Title: Wet Author: Stacy Kestwick Genre: Contemporary Romance Series: Water's Edge (Book 1)
Doughnuts were her weakness. If Sadie Mullins hadn’t been running on the beach to burn off the calories from her doughnut addiction, she wouldn’t have noticed the man not moving out in the water. Wouldn’t have dived in after him. Wouldn’t have met West Montgomery. The cocky bastard should have been thankful, grateful even. Of course, he wasn’t. That should have been the end of it. Of course, it wasn’t. Damn doughnuts.
My 5 star review of Wet by Stacy Kestwick
Let me preface this by saying, I
love finding new authors to me- and new authors in general. Especially ones
that can write well. First novels- are hard. Trust me; I make a little leeway
on writing a book, and then stop. It’s not my passion- it’s more of a bucket list
thing for me. Those authors- who write their very first novel, and it’s so
crystal sparkly clean- it’s unreal, they get kudos from me for sure. And that is
how I felt about Wet and Stacy’s writing. There was next to nothing wrong with
it. I mean sure there were surprises and character disappointments, and that
ENDING- but never anything bad about the writing. It was funny, and
thought-provoking, and it was so, so real! I mean insta-love rarely happens in
real life, and establishing a “couple,” doesn’t happen overnight either. And I
found it refreshing that the Main Characters were so close to real life, that I
could imagine knowing them, or being their friends.
He moved through the water,
holding me easily against his chest. I tried not to notice how warm his skin
felt under my fingers, but I shivered, hunching closer. Now that I could
breathe again, the chill from the ocean became obvious. Like my hard nipples under
my sports tank.
Sadie Mullins is in a safe
relationship- she finds an engagement ring, and she feels so excited that her
life is leading her exactly where she wants it to go with Asher. Until it
doesn’t go quite the way she plans. And OMG an epic douchecanoe of a boyfriend-
what he did to her was unforgivable. She heads off down the Carolina coast to
stay with her best friend. Rue her bestie, wants her to have a good time while
she is there. I really enjoyed Rue and Sadie’s relationship. The banter and the
back and forth made them a good duo. Fast forward five months and Sadie is
lonely, and she has NEEDS! And while Sadie needs Krispy Kreme doughnuts, she
also needs to exercise. And if it wasn’t for her insatiable need for the
wickedly awesome fried bread, she wouldn’t have gone for a run on the beach
that day, she wouldn’t have completely embarrassed herself, she wouldn’t have
met West.
“I’m two inches from the person I
want to be with tonight. Two inches. And I’d be happy to erase those two inches
if you’re still not clear on that.”
West Montgomery is a swoony book
boyfriend. And he loves the water, so much so- he runs a small fishing/boating
company all on his own. His upbringing was ok, if it wasn’t for his parents. He
has a kind of a rough time understanding how he fits in- and after trying the
stuffy world that they are from, he hightails it to the Carolina coast, quickly
becoming a playboy in his grandparent’s social circle. I really loved West and
his sense of humor, and the air of sex god that he has about him, doesn’t hurt
either.
He licked a wet path along my jaw
and down my neck, tracing the length of my collarbone. Heat flared hot and fast
between us. This was no slow-burning flame. This was an inferno.
This book had a great romance feel
to it. Hands down. It’s like when you first meet that someone who gives you
that spark. You feel it all over, you get the goosebumps, you think about them
constantly, you get the dreamy look in your eyes, and you establish a
relationship- WAIT. That’s not how it happened for Sadie and West. Because while
their “relationship” was all the other things, it was still a complicated mess.
I mean, I LOVE WEST. Like full on- hard core, new book boyfriend crush- for
sure. But he needs to get it together for Sadie’s sake! He needs to be groomed
a bit. Its ok. But again that ENDING- it is why I NEED Soaked, yesterday!!
“You’re too burned for f***ing,
babe. But your best parts—” he skimmed a nipple “—they’re okay. So I’m going to
take care of you tonight. Like I said I would.”
I really enjoyed all of the
characters- from best friend Rue and Theo, to West’s brother Wyatt, Grady and
even General Beauregard. So much characterization in this book, I LOVE when
that happens. I like to fall in love with the MC’s but the secondary
characters- all the other secondary ones, give life. It gives room for growth,
if Stacy wanted to write a book for each character in this book, she could- and
she would have quite a few to choose from. And as always there is the character
you love to hate- or just hate, Aubrey. I don’t think I could hate her more-
although I probably could- depending on how much more damage she can do to
relationships in this story.
“This? Yeah, it’s Sadie’s.” The
guy looked at West out of the side of his eye and laughed a little, confusion
written on his face, before he took another swallow of beer. “Right… so why is
it on you?” West furrowed his brow at the guy like he was being dense. “I just
told you, because it’s Sadie’s.” The guy laughed again and changed the subject.
I froze. My hair tie. It was his way of claiming me. Publicly. And he had done it
weeks ago.
Stacy is like a breath of fresh air
in the romance department, and I for one can’t wait for the next one. Even if
this ended less than stellar and on a cliffy, I don’t care- I was more wowed by
the writing and the overall plot, character development and the insatiable need
that Stacy created in me, as the reader, for more. So watch out Stacy, you have
earned an Author Stalker! Can’t wait to be Soaked!!
