New Release: On Hart's Boardwalk by Samantha Young + Excerpt & Review!

On Hart's Boardwalk

by Samantha Young

An On Dublin Street and Hart’s Boardwalk crossover novella

One of New York Times bestselling author Samantha Young’s most beloved couples returns for the first time in a brand new novella set ten years after her blockbuster bestseller Before Jamaica Lane…

Nate and Liv have a great life together but they miss the spontaneity and freedom they enjoyed early on in their romance. Careers and their children have inevitably kept them busy, so when Nate discovers Liv is feeling disconnected from him, he plans an anniversary trip to the idyllic seaside town of Hartwell, Delaware. There he hopes they will have the opportunity they’ve been craving—a chance to reinvent themselves and fall in love all over again.

With each new day comes a new adventure, from wedding crashing at the five-star boardwalk hotel to pretending they are two strangers having a chance encounter at the boardwalk bar. In the midst of this daring, sexually charged game of romantic rediscovery, Nate and Liv discover the only constant they need is each other.

Buy Links:

iBooks US – http://apple.co/2AOoa8M

iBooks UK – http://apple.co/2jCtHLy

Amazon US – http://amzn.to/2jDdXrw

Amazon UK – http://amzn.to/2ANR5Kd

Barnes & Noble – http://bit.ly/2nUsn83

Kobo – http://bit.ly/2yihSeu

Review:

4-4.25 stars

****

 This was a really good continuation to Nate and Liv's story (from Before Jamaica Lane). This book takes place fourteen years after they became a couple. They are now married and busy parents with two little girls. Nate's company has really taken off and Liv has a demanding job as the head librarian at the University of Edinburgh. The two have gotten in a rut and let their relationship slide as they focus on other aspects of their busy lives. Liv, especially, is really struggling with insecurities about growing older and feeling like Nate has closed himself off from her after the death of his childhood friend, Peetie. When Nate surprises her with an anniversary vacation to Hart's Boardwalk, they are able to find themselves again as a couple and reconnect.

I reread Before Jamaica Lane directly before reading this book so that I could be reminded on Nate and Liv's story. I think that might not have been the best way to read these books. Before Jamaica Lane has a lot of relationship angst and uncertainty about their relationship before they end up with an HEA and together for good. I wish I had been able to see some more happy times between them as a couple before starting this book, which is also full of relationship angst. I know they had many happy times between the two books and I wish I had that feeling before starting this book. I know that would have been hard to convey though, so I'm not sure what I mean. I just felt for both Nate and Liv. It was obvious that they were still very much in love but both were hurting. It was especially easy to identify with Liv and her insecurities. I think having Nate's POV would have helped me feel more secure for her. But I loved both of their characters. What they went through as a couple was normal, but worse because of Nate's dealing with his friend's unexpected death and fear that he could lose Liv the same way. I never doubted their love for each other and their determination to work their problems out together. It was great seeing them work through their hurdles and seeing them so happy together by the end. Overall, this was a sweet, emotional read ! I definitely recommend it and look forward to more from Ms. Young!

Excerpt:



Although Nate had agreed to wait to have sex until we played out our little strangers in a bar fantasy, I could tell he was disgruntled. For some reason his irritation made me want to torment him even more. After we showered (separately) and dressed, I grabbed his hand when we walked down to breakfast, trailing the fingertips of my free hand over the skin on his forearm exposed by his T-shirt.
Walking down the stairs he frowned at me. “You’re doing that deliberately.”
“Are you saying I don’t get to touch you at all until tomorrow night?”
“No.” He suddenly stopped and pressed me up against the wall of the stairwell, his mouth inches from mine. His hand, the one not holding mine, slipped under my sundress, his fingertips caressing their way up my inner thigh.
“Nate,” I gasped, looking down the stairs to make sure the entrance was empty.
“You tease me, babe…” His hot breath whispered against my lips. “I tease you tenfold in return.”
I fought with the desire flooding me and the concern over disrespecting our very nice inn owner. My concern won out and I reached for his wrist under my dress and forcefully removed his hand with a flash of ire in my eyes that made him smirk in triumph. “Not here.”
“Just playing your game.” He stood back and then began leading me down the stairs like nothing had happened.
There was only one other couple in the dining hall that early in the morning, an older couple who smiled warmly at us and greeted us ‘hello’ as we grabbed some coffee from the buffet area.
We’d just taken a seat at a table when Aydan came out of the kitchen and beamed at us. “You two are up early. Jetlag?”
“Yeah,” I said, fighting off a yawn. “I’m still kind of feeling it actually. But this will help.” I raised my coffee cup.
“So will some food.” She handed us each a menu. “I’ll be back in a minute to take your order.”
We were looking over the small menu and I was trying to decide between scrambled eggs, potatoes, and bacon; pancakes, maple syrup and bacon; or waffles. “I forgot how good breakfast is here.” I glanced over at my husband, who seemed less excited than me about breakfast. “You’re getting the egg white frittata, aren’t you?”
Nate used to indulge more food-wise but he’d found, as we all found, that he couldn’t metabolize crappy food as well as he used to. So, he only indulged every now and then.
“Aye.” He nodded, his eyes twinkling with amusement. He knew it bugged me that he had more willpower than I did.
“I’m getting the waffles,” I immediately decided.
Nate laughed and leaned over to caress the top of my ass, which thankfully was hidden by the back of my chair from anyone else’s few. “You eat whatever you want, babe. We’ll both enjoy the fruits of that labor.”
I should have glared at him for feeling me up in the breakfast room of this quaint inn, but I couldn’t, because it felt like I had my old Nate back. The guy who made me feel sexy and wanted no matter what. So instead I gave him a soft smile.
For some reason my reaction made his gaze turn liquid with heat and he impulsively leaned over, cupped my face in his hand and kissed me. Hard. Deep. Quick.
When he let me go I couldn’t even think long enough to be embarrassed that he’d just Frenched me in front of an elderly couple who were trying to eat their breakfast. I could only blink, dazed, my lips wet and waiting for more. “What was that for?”
“Because I love you.” He shrugged, like it was most obvious answer in the world.
Before I could say anything else the sound of Bailey Hartwell’s raised voice met our ears from somewhere near reception. “It’s ridiculous that’s why!”
Nate and I shot each other amused looks, and pretended to peruse the menu even though I knew were both listening in. Nosy buggers.
Her voice was lower now, and the fact that we hadn’t heard another voice reply suggested
she was on the phone. “Vaughn, we have a house,” she hissed. “We don’t need another… why would you sell it? It’s beautiful… we don’t need to buy a house together to be together… it’s a waste of money…” there was a longer stretch of silence. “Okay, if you’re that intent on wasting money why don’t we just strip the house out and make it the way we both want it… it sits right on the water…. Stop being romantic when I’m trying to be practical, you know it confuses me… Stop it, I’m at the inn.” Her voice dropped even lower. Her breath seemed to catch. “You’re going to pay for that, Tremaine… no… no… Vaughn… okay, fine…. I love you too, you, handsome bastard.”
That seemed to be the end of the conversation, and I turned to Nate, laughter bubbling in my throat. “That sounded familiar.”
He grinned. “Didn’t it.”
“I don’t think our inn owner is going to Scotland anytime soon.”
“No?”
“No. If she’s got what I’ve got, she’s staying put.”

About the Author:

Samantha Young is a New York Times, USA Today and Wall Street Journal bestselling author from Central Scotland. She's been nominated for the Goodreads Choice Award 2012 for Best Author and Best Romance for her international bestseller ON DUBLIN STREET, Best Romance 2014 for BEFORE JAMAICA LANE, and Best Romance 2015 for HERO. ON DUBLIN STREET is Samantha's first adult contemporary romance series and has sold in thirty countries. Samantha's YA contemporary lit debut THE IMPOSSIBLE VASTNESS OF US releases from Harlequin Teen June 2017.

Visit http://authorsamanthayoung.com for more information.