Title: Back to the Start
Author: Elle Keating
Genre: Contemporary Romance
Series: Dangerous Love
Release
Date: June
19, 2018
Jake McGinnis has the life he has dreamed of since
childhood: a professional football career with adoring fans, financial
security, and the unwavering support of his family. From the outside
looking in, he has everything. But nothing could be further from the
truth. Because there isn’t a day that goes by that Jake doesn’t think about his
first love... and what his world would look like if she was still by his
side. When he hears that she is relocating to start a new job
less than a mile from him, the pain of their breakup feels fresher than ever.
For eight years, he has wondered why their relationship ended and now
she's settling in his city. A city that isn't big enough for the two of
them.
For Morgan Kelley, moving to Philadelphia means living
closer to her family and practicing veterinary medicine with two of her closest
friends. It’s also her chance to start over and move on from her failed
marriage. There’s only one con: the close proximity to Jake McGinnis. Once upon
a time being near him was all she wanted, but now he is practically a stranger...
and it's all her fault. Faced with awful memories and the possibility of
bumping into him at her favorite coffee shop, Morgan is haunted by the real
reason she once broke both of their hearts. Deep down, she knows she won’t be
able to embrace this new chapter of her life without finally telling Jake the
whole truth.
But how will he react when she shares her secret?
Their love story once felt inevitable, unshakable. Is this where it ends
for good, or is it the beginning of a second chance
My thoughts:
It's been a while since I have sat down and been sucked into a book so completely that I stayed up really late to finish it. (and I mean really late!) Back to the Start was such an emotionally beautiful second chance story. I can't say enough about how much I loved this book.
I loved Morgan and Jake and was rooting for them to work things out. My favorite parts of the book were the flashback to when they were younger. Watching them go from adorable children to awkward teens was a lot of fun. It made their relationship make so much more sense. The ending was perfect for them. I won't give away anymore than to say it's a definite must read for second chance romance lovers. You won't be disappointed. Even though ti's the fourth book in the series, it works well as a stand alone. I definitely want o go back and read the others in the series.
Enjoy this excerpt:
Bacon?
Morgan reached for her
phone, but it wasn’t in its usual place on her nightstand. She sat up in bed
and rubbed her eyes. Her head pounded as she remembered the events of last
night. She
didn’t want to know how many shots she’d had. It must have been a significant
amount because she remembered dancing to Wham and that would not have happened
if she wasn’t shitfaced.
Morgan got out of bed and was halfway to the bathroom when
she took notice of her sleeping attire. She was wearing a gray t-shirt she
hadn’t worn in months and underwear. Everything hit her at once and she
suddenly remembered how she had gotten home, who had apparently put her to
bed…and who was in her kitchen right now cooking breakfast.
Morgan quickly went to the bathroom, brushed her teeth and
threw on a pair of sweatpants. She crept downstairs and rounded the corner…and
stared at the beautiful man in her kitchen. His back was to her as he stirred
something on the stove. He was wearing jeans and a white cotton t-shirt that
showed off his bulging biceps. She had always loved his body. Even during those
awkward teenage years, she had thought he was the most gorgeous thing she had
ever seen.
“How are you feeling?” he asked. He didn’t turn around. Jake
continued to stir whatever was in the pot.
“I’ve been better,” she said. Morgan spotted her purse on
the kitchen counter and immediately dug through it and found the last of her
Advil. She popped two pills and chased them with a glass of water. Though her
head throbbed, her stomach was surprisingly ready for whatever Jake was making
for breakfast. But before she could take a single bite, she needed to ask Jake
a few questions.
“Where did you sleep?”
Jake tapped the wooden spoon on the side of the pot. Morgan
watched a few teaspoons’ worth of creamed chipped beef fall back into the pot.
He then opened the oven door and produced at least a dozen fresh-baked
biscuits. Her stomach rumbled at the sight of one of her favorite meals of all
time.
“In your bed,” he said, plating their breakfasts. With her
biscuit covered in creamed chipped beef,
he handed her the plate and a fork and flashed her a smile that left her
uneasy. Morgan wasn’t worried that Jake had taken advantage of her in her
drunken state. He would never do that to her or any woman. No, what she was
fucking scared of was what she may have said while she was three sheets to the
wind. Morgan placed her plate on the breakfast bar and took a seat on one of
the stools.
“Did we…I mean, did I…”
“No.” His tone was absolute and for a foolish moment she
breathed a sigh of relief. But her relief was short-lived. The heat in his eyes
shook her and she looked down.
Start eating. Do
something. Just don’t look at him again.
“I slept next to you just in case you needed my assistance
in the middle of the night.”
Morgan winced. “I was that bad, huh?”
“You don’t remember me carrying you up the stairs?” he
asked. She fought the urge to look at him as she shook her head. “Or putting
you to bed?”
She closed her eyes. Morgan wasn’t a lush on a regular
basis, but hell if he didn’t make her feel like a teenager drinking on a fake
ID. “Thanks for taking care of me.”
“Just being a good friend,” he said.
Morgan could hear Jake round the breakfast bar. With her
eyes closed her other senses were magnified, and she soon felt him behind her.
“So you’re okay with being friends again?” she asked.
Jake spun her around on the stool and she was instantly
face-to-face with the only man she had ever loved. “Maybe you should ask
yourself that question.” Jake placed his hand over her heart. “Tell me, do your
friends make your heart race like this?” Jake trailed two fingers to her bottom
lip. “Or make your lip tremble like it is right now?” He leaned in close. His
own intoxicating scent mingled with her shampoo, and she realized that he had
made himself at home and had taken a shower. His lips curled to form a grin. He
knew he had her. That strength she had gathered over the past two weeks, that
shield of resistance she had carried in front of her like some silly badge of
honor had been stripped away.
Jake released her quivering lip and reached behind her.
Morgan heard keys scraping against her granite countertop. Just inches from her
mouth he said, “Eat your breakfast, Morgan.” He looked at her beneath his long
silky lashes for a moment and then left her townhome.
About Elle:
Elle Keating is the author of romance
novels with sexy heroes and fierce females. Her first book, Thrill of the Chase
(Dangerous Love, #1), was published by Forever Romance’s digital imprint,
Forever Yours, in 2015. Cut to the Chase (Dangerous Love, #2) soon followed.
Most recently, Elle self-published Wanting More (Dangerous Love, #3) and a
standalone novel, Keeping His Commandments.
An avid reader of gritty, dark romances, her favorite authors include Pepper Winters, Penelope Ward, and Anna Zaires.
When she isn’t torturing her heroes and heroines (don’t worry, there’s always a happily ever after), Elle is a public school administrator and enjoys spending time with her husband and 3 children in New Jersey.
An avid reader of gritty, dark romances, her favorite authors include Pepper Winters, Penelope Ward, and Anna Zaires.
When she isn’t torturing her heroes and heroines (don’t worry, there’s always a happily ever after), Elle is a public school administrator and enjoys spending time with her husband and 3 children in New Jersey.
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