NO KISSING UNDER THE
BOARDWALK is the seventh book in Kate Angell's "Barefoot
William" series. I love Kate Angell's "Barefoot William" books, but this
story is a little different from all the previous books in this series. The
things that stayed the same are the character-driven story,
multifaceted characters you can care about, and adorable pets. What
sets this story apart from the rest of this series is that this is a book
about two characters who have a long history and are the architects of
their own heartbreak. You will shed a tear or two while reading NO KISSING UNDER THE
BOARDWALK, but the story is absolutely worth reading and the
heartbreak the characters experience makes the happy ending more
profound and cathartic.
Kate Angell goes back in time when Zane Cates and Tori Rollins first
met as young adults and chronicles the period they dated, and their
early marriage, to give an intimate portrait of a couple and deconstruct
what went wrong. Getting into the Air Force Academy always featured
prominently in Zane's plans for his future. What he didn't count on was
falling in love first. Timing is at the crux of how things fell apart for Tori
and Zane. Kate Angell tells this story from alternating perspectives to
show how both characters are flawed and how much they both love
each other, in spite of any mistakes they made over the years. I like that
Kate Angell makes couples therapy part of the solution to the palpable
angst and has this couple work through their pain in a constructive way
and include touch and togetherness as part of the healing process.
There are moments of humor in NO
KISSING UNDER THE BOARDWALK, as well as romantic charm, but
this is definitely a book for readers who enjoy some emotional heavy-
lifting.
NO KISSING UNDER THE
BOARDWALK is a powerful story and a breathtaking anatomy of a
romance. Kate Angell pulls the reader into her story and has them
experience the joy and grief right along with her main characters. The
secondary romance involving friends of the hero and heroine is just as
entertaining as the main love story. As always, I look forward to Kate
Angell's next enchanting "Barefoot William" romance.
Will a first love get a second chance?
Zane Cates has fallen in love twice—once with flying, and
once with Tori Rollins, the girl who stole his heart in
high school. For a brief, shining moment, their future
looked bright. Then the offer of a place at the Air Force
Academy got between Zane and his beautiful young wife,
and he found his marriage over as abruptly as a wave
washing back to sea. After taking comfort in the wide
open skies, he’s ready to return to the sunlit beach town
of Barefoot William—and the woman he never wanted to
leave behind. Starting over with Tori is the plan—if only
his stubborn ex will have him . . .
A vagabond childhood left Tori shy and withdrawn, but
after her family arrived in the pretty resort town, she
made the first real friend she ever had—Zane. Opening up
to him was a risk she didn’t regret taking, but she never
looked back once she decided to end their brief marriage.
Seeing him again now is a startling shock—and an
irresistible temptation. Can she let him back into her
life—and finally find joy in their love?