Meant to be Mine Lisa Marie Perry Guilty Pleasures series #1 August 30, 2016 Forever 
Loving him was hard. Wanting him was so damn easy . . .
Sofia Mercer may have been sick as a teen, but she’s no delicate flower. And she’s proven it by making it on her own and starting a new life away from the town that turned against her, away from the boy who broke her already fragile heart. But when her aunt Luz dies unexpectedly, leaving Sofia with a mountain of regrets and the keys to a quirky boutique, Sofia has no choice but to return to Cape Cod. Only, this new life in her old town comes with complications. Burke Wolf was Sofia’s first love—a relationship that burned bright and went up in flames. Seeing him again, Sofia can’t help but get caught up in that all-too-familiar tornado of passion and pain. He’s battled his own demons—that much is clear. But Sofia can’t afford to be careless with her heart . . . and loving Burke again might just break it completely. 
Life certainly gets real, dire and frightful in this first story of the new series, where tomorrow is not foregone conclusion and every moment lived should be treated as an extra gift.
Sofia and Burke have a history, not just between them, but they both have overcome something spectacularly huge in their lives, more than once, more than one way and they are still just fighting for the survival, to make it for another day. And it is, or could be, heartbreaking and devastating, but for some reason, I had a hard time understanding the reasons behind their actions, thoughts, and reasoning. I kept going back and forth, trying to understand, but all the way to the end, the came of love-you-love-you-not kept me wondering, without never getting the answers or reasons I needed. There are serious issues dealt with, drug abuse, domestic violence, child abuse, failing organs, just to mention some. Maybe there was too much tried to put into one story since it felt so out of focus at times. The story does build a picture of the town and its inhabitants, with great details and many points of view, and unique characters, the set and the scene for the series is well set. Maybe a little too wide picture was painted, maybe the focus was a little spread out, but for those who loves rambling stories of small towns, and more than one storyline in one book, this might e a direct hit. As I was reading the story, I was aware of the fact that 'it's not you, it's me' was happening. There were moments that I am sure some will find hilarious, but the humor didn't just connect with me. There was angst in the relationships and lives or the characters, but I didn't feel the connection to their anguish. So after I finished the story, I was aware that it was well written, and most likely will be loved by many yet I wasn't the correct target audience for this tale, as it didn't connect with me with anything deeper than being a good story with too much happening. ~ Three Spoons 
She hid her scar behind her clothes, hid her sexual hunger behind mannequins in a window, but eventually, he would bring Sofia Mercer out of hiding.
Their lips parted and he traced a finger between her breasts, up the jagged trail of thick, knotted scar tissue. He wanted to see it, assure her it wasn’t ugly, but he’d given his word that he wouldn’t look, and he would kick his own ass before he violated that trust. “It doesn’t feel ugly,” he said plainly. “I’ve got scars, too.” “From fighting. This is different.” What had she been imagining, all these years? Schoolyard brawls? A teenage fight club? Did she define him as someone so out of control that he’d gone searching for split lips, black eyes, and fractured ribs? Yeah, it was different. Her scar was a result of a lifesaving medical procedure . . . not violence. Laying his hand flat, he felt her heart pound quick and strong. Caught up in the moment, caught up in her, he whispered, “Losing you would’ve killed me.” He felt her slip away from him before she moved a single muscle. When she did retreat, sliding off his lap, fixing her clothes, and raking an arm across her mouth, she said, “I told Abram we weren’t together. Was that a lie? Can we be together, Burke?” “Casually, yeah. As friends, of course. But don’t rope me into more. It wouldn’t be good for you.” “That’s not your call.” “It is, though. Tell me something and be truthful about it. How many panic attacks have you had since coming back to town?” “A few.” “Uh-huh. And how many came on when I wasn’t near you?” “Uh . . .” “Sofia.” “None.” “That’s my point. Think it’s a coincidence that your health teeters when I’m around? I’m harmful to you. I’ve known for a long time that I’m no good.” She didn’t know all the hell he carried. He’d do anything to spare her heart the burden of his skeletons. “Stop it,” she whispered, getting to her feet. “You’d never hurt me.” “Not intentionally, but the fact is I trigger something in you that you can’t physically handle. I meant what I said earlier—it would kill me to lose you. As much as I want you, and damn it, you know I do, I can’t keep putting you at risk.” “Are you sure my health isn’t your excuse to justify walking away?” she challenged. “Hold me off, resist what’s good and real and permanent, then take off on your boat. That’s your plan, right?” “It’s worked out nicely for years. You wouldn’t be the first woman to step back because she can’t handle my career. It’s dangerous, the hours can be shitty, and sometimes I can be on the water for weeks. I’d never ask you or anyone else to shut up and like it. If you want to bail now, I won’t hold it against you.” “That does terrify me, but I’m not bailing. A career is one thing. Escape is something else altogether. I don’t think I can love you halfway—either I’m all in or I fold.” Excerpted from MEANT TO BE MINE by Lisa Marie Perry. Copyright © 2016 by Lisa Marie Perry. Used with permission of Grand Central Publishing. All rights reserved.
Lisa Marie Perry encounters difficult fictional men and women on a daily basis. She writes sizzling, deep fiction featuring flawed heroes brought to their knees by the love of complicated women. She has received high praise from USA Today and has been nominated for an RT Book Reviews literary award. She lives in America's heartland, drives a truck, enjoys indie rock, collects Medieval literature, watches too many comedies, has a not-so-secret love for lace and adores rugged men with a little bit of nerd.
For laughs, randomness and occasional inappropriateness, visit LMP at www.perrytalebooks.com. Website Facebook Twitter Pinterest Goodreads
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