He's the last man on earth she should want...
For a guy she's fantasized about throttling, Jake Bradshaw sure is easy on the eyes. In fact, he seriously tempts inn manager Jenny Salazar to put her hands to better use. Except this is the guy who left Razor Bay-and his young son, Austin, whom Jenny adores like her own-to become a globe-trotting photojournalist. He can't just waltz back and claim Austin now.
Jake was little more than a kid himself when he became a dad. Sure, he'd dreamed of escaping the resort town, but he'd also truly believed that Austin was better off with his grandparents. Now he wants-no, needs-to make up for his mistake. He intends to stay in Razor Bay only until he can convince Austin to return with him to New York. Trouble is, with sexy, protective, utterly irresistible Jenny in his life, and his bed, he may never want to leave....
~~
I feel good contemporary romances often find themselves dammed by faint praise. There aren't any monsters the size of buildings or princesses to rescue from tall towers, instead they showcase emotional wounds and people working for their HEA. In That Thing Called Love Jake is working on forgiveness; he's trying to gain forgiveness from his son for leaving and learning to forgive his home town for not being the big city he thought he needed. Combined with a slow burn romance with Jenny and a supporting cast of characters that have me very invested in what happens next and you've got a great comfort read.
It just never gets old for me, those romances where the main characters are honest with themselves and each other about what they think they want. More respectful maybe? Jenny has her own fears that she brings to the relationship and they're both trying to work around that - as well as try not to alienate Austin. Some might think the ending is a little too pat for the issues Jake started with but I thought it was a truthful reflection of a father trying to do what's right and hey I ended the book with a smile on my face so I consider this a keeper :).
Overall Feeling - B
Series - 1) That Thing Called Love (7/31/12)
**Title requested from NetGalley**
