Publisher: Berkley Books
Publish Date: September 6, 2011
Series: Serendipity #1
ISBN: 0425243834
ISBN-13: 9780425243831
Synopsis: Faith Harrington was the classic girl of privilege–until her father was convicted of running a Ponzi scheme and then her marriage crashed and burned.
Now Faith is back in her hometown, hoping for a fresh start. But her father’s betrayal has rocked Serendipity – and not everyone is ready to welcome her with open arms. Then she runs into her teenage crush — the dark, brooding Ethan Barron. Ethan, no stranger to scandal himself, never imagined he’d own the mansion on the hill, much less ever again come face to face with Faith–the princess he once kissed senseless. The chance meeting reignites the electric charge between them.
Still, when Ethan hires her to redecorate what was once her childhood home, Faith is sure that getting involved with the town’s notorious bad boy will only lead to trouble. But her heart has other ideas. And so do the townspeople of Serendipity …
My rating: 4 of 5 stars
I have read a lot of somber and depressing books lately, so I felt that I needed a change of genre. I went to my list of go-to authors and decided to read a fun contemporary romance. What better way to do so than read Carly Phillip’s Serendipity.
In Serendipity, the first book of Phillip’s new series, Phillips introduces us to the cute town of Serendipity. I was introduced to Faith Harrington, a modern-day princess who had her life of luxury taken away from her through scandal. Her father ran a Ponzi scheme that resulted in prison time and taking away the family riches. To add insult to injury, she left her husband who used her for her father’s connections and turned out to be a sleazy as her father was. Faith decided to return back to her home town of Serendipity, in hopes of figuring out who she was, and in turn, to rebuild her life.
Ethan Barron was the boy that all the girls wanted to date, and that all the guys wanted to become. He was the town’s bad boy, and when the going got tough, he left town. When his parents died in an unfortunate accident, he was left responsible for his two younger brothers, Nash and Dave. Instead of growing up and stepping up, he abandoned them left town. Now he is back to prove a point, ready to finally settle down and make amends with his brothers. He has grown up and made a name for himself, allowing him to purchase the Harrington Estate.
Interesting, yes? Ethan and Faith were acquainted with each other ten years ago, when Ethan offered Faith a ride home. Now, their lives cross paths again. The attraction that sizzled between the two ten years ago is clear that it is still there. Neither are ready for a relationship, nor are they at a stage in their lives to even admit to wanting one. Faith continuously deals with the aftermath of her father’s actions while Ethan deals with his.
Faith is a strong woman, even for a princess. It was evident that she is smart and knows how to survive. She wasn’t above doing any of the hard work herself, and it is a big reason why I liked her character. Phillips developed her in a way that you couldn’t help but sympathize for her and admire her actions. Through out the book, she is constantly being tested, and passes with flying colors.
Ethan was described as the bad boy, and even though he grew up, I still see him as one. He has a huge mess to fix and I did not feel sorry for him at all. I do, however, am glad that Phillips gave him the character to own up to his faults and attempt to fix things, time and time again.
The storyline was complex, but it mostly is in a first book of the series. There are back stories to be told, while trying to keep focus on the main story. The main characters had amazing chemistry and were paired nicely. They were balanced very, very well. The progression of their relationship together, as well as the relationships they each built with the town came across naturally.
I really enjoyed Serendipity. It just goes to show how great Carly Phillips is as a writer and how well she knows her readers. It was a quick, but very enjoyable read. I can’t wait for Destiny to be released January 2012.