When I'm Gone (Rosemary Beach, #11)

4.5 Stars! Another Rosemary Beach winner! Love this series!

I'm a big fan of Abbi Glines' Rosemary Beach series. I have been ever since I was first introduced to Rush and Blaire ... years ago. I'm so glad it's continued as long as it has because I've loved each of the characters and couples. Mase and Reese's story was a great addition to this series. On the surface, this might look like another rich guy/poor girl pairing, but it was more than that. Reese broke my heart. She had suffered so much growing up – first because of an undiagnosed learning disability that led everyone to believe she was just stupid and then because of her abusive stepfather. Her mom was truly a terrible person. I'm talking ZERO redeeming qualities. When she chose to support her husband over her daughter and kicked Reese out of the house, I was happy. Reese couldn't do any worse on her own than she did with "parents" like those. Mase has been around a fair few books now, but I've not gotten much of a read on him. He seemed like a good guy – and who doesn't love a hot cowboy – so I was eager to get his book. I can honestly say that, next to Rush, he's probably my favorite guy in this series. He was just a good guy. While his initial impression of Reese was how hot she was (and how bad of a singer!) I loved that he saw something more in her. After years of being treated like she was good for nothing but where her looks and body would take her, it was time someone took interest in what's underneath. I really liked Mase and Reese together. They clicked from the start and were good together. I know Reese was more than a bit hesitant because she didn't understand his motivations and didn't realize how into her he was. The reader knows because we get chapters from both of their POV – and I love that. They had some pretty hot scenes, too... and I really liked that they didn't jump right to the sex. It would've been unrealistic considering Reese's history. Things aren't totally perfect between them, of course. Without getting too spoilery, there's a pretty big miscommunication that causes some serious drama. Regardless, I was always pretty sure they'd find their way back to each other. They just needed some time. We get a peek into the lives of some of the other Rosemary Beach characters during this book too. Spoiler alert: Rush is still dreamy and Nan is still a complete and total biatch. Are you shocked? Me either. When I'm Gone was a great addition to the Rosemary Beach series and I thoroughly enjoyed it. But, fair warning – it ended with one helluva cliffhanger. It wasn't relationship-related, but something else entirely. After reading the blurb for the second part of their story, When You're Back, I'm a little concerned about what will happen for this couple, but I trust Abbi to pull it all back together and give them the HEA they deserve.

#abbiglines #contemporary #REVIEW #45stars #ya