FOR THE LONGEST TIME - Kendra Leigh Castle
A Perfect 10
Harvest Cove Series, Book 1
Signet
ISBN-10: 0451467582
ISBN-13: 978-0451467584
July 2014
Contemporary Romance

Harvest Cove, Massachusetts - The Present

Sam (Samantha) Henry feels like a loser. She has lost her New York art gallery job, and her roommate bailed on her. So after ten years, she is returning to the place she wanted desperately to escape: Harvest Cove. The Henrys have owned a large property on Crescent Road where the residents have been the same since the town's beginning, but while a prestigious address, the Henrys are known as misfits, and none more so than Sam. Bullied or ignored during high school, only one person took interest in her, Jake Smith. Jake was popular, handsome, and one of the high school's jocks, but he betrayed her in a public humiliation. When Sam reaches home, she sees a truck already parked in the driveway, and hears a mewing sound. She catches the black kitten from beneath the truck and turns around to find Jake and her mother, Andromeda (Andi) Henry, who was also as unusual as her name.

Jake Smith knows he was a major dick to Sam in high school, denying their friendship in front of his regular circle of 'popular' friends, and he has come to regret his action. He is a vet now. Andi called him to the Henry house to rescue a litter of sick kittens she had found under the porch. His interest in Sam has never waned. Since Sam wants to keep the black kitten, and since he has the kittens in his clinic, the little fur balls might create a bridge back to Sam. It will be a tenuous approach, needing all his patience, and perhaps more. In addition, he feels he needs to integrate her within his circle of friends, those same ones who labeled her a freak in high school.

Sam is a great character, and readers will easily identify with her plight. Her mother has arranged a job interview with the Two Roads Gallery owner, Zoe, which introduces another interesting character, along with Sam's sister, Emma. The high school clique of jocks, cheerleaders, and popular kids with their tethers on Jake add another interesting dimension, as do the kittens. (Who doesn't like kittens?) This love story is about gaining trust, forgiving the past, moving on, and growing up, as well as an introduction to Harvest Cove. It is also
about Sam overcoming the devastating events in her life, and regaining herself and her lost talent. The story's journey tied me to the book all day. All these things earn FOR THE LONGEST TIME a Perfect 10.

Robin Lee