Ready for Love – Marie Force

For four of the best summers of his young life, Luke Harris was in love with Sydney Donovan, a wealthy seasonal visitor to Gansett Island. Then Sydney went off to college and never came back. She married another man and had two children while Luke remained on the island, working at McCarthy’s Gansett Marina and wondering what had gone wrong between him and the only woman he ever loved. Fifteen months after Sydney suffers the tragic loss of her husband and children, she’s returned to Gansett to figure out what’s next, and that may very well be a rekindled love affair with the one man from her past she’s never forgotten. But is she ready for a second chance at love?

When I read what happened to Sydney Donovan’s family at the end of Fool for Love, I could imagine how we were going to get a story out of something so tragic.  Well, we got one and it was good!

A little more than a year ago, Sydney Donovan’s life was turned upside down when a drunk driver hit her car killing her 2 kids and her husband.  She was not only physically broken, but psychologically as well.

Little did Sydney know that Luke Harris, her old high school summer sweetheart, watched her as she dealt with her tragedy.  So he’s shocked when he’s immediately found out the following summer when Sydney comes back to Gansett Island.  Luke has never stopped loving Sydney.  She may have broken his heart when she never came back to the island, but he never found anyone bump Sydney from that place in his heart.

Finding her a little more like her old self (one who apologized for how she treated him at nineteen), they strike a deal on a friendship.  However, that deal only lasts so long when the spark they had when they were teenagers rears it’s head to show that it’s alive and wanting to explore what might have been.  However, they have a few snags they need to deal with while trying to figure out just what they have.

Her parents are still very prejudice against Luke, thinking he is somehow beneath Sydney.  Luke, still a little gun shy and wondering if Sydney’s going to bolt at the first opportunity, isn’t all that forthcoming with what his life is like in Gansett Island (i.e., part owner in the marina and a boat restorer).  And then we have Sydney, who is waiting for the other shoe to drop, convinced she has bad karma and that is why her family had been taken away.

Mixed in with all that, we get to meet up again with Joe & Janey, who are weeks away from their wedding, and Mac & Maddie, who are 2 months away from the birth of their child.  It was great to see where they are in relation to how we last saw them.

Another great addition to the series.  I’m happy that Marie Force will be continuing on the trials and tribulations of the residents of Gansett Island.  Next up with be Grant McCarthy’s story.  I’m wondering though…is his match Abbey or maybe a certain bartender.  I’ll guess we’ll have to wait and see.