Serendipity, Book #1:
Out of the three books in this series, I thought this one was the best. The plot had more things going on than just romance. It had Faith dealing with her parents, Ethan finding out more about his father than he'd like, and Faith and Ethan finding each other. This book also had this fresh, creative way of turning a teenage crush on a bad boy into something more stable and sweet.
Ethan was the town's bad boy, riding his motorcycle, getting into all sorts of trouble, and attracting girls all over the place. However, when he was arrested, his parents were on their way to bail him out when they suddenly got into an accident that took their lives. Ethan was 18, which meant that he wasn't a minor and he could take care of his 2 younger brothers, Dare and Nash. Instead, Ethan chose the coward's way out and left town. Now, 10 years later, Ethan is finally back and the first thing he does is purchase Faith's old house. But Ethan can't escape the past. He's got two younger brothers who are now grown men who hates his guts. They want nothing to do with him. Plus, he's got another surprise coming.
Faith was born into a wealthy family, that is, until her father was convicted for running a Ponzi scheme. Now, after returning to Serendipity, everyone looks at her and pities her because of her father. Then, Faith runs into the last person she thought she'd see, Ethan Barron, and she finds out that not only is Ethan back, he's also the person who purchased her childhood home. What a small world. And the funny thing is, Ethan doesn't need a big home because he's living all by himself. He doesn't even have the place furnished. Annnd Faith has this secret past with Ethan: He gave her a ride home on his motorcycle and they kissed, it could have led to more but he was denied. She was the "princess" that was too good for the "bad boy".
The romance between Faith and Ethan was pretty typical and predictable but Tess made it more interesting. She became both an obstacle and a great addition to the romance and the story itself. She was this troubled child who had no one to take care of her and love her except her sister Kelly, and so it was really great to see her and Ethan's interactions with one another. Ethan doesn't know anything about parenting nor about dealing with little girls, especially one who tested you at every turn, so Ethan's methods with dealing with Tess were really sweet and adorable. The brothers, Dare and Nash, were also great additions. They were placed in different foster homes because Ethan decided to leave town, so you'll definitely understand why they hate Ethan's guts. This confrontation with Ethan is long overdue.
Karma, Book #3:
I accidentally read this before Destiny, so I'll post a review on this instead (Sorry about that). This is Dare's book and we finally get to see past the charm, kindness, and playfulness and see the real Dare.
Dare Barron is the youngest of the Barron brothers. He's also known as the easy-going, laid back of the three. But is he really? In this book we find out what is really going on behind the mask. He's got a past that he thinks he can never run away from, and he's also being eaten away by guilt. Guilt that he's had since he was 15. He's now a cop, but it doesn't help that the person who caused his guilt is the brother of the girl he's had a crush on since he was 15. And that person is also a regular in jail.
Liza McKnight is born in a rich family, except that her parents only care about her brother. Her brother, the golden child who can do no wrong. Her parents blame her for everything and could care less about her. Liza continues to "enable" her brother by bailing him out all the time because she loves her brother and her brother was the only one there when she needed someone the most. This is the reason why Dare and Liza cannot have a relationship. Their pasts are too connected and Dare can't seem to get past the guilt.
The story was great, but it was also really predictable and the ending for the series was too short. The characters were great but I thought that Dare and Liza needed to grow more as the story progressed because I felt like they didn't really overcome their pasts. There was this thing with Brian, Liza's brother, that was kind off over the top and it just ended too easily. However, the book was an okay read and I still prefer Serendipity.
The Serendipity trilogy has officially ended, but there is a spinoff series featuring the characters from Karma. The new series is called cops of Serendipity and the first book of the series will be Perfect Fit and it is out now!
