Bountiful by Sarina Bowen
Series: True North, #4
Contemporary Romance
October 20, 2017
Self Published
Reviewed by Tori
Favorite Quote: “New rule. Never use the term ‘baby daddy’ again.”
A recent break up resigns Zara Rossi to the fact that she will always be the girl to date but not to marry. A steamy no-strings affair with a sexy out of towner is just the thing to cure her small town blues but a surprise pregnancy changes her tune. After searching for two years for Dave, Zara accepts the inevitable and gets on with her life. Until he suddenly reappears.
Dave Beringer never expected his vacation to Vermont to be anything more than a month of fishing and relaxation but a chance meeting with a beautiful spirited bartender keeps him well entertained till he has to go back to work. When he decides to revisit the small town for some much needed R&R, he learns he left a parting gift and is unsure how to handle this new development. Dave’s childhood convinced him relationships are not for him but sometimes love has a way of sneaking into your heart when the right person(s) comes along.
Bountiful is the fourth book in Bowen’s True North series and connects with her Brooklyn Bruisers series. This sweet, sexy, and emotionally heartfelt contemporary series is set against the backdrop of rural Vermont and is built around a family of farmers-the Shipleys. Fans of Bowen’s will recognize Zara from Bittersweet. She is the ex of Griff Shipley and now besties with his fiancee-Audrey. Dave plays for the Brooklyn Bruisers and has been seen around that series. The book opens in the past. Zara is not feeling so great since she learned Griff is in a serious relationship after dumping her with the “I’m not ready for anything serious” speech. Zara is tired of looking for Mr. Right. She refuses to be like her mother, always waiting on a man. Enter Dave Beringer. Gorgeous, built, and obviously not from around there, he is perfect for Zara’s new life plan of casual sex only relationships.
“There was a naked superhero on my bed. Impressive abs led down to the deep V of muscle between his hips. He had powerful thighs, and when I ran my hand over one of them, the wiry hair on his quads tickled my hand.”
Yummmm. I do love a well-muscled V.
Dave is a veteran player for the Brooklyn Bruisers-a pro hockey team. A talented, witty, quiet man; growing up in a very abusive household convinced him that he is not capable of long-term relationships. His affair with Zara is the first time he has experienced true intimacy with a woman and it scares him. Especially when he can see himself possibly staying longer with her.
“You sure do make me work for it.”
“Your other dates don’t? They should.”
“I don’t date. Not cut out for relationships. Hanging out with you is the closest I ever got.”
“Because there’s an expiration date… You don’t have to look for the exits because you already have one foot out the door.”
Bowen writes a beautiful story teeming with emotion, drama, romance, and humor. The fluid storyline integrates the two series seamlessly as we follow two commitment-phobes whom fates ties together in an age-old manner. All forms of relationships come into play as Bowen effortlessly shows us romantic love, familial love, and the love between friends. The spirited narrative, charismatic characters, engaging scenes, and a delightful romance with a strong sex positive base serve to make this story a worthy addition to both series.
The romance between Dave and Zara is very slow to develop, even with the hot crazy chemistry that continues to snap and crackle between them. Though it started out purely sexual, it deepens the more time Dave spends with his child and her mother. Bowen doesn’t force it, allowing it to reveal organically as Dave and Zara work past their issues towards something wonderful. Dave is honest in his feelings to Zara and himself. He’s shocked and scared but upfront about his fears-he never wanted a family and now he has a ready-made one. Yet he steps right up and gets involved any and every way he can. Watching his relationship develop with Nicole is so sweet and funny.
“I was witnessing something intimate and thing in a way that seemed entirely foreign to me […] I’d never been in so far over my head”
Zara is also scared by everything happening. She wasn’t expecting to become a mom but did and luckily had a strong support system in the form of family and friends. She’s worried about Dave and how involved he’ll be in his child’s life. Visions of a father who blows in when he feels like it reminds her too much of her own childhood. I love how Bowen interjects everyday scenes between Zara and Nicole and her family. The breastfeeding scenes are very intimate and well written.
A vivacious secondary cast introduces some new faces while reuniting us with some old friends. Brooklyn Bruiser favorites; Leo, Castro, and O’Doul along with Zara’s family and friends, especially her brother Benito, all work together to move the story along, adding humor and some bittersweet moments. I especially loved meeting Dave’s sister Bess. Her sheer delight in finding out she has a niece is infectious.
The ending wraps up the small conflict and solidifies the love and happiness of this little family. Dave and Zara both learn that they are not the sum of their parents and they are more than worthy of being love. Bowen gave me all the feels in here and I am looking forward to her next book in all of her series. :)
Grade: B+
Recent Reviews:
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Heroes and Heartbreakers
After Dark Reviews
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