men he means, as Duke kind of is one of those men. So Duke pretty much destroys all Shannon’s dates with men that do not deserve her. But in order to be honest to himself, he doesn’t do that only because Chris tasked him with his sister’s responsibility. He does it also, or rather mainly because he cannot stand to watch Shannon with another guy. He has a thing for Shannon for years now. But between the fact that she is his best friend’s sister and his reputation, he never made a move. But lately the world seem to have shifted in its axes, because he cannot help himself from flirting Shannon. And if he understood it right, she might be truly reciprocating.
These two are perfect for each other! The have been hiding those feelings for so long now, that once they decided to act upon them, they couldn’t keep back. Their relationship building is so cute. They both think of what this would mean to them, to Chris and how would he react when he learned about it. To my opinion, he had no saying to their relationship or feelings, but based on the premise, I can understand why they are thinking about it. Apart from that, they both have their insecurities, but it seems that they know what they want and they finally do something about it.
The narration had two point of views and this is where the two narrators came in. I have to admit they both did an amazing job bringing their characters to life! Shannon was so realistic, especially when expressing her inner thoughts and troubles. And Duke’s narration was so flirty and cute that it felt as if the blond gorgeous guy was right in front of me!
Even though I haven’t read any of the previous books in the series, I didn’t feel something was amiss, as the books can be read as standalones. However, having read this one, and having had such a good time with it, I do want to read the previous and next books in the series!
Thanks to NetGalley and Dreamscape Media for the opportunity to listen and review this audiobook. The views expressed are my personal and honest opinion.