Serendipity by Carly Phillips

Title: Serendipity

Series: Serendipity bk 1

Author: Carly Phillips

Genre: Comtemporary

Faith Harrington was the classic girl of privilege–until her father was convicted of running a Ponzi scheme and then her marriage crashed and burned.

Now Faith is back in her hometown, hoping for a fresh start. But her father’s betrayal has rocked Serendipity – and not everyone is ready to welcome her with open arms. Then she runs into her teenage crush — the dark, brooding Ethan Barron. Ethan, no stranger to scandal himself, never imagined he’d own the mansion on the hill, much less ever again come face to face with Faith–the princess he once kissed senseless. The chance meeting reignites the electric charge between them.

Still, when Ethan hires her to redecorate what was once her childhood home, Faith is sure that getting involved with the town’s notorious bad boy will only lead to trouble. But her heart has other ideas. And so do the townspeople of Serendipity …

I have enjoyed all of Carly’s previous books but I have never been able to choose a favorite book and while I have liked them all I haven’t found that one book. That is until this book.  From the moment that I picked this book up I knew that this book would be my favorite book. There is just something about this story that I loved.

Ethan is a man that has made mistakes, some of them small and some of them so big that they effected not only his life but that of his siblings as well. When his parents are killed by a drunk diver on their way to bail him out of jail he can’t face his brothers and so he disappears. Now he is back to fix what he broke, his family.

I have to say that from the moment that I started reading Ethan I was in love with him. He is the tortured hero that wants to fix his mistakes with his family. He will take the punches and insults that are flung at him. So long as they eventually let him back in to make amends and to become a family again.

Faith is back in town to start her life over after what her father did to ruin not only her life but countless other lives. What she never expected was to find Ethan her teenage fantasy back in town.

When Ethan and Faith meet again the chemistry that they had as teenagers is still there, and them some. Because they are no longer teenagers, he the bad boy and she the good girl. Now they are adults and can act on the feelings that they have for each other.

These two come together when they have no one that they can turn to and need each other. Their slide into love is so sweet and natural. It felt like you were in the book watching it happen. There was no major angst just two people that wanted the best for each other.

Watching Ethan and Faith discover who they are as a couple and as a family is a pure joy to watch. I really liked watching Faith take back her life and live it the way that she wanted to.

The issue with Ethan and his brothers is a continuing arc of the series so I won’t give anything away about that, especially as I think that it is one of the best parts of the story.

If you like Carly and have read her other books this is nothing like them and yet exactly like them if that makes any sense. I for one can’t wait for the next book to come out.

Grade A

Other books in the series…

Destiny (c0ming soon)

Karma (coming 2012)