Laura’s Review of Changing Tides (Kill Devil Hills, #2) by Sarah Darlington

Synopsis

"Nate West. Hollywood bad-boy. Television megastar. Womanizer. Basically everything I hate about the male species rolled into one handsome package. And yet…I want him."

Ellie Turner is a lesbian. She has tattoos, short hair, and a ‘don’t-mess-with-me-attitude.’ She knows who she is, loves who she is, and couldn’t care less what the rest of the world thinks of her. And since she has the most kick-ass best friend on the planet, Noah Clark, even when family drama gets in the way, nothing can offset her happy-go-lucky demeanor.

Until television star Nate West comes along. All thick muscle and alpha-male testosterone. When Ellie meets him on an airplane the only thing Nate West should be good for is a brand new profile picture on Facebook. Right? Wrong. Turns out he’s good for so much more.

This man is going to flip everything Ellie thought she knew about herself upside down.

NA Romance. This novel is the second book in the Kill Devil Hills series, however it can be read as a standalone. Recommended for 18+ due to sexy scenes, explicit language, and adult themes. 

What I Loved

          I was so happy to get this ARC because I really enjoyed Kill Devil Hills, the first one in this series, and I love Ellie so much that I couldn’t wait to dive into her story.  This book started out with a HUGE bomb shell that had my jaw on the ground and me going “WHAT?!?!” I couldn’t put this book down, I instantly need more and that feeling still hasn’t gone away. 

          I really loved Ellie before I began this story and I think after reading this I’m truly head over heels in love with her. I love that Ellie doesn’t quite fit into a box as far as her sexuality goes and to watch her explore that was great.  All of her life she’s seen herself as a tom boy and a lesbian, but then this beautiful TV star comes along and knocks her off her feet.  I liked that she started to question what the meant for her because all of sudden she’s attracted this man, so does that still make her a lesbian?  I love that she questioned those labels that society puts on people and finally realized that who cares, she’s happy and in love! Also, I really liked how caring Ellie is of her friends and family and has this very mature insight and understanding of the people around her.  She loves her family fiercely and would do anything for them not to be hurt and that plays a huge role in this story. 

          When it comes to Nate West, the better question is; what’s not to love?  He’s beautiful, packing a hot body and on top of all that he’s a star!  What more could you really ask for?  I love that he puts his heart out there and loves just spending time with Ellie.  He knows what he wants and puts that ahead of his fame and fortune.  Also, I love that Nate just like Ellie is very much a family man and has immense love for the important people in his life.

Not So Much

          There wasn’t much I didn’t love about Changing Tides.  I guess my only hang ups were that Nate at times was just too good to be true.  I love that he wanted Ellie so badly, but it was just too unrealistic for me for him to go from not knowing Ellie to wanting her to be his girlfriend the very next day.  Not only does he want Ellie in his life, he has no problem with serious relationships after he’s had his heartbroken pretty badly.  He just fell in love with Ellie maybe a little too quickly and it was too perfect and sweet.  But that’s just me, I love drama and heart break and craziness so I don’t want to hold that against this story.

          Also when the first book in this series ended there was closure to the plot, which was great.  I liked that a lot because it makes this series very much a standalone series, so if you just read Changing Tides you don’t feel like you’re being dropped into the middle of a plot and not know what’s going on. This story didn’t really end that way; which is fine but I feel like if you want to read the next book as a standalone it’s going to be harder because there is still a lot of unanswered questions and issues in this one.  I don’t mind that because I really love this series but for others I feel like that might be a hang up if they do want to read these books as just standalones. 

To Sum It All Up!

          This was such a great easy read.  I love the way Sarah Darlington writes, and with each book I fall more in love with her.  On top of that I really love the Turner family and can’t wait to see how they are all going to adapt to all the changes going on around them.  If you have read the first story in this series, there is a huge bombshell in this one and the overall plot has definitely taken a turn and the pieces of that are still being picked up. Also, I love that the story switches point of views because there was a scene where I couldn’t wait to hear Georgie’s reaction to something and I got that because the story switched to Noah’s point of view. I loved the chemistry between Nate and Ellie because that lead to lots of anticipation of ripping Nate and Ellie’s clothes off and I wasn’t let down in the slightest when that finally happened.  I love Nathaniel and Ellie together so much and I was happy to see them have a happy ending and I can’t wait to see what is next for them and their relationship together.