Okay, yeah, that was poor planning on my part, since the bathroom reeked of covert cigarettes, drugstore perfume, and stale urine, but it was the thought that counted. Like the rest of the bar, the bathroom was covered in graffiti. I never understood how people always just seemed to have Sharpies handy when they felt like marking their territory. I looked over the scribbled messages that peppered the wall. Ohmygod — West lives up to the hype, every inch of it! <3 Jaymie Wyatt is mine 4ever. The mine had been crossed out and Kim’s was written above it. Right below that it said, Kim’s a slut-faced hoebag. Huh, eloquent. Several seemed to echo the popular sentiment, West is so hot. I spotted a bubble-lettered, Theo is a sweetheart, which probably wasn’t what he was hoping the girls bathroom said about him, considering the other notes about male anatomy it was tucked between. But what started to piss me off was the drawing of an erect cock with the words, West and life-sized scrawled next to it. Other inscriptions saying, agreed! and totally! and yum! had arrows pointing to the image. The artist was accurate too. Whoever the slut-faced hoebag was. I did a quick survey of the other wall of the cramped stall and saw my date for the evening was the star attraction and, boy, did he shine.
Just as I started to flush and rearrange my bikini bottoms under my dress, I heard two sets of footsteps echo off the stained concrete floor.
“Amber, did you see that hopeless blonde that’s been hovering at the bar all night? I think West feels bad for her or something, he keeps going to check on her.”
“Yeah, but I asked him about it. He said she was his date!” Her sarcastic tone conveyed how ridiculous she considered that. They snickered and the sound of running water gurgling in the sink did little to muffle their words. I stilled, shamelessly eavesdropping.
“She doesn’t even look like she’s taken a shower today.”
“I know! And her skin looks creepy under the lights! Maybe West had too many shots or something tonight. He has better standards than that. It’s an insult to all of us who’ve come before her.” They dissolved into laughter, and the water turned off.
“Let’s try offering him a combo. He’s gone for it before.”
“Mmm, you know I love a good BOGO deal, Tipper. It’s worth a try. I think his date’s disappeared anyway. She must have gotten the hint.” Their laughter faded and a hollow thunk of the door closing signaled their exit.
Wow. Just — wow. My mind whirled, and I was annoyed I hadn’t been able to see them through the crack between the stall door and the wall. How many other girls out there had already screwed my West? I made a face as I flushed the toilet, berating myself for letting things with him go past a quick fuck-and-duck.
I finished adjusting my admittedly wrinkled dress, opened the stall door with more force than necessary, and peered at myself in the crappy mirror. What the hell had that slut said about my skin? Oh. Oh! I looked down at my arm, pressed the fingers of my other hand onto my skin, and let go. Five fingerprints glowed white before returning to an angry, lobster-red hue. The skin around my eyes seemed okay, thanks to the protection my gold-rimmed aviators had provided, but the rest of me looked almost fluorescent, like a raccoon in reverse. My hair was crinkled like old straw, frizzed and barely contained by my sad excuse for a braid. I might have been so caught up in West earlier that I had forgotten sunscreen. And to look in a mirror once we got off the boat. Maybe. Possibly. No wonder those girls had been mocking me. I looked like a hot mess. Like, roasted. Running a cautious fingertip over my shoulder, the tenderness of my skin confirmed the extent of my sunburn. I needed to roll like a pig in a puddle of aloe, stat.
The time had come to call this date a failure and make a quick exit, only I didn’t have my Wrangler. We’d dropped off the dog and picnic supplies at West’s place and come straight here in his oversized truck. Twisting to see the back of my head, I finger combed my hair as best I could, letting it fall around my face to try to hide my Ray-Ban tan lines. Then I took the coward’s way out and sent West a text that I wasn’t feeling well and was taking a cab back home. Slipping my tote bag over my shoulder, I skirted the perimeter of the bar, escaping out the front doors without looking back.
I was standing on the front sidewalk and searching for the number of the cab company on my phone when it was suddenly snatched right out of my hands. I gasped, taking a step back, and tucked my bag to my side. “Running away?” How the fuck had West gotten out of there so fast?
I dropped my gaze and let my hair hide my eyes, trying to disguise the worst of the damage. “Yeah, I think I got a little too much sun,” I mumbled, not wanting to meet his eyes. Even though it was after eight, the sun was just beginning its descent, and there was still plenty of daylight. He hooked my hip with his hand and tugged me closer. Using his free hand, he tipped my chin up, exposing my face. Eyes widening, he touched my cheek with the tip of his finger, wincing as he removed it.
“Shit, Sadie, you’ve got to be in pain. Hold on, let me tell Wyatt I’ve got to get you home.”
I snorted. “Wouldn’t you rather stay here? I’m sure there are other toys you can play with instead.”
“What the fuck are you talking about?”
“Amber and Tipper would be more than willing to entertain you tonight. Together.”
West glanced toward the bar then back at me, annoyance splashed across his face. He moved closer, invading my personal space, and loomed over me, his eyes flashing gray storm clouds, but I stood my ground, refusing to step back.
“I’m two inches from the person I want to be with tonight. Two inches. And I’d be happy to erase those two inches if you’re still not clear on that.”
https://open.spotify.com/user/12125319136/playlist/65EJcKsVn2bcrVGjO4v5vm
I’m a Southern girl who firmly believes mornings should be outlawed. My perfect day would include lounging on a hammock with a good book, carbohydrates, and the people around me randomly breaking into choreographed song and dance routines. It would not include bacon, cleaning, or anything requiring patience.
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