Alone in the world, Tae Holmes and her mother April
pretty much raised each other, but as Tae starts asking questions about the
father she's never met, April, for the first time in her life, goes silent. To
make matters worse, Tae is dangerously close to broke and just manages to avoid
financial meltdown when she lands a shiny new contract with an adventure
company for athletes with disabilities and wounded warriors.
Her first big fundraiser event falls flat, but what
starts out as a terrible, horrible, no-good night turns into something else
entirely when Tae finds herself face-to-face with Riggs Copeland. She hasn't
seen the former Marine since their brief fling in high school, and while still
intensely drawn to him, she likes her past burned and buried, thank you very
much. Hence their friendship pact.
But when April oddly refuses to help Tae track down her
father, it's Riggs who unexpectedly comes to her aid. On a hunt to unlock the
past, the two of them find themselves on a wild ride and learn a shocking
truth, while also reluctantly bonding in a way neither had seen coming. Now Tae
must decide whether she's going to choose love … or walk away from her own
happiness.
Good book about two people who have put up walls around
their hearts to keep them safe. For Tae, it's been her and her mom against the
world her entire life. April was only fifteen when she had Tae, so they
sometimes seem more like sisters than mother and daughter. Life has been challenging,
but things are finally looking up. April has a good job as a receptionist with
Adrenaline HQ, which provides activities/adventures for disabled kids and
adults and wounded warriors. Tae has her own event planning company, which is
finally taking off thanks to a contract with that company.
Tae worries about that contract when she feels her first
fundraiser for them is a failure, even though Jake, the owner, is satisfied
with the results. Tae is a worrier, and I loved how Jake tried to ease her
fears. He tells her to go ahead and leave, and she mistakes another car for her
Uber in her rush. To her dismay, the car's driver is Riggs, Jake's brother, and
her high school one-night fling. She hasn't seen him since he left for the
Marines shortly after that.
Riggs has left the Marines and come home for the summer
before starting his new job. He's part-owner of the business but leaves it to
Jake to run. But Riggs worries about Jake, one of those wounded warriors he
tries to help. He's always adored his older brother, who stood between Riggs
and his abusive father, and he fears that Jake is putting himself at risk. He
promises to stay around for the summer and help expand the company.
I loved watching the rekindling of the relationship
between Riggs and Tae. The sparks between them are instantaneous, but neither
wants anything to do with them. Riggs is leaving at the end of the summer, and
after everything she witnessed with her mother, Tae refuses to give a man any
power over her life. So they make a pact to ignore the sparks and keep to
friendship only. By keeping the physical out of the mix, they've allowed
themselves to get to know each other as adults. I loved the time they spent
together helping with the activities and the quieter times when they just
talked. It was amazing to see how well they understood each other as both
recognized kindred spirits in the self-protection game.
The sparks of attraction didn't take too long to overcome
the friendship pact. Though they say it's just a fling, neither one wants to
admit their hearts are involved. Tae knows she's falling for Riggs and will end
up hurt, but she doesn't want to give up a minute of their time together. Riggs
is a harder nut to crack. His walls are thick, and his head even thicker. I
loved the conversations between him and Jake, who tries to break through Rigg's
walls while Riggs fights him (sometimes literally) every step of the way.
At the same time all of this is going on, Tae is going
through a bit of an identity crisis. For her entire life, April has told her
that her father died in the war. But Tae recently encountered someone who
claimed to know her father and that he was alive. Tae is hunting for the truth
without involving her mother, whom she protects. I ached for Tae and the
confusion she felt. Though she's determined to investigate on her own, Riggs
involves himself in the search behind her back. While his intentions were good,
his execution created the potential for disaster. Tae's feelings of betrayal by
everyone were understandable, and I didn't blame her for her anger. There's a
lot that goes on surrounding the truth that is revealed. In the long run,
relationships change but grow stronger. Tae's anger at Riggs is especially
strong as she pushes him away. I liked that he admitted he was wrong. He also
finally realized the truth of his feelings for her. I loved the conversation
between Riggs and Jake, as Jake tries to make him see what he'll have to do to
win Tae back. "Use your words, idiot!" The light bulb moment was satisfying;
I liked seeing them finally come together. The epilogue was a terrific wrap-up. 
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