The Friendship Pact
Sunrise Cove series
by Jill Shalvis
Blurb:
New York Times bestselling author Jill Shalvis returns to Sunrise Cove with a powerful, moving story about a young woman on a quest to find the truth about her father who learns the meaning of true love along the way.
Alone in the world, Tae Holmes and her mother April pretty much raised each other, but as Tae starts asking questions about the father she’s never met, April, for the first time in her life, goes silent. To make matters worse, Tae is dangerously close to broke and just manages to avoid financial meltdown when she lands a shiny new contract with an adventure company for athletes with disabilities and wounded warriors.
Her first big fundraiser event falls flat, but what starts out as a terrible, horrible, no-good night turns into something else entirely when Tae finds herself face-to-face with Riggs Copeland. She hasn’t seen the former Marine since their brief fling in high school, and while still intensely drawn to him, she likes her past burned and buried, thank you very much. Hence their friendship pact.
But when April oddly refuses to help Tae track down her father, it’s Riggs who unexpectedly comes to her aid. On a hunt to unlock the past, the two of them find themselves on a wild ride and learn a shocking truth, while also reluctantly bonding in a way neither had seen coming. Now Tae must decide whether she’s going to choose love … or walk away from her own happiness.
*****
Review:
I will say that the blurb doesn’t really do the book justice so I expected a different kind of story. (I think others did too based on some of the reviews.) It’s a slow build, as Tae works to decide what to do with the questions of her past as well as her growing feelings for Riggs. Riggs also struggles with his emotions, his relationships with Tae & his brother, and what he should do with his life now.
As always, Shalvis is wonderful at delivering quirky characters, heartfelt journeys, and satisfying HEAs. Tea and Riggs (and April as well) have a lot to work through – it’s messy, full of feels, with plenty of moments of heat and humor. The Friendship Pact is a feel-good read perfect for those warm, lazy days of summer.
Romantic Reads and Such 