KILL DEVIL HILLS
Author: Sarah Darlington
Genre: New Adult Romance
He’s twenty-four. She’s eighteen.
His life is exactly the way he’s always wanted it to be...stable.
She’s quite possibly the very definition of unstable.
Noah saved her. Georgina never wanted to be saved.
Growing up, Noah Clark was passed from one relative to the next until he finally ended up living with his abusive, alcoholic uncle in Kill Devil Hills, North Carolina. Thanks in part to the unwavering love and support of his best friend, Ellie Turner, Noah survived those years, escaped his uncle, and grew into the man he is today. Now he runs his own business and lives a pretty normal, no-nonsense life—one where he maintains a high level of control.
Georgina is Ellie’s younger sister. Four months ago, Noah saved Georgie’s life, but he thought that was where his involvement with his friend’s sister would end. Now Georgie has returned home from the recovery facility her parents sent her away to and Noah, still haunted by the night that connects them, can’t stop himself from continuously trying to protect this girl he barely knows. But is he willing to give up all of the control he’s worked so hard to build in his life and risk everything for her? Even more importantly, would she do the same for him?
Excerpt:
Dammit, this girl was more drama than I ever bargained for. It didn’t matter, though. Because maybe, just maybe, she was going to be worth everything to me.
I retraced my footsteps, followed the stone stairs from the sand up to the deck, and found the table where everyone, minus Georgie, still sat.
“Where is she?” I demanded, not bothering to be polite.
Three blank faces and one smug face stared back at me.
“Nine minutes,” Ellie answered, checking her phone. “Booyah. Someone owes me a Coke.”
“I’m serious, Ellie. Where is she?”
Ellie took a giant breath. Then she pushed out her chair and made a big show of standing to her feet. That easygoing, shit-eating grin that always lingered on her face—it vanished. And a stern face, one I hardly recognized, replaced it. “Sit down your ass down, Noah.”
What? “Why?” I asked, leery.
“Because I have something to say.”
She meant business and Ellie never meant business. So I sat my ass down.
She sat back down in her chair, as well. “Here’s the deal,” she said, the entire table drawn into our conversation. Even Rhett seemed mesmerized. “You’re my best friend, Noah, but Georgie…she’s my baby sister. I love you, but if you’re not one-hundred bazillion percent sure about her—right now, right this moment—then you need to stop this. I can’t see her hurt. Never again. It would crush me.”
My jaw tightened. “That’s not what I want and you already know that.”
“I know,” she muttered, her voice cracking. Shit. I never meant to upset her.
And then I glanced up. Something across the room caught my eye. Georgie. She was talking to her asshole ex or current boyfriend or whatever the hell he was. I already knew Logan. He was Ben’s friend. I just hadn’t made the connection between him and Georgie earlier. Before this moment, based on my past knowledge of the guy, I’d already pegged him as a decent man. But he instantly became an asshole in my book—because what kind of fool would give up on such an amazing girl like Georgie? A real fucking asshole—that was who.
Ellie noticed what I’d seen and our conversation ended. All conversation at the table ended. Georgie stood there talking to the asshole for what felt like forever. I didn’t charge across the room or do anything stupid—because, frankly, that had never been my style. I knew when to shut my mouth, and I knew when to bide my time. And I also realized I knew Georgie a little better than I thought.
At work earlier, I’d spent a full thirty minutes studying her, memorizing that sexy little body of hers. When she felt comfortable, she had an easygoing, playful way about her. Not too unlike Ellie. But the Georgie I observed now, had her arms crossed tightly over his stomach and a rigid posture. She was wildly uncomfortable and possibly in pain. And every ounce of my being, every bone in my body, tingled with the need to go save her—to interrupt her conversation with the asshole, swoop her up in my arms, and just carry her out of this place.
I was about to go do exactly that because I couldn’t take another nanosecond of this torture. But then she jetted out her hand and he shook it. Well, that was a fucking relief. A handshake was about the last thing I’d ever want Georgie to offer me. It spoke volumes. It told me all I needed to know.
Logan gave her a small, cringe-worthy hug and they parted ways. Georgie back in my direction and Logan off in the other direction. And as Georgie turned around, I noticed a little falter in her step as she spotted me across the room. Heat scorched through my body as her eyes collided with mine.
That moment had come—the moment where I couldn’t go another minute without knowing what those sweet, plump lips of hers would taste like.
“I’m one-hundred bazillion percent sure,” I whispered to Ellie, standing, while my eyes stayed focused on Georgie. I left the table, crossed the room, and gave her the kiss my whole damn body was aching for.
Review:
Georgina is in a bad place when she commits suicide. Noah, her sister's best friend, finds her and saves her. When she comes back from treatment, she still can't decide if that was a good thing or a bad thing. Noah wants to keep protecting her. He is incredibly sweet. They realize they have feelings for one another, but they have some things to work through on their own and together. Not to mention the age difference and the fact that he's practically part of the family and doesn't want to do anything to damage that. It's a journey and I loved watching them figure it out. This book deals with a sensitive issue that you don't read about very often. But suicide is a real thing and I feel it was handled well.
Georgina is in a bad place when she commits suicide. Noah, her sister's best friend, finds her and saves her. When she comes back from treatment, she still can't decide if that was a good thing or a bad thing. Noah wants to keep protecting her. He is incredibly sweet. They realize they have feelings for one another, but they have some things to work through on their own and together. Not to mention the age difference and the fact that he's practically part of the family and doesn't want to do anything to damage that. It's a journey and I loved watching them figure it out. This book deals with a sensitive issue that you don't read about very often. But suicide is a real thing and I feel it was handled well.
My Rating: *****
Steam Factor: !!!!
Notes: Some language and attempted suicide.
About the Author:
Sarah Darlington lives in Virginia with her husband and crazy-active 2-year-old son. She’s a former flight attendant, day-dreamer, traveler, and wannabe photographer. Her debut novel HE BELONGS WITH ME, a standalone, was released March 2014. KILL DEVIL HILLS will be the first book of a three book series. Each novel in this new series will feature a different couple's story. Goodreads I Twitter I Facebook I Sarah's Website I Instagram
Also by Sarah: HE BELONGS WITH ME {Amazon I Amazon UK}
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