Clear As Day [NOOK Book]

My Summary: Artist Kay Browning and photographer Nate Quinn have

My Summary:
Artist Kay Browning and photographer Nate Quinn have had a casual summer romance going for the last six years. Every July Nate sails into Lake Mohave and they have a great time together, no strings attached. So when Nate rolls in this time, he has a plan in place to win Kay's heart forever. He's tired of all the traveling and wants to settle down with the woman he loves. The problem with this plan is that Kay's family life was less than stellar, so she has fears about marriage. Nate tries to prove that his love is true and that he will love her forever. It's up to Kay to let down her barriers and let herself love and be loved.

My Take:
Let me start by saying that I saw this book and based on the cover and blurb, it sounded like a great contemporary romance. Exactly just what I look for when I need a good love story. What I wasn't prepared for, was the high steam level of the romance. I mean...my jaw dropped within the first few chapters! It was such a pleasant and welcome surprise.

I really liked both lead characters and could actually identify with them both in different ways. Kay had some pretty serious family issues growing up that can be difficult to move past. They not only skewed her perception of love, but scarred her as well. Nate came from a well-rounded, happy family. So, when he tells Kay he loves her, he expects that she will believe what he's saying. He is also confused by Kay not being able to share her feelings with him. How frustrating, but they've never really talked about her past or her family, so he didn't understand. I'm happy that he was persistent in his efforts to convince her of the future they could have together. It definitely paid off in the end.

Other noteworthy mentions are: the supporting cast was very likable, with exception of a few and I loved the setting of the story. I love any story based on or near water. I actually went online to look at pictures of that area, because it sounded so pretty. Living in Florida and even growing up on one of the Great Lakes I appreciate the beauty of water, but a desert lake sounds intriguing, different, and serene. Nice back drop for the story.

My final thoughts are if you are looking for well written story that has just the right balance of sexy, love, and romance, this is a great story for you. As we head into summer, I always like having a great romance to read by the pool or the beach and this book definitely fits that criteria well.

Group vacation made this such a fun read...

My Review:

What an interesting book. This book delves deeper than a normal romance novel usually does and I think the reason for that is the wonderful complexity of the heroine in this book, Kay. Honestly, Kay is messed up when it comes to relationships. Never in her life has she been able to observe a happy healthy marriage and that fact has left deep emotional scars on her.

For six years, Kay has been meeting up with Nate (and a whole group of their friends) for two weeks of the summer in the high desert. Those two weeks are the best of her year. They don't see each other the rest of the time, although they do keep in touch year-round. They've always had a friends-with-benefits relationship during those two weeks and Kay is happy with that. This year, Nate is not satisfied. He wants more.

Nate is a photographer and has spent the last eleven years traveling the world on photography assignments. Finally he is in a place both mentally and financially that he's ready to settle down. He wants Kay to settle down with him...which sends her into a huge tailspin.

Kay likes to control each and every aspect of her life...to the point that she's OCD. She doesn't deal with change well and Nate wanting to change the parameters of their relationship is HUGE change. I'll be honest... at times, reading about her neurosis and horrible indecision got to be a bit much in this book. But at her heart, Kay is simply scared. Scared of trusting her heart to anyone, although even she admits if there is ever a man she would trust forever with, it would be Nate. She just has such a hard time taking that final step to say "Yes" and "I love you."

On the other hand, there's Nate. He knew going into this that Kay wasn't an easy woman to love and that she was going to take patience. The man has the patience of a saint. He's sweet, patient, sexy, a sex-god, and he sees the true Kay although he has no idea what the reasons behind her hang-ups are. I really just loved his character. He's the nice guy that every girl wants to meet.

The entire book takes place in a campground on a lake with a whole group of Kay and Nate's friends. I liked the group dynamic and what they added to the story. I need to check Babette James' book list because I think there may be a previous book about one of the couples and this book definitely could set up for a follow-up book for a couple of the other characters.

Overall, this was an enjoyable read. I liked the setting and most of the characters. There's enough mystery about Kay's issues that you want to keep reading just to find out the full extent of her history and why it's affected her so harshly. For me, the highlight of the story was Nate's wonderful character and the hijinks on the lake and camping. This is a fun group and it was enjoyable to read about their vacation.

Awesome!

I enjoyed this book!! I felt like I was friends with Kay! The detail made me feel like I was part of the gang!! Fun,suspensful,full of laughs, and how could I forget love!!!! Brilliant!

No text was provided for this review.