Review: Barefoot in the Sun by Roxanne St. Claire

When running is all you've ever known . . .

Caught between fight and flight, Zoe Tamarin has always picked flight. Since she was rescued from a nightmare childhood by her great-aunt Pasha, they've been on the move, never staying in one place long enough to risk exposing their precarious past. But now that they've reached the sun-baked shores of Barefoot Bay, Zoe may have to stay and fight-for her aunt's life . . . and for a love she ran from years before.

Sometimes the bravest act of all is to stand still.

Oliver Bradbury came to Florida to start over, as both a doctor and a father to his eight-year-old son. He never expected life to hand him a second chance with the woman he lost years ago-but one look at Zoe Tamarin and he knows he'll do whatever it takes to prove that this time, he can be the man she needs. But when demands of family and friendship threaten to shatter their rekindled passion, Oliver must heal Zoe's lifelong wounds with more than hot kisses . . . but will that be enough to keep her from flying off with his heart?

Barefoot in the Sun picks up where the second book of the series, Barefoot in the Rain, left off.  All the books are able to stand alone, though.  

I was surprised by how deep this book goes, or how serious Zoe's past was.  We know from the two previous books that Zoe has secrets she's never revealed to any of her friends, but what's revealed about Zoe and her great-aunt Pasha wasn't what I would have ever expected.  

Perhaps the romance isn't central to this story because we learn Zoe and Oliver had already fallen in love years earlier.  Despite their time apart, they are able to rekindle their love rather quickly.  Zoe's "flee first" mechanism is one that's been programmed into her by Aunt Pasha, and at times, I became so frustrated with this.  There has to be a point in life when you stop running, when you confess the truth, despite the knot in your gut cautioning you not to.  I'm glad Zoe finally confessed the truth of her secrets to Oliver and her friends, and that Pasha didn't suffer for her role in protecting Zoe. 

(A very special thank you to Forever Romance, Hachette Book Group, and NetGalley for providing me with an ARC of Barefoot in the Sun.)