Review: RIDING THE WAVE (A Pacific Blue Novel) by Lorelie Brown (A)

RIDING THE WAVE

Pacific Blue Novel #1

by Lorelie Brown

Release date: July 1st, 2014

Published by: Signet (Penguin)

Genre: Adult Contemporary Romance (New Adult)

Format: Paperback, eBook

Format read: eARC

SUMMARY

The gray-green swells of San Sebastian haven’t changed in ten years, but Tanner Wright has. The last thing he expects to find back on his home turf is the love of his life.... 

With a make-or-break world championship on the line, professional surfer Tanner Wright has come back to the coastal California hometown he left a decade ago, carrying only his board and the painful knowledge of his father’s infidelity. Now that Hank Wright is dead, Tanner intends to keep the secret buried to spare his mother and sister the burden.

The last time Avalon Knox saw her best friend’s brother, she was fourteen and he was a twenty-year-old surfer god. She’s never understood or respected the way Tanner distanced himself from the family that has embraced her. But now she has the professional chance of a lifetime: to photograph Tanner for the competition—if he’ll agree.

Out on the waves, they find in each other passion that’s impossible to resist. And Tanner’s not the only one trying to move forward from his past. As the competition heats up, secrets get spilled, and lust takes over. How close can Avalon get to this brooding surfer…without getting burned?

MY REVIEW

RIDING THE WAVE is a wonderfully written summer story, with good family drama, a hot romance and a handsome main character.  

Tanner Wright is a pro surfer that has come home to win the World Championship, and also face what he's been running away from for the last 10 years. A family secret so hurtful that the burden of keeping it has caused him a lot of distress and to push away his love ones in fear that he might slip and tell. But his father is gone now, and that might make it easier for him to come home and keep it all together to accomplish his win and then leave again. Hoping that when he does, the secret will die with him and no one will ever have to know. 

Until that secret is threatened to be leaked to the media.

Now Tanner has to do what he can to do what is right for everyone in his life. It helps that Avalon is right by his side...

Avalon has always had a crush on Sage's brother. But being much younger, and never having a steady home life with her mom, she's always been able to blend in with the Wright family, Tanner and Sage's mom, Eileen, becoming her second mom. She would never do anything to jeopardize their relationships - it's the only solid thing she's ever had in her life. Now that she has moved back 'home' after finishing school and her boyfriend breaking-up with her, she is even more determined to embrace how lucky she is to have the Wright family to go back to. 

Until the opportunity to bump up her career is handed to her - she is to follow Tanner for the month until the Championship and capture all the pictures that she can for a magazine editorial portraying his career and, hopefully, his win. 

Can Avalon and Tanner keep their relationship strictly business and family orientated... or can they possibly juggle a carefree relationship as well???

I really enjoyed every single character, good and bad, in this story. Tanner was handsome and full of himself, his attitude was typical guy but he has such a huge caring heart, and I instantly fell for him too. Avalon was sweet and carefree, she knew her flaws and did the best she could without needing anything from anyone - I really adored her. 

However, I felt that there wasn't enough. Their romance felt flat to me. I didn't feel the spark between them - don't get me wrong, there was a physical spark that no one can deny, and that was fun. But I didn't feel that genuine spark of their true need for each other. I wish there was more details, more heart into it... as well as the other plot to the story - the secret. I also wish the author would have gone deeper with the revelation, everyone's reaction didn't give the story the climax I was expecting. Even though everyone is described as being down-to-earth and rational, I still feel like this would have had a bigger impact and that even calm people have a right to overreact and show their feelings. Everyone was constantly holding back or being held back. I would have liked more details, I am a very visual person and always strive on more of everything. 

In the end, I truly enjoyed the story, the beach scene and surf, the amazing characters, and highly recommend it for those looking for a quick summer read. 

This is book one to the Pacific Blue series, and I am really curious to see what book two is all about - AHEAD IN THE HEAT is due to be release January 6th, 2015.  

An eARC was given for an honest review. All opinions are my own.

PACIFIC BLUE series

- ONE LESSON (Pacific Blue #0.5)

- AHEAD IN THE HEAT (Pacific Blue #2)

ABOUT THE AUTHOR - Lorelie Brown

After a semi-nomadic childhood throughout California, Lorelie Brown spent high school in Orange County before joining the US Army. After traveling the world from South Korea to Italy, she’s settled north of Chicago. Because going from California warmth to northern snow seemed like the proper order of events...

Lorelie has three active sons and a tiny shih-tzu who thinks he’s son number three—not four, he’s too important to be the baby. Writing romance helps her escape a house full of testosterone.

In her immense free time (hah!) Lorelie co-writes contemporary erotic romance under the name Katie Porter. 

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