Ashleigh is a teacher who has been divorced (from a woman) for about a year. She's off for the summer from school and wants to explore her hometown, New York City (and what surrounds it) like she hasn't before. First she thinks she'll be doing it with her friend Liam, but, he's setting up his new bar, and so he suggest that Kellan, his friend and fellow soldier, newly retired, accompany Ashleigh instead. Kellan is just retired from the Army and house sitting for her Aunt in New York City.

They do start exploring together and very fast find themselves liking each other in a more than friend way. But, Ashleigh is still recovering from her divorce, and Kellan, whew, Kellan has a heck of a secret too.

I liked the beginning and middle of the book a lot. (Except for a two to three page rambling about the gender identity of Kellan that added nothing to the story and yanked me hard, very hard, out of the narrative. It was a such a nice build up through the beginning and middle.

But, then there was the end of the novel. I could barely get through reading the end of it. The choices the character made just didn't seem right. Why does it always seem like in some of these lesfic books there is one character that has to be wrong, wrong, wrong (even if they're 80% justified to be pissed, or angry, or sat, or whatever)? The one character doesn't get given room to be whatever their feelings are, and instead has to suck it up and take the 'I'm the bad guy' flaming letter on their chest, and then beg forgiveness from the 'perfect' one. It drives me entirely nutty.

So, first 2/3rds of the book, 4 stars. Last 1/3 of the book, 1 star. Even it out to 3 stars.

I was given this ARC by Netgalley on behalf of Bold Strokes Books. ( )