Review - No More Wasted Time - Beverly Preston

No More Wasted Time by Beverly Preston

Genre = Contemporary Romance (m/f)

SYNOPSIS:

After losing her husband to a sudden heart attack, Tess Mathews escapes to Bora Bora to lay her husband and sorrow to rest. What she doesn't expect is a new beginning.

Tom Clemmins is an A-list actor whose life revolves around work and an onslaught of women. He travels to Bora Bora for a much-needed break. Tom has a few ideas of how he'll enjoy his vacation, but love isn't one of them. Until he sees Tess.

Reserving a private shark-feeding excursion to scatter her husband's ashes into the lagoon, Tess is furious when Mr. Hollywood bribes his way onto the boat, leaving her no other choice but to share the boat ride.

Tess is torn between tremendous guilt and zealous lust when their boat ride turns into a week full of romance and desire neither thought imaginable. Utterly smitten with a woman for the first time in his life, Tom casts his commitment phobia aside and whisks Tess off to Malibu where he introduces her as his "girlfriend" on the red carpet.

As the paparazzi besiege, can Tess survive the media blitz that ensues in order to find her second chance at love?  

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REVIEW

My rating = A lustful FOUR!

I have now read this book twice and it still has the power to transfer me to a wonderful place of happiness with a scattering of contented sighs as I flip through the kindle pages.  

The first time I read it was back in 2012 when it was first released and my initial thought was how lovely to find a book that is not all about the young but this is about a woman who has gone through that first flush of youth, first love, happy marriage and children. But also a woman who has learnt to cope with loss, bereavement and utter desolation.

Tess Matthews is returning to Bora Bora, a place that held special memories for her, where she and her husband spent such happy times. It is here she finds herself again, a year after his death, to scatter his ashes and where she first sets eyes on the famous movie star, Tom Clemmins.

Tom is at the peak of his career, he has worked his way to the top with little or no time for a personal life. That’s when he decides to take a long deserved break, which brings him to Bora Bora and he meets the entrancing Tess on a boat trip.

The book is all about their developing romance with all the trials and tribulations that brings. As in all good love stories there are outside influences that are a threat to the couple and trying to break them apart. This is not helped by their vast differences – Tessa with her ‘normal’ life with her three grown up kids and Tom with his fame and fortune and all that brings with it, especially the press.

I really loved getting lost in this book (both times!) and I instantly fell for Mr Clemmins. He was so badly portrayed in the press as a player and was constantly having his picture snapped all over the globe with a bevy of beauties on his arm. But what the public did not know was this was all part of his public life, yet away from all these trappings of fame was an ordinary man. A man so lonely, so hungry for love yet he had little time to meet anyone and the people he was surrounded by were not the type he wanted to live his life with.

Tess was a woman who knew who she was and was comfortable in her own skin. She had lived a wonderful life with her husband of 25 years and her children. After a year on her own in her grief she now knew it was time to move on and get back into the world and take a chance.  But throwing herself into the world Tom lived in? Was this a step too far for her?

I loved the raunchy bits! Who said sexy time was for the under forty? Huh – lessons to be learnt here. Tom Clemmins is a sexy, gorgeous man. He’s got the moves, yeah baby! Ha ha. Just check out that wall in Greece!

The development of the romance was intense and detailed and had me in bits in some parts. I loved Tess’s relationship with her kids and how they were routing for her to get herself out there but at the same time very protective of her.

It was a lovely journey to be on, to read about life, love and family and all that that entails. It left me with a warm and squishy feeling after I had read it. Always a nice feeling to finish a book on.