The One Thing
Author: Samantha Young
Hart's Boardwalk #1
Hart's Boardwalk #1
Reading Level: New Adult
Genre: Contemporary Romance
Released: September 6, 2016
Review Source: Netgalley
Welcome to Hartwell, a quiet seaside escape where uncovering old secrets could lead one woman to discover the meaning of a love that lasts…
While Doctor Jessica Huntington engages with the inmates at the women’s correctional facility where she works, she’s always careful to avoid emotional attachments in her personal life. Loss and betrayal taught her that lesson long ago. But when she comes across a set of old love letters in the prison’s library and visits the picturesque town of Hartwell to deliver them to their intended recipient, she finds herself unable to resist the town’s charm—and her attraction to the sexy owner of a local bar proves equally hard to deny.
Since his divorce from his unfaithful ex-wife, Cooper Lawson has focused on what really matters: his family and the boardwalk pub they’ve owned for generations. But the first time Jessica steps into his bar, Cooper is beyond tempted to risk his heart on her.
Yet as their attraction grows hotter and Jessica remains stubbornly closed off, he begins to realize it will take more than just passion to convince her there’s only one real thing in life worth fighting for…
Cooper Lawson, the sexy bar owner from Hartwell, wasn't looking for anything serious after being cheated on by his wife and best friend. He was interested in focusing on his bar, his friends and his family. That was the case until a drenched, beautiful stranger crashes into him.
The Likes: This story solidifies, once again, why Samantha Young is one of my favorite authors. I love Jessica and Cooper together. I love that there was an instant connection but a realistic time line to develop feelings for each other without the insta love. Their chemistry was ON FIREEEE!! That first kiss had me completely transfixed, heart pounding, and swooning for days. Samantha is a GENIUS at writing romance. She also paints the picture of the quaint beach town beautifully. I am completely enamored with the town of Hartwell and the relationships between all of the business owners. They are a close knit, loyal group that you really want to be a part of.
The Dislikes: The only thing I didn't love about this book was that it went from the first person point of view of Jessica to a third person point of view of Cooper. I would have liked it better if it would have alternated first person point of views the whole time. It kinda took me a minute to transition between the different point of views.
The Rating: I am rating this story 4.5 stars because it was a great story. I couldn't put the book down. I have yet to read a Samantha Young book that didn't completely suck me in from the very beginning. I have quickly grown attached to these unique, charming characters that Samantha has created and I cannot wait to read more of this series!
The One Real Thing
by: Samantha Young
Blog tour excerpt
by: Samantha Young
Blog tour excerpt
Why did it feel like having sex had complicated things so much? Usually sex was complication-free
for me.
But before that night I’d been completely sure that Cooper was interested in exploring something
more with me, and now I was freaking out that his interest would wane now that he’d had me.
I shook my head slowly. “No. It was good.”
He scowled, his arms tightening around me so much there wasn’t an inch of space between us. “It
was better than fucking good, Jessica.”
I scowled back and pushed at his chest for some breathing space. “Well, I’m sure you’d know all
about that.”
“What the fuck does that mean?”
“You use the word ‘fuck’ a lot.”
“It’s a good fucking word.”
I was tempted to laugh at how disgruntled he sounded and he seemed to catch my amusement
because his hold on me eased.
“What’s going on in your head, Jess?”
I thought about evading this conversation. I’d never had to have an adult, open conversation with a
man about sex. However, I realized, somewhat reluctantly, if I wanted something more with Cooper
Lawson I was going to have to give him more than I was used to giving.
I couldn’t change his past, but I could figure out what it was he wanted in the future by just being
honest and asking the question.
“You still want something with me, right? This”—I gestured behind me to the table—“it wasn’t just
about sex.”
“No,” he said. “It’s not just about sex.”
As I heaved a sigh of relief, he let go of my waist to cup my face in his hands, dipping his head down
to mine so our noses almost touched. He stared deep into my eyes and I shivered. I felt like he was trying
to see right into my soul.
“I’m in this for the long haul, Doc. I was before you walked into my bar tonight, but now, after the
best fucking sex of my life, after how wild that was, there’s no way I’m letting you walk out of here
without me.”
And there he went doing it again.
His words resonated deep within me along with giving me that deep, sexual belly flip of arousal.
My fingers curled into the top of his biceps. “Best sex of my life, too,” I murmured. “It stunned me a
little. Confused me . . . I thought maybe . . . you . . . this was old hat for you . . .”
He gave me a crooked grin. “You think I make a habit of fucking women in my bar.”
“You could,” I said. “You are definitely a man who could pull that off.”
Cooper threw his head back in laughter and I pressed my body deeper into his to feel his joy.
And then he wrapped his arms around me and hugged me.
Just as I’d suspected, he was a really good hugger.
When he pulled back he was smiling gently at me. “You’re the only woman I’ve had in my bar.” He
let me go only to take my hand in his. “No one sits at that table anymore.” He gestured to the scene of the
best sex we’d both ever had. “It’s now a shrine.”
“You can’t do that!” I was mortified at the possibility of people finding out why there was a table in
Cooper Lawson’s bar that no one was allowed to sit at.
“I can. It’s my bar. I think I’ll even carve ‘Coop and Doc were here’ on it.”
Finally getting that he was joking, I made a face. “Funny.”
“You’re slow on the uptake tonight,” he teased.
“My brain was just frazzled by the orgasm to beat all orgasms.”
He squeezed my hand. “You up for more brain frazzling?”
I shivered at the thought. “Definitely.”
His eyes darkened. “Let’s go back to my place.”
Exhilarated by the prospect, I followed him, and it wasn’t until we’d stepped outside the bar into the
cool night air that I said, “I don’t suppose you know where my panties are?”
“I do, actually.” He led me to the back of his bar to the parking lot. A dark-colored GMC was the
only truck there.
“Um . . . could I have them, please?”
He stopped me at the passenger side of the truck, pressing me up against the car. “Why?” he
whispered against my lips before he kissed me deeply. He came up for air a few seconds later. “You’re not
going to need them where we’re going.”
The nagging pressure between my legs increased. “You are so very, very good at stringing the exact
right words together.”
He kissed me again.
“You’re just good with your mouth in general,” I murmured.
Cooper grinned and brushed his lips over mine. “In the truck, Doc.”
★★★★★★★★
GIVEAWAY
About the Author
Samantha Young is the New York Times and USA Today bestselling author of
the On Dublin Street series, including Moonlight on Nightingale Way, Echoes of Scotland Street,
and Fall from India Place, as well as the standalone novel Hero. She resides in Scotland.
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