The Forbidden Fling (Sandy Springs Book 2)

This was the first book I've read by Emily, and I really enjoyed it. I give it 4.5 stars (rounded up) and a 3 on spice level. Faye was a beautifully written character. Her struggles were both unique to her and something I was able to relate to on my own. I didn't know much about stomas and ostomy bags, but reading about Faye's led me to look them up, and I'm happy that I was able to learn something new. I'd never read a book with a character who has one, so that was a unique experience that I'm sure others with ostomy bags will appreciate reading. Diana was more complex than I expected her to be, and I really enjoyed that. She had such a dense background, and I liked that Emily took the time to explore that. I do wish that we got to see more of her bonding time with Molly, but I understand why we didn't as well. Sandy Springs being a place to better yourself was a really interesting background to the story. It really allowed the characters to open up and delve into their personal issues in a way that enhanced the plot. Overall, I really enjoyed this book, and I may even go back and read the first one in this series or some other books of Emily's. She's a new author for me, and I'm super happy that I took the leap and read this book. Side note: Quin was by far my favorite character. I absolutely fell in love with them. They are just perfect, and I really hope their story is next because I need it ASAP.

The Forbidden Fling is book two in the Sandy Springs series. It’s a standalone, so you needn’t have read the first book, The Heartbreak Hotel. This is an age-gap, ex-girlfriend’s mom romance, that takes place at a wellness retreat in Portugal. I was immediately drawn in by the disability rep with Faye having an ostomy. I’ve never read a character with this procedure and it was interesting to learn about and see the things Faye struggles with. Although it isn’t all negative, as the ostomy has given Faye a new lease on life, and she no longer has the frequent Crohn’s flare ups she had before. She has been adjusting to life with her ostomy for about six months when her dads encouraged her to go on this wellness retreat. She had been in a slump since her life changed drastically after the emergency surgery. Faye studied to be an ecologist but has been away from work and misses it. Diana is a successful Harvard professor and author that has been struggling to write her second book. She hates to take time away from work as she has a fierce competition with one of her colleagues and worries she’ll take her place. But she needs to reconnect and repair the relationship with her daughter so she takes Molly to the wellness retreat in Portugal. They don’t travel together as Molly still lives in England and Diana is coming from the states. This means there is alone time for Diana and Faye to meet. Neither know they have a connection in Diana’s daughter Molly. The spicy scenes were…