Delancey Stewart

Here I am again picking up a book in the middle of a series, but who could resist that title? And, it reads well as a standalone.

A childhood friendship is torn apart by a high school misunderstanding. After six years of avoidance, Sophia wants closure and confronts Dillon as she comes clean about what really happened. In addition under her friend Lauren's advice, Sophia decides to send Dillon ten texts of her worst traits to prove he's not the one for her. However, the texts don't go show more according to plan as her imperfections make her even harder to ignore. Can they make it work with Dillon's long work hours and living so far apart?

Sophia's clumsiness and quirkiness are delightful. She is trying to find a job and move on with her life so she hopes that getting closure with Dillon with stop her longing for the boy she fell in love with so many years ago. His avoidance of her goes as far as almost jumping out of a moving car. I have to say she is brutally honest in texting Dillon her worst traits. They range from silly to extremely personal which Dillon finds so endearing. Dillon is a worrier and works way too hard. He also still mourns his late father. Dillon moved away from his family to get away from the bad memories of losing his father and losing Sophia at the same time and rarely comes back home. With the help of Dillon's family and friends, the couple is forced together and eventually become close again. Though Dillon almost blows it again, his grand gesture is beautiful and worth waiting for.

There are a lot of people willing to see Sophia and Dillon together and watching the quirky families, friends, and co-workers move heaven and earth for these two is lovely.

I recommend this charming romantic comedy of second chances filled with lovable characters, heartfelt moments, and hilarious scenes.

Thank you to Ms. Stewart and Ms. Ray for giving me the opportunity to read this book with no expectation of a positive review. show less

I became a fan of Delancey Stewart when I read Only a Fling. Having a soft spot for small town romances, I was entranced by what I thought was the first book in the series (FYI – you will want to read Only a Summer first). Add to that how Stewart writes her female characters and you will quickly understand how reading her books in less than day is far too easy.

Back to Only a Fling (I know this a review for Only a Crush so bear with me), to my surprise and delight, Delancey added a bonus show more epilogue, allowing the reader to dive further into the lives and relationships of the Kasper Ridge Resort crew. We find ourselves witnessing the interaction between Mateo and Annalee, setting the scene for this book and what may potentially build between these two characters.

I am happy to report, she did NOT disappoint!

What I liked about the book: The same wit, charm, sarcasm (my goodness the sarcasm!), and overall laugh out loud moments were front and center in Only a Crush. There were moments I laughed so hard that I had to take a second before continuing (hard to see a screen with tears in your eyes).

The way Stewart wrote Annalee was phenomenal. I swear I wanted to sing “Anything You Can Do”. She was the epitome of that song. She was gorgeous but not a delicate flower. She was smart, quick, talented in anything and everything she tried (pilot, chef, event planning, film critic), and she didn’t take mess from anyone.

I will also admit, Stewart knows how to write a steamy scene. I mean WOW! Like fog the glass because I was breathing too hard WOW!

The last thing I will say about this series is you want to know these characters – inside and out. You learn each time that who they appear to be is nowhere near who they really are and the real life experiences they have had make them so relatable. By having an alternative POV, the unsaid moments are so strong, so informative that you fall more and more involved with every single member of this growing family. show less

Through a grumpy vs sunshine themed whirlwind romance, we are whisked away yet again to the enchanting mountain town that is Kasper Ridge. In a continuation of a captivating series, we FINALLY get a peek inside of Braniac’s head, i.e. the man behind the scowl.

Penny and Harrison are both products of their environment. Having a Diplomat as a father with high expectations, Harrison spent most of his time in books and overseas. Focused on his career and achievements, Harrison expertise was in show more a classroom or in the cockpit. Unfortunately, those didn’t translate into people skills, putting a damper on plans for his future. Penny, on the other hand, was raised to be America’s sweetheart. A childhood actress, Penny parents saw her as a means of living the high life with very little effort. Trying and failing to have control over her life, Penny is delivered unwanted expectations and scandal like consequences. Wanting to simply be herself and not a headline, Penny retreats to a small town in Colorado to ride out her latest blow-up. Their two worlds quickly collide when a mutual friend of Lucy’s brings Penny to the resort to meet the rest of the gang. Infatuation at first site, Harrison is immediately drawn to a Penny and their growing attraction quickly launches this sweet, yet steamy tale straight out the gate. The question, how long is the past willing to be silenced before it gets its claws into the present.

