Second-chance love stories are some of my favorite reads, and when you add in some redemption and forgiveness, it’s like a romance lottery. GOING IN DEEP by Carly Phillips hits all the markers in spades, and I could not have enjoyed it more.
In the previous books in this series, we’d only seen Julian as the epitome of the selfish, conniving bad boy. His relationship with Kendall was just a ploy to get to Kade and the other Blink guys, and it left her broken. Now, though, Julian is truly working the program. Having gotten himself and his life back on track, he’s determined to rise above the mistakes that he’s made with Kendall and with his former friends.
Kendall has worked hard to get a handle on living a more normal life. Working a job that she loves, and finally in a place where she has an actual relationship with her family and a few friends, she’s living life in the moment, making sure that she does what she needs to to stay on an even keel.
None of the connection between Kendall and Julian has faded. There’s still a very strong bond between them, and Julian would like nothing more than to have a second chance with Kendall, a chance to make amends for past bad decisions and to move forward with her.
I have to say, Kendall is a lot more forgiving, and much more quickly, than I would be. She sees that Julian really is working at making the right choices, and I love that she’s able to look beyond the bad times that they had and see Julian for what he is now.
Carly has written a great wrap-up to this series, and found a way to make the least likable characters some of my favorites. While I’ve enjoyed the other books, and liked the other couples in them, Julian and Kendall just really resonate for me, and I was pulling for them from the time that they saw each other again. Seeing them work through not only the challenges that each of them face in their own day-to-day lives, but also making those things work in a relationship with another person made their love even more precious.
I have to say that the epilogues (yep, there’s more than one, and they are great) are some of my favorite parts of GOING IN DEEP. I always like to get a glimpse into what’s happened down the road for the characters, and I’ll just say that Julian’s and Kendall’s future is absolutely perfect for them.
GOING IN DEEP is 4.5 grace-filled, romantic, redemptive stars for me, and a must-read for fans of Carly and of this series. While I’m sad to see it end, I’m looking forward to seeing what she’s got for us in her upcoming Bachelor Bad Boys series. In the meantime, settle in with GOING IN DEEP and the rest of the Billionaire Bad Boys, and enjoy.
After a successful fifteen-year career with various New York publishing houses, and over 40 sexy contemporary romance novels published, N.Y. Times and USA Today Bestselling Author Carly Phillips is now an Indie author who writes to her own expectations and that of her readers. She continues the tradition of hot men and strong women and plans to publish many more sizzling stories. Carly lives in Purchase, NY with her family, two nearly adult daughters and two crazy dogs who star on her Facebook Fan Page and website. She’s a writer, a knitter of sorts, a wife, and a mom. In addition, she’s a Twitter and Internet junkie and is always around to interact with her readers. You can find out more about Carly at http://www.carlyphillips.com.
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