Review: Carolina Blues by Virginia Kantra

Carolina Blues (Dare Island #4) by Virginia Kantra
Publisher: Berkley
Publication date: October 7th 2014
My rating:  4.5 stars 
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Jack Rossi is Dare Island’s new police chief. The laid-back North Carolina community is just what he needs to recover from a rocky marriage and a big-city police department.  He’s learned his lesson: no more high-profile women or high-pressure jobs. The last thing he wants is an unconventional alt girl rocking his world.

Grad student Lauren Patterson made headlines when she kept a bank robbery from going bad.  She’s fled to Dare Island to clear her head and focus on writing her story. However, sexy Jack Rossi is a distraction that’s too hot to ignore, and it’s igniting an affair too combustible to resist—or quit.

But when their pasts come looking for them, Jack and Lauren find themselves fighting for the future they deserve, whatever the price.

My Thoughts:

Carolina Blues was a story that just sucks you in quietly, but surely with beautiful, understated prose and a passionate romance!  

Suffering writer’s block and panic attacks, Lauren has come to Dare Island to escape the city and finish her novel, Hostage Girl: My Life After Crisis. Lauren negotiated her way out of tragedy during a hostage crisis that captured nationwide attention.  The writer’s block persists on Dare Island, but soon she’s distracted by Jack Rossi, the hunky police Chief.  He’s darkly handsome, cool and in control, and exudes a confidence and strength that appeals deeply to Lauren. 

Jack is on Dare Island after a messy divorce.  His wife not only cheated, but did so with his partner on the force.  Their work lives and families were so entwined that Jack needed a clean break, a fresh start, and Dare Island fit the bill perfectly. When Lauren shows up on the island, there’s an instant spark of attraction between them, but he’s hesitant to invest in something that seems like it can only be temporary.

Lauren was honest about her needs and desires, and I appreciated there were no immature mind games. There were obstacles in their relationship; the question of what happens to them once Lauren is supposed to go home lingers over them. But even so they savored each other in the moment while exploring their relationship, both cautiously hoping for something permanent. 

Oh, I do love a hero man in uniform, and Jack Rossi filled the role nicely! He wasn’t the showy alpha-type that can come off as unrealistic in some romances, but he seemed real and very male! Lauren was very appreciative!  This romance was steamy. Parts were languid sensuality, and parts were zinging with electricity!   

“I never knew it could be like this,” she admitted. “That I could have all these feelings inside. Jack makes me feel…” Cherished.  Desired.  Safe. “Alive.”

Peripheral events play into their story adding a dash of danger with some relationship drama sprinkled in making a Carolina Blues a captivating story.  I longed for Jack and Lauren to find a way to overcome their obstacles and find a way to stay together, because these two really got each other emotionally in addition to their physical attraction.

Virginia Kantra really impressed me with this installment!  Her writing was gorgeous without being overly flowery and she made me feel every emotion right along with her characters.  I can’t wait for the next story!