Into The Tide: a brother's best friend, friends to lovers romance

Into the Tide is the first book in the Cottonwood Cove series by Laura Pavlov. Lila James is Hugh Reynolds’ best friend’s little sister and completely off-limits. She comes home for the summer after graduating from college and her brother, Travis, asks him to hire her at his restaurant. Of course, Hugh says yes. There isn’t anything he wouldn’t do for Lila or Travis. However, it becomes complicated when he realizes that Lila has grown into a beautiful woman and she asks for a favor of her own. She wants him to help her fulfill a summer bucket list including losing her V-card. She’s only here for the summer and promises she won’t fall for him. They can remain friends at the end of the summer and it can be their secret. With so much at stake, how can he agree? But then every man has his breaking point. How can he refuse her? 

From the very beginning, Into the Tide is filled with drama, flirty banter, laughs and smiles with plenty of spiciness. I enjoyed Hugh as the protective man who struggles to see Lila as his best friend’s little sister. While Lila is nonchalant about her request, Hugh knows better and yet is very tempted. I enjoyed Lila as a woman who is trying to break free from her family’s past and wants to show the town and the world that she is a woman who can stand on her own two feet. She has a fight in her and I cheered as she fought to be her own person. I also enjoyed their supporting characters and I hope to see their own love stories in the series. Overall, I enjoyed this story and I look forward to the rest of the series. If you enjoy brother’s best friend, friends to lovers romance, I recommend Into the Tide. 

Into the Tide is available in paperback, eBook and audiobook