Book Summary: 

Reasons not to fall head over heels for my smokin’ hot neighbor:

1. He’s a single dad who’s got a decade on me and a protective streak a mile wide.
2. He’s a grumpy ex-SEAL who could snap me like a twig.
3. He’s a small-town guy and I’m a city slicker.

I’m not back in Bluehaven Beach for long. I’m just here to give my dad’s bar a facelift and make a quick buck, then I can return to NYC to sip on fancy cocktails and chase my baking dreams.

The kicker? The only construction worker who can help with my renovation project is the brooding, out-of-bounds guy next door, Cole McCoy.

Rather than focusing on my dreams, all I can see are his rock-hard abs, soulful eyes, and wickedly strong hands. I try to resist, but all it takes is one slip and we’re out of our underwear and in each other’s arms.

Maybe it’ll be a one-time thing.

Okay, a two-time thing.

Fine. An every-single-night thing.

This can’t carry on. I’ve got an interview for my dream job soon, and he’s busy raising two awesome girls. Did I mention he’s not exactly a believer in happily ever after?

But why is it that every time he asks me to leave, all I hear is stay?

Mini Review:

While the story was somewhat predictable, “One Taste” was still a really sweet, small-town romance filled with drama, regret, self-doubt, and finally acceptance. The age gap between Cole and Elara wasn’t significant—10 years—and felt even less significant due to responsibilities starting early with the birth of his girls with his ex-wife. Cole was still growing up in many ways, finding his footing after prioritizing his daughters. Elara, on the other hand, was a bundle of self-doubt. She tried hard to prove her worthiness but sought validation from the wrong crowd. It seemed she was convinced she needed to be a certain type of person to be successful and anything less meant failure. Ironically, no one other than herself had placed that stipulation on her.

Miscommunication was rampant in the story, yet it was almost always portrayed as being for the greater good. Honestly, I think Cole’s girls were my favorite part of the entire story, along with his niece Ava and his brother Ethan. Some of the best moments involved the banter between Cole and Ethan. The book clearly set itself up to be a series, presumably following the McCoy family.

In any case, between the mouth-watering male protagonist, the sizzling hot open-door scenes, and the swoon-worthy storyline, I would recommend this to anyone who wants to spend the day discovering what small, seaside towns have to offer.