THE ONE WHO STAYS – Toni Blake
Summer Island , Book 1
HQN Books
ISBN: 978-1-335-50498-2
August 2019
Contemporary Romance

Summer Island, Michigan – Present Day

Meg Sloan runs the Summerbrook Inn on Summer Island and enjoys it yet wonders if it's time to sell and move on. She only came here to take care of her grandmother, who died two years ago. Meg has a “friends with benefits” type romance with local fisherman Zack Sheppard, but she feels frustrated by his lack of commitment towards her. Zack is always off on his fishing trips, leaving Meg feeling alone. One day, Seth Darden arrives at the inn just as she's struggling to paint the shutters and he ends up helping. Realizing that having a handyman like Seth around is nice, she hires him. Meg plans to use him to help spruce up the place in case she does decide to sell it. But she didn't count on finding herself attracted to her new employee.

As the days roll on, Meg gets to know Seth and they grow closer. Feeling attracted to him leaves her with several conflicting emotions. Why does Seth interest her? Is she betraying Zack? Seth appears attracted to her also, yet he acts mysterious as Meg has found him “snooping” around the inn. What is he hiding? In THE ONE WHO STAYS, readers soon learn that Seth is there for a reason. How will Meg react when she finds out?

While searching one day, Meg discovers her grandmother's diary and begins to read it. During the course of THE ONE WHO STAYS, she learns things about her grandmother that changes how she thinks of her. Will it play out in her decision over whether to stay on Summer Island—or her feelings about which man to choose? Seth is a drifter, so his plans are to do what he came to the inn for, then leave. But he then learns someone from his past is about to arrive. Will Seth stick around long enough? When will Zack return to Summer Island and is Meg's relationship with him changed?

There is a lot of emotion flowing throughout THE ONE WHO STAYS. Meg has mixed feelings about the inn, though she loves being here. She has a few female friends who act as her confidants, but she can't tell them everything. Because of their age differences, Meg thinks her attraction to the younger Seth is insane. He's charming and flirts with her, but what does he see in her? But they soon give in to their attraction. As their affair heats up, the more Meg becomes troubled. Should she give up Zack, who is currently out on his fishing boat? Seth will be leaving soon. Decisions have to be made by Meg about the inn. Does she do the right thing?

THE ONE WHO STAYS is the first book in the Summer Island series by Toni Blake. If you love a romance that is both sweet and sensual, then you can't miss this wonderful tale. It has all the emotion that pulls you into a story, with love between a couple that will make THE ONE WHO STAYS a book you won't soon forget.

Patti Fischer