Sand, surf, and sharpened pitchforks…
He already built a resort in their small beachside town that nobody wanted. Now he wants to go after the hometown sweetheart too?
Reason #1: Big, bad CEO Aiden Beaumont wears his grumpy mask every day like a badge of honor. Mia Sparks wants nothing more than to honk his nose or throw a pie in his face, à la The Three Stooges, just to see if he’s capable of smiling. Unfortunately, she can’t. Because he’s technically her boss, and she’d like to keep her gig at the new five-star beach resort for longer than two weeks.
Reason #2: Everyone in her small hometown of Shell Grove, SC hates the man. He brought big business to their little beach town, and as far as her fellow citizens are concerned, that makes him the devil incarnate. But he won’t be staying forever, which works for Mia. She doesn’t go for the flashy city types anyway. She’s quite happy living her quiet life in Shell Grove. The faster the cranky—albeit stupidly hot—CEO is out of her life, the better.
Reason #3: Every time Aiden frowns at her, it hits her like a thousand-watt smile. He has a language all his own, and it’s starting to make way too much sense to her. She can’t avoid him in a town the size of a postage stamp, and it finally hits her that…she doesn’t want to escape him. This always-irritated, too-serious businessman couldn’t possibly be the stable safe haven she’s been looking for. Could he?
Aiden knows there’s a million and one reasons to stay away from the sugary sweet Mia. But who runs away from sunshine after living their entire life in a secluded cave? And when someone from her past unexpectedly emerges and tries to drive a wedge between the two of them? All bets are off. Aiden has never lost a fight in the boardroom, and he’s not about to lose the fight for the woman he wants to deserve. He just has to prove to her that he’s not the PUBLIC ENEMY CEO everyone thinks he is.
Mia is a small-town girl who doesn’t know what she wants to do with her life but when a fancy resort decides to call Shell Grove SC home, she’s happy to work there. A lot of residents hate the new development and resent the intrusion into their community but Mia enjoys her job, maybe even a little too much. She’s a people pleaser who doesn’t like to say no so Mia’s always filling in for someone or jumping in to save the day. She wears a lot of hats and probably spreads herself too think but she doesn’t know any other way. But when Aiden Beaumont, the CEO and most hated man in Shell Grove, comes to town, he’s both concerned and intrigued by the lengths she’ll go to in order to keep things running smoothly.
Aiden appreciates that but instead of telling her so, he criticizes her instead. I loved this book from the beginning, when she accidentally ruined his suit with a dead squirrel. That instantly took the top spot as my favorite meet-cute. Mia’s a little intimidated by Aiden but she tries not to let it show and the resulting banter is delightful.
They fall fast and hard but this is her home and he’s a loathsome outsider so he doesn’t think a relationship can work. Mia just wants him to have faith in her and take her words at face value but that’s easier said than done. This is a lovely start to a new series. Aiden and Mia’s story is funny, sweet and fun to read. I received an ARC from Xpresso Book Tours in exchange for an honest review.
