He’s sexy. He’s southern. And he won’t stop showing up at my door half naked. Meet Elijah Jackson, my hot new neighbor…
From the outside looking in? I’ve got it all. Prestigious job. Pretty house. And a perfect boyfriend who just proposed with the perfect ring.
I should feel ecstatic—but instead, I feel suffocated. So I break up with my boyfriend, hop in my car, and head south.
Charleston, South Carolina: home to stunning architecture, sultry accents, and—oh yeah—my perpetually shirtless neighbor, Elijah Jackson.
As if his abs for days and inked up deliciousness aren’t enticing enough, he also encourages me to chase down my dreams. And the chemistry between us? Hotter than the kitchen at Eli’s restaurant.
But I still have a life a thousand miles away. One I’ve worked really hard to build. And I don’t know if I can just leave it all behind.
I have to choose. A choice Eli doesn’t make any easier by inviting me out to his cabin for a long weekend. Just the two of us. And one bed. I swear to God this southerner is out to charm the panties right off me. Just this once, I might let him…
I loved everything about this story. This book was the perfect read after a few disappointments. Olivia and Eli are sweet, funny and charming. She’s taking a break from her life in upstate New York after her fiancé proposes and she couldn’t say ‘yes’. Olivia finally has the life she’s always dreamed of: the perfect man, perfect home and the perfect job, except she doesn’t want any of it. She spent her whole life wanting these things and working for them but now that she ‘has it all’, Olivia can’t bear the thought that this is her life.
Her longtime boyfriend is more concerned with appearances than happiness and discourages her from writing the romance novel she’s always dreaming of writing.
Being a tenured professor in a snooty English department is hardly a dream job. In fact, it’s more of a nightmare and her colleagues are so snobby that publishing romance under her real name will damage her credibility with them.
Olivia decides to take a breather at a friend’s place in Charleston SC. Her friend is traveling so Olivia has the place to herself to immerse herself in her work. She meets sexy chef Eli almost instantly upon arrival and the mutual attraction is immediate. He’s all tattoos and southern charm, plus hot as sin and doesn’t like to wear shirts. Eli also wants to feed her and be her editor so there’s no chance of resisting this man.
Her life is complicated because she expected to write a book, get it out of her system, and return to New York content with her life, but that’s not what’s happening at all. Quitting her job, dumping her boyfriend of three years and moving across the country to be a romance writer would be crazy, but she’s never wanted anything more. Eli has his own issues with a failing restaurant and a penchant for ignoring his problems so there are a lot of obstacles in their way, but maybe this can work.
