Unforgettable by Shannon Richard

****

One long, hot summer would never be enough...

Attorney Hannah Sterling lives a life she's worked hard for. So when she unexpectedly inherits an inn, Hannah decides to take that long overdue holiday and settle her eccentric grandmother's estate. She knew there would be challenges, but what's hardest about returning to Mirabelle, Florida, is facing the man who gave her the most passionate summer of her life-and then broke her heart.

Nathanial Shepard never forgot the redheaded goddess who lit up his world and got away. Now that she's home, Shep vows to make up for their years apart-and if the fire in her kiss is any indication, they're well on their way. But when a devastating secret from their past threatens their future, Shep must fight to heal Hannah's heart. Because this time, their love will truly be unforgettable... 

Review:

I don’t think I’m being spoilery at all when I tell you what their devastating secret is.  Simply because it’s in the short prologue and helps the reader to understand Hannah’s hesitation throughout the book.  Long story short, Hannah and Shep meet when they are teenagers while Hannah and her grandmother are visiting Mirabelle, Florida.  Their summer fling (that meant so much more than a fling) ended when Hannah left for college.  But not long into her freshman year Hannah finds that she’s pregnant.  And not long after she confirms the pregnancy but before she can tell Shep she loses the baby.  When she does finally muster up the courage to call him, Shep has apparently moved on.

Fast forward thirteen years.  Hannah’s grandmother had bought the inn they stayed at in Mirabelle all those years ago and has left it to Hannah after her death.  The last thing Hannah wants to do is visit the one place where she might run into the guy that broke her heart.  But to find closure and to sell the property she has no choice but to visit Mirabelle.  And, of course, it doesn’t take long before she runs into the unforgotten, Nathaniel Shepard.  His presence proves to be even more confusing and upsetting than she expected.  Sparks still fly between them but there’s that big 13 year old secret sitting between them and Hannah doesn’t know how to tell Shep the one thing she should have told him years ago.

What Hannah doesn’t understand is that she isn’t the only with a broken heart.  Shep knew before she ever left Mirabelle that Hannah was the only girl for him.  But she had made it clear she wasn’t sticking around and that what they had was just a summer fling.  So he let her go without a fight.  Now that she’s back he’s not going to make the same mistake.  This time Shep is pulling out every weapon in his arsenal to get Hannah to understand that they belong together.  One of those weapons is the unbelievable chemistry between the two of them. 

If you’ve read any of the previous Country Roads series you probably already got the idea that Shep oozes sex and confidence.  And he really does.  He is unbelievably blunt and forward in expressing (and demanding) what he wants.   So much so that after finishing Unforgettable I tweeted, “Holy Sexy Shep! I need a cold shower.  Or Three.” Shannon Richard’s response?

“Hahahaha, he made me blush more than a few times.  But the man knows what he wants.”

Ain’t that the truth? He knows EXACTLY what he wants.  He wants the girl that got away.  And he wants her for the long haul.

And Hannah?  My heart broke for her.  I understand first-hand how that type of loss can hurt and make you feel crippling apprehension about so many things.  But she’s not broken and in the end she has to decide if she can be strong enough to put herself in an emotionally vulnerable situation that has already hurt her once before and could possibly destroy her the second time around.

There was some obvious angst in this story but with such spirited main characters it was never overwhelming.  This was a super sexy and fast paced romance and I absolutely adored it.  Shannon Richard’s just keeps getting better and better.  Her books have quickly become auto-buys for me  and I can’t wait to see what she releases next.

Nat