Destiny

Destiny is the 2^nd book in Carly Phillips’ fabulous Serendipity series. From the author’s website.~

Nash Barron may be cynical about love, yet even he likes a good wedding. But the only good thing about his brother’s wedding is Kelly Moss. Nash can’t help but admire her confidence and beauty, but he’s forced to keep his distance because getting involved with Kelly could destroy his relationship with his newly discovered half sister, Tess…

Kelly came to Serendipity to give Tess–her half sibling as well, thanks to an illicit affair–a second chance at life. She learned long ago not to rely on anyone but herself. Besides, she doesn’t want to upset Tess’s life by pushing for a fling with Nash. Except the more she gets to know him, the more vulnerable she becomes to the kindness beneath his gruff exterior, and the less she’s able to stay away. But she has other reasons for keeping her distance. Like the secret from her past she knows Nash will never forgive…

I have said many times that Serendipity is my favorite contemporary romance of the year. I loved Ethan and Faith so much. That being said, I loved Destiny even more. I know many people had a problem with Nash in Serendipity because he wasn’t ready to forgive Ethan. I admit, I called both Nash and Dare buttheads in the beginning of Serendipity. However, I could see where Nash was coming from, so I was excited to see Destiny was Nash’s story.

I wanted to know more about Nash so I could better understand him. I already understood his looking at things in black or white, as I see many things that same way. Nash also has issues with abandonment thanks to Ethan up and leaving them after their parents death, Dare being placed in a separate foster home, and his marriage to high school sweetheart April ending in divorce. Honestly, Nash is put through the ringer in Destiny. I think it makes him a better man, brother, lover, and future husband, but it was gut-wrenching to read some of the things he has to go through.

Kelly is very similar to Nash with her black and white thoughts on morals. She was raised by a woman who cheated with married men and abandoned her youngest child to find her next meal ticket. Kelly has just come back into Tess’s life after leaving her with her brothers to raise. She has every right to be concerned about how getting involved with Nash might effect her future relationship with her sister. Nash has the same concern about Tess, especially since Tess is Ethan’s biggest cheerleader and she already has a problem that Nash still has issues with Ethan.

However, neither Nash nor Kelly can deny their attraction for one another and their chemistry is off the charts from the very beginning. Their journey isn’t really an easy one for either of them. Nash has to finally deal with his abandonment issues with Ethan and the secret Dare has kept from him since they were kids. I did like that Ethan stood up to Nash about leaving them behind. Nash finally saw Ethan had lived with the guilt he felt from their parents dying on the way to pick Ethan up from jail. Nash and Ethan took a big step in the direction of being brothers again. Dare’s secret coming to life made me bawl my eyes out. Nash being Nash, took a bit to come to terms with not only why Dare kept a secret but what the secret actually was. It just broke my heart to see the wall go up between the two brothers who had been so close for their entire lives.

Of course, when Nash has his world crumbling all around him, Kelly realizes she needs to tell Nash a secret from her past. Life and her mother get in the way and Nash finds out Kelly’s secret before she can tell him the whole truth. Again, so sad for Kelly and Nash. Both characters really were kicked in the teeth a few times in this book. I have to say I think both Kelly and Nash are stronger for all they each had thrown their way on their path to love.

We got to spend more time with several of the supporting characters from the town of Serendipity. I love April, who is Nash’s ex-wife and Kelly’s new best friend. She is such a strong woman and finally saw herself that way following her diagnosis of MS. Divorcing Nash, who was her best friend all through high school couldn’t have been easy, especially when she knew she would have MS episodes for the rest of her life. However, that diagnosis was what it took for her to realize she wanted more out of life. Joe, who runs the local bar in Serendipity has been attracted to April since high school. Since he is a natural care giver, April holds off going out with him for a long time following her divorce. She finally steps out of her comfort zone and agrees to go out with Joe when she sees Nash has real feelings for Kelly. April even accepts Joe’s help when she has a MS flair-up and still goes out with him once she feels better. I loved April from the minute we met her and was glad to see her find someone to love and someone who loved her back.

Destiny is my favorite book I've read ever by Carly Phillips. I loved seeing Nash change as his and Kelly's story progressed. As much as I loved Serendipity, I loved Destiny even more! In my opinion, the Serendipity series is the best series ever by Carly Phillips. Karma, the third book in the Serendipity series, is Dare’s book and set for release in May 2012.

The official release date for Destiny is January 3, 2012. To celebrate the release of Destiny, I’m giving away 1 digital copy of Destiny in either Kindle or Nook format. All comments will be entered into the drawing. Please list in the comment if you prefer Kindle or Nook format and your email address if not listed in your profile. I’ll post the winner on my blog on January 8 and contact the winner by email. Winner will have 3 days to claim the prize or a new winner will be drawn.