What I liked about this book: I absolutely love learning more and more about these guys! I do not believe in any way that these books are standalone as the over arching treasure hunt story is weeded throughout each one. In the quick read, the hunt is concluded only for Harrison to give a gleamer of hope that it has only yet begun, paving the way for the next story (we have three more eligible bachelors on the ridge so we can only guess who will be next). My favorite was Sasquatch’s dog Roscoe! Those two were definitely the comedy relief. Penny and Harrison’s story was heartwarming and so sincerely sweet. Each person just trying to find a happy ending, they were the ying yang of the group. In previous stories, Delancey wrote her female characters to be strong, independent, and thriving in a male dominated world. In this book, Penny looked at Lucy and Monroe as role models, the ideal woman she wanted to be, giving her the strength and courage to take ownership of her life. Having tried and failed in the past, Harrison becomes the missing piece of safety and security that she needed to make that happen. On the other side, Penny is able to penetrate Harrison’s stoic personality, shining a light of possibility on his severe lack of people skills. They don’t play games and their blunt and revealing honesty with each other puts the story into hyperdrive. As always, Delancey knows how to make the pages sweat and the intimate scenes between Harrison and Penny do not disappoint.

A wonderful short read with insanely hot scenes, tender moments, and a swoon worthy couple, Only a Secret continues a story of a simple band of brothers (and sisters) finding happiness, love, and adventure. show less

I have never read anything by Delancey Stewart before but I am DEFINITELY a fan now. I could not put down Only a Fling! I enjoyed it so much I want to go back and read the prequel - Only a Summer and the follow-up to this one, Only a Crush.

What I liked (scratch that - what I LOVED) about this book: I absolutely loved that Lucy wasn’t some love sick girl who dreamt of fairy tales and Prince Charming coming to rescue her. I loved that Delancey threw out the traditional formula of boy meets show more girl, boy gets girl, boy loses girl, boy gets girl back. In a male dominated world, Lucy was her own person. She was fierce, she was strong, she was a “firecracker”. She knew what she wanted and didn’t want in her life and she wasn’t settling for anything else. She was in charge and challenged anyone or anything that threatened to take that control.

I LOVED how Stewart wrote Will. Tearing down the walls of overly masculine men, he was vulnerable, he had heart, and he had no problems being an equal partner on the job (and in the bedroom). It wasn’t “only one needing the other”, she nearly reversed the gender roles, throwing out expectations, and making these two characters fit together like a perfect puzzle piece.

I love the camaraderie of the squadron and how, even in civilian life, they watched out for their own. The portrayal of how junior officers still see the COs after serving was perfection!

The steamy parts were on FIRE! I mean pull you collar away from you neck, dab your forehead kinda hot! Even the buildups had my pulse racing.

The internal struggles that Lucy and Will faced were so real, so relatable, and so well written that you could only want the best for these characters. You felt them, you cared for them, you knew them. There were times where I wanted to shake Lucy and yell “Stop filling in the blanks for him, stop shutting him out!”

What I didn’t like about the book - WHAT HAPPENED TO ARCHIE!! Stewart teases the demise of his career throughout the book, so much so that is is distracting. Well that and whatever happened with the treasure hunt? Knowing (now) that this is part of a series, I am sure the prequel answers my first question and hopefully the next book answers my second.

There are so many supporting characters that I would love to follow. Getting inside of Brainiac’s head alone would be a treat. That and I hope this becomes a movie some day because I would love to see Will’s hair! It was pretty much it’s own character and I will admit, I am intrigued! show less