Laura's Review of Kill Devil Hills (Kill Devil Hills, #1) by Sarah Darlington

Synopsis

He’s twenty-four. She’s eighteen.

His life is exactly the way he’s always wanted it to be...stable.
She’s quite possibly the very definition of unstable.

Noah saved her.
Georgina never wanted to be saved.

 Growing up, Noah Clark was passed from one relative to the next until he finally ended up living with his abusive, alcoholic uncle in Kill Devil Hills, North Carolina. Thanks in part to the unwavering love and support of his best friend, Ellie Turner, Noah survived those years, escaped his uncle, and grew into the man he is today. Now he runs his own business and lives a pretty normal, no-nonsense life—one where he maintains a high level of control. 

 Georgina is Ellie’s younger sister. Four months ago, Noah saved Georgie’s life, but he thought that was where his involvement with his friend’s sister would end. Now Georgie has returned home from the recovery facility her parents sent her away to and Noah, still haunted by the night that connects them, can’t stop himself from continuously trying to protect this girl he barely knows. But is he willing to give up all of the control he’s worked so hard to build in his life and risk everything for her? Even more importantly, would she do the same for him?

What I Loved

       

            This was a really great quick cute read, that dealt with some pretty heavy issues and I really liked the duality of that.  We meet Noah and Georgina at a very low point of in Georgina’s life and Noah instantly becoming the knight in shining armor.  To me, because Noah takes on this roll so quickly I immediately became emotionally engrossed in his story and invested in his happily ever after.  Georgina has just experienced a devastating loss, and the love and loss she felt throughout the book just breaks your heart at certain points and you just want her to be happy again.  I love books that can instantly pull you into their story and I love that event though there is a lot of heavy material it’s also really cute and sometime funny and definitely sexy. 

           The author does such a great job of portraying what pain and loss is like for Georgina that you almost grieve with her and I loved that.  At the same time Sarah Darlington illustrates the fluster and silliness that goes with first stages of falling in love.  Noah becomes a little bit of a klutz and it immediately took me back to all those times when I get around a guy I like and act like a complete idiot, the sad part is I don’t have to go too far back in my mind because I still act like.  It was so great to watch these two find each other and having that lead to some very steamy sex scenes.

Not So Much

          I really enjoyed this book, it was heavy at times but very light and funny at others and I love books that can that duality.  I did feel that there were some holes in the plot because the plotline was just going a little too fast and leaving out certain things.  This story switches between Noah and Georgina’s point of view which I really like when books do that, but there were certain scenes or conversations that I felt like would’ve been better from the other person’s point of view. 

          I love that the Kill Devil Hills is almost like a third character in this story but I would’ve loved more background detail.  For example, Noah and Ellie’s business is talked about a lot and a lot of scenes take place there but there is no real description of the place at all.  The same can be said for Georgina’s home there are general descriptions of these places but nothing specific to hold onto and it kept me from being completely engrossed in the plot.

To Sum It All Up!

          This was a great easy read for anyone that is looking for a quick romance book, and even though this is the first in a series it can be read as a standalone which I really like when there are series like that.  I really loved the two main characters but I also fell for some of the supporting characters as well, especially Ellie.  Since I know that the next book in this series revolves around her I am very excited to jump into the next one when it comes out.  There is a happily ever after at the end, but there are definitely moments in this story where all this happiness is bittersweet and I loved that.  I like being happy but tortured at the same time, I think it’s the masochist in me that attracts me to drama like that.  The love between Noah and Georgie is palpable and their sexual chemistry was HOT HOT HOT!  This story does deal with some very real issues that are relevant today and at times this story gets emotional but I enjoyed those parts the most I think.  I can’t wait to see what is in store for Ellie in the next story and what other stories will come out of this series.