CLOSE TO HOME (SANCTUARY ISLAND #5)

The best journeys take us home….

When Tessa Alexander came to Sanctuary Island, she left behind a marriage to a man who didn’t love her the way she loved him. When she finally found the strength to set them both free, she discovered friendship and self-acceptance in her adopted hometown. Now she’s settled into a quiet life on her own—never expecting to see her husband again.

Johnny spent almost two years deep undercover, unable to let his wife into his cold, dangerous world. He’s shaken to the core when he comes home to find her gone. It’s painfully clear that Tessa is no longer the timid young woman he married—she’s become a force of nature, a brave and determined beauty. Johnny can’t let her go without a fight so he sets out to seduce his own wife. But will passion alone be enough to convince Tessa that her new life should include a second chance at happiness with a man who must learn to believe in love?

Release Date: January 31, 2017

Sanctuary Island #5

St. Martin's Press

Contemporary Romance

Review copy provided by publisher

Liza’s Review:

Close to Home is the newest release from Lily Everett in her wonderful Sanctuary Island series.

Tessa, who used to go by Terri, and Johnny have been married in name only for years. While Johnny is in a deep undercover job, Tessa has had enough of in name only and decides to move on with her life and she is lucky enough to end up on Sanctuary Island. Of course, as soon as Johnny’s job is finished, he goes after her to make sure he puts and end to her idea of divorce.

I liked Tessa and Johnny as individuals, but will admit it took me a bit to buy into them as a couple. I think the biggest reason was because they had spent so much of their married life apart, they didn’t have the connection I usually felt with a couple. In fact while I really enjoyed their story, I felt like the romance itself moved very slow. Johnny being so over protective and seeing danger around every corner seemed to rightfully bother Tessa. I found myself liking her more and more as the book progressed for her strength of knowing what she wanted and not taking any flack for going after what she wanted.

I did feel the attraction between Johnny and Tessa and was so happy when they finally acted on said attraction with more than just kisses. The first time Johnny and Tessa made love was both sweet and beautiful. I loved that by that point Tessa was strong enough to know she wanted to stay married to Johnny and still remain on Sanctuary Island, but it almost broke my heart to see that by that point Johnny was ready to give Tessa her wings. I did like that Johnny’s protective instincts weren’t always wrong when it came to things on the island, and that Tessa was strong enough now to find a way to get help when needed. I will say the individual’s identity completely surprised me, but in a very good way.

Close to Home was a sweet romance filled with second chances. I liked that Johnny and Tessa got a second chance to take their relationship to a real level where both people were equals. While it did take me longer to get into this story, I did end up enjoying the story. I also loved meeting new characters on Sanctuary Island and can’t wait to see what happens next in the series.

Rating: 4 Stars (B-)