What an amazingly heartfelt and delicious slow burn romance! Simmer could not have been a more appropriate title! I will admit though, that I could not wait for the boil over! ;) The heroine, Sara, was introduced in the book Rewrite, and some previous characters do appear, but Simmer can be read as a standalone.
I didn't think my opinion of Sara would change much after meeting her in Rewrite, but I was happily proven wrong. It was so insightful to be inside her head and to finally understand the motivations behind many of her actions. I absolutely loved seeing Drew slowly chip away at her walls and then finally take the whole damn building down! Stephanie Rose knows how to write a hero! Swoon! Swoon! Swoon! Drew was everything you hope a book boyfriend will be and could not have been more incredible. He was supportive, considerate, sexy, patient, loving, and just the right amount of alpha. The build up between Drew and Sara was so perfect thanks to their amazing chemistry.
I loved that the story was as much a romance as it was about Sara's healing and moving on from her past. Her fears and insecurities were so relatable, and though I may not have agreed with some of her decisions, I understood how she was feeling. The epilogue couldn't have been any sweeter and I may have squealed when Lucas and Joey made a little cameo. ;) Truly a wonderful book that shows that it really is never too late to listen to your heart and change your story.
Product Description
Simmer (verb): to stew gently below or just at the boiling point; to be in a state of incipient development
My life was always at a simmer… only stewing, never going anywhere. I was left to fend for myself when it came to affection or love, so I learned to go without.
I refused to let them see how broken and lonely I was; it was much easier to hide behind a false reality. I didn't want anyone's pity. I didn't need it. Pity wouldn't put food on the table or keep a roof over our heads. That was all me.
Now, I have a second chance at a dream long forgotten. It demands hard work and sacrifice—with absolutely no distractions. A recipe I already know all too well, raising a daughter on my own.
Drew Kostas is everything I’ve ever wanted but couldn't let myself have. He’s younger, gorgeous, charming—and relentless. He sees beyond the hardened shell I’ve built to protect myself, coaxing out a softer me I don't recognize.
It doesn't matter how I melt in his presence when the heat between us threatens to boil over.
That's the thing about heat. When it rises, everyone gets burned.
Especially when they're foolish enough to fall in love.
My life was always at a simmer… only stewing, never going anywhere. I was left to fend for myself when it came to affection or love, so I learned to go without.
I refused to let them see how broken and lonely I was; it was much easier to hide behind a false reality. I didn't want anyone's pity. I didn't need it. Pity wouldn't put food on the table or keep a roof over our heads. That was all me.
Now, I have a second chance at a dream long forgotten. It demands hard work and sacrifice—with absolutely no distractions. A recipe I already know all too well, raising a daughter on my own.
Drew Kostas is everything I’ve ever wanted but couldn't let myself have. He’s younger, gorgeous, charming—and relentless. He sees beyond the hardened shell I’ve built to protect myself, coaxing out a softer me I don't recognize.
It doesn't matter how I melt in his presence when the heat between us threatens to boil over.
That's the thing about heat. When it rises, everyone gets burned.
Especially when they're foolish enough to fall in love.