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“Young love” or “puppy love” are usually the phrases used by adult observers to label the emotions of love when expressed by adolescents, but those emotions are rarely given the value of being really “in love.” So, Destiny Parker and Wyatt Slade, high school “sweethearts” or “crushes,” moved through their senior year in the haze of “love”—hanging out with another couple—Mark and Julie—enjoying the haze of love, and for the guys, that haze was with the added ingredient of alcohol, especially during their final high school days including prom and graduation. As far as Wyatt was concerned, Destiny was “the one” and with that in mind, he had already asked his father to allow him to start constructing a house on his piece of the family land. He had placed a “promise” ring on Destiny’s ring finger months earlier, and he planned on giving her “the ring” the day after prom.And, dressed for prom in his tux, the tall, lean dark-eyed Wyatt made Destiny’s heart throb and the slender, blonde-haired, blue-eyed Destiny, was Wyatt’s dream for the future. But, everything blew up when in a drunken haze Wyatt mistakenly snuggled up behind Julie whom in his haze, he mistook for Destiny who was similarly attired in a white dress, and after nuzzling her neck, he turned her for a deep kiss. Witnessing, but not understanding her guy kissing her best friend, Destiny’s worst nightmares and neurotic fears were fulfilled in that one moment, and nothing could be said by Wyatt or Julie, then or later, to convince Destiny that he had made a drunken mistake, not willfully cheating or betraying her love. And so, they parted before they even graduated. And, by the end of summer, Destiny had left for college, and Wyatt, with an engagement ring in his sock drawer and a house under construction, also left, getting a job as a roadie for an up-and-coming Indi band. And for over four years, the two young broken-hearted lovers tried to move on.And time, while not always healing, does provide perspective. Wyatt, had grown up as the one of the youngest of 5 loving brothers. His mother had died before he had memory of her, and his grieving dad had tried to cope with the help of alcohol and a string of nannies to wrangle his boys. So, while “home” wasn’t picture perfect, it was home, and he was tired of roaming and seeking a way to fill the hole left in him with the absence of Destiny; so, he came home—to live and to join the family business—to be with his family.And fatefully, Destiny has also come home to support her family. Her dad has had a stroke and her mom needs help. So, with her college degree in hand, she packs up and heads home leaving behind her dreams of city life and employment. And, when she touches base with her old friend, Julie, she begins to unpack the hurt from the past, to consider other perspectives of that fateful prom night. But, the most challenging task she must confront is the fact that Wyatt is back in town, and evidently, not merely for a stopover while the band takes a break. He is back, but that doesn’t mean anything, the past is done—no do-overs—right?Loves Me Not continues the story of the Slade Brothers series. This novel continues to weave a strong storyline with interesting characters and electrifying emotional connections. This forth novel continues to follow the romantic developments of a family with secrets and unresolved heartache that needs to be addressed to bring happiness and healing to all members of the family. Each novel can be read independently, but the Slades are so engaging that you will want to know each member and his story.I received a free copy of this book via Booksprout and am voluntarily leaving a review ARCS, but I enjoyed the reading experience so much that I bought a copy for my "read-again" titles.
