One Night Stand: The Summer He Came Home by Juliana Stone
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| AMAZON | KINDLE |
The Summer He Came Home (Bad Boys of Crystal Lake, #1) by Juliana Stone
Contemporary
Sourcebooks Casablanca (April 2, 2013)
Heroine: Maggie O’Rourke – Single Mother, Maid
Hero: Cain Black – Musician, Bad Boy
Setting: Michigan, USA
Review:
Instead of going off to college like everyone expected him to, Cain Black leaves Crystal Lake to pursue his music career. After saying his goodbyes, Cain takes off with his beat-up Gibson Les Paul and heads to LA. Now, ten years later, Cain is in a band called BlackRock and is on this rise to international fame. When he receives news of his friend’s death, he goes back home for the first time since he left. The last place Cain wants to be is back at the house where all his friends and family have gathered after the funeral of his friend – a friend who was part of the four the town called the Bad Boys of Crystal Lake. Cain was also one of those guys. This tight knit group of guys did everything together. Cain tried to remain in touch with his friends but, as time goes by, they grew apart. Unfortunately, being reunited with the bad boys was not a joyous occasion.
As he walks up to the house where his deceased friend grew up, he meets a spunky kid named Michael. Not long after this meet and greet with Michael, Maggie O’Rourke walks out on the porch looking for her son. And, in that instant, Cain felt an immediate connection with this woman. Not only is she is delicately beautiful, but she isn’t a familiar face in a town where everyone knows everyone.
Now that Cain is away from LA, his foggy head begins to clear and he begins to question things about himself. Does he want to go back to LA where his life feels empty? And now that he’s met Maggie, he’s determined to get to know her more intimately. He even starts to think about settling down. As Cain slowly insinuates himself into her life, convincing her to go out with him, he realizes Maggie has a secret that she holds close to her heart. If this secret gets out to the wrong person, Maggie and Michael could essentially be in danger.
This secret complicates things between Cain and Maggie. She keeps a wall up between them even though it’s apparent they have incredible chemistry. Maggie is conflicted by her feelings over Cain. She is afraid to get involved too deep with this bad boy, tattooed rock star that could eventually break her heart when he leaves to go back to LA. Plus, dating Cain isn’t smart considering his reputation of being a womanizer and the attention that comes with being around Cain. She fears her secret getting out which, means it’s important for Maggie to remain anonymous in a small town where everyone knows your name and your business. However, Cain does not give up that easily. He pursues Maggie to the point that she can no longer deny the combustible chemistry between them. She wants him. He wants her. And she eventually gives in to him.
Juliana Stone brings these two people together with an intense, slow burn and it’s very sensually romantic. I love all of the sweet and tender and sexually charged moments before these two actually get together.
“Open your eyes, Maggie.” His voice was so low, she barely heard him. But the feel of his hands on her face was urgent, and his muscles bunched against her palms as he shifted beneath her. She opened her eyes and ate the groan that sat at the back of her throat. Cain stared down at her as if he was starving. AS if he needed her to breathe. His right hand slid into her hair, and his lips brushed the softness of hers. His eyes never left hers as he whispered against her mouth. “I want…you.”
See what I mean. Miz Stone definitely has a way with building up the anticipation between these two.
Cain and Maggie are both broken by the lives they’ve lead and are conflicted by the feelings they have for one another. Cain has been burned by a friend, lost a friend, and recently divorced from a woman who broke his heart. But being with Maggie makes him feel whole again. She fills the void he’s been missing for a long time. Not only that, she doesn’t care about his rock star status. But Maggie is scared of Cain, almost skittish, and with good reason. Being with Cain means letting him in, and when she finally does, it’s like a breath of fresh air. He makes her feel sexy, sensual, and alive. With the way Cain handles Maggie with care, he shows her exactly the kind of man he truly is beyond the rock star persona. He’s kind, funny, good with her son, and a gentle lover. He proves that he can be worthy to be the man in both her and her son’s life.
I will admit, it took me a minute to warm up to Maggie. She’s a very closed off and stubborn woman. Her personality didn’t really shine through at first. However, I did come to understand her reasons for being so stand-offish. She was trying to protect herself and her son.
I do wish the ending wasn’t so rushed. I would’ve liked to see how Maggie and her son adjusted to the trauma they went through, and how different their lives become as they settle in with Cain. Perhaps an epilogue would’ve helped. Hopefully we will get to see more of Maggie and Cain in the second book and learn more about their lives.
This is the first book in a trilogy, where three friends reunite because of the death of a brother and a friend. As time has taken its toll, they all have personal issues to overcome. I’m definitely looking forward to Jake (the brother to Jesse who died) and Raine's (Jesse’s wife) story. I have a feeling that story is going to be loaded with guilt and angst.
The Summer He Came Home is a sweet and romantic contemporary that has just about everything – small town lovin’, humor, bad boy rock star, and drama. It’s true what they say about opposites attract. These two very different people find solace, happiness, and love within each other when they both never expected to feel whole again.
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