Review: Back To You by Lauren Dane

Former model Kelly Hurley has finally put the ashes of the past behind her. After a passionate but turbulent marriage to rock star Vaughan Hurley that ended in heartbreak and divorce, Kelly rebuilt her life in Portland, where she settled so their two young daughters could be close to their father. Just not so close Kelly couldn’t truly make her own way without interference from the man who shattered her heart. Now Kelly’s finally ready to move on, and she’s planning to marry another man.

But not if Vaughan has anything to say about it.

Vaughan knows he was a fool all those years ago. A young, selfish—and prideful—fool. Even as he buried himself in the fast, decadent rock star lifestyle, he could never drown out the memory of Kelly’s beauty and love. Or the sweet, searing heat whenever they touched. For years, he’s had to deal with the pain of seeing her only because of their daughters, but it was never enough. Now Vaughan must prove that he’s the only man Kelly needs, before he loses her for good. And there’s only one way to do it….

I have read the two previous Hurley Boys books, as well as the Brown Siblings and Delicious series, all of which gravitate in the same general world.  Unfortunately, in my opinion, Back To You didn't measure up.  

I cannot put my finger on exactly why I didn't like this book.  It's a combination of Vaughan, Kelly, and comments made about Kelly (typically by Sharon Hurley) in the two Hurley Boys books.  Based on those comments, Kelly had a lot to overcome, and Sharon's opinion is something Kelly struggled with during her marriage to Vaughan.  But while Back To You is a second-chance romance, I also didn't believe in Vaughan and Kelly's reconnection.  She's engaged to another man, for Pete's sake, when Vaughan decides to tell her he still loves her.  They've been divorced for eight years.  [I've never been divorced -- or divorced with children -- and I would imagine some romantic feelings may exist between divorced co-parents; however, it seemed like Vaughan was exchanging one thing (a life touring with the band) for another (a life with his wife and kids).  I didn't get the sense that his new thing would fulfill or sustain him completely for the rest of his life.] 

Disliking a book makes it hard to write an honest review, and I feel doubly bad since I enjoyed The Best Kind of Trouble and Broken Open so very much.

(A special thank you to Harlequin and NetGalley for providing me with an ARC of Back To You.)