Seashell Bay Island, Maine, is a unique island accessible by ferry or private boat. It is a close community with strong minded inhabitants who work hard, take great pride in their heritage and support each other through good and bad times. This is a story about choices and about dreams for the folks living on Seashell Bay Island.
For Lily Doyle Seashell Bay is her home and she is pursuing her dream. Her passion is lobster fishing on her highly mortgaged boat, Miss Annie, named in honor of her beloved grandmother. How much longer can she captain her boat and catch enough "bugs" to stay afloat? How can she keep her hometown from becoming a tourist trap and keep the plans for a car ferry from fruition?
Aiden Flynn lived on the island with the love of his mother and the fists of his father. He left the day after his high school graduation. In 14 years, he never returned except to attend the funeral of his mother. He became a Pro baseball star with the Phillies and was released because of a bad knee. His return to the island he hated was to make a decision about selling the property his mother left to Aiden, his brother, Bran, and his drunken father. Aiden owns the center piece so his approval to sell to a mainland developer is crucial. Right now he wants to wrap things up as fast as possible and get off that island that he never wants to see again. Enter lovely Miss Lily Doyle and a rekindling of a sweet romance from when they were teens.
This is a story about development versus preservation of tradition, feuds between the Doyles and the Flynns, Aiden and Lily's simmering attraction, and how the island folks band together. I particularly liked the character of Aiden. Not influenced by others, he took care of the people he cares about and is slow but steady to reach the right decision. Lily is one strong lady and a fighter for her community, her dreams and finally her love. A wonderful read about Maine, lobster fishing, with descriptions so accurate you feel like you are aboard Miss Annie and pulling in those lobster filled traps. Kudos to V.K. Sykes on a delicious read. I loved it!
YOU CAN'T STOP A RISING TIDE
When Lily Doyle spots her high school crush Aiden Flynn
on
the inbound ferry, she knows trouble is about to dock in
Seashell Bay. And not just because he's more handsome
than
ever. If Aiden's in town, the rumors must be true about
his
family's plan to sell their coastal land to the highest
bidder. But Lily will do whatever it takes to convince
the
hottest guy on the beach to protect their idyllic island
home.
Gorgeous Lily Doyle was the only thing Aiden missed after
he
escaped from his hometown to play pro baseball. Now all
Aiden wants is to wrap up the business deal and get back
to
his life, not relive a past that still haunts him. But as
memories rush in about the night of passion he and Lily
shared long ago, everything else washes right out to
sea-everything except the desire that still burns between
them.
EXCERPT
Lily sincerely hoped that some other team would pick him
up. Aiden had
always said that baseball meant everything to him, and
from an early age,
heโd focused like a laser on making a career in pro ball.
Sheโd known
with absolute certaintyโbecause heโd told her with
absolute certaintyโ
that he would never fish lobster, and he would never live
anywhere near
his father.
โIโm sure thatโll happen soon,โ she said.
Of course, she had no idea if that were true, because she
knew virtually
nothing about the sport. Even when it came to Aidenโs
exploits, all she
knew was only what the locals talked about. What was the
point of
following his career? From the moment heโd taken that
final boat into
Portland after graduating high school, sheโd understood
that dwelling on
him would only bring her more heartache.
Aiden shrugged his broad shoulders. โI hope so. My
options
are starting
to get pretty limited, though.โ
He bent his long, powerful legs and deposited another
trap
squarely on
top of the one already in the skiff. Lily didnโt even
pretend to keep her
eyes off his incredibly fit and gorgeous body as he
worked
with easy
assurance. As an athlete, he might be losing a step, but
as a man, he
couldnโt be more in his mouth-watering prime.
โCould that mean your stay might be...โ Lily almost said
indefinite, then
winced at how needy that would sound. She regrouped. โUm,
longer than Iโd
first thought?โ
After lifting another trap, he straightened and gave her
a
long,
assessing look that raised the fine hairs on the back of
her neck. โWhat
exactly was your first thought, Lily?โ
โOh, you know, a few days,โ she babbled. โDonโt forget I
know better than
anybody how you feel about Seashell Bay.โ
He gave her a slow grin that sent a few tendrils of heat
licking down
between her thighs.
โLily, Iโd say you know a lot of things about me better
than anybody,โ he
said in a voice that made her shiver. Then he took a step
closer,
crowding her a bit.
She eyed his broad, muscular chest, fighting the deranged
urge to slip
her arms around his neck and press against him. After all
these years,
that instinct was still so powerful it took her breath
away. Everything
about Aiden was familiar, from the burn scar on the
inside
of his forearm
from a childhood accident to the lock of dark hair that
dipped down onto
his forehead. But he was different, too, excitingly so.
He
was a man,
seasoned and experienced, with sexy laugh lines around
his
firm mouth and
a knowing, sensual look in his dark gaze.
God, sheโd loved him so much back in the day that it
still
made her chest
ache to think about it.
Love. Lily gave her head a mental shake. As if a sixteen-
year-old could
truly understand what that meant.
When Aiden slid a big, warm hand onto her hip, she barely
managed to
stifle a gasp. โAiden . . .โ She raised her left hand and
pressed against
his shoulder, a halfhearted effort he saw through
instantly.
โHave you forgotten how much you loved it when I touched
you?โ His voice
was a low, thrilling combination of purr and growl that
made her weak
behind the knees.
Oh, hell no. Not again. Lily tried to force herself to
step away from
him, but her stupid body wouldnโt obey the message her
brain shrieked at
her.
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