Synopsis
Piper Bellinger is fashionable, influential, and her reputation as a wild child means the paparazzi are constantly on her heels. When too much champagne and an out-of-control rooftop party lands Piper in the slammer, her stepfather decides enough is enough. So he cuts her off, and sends Piper and her sister to learn some responsibility running their late father’s dive bar… in Washington.
Piper hasn’t even been in Westport for five minutes when she meets big, bearded sea captain Brendan, who thinks she won’t last a week outside of Beverly Hills. So what if Piper can’t do math, and the idea of sleeping in a shabby apartment with bunk beds gives her hives. How bad could it really be? She’s determined to show her stepfather—and the hot, grumpy local—that she’s more than a pretty face.
Except it’s a small town and everywhere she turns, she bumps into Brendan. The fun-loving socialite and the gruff fisherman are polar opposites, but there’s an undeniable attraction simmering between them. Piper doesn’t want any distractions, especially feelings for a man who sails off into the sunset for weeks at a time. Yet as she reconnects with her past and begins to feel at home in Westport, Piper starts to wonder if the cold, glamorous life she knew is what she truly wants. LA is calling her name, but Brendan—and this town full of memories—may have already caught her heart.
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Review
I’m going to say it; I think It Happened One Summer might be my favorite read of 2021.
I loved just about everything about this book the characters were terrific, the story was great, and there was enough steam to make me very happy! Brendan and Piper were two of my favorite romance characters ever. They were both mature, which was kind of surprising given how Piper was characterized in the book. It starts as an enemies to lovers, but it quickly becomes less of the enemies part. I liked that Brendan had a clear physical attraction to Piper even though he didn’t necessarily like her.
And I get why Brendan’s attraction became more. Piper is a genially likable character. She is kind and intelligent, and though she is accused of being an airhead, she isn’t. I loved Brendan was able to make her see her true self. And once he realized she had been bullied and made to feel less than in the past, he took it upon himself to make sure she didn’t feel like that again!
Did I mention this book is steamy, like STEAMY? Have I read steamier? Yes. Have a read a steamier rom-com? No. I loved all the steam, but keep that in mind before picking this one up.
I cannot gush about this book enough! I loved it so much, and you will too!
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Nice review. I like how you add the steam factor. I don’t mind steam, but for some reason, I like to know how steamy something is before I read it. Sounds like a great book!
Nice review, but if it is that steamy, I think I will pass.