Social media manager Avery is starting to think that testing your already-shaky confidence by working with a bunch of super-hottie content creators isnât the greatest idea. Too late, sheâs already taken the job on a remote island paradiseâŠwith nowhere to escape the photogenic beauties frolicking everywhere around her.
Then travel-influencer Vik turns his affection and attention to her, and sheâs flattered but wary. Giving in to the way he makes her feel seen and wanted turns out to be all too easy. He makes her laugh, he's easy to be around, and he's sexy as hell. But handling the hangover from her brutal broken engagement that makes her second-guess her own hopes is much harder.
When she finds herself having to choose between her career and her relationship with Vik, the little voice in her head telling her it will never work becomes a screamâŠand she teeters on the verge of throwing it all away.
If she wants her happily ever after, sheâll have to overcome the biggest obstacle: her own doubts and fears. Can she do it in time to figure out a future with Vik, or will she sacrifice the most meaningful connection sheâs ever felt?
Social media manager Avery is starting to think that testing your already-shaky confidence by working with a bunch of super-hottie content creators isnât the greatest idea. Too late, sheâs already taken the job on a remote island paradiseâŠwith nowhere to escape the photogenic beauties frolicking everywhere around her.
Then travel-influencer Vik turns his affection and attention to her, and sheâs flattered but wary. Giving in to the way he makes her feel seen and wanted turns out to be all too easy. He makes her laugh, he's easy to be around, and he's sexy as hell. But handling the hangover from her brutal broken engagement that makes her second-guess her own hopes is much harder.
When she finds herself having to choose between her career and her relationship with Vik, the little voice in her head telling her it will never work becomes a screamâŠand she teeters on the verge of throwing it all away.
If she wants her happily ever after, sheâll have to overcome the biggest obstacle: her own doubts and fears. Can she do it in time to figure out a future with Vik, or will she sacrifice the most meaningful connection sheâs ever felt?
âPlease, Avery? Iâm really dying hereâŠâ
Vanessa sounded like sheâd spent the last 24 hours either having the time of her life or gargling sand.
Avery cracked opened sleep-gritted eyes with reluctance and groaned.
âVan, first of all babes, itâs like 5 AM here. Secondly, how many favors are we up to now? 700?â Avery asked. She sighed and pushed a hand through her dark curls. As much as she wanted to fake a poor connection and end the call, she couldnât leave her best friend hanging.
âI know, I know. But look, the location is amazing. You can be there in less than 48 hours, the company will send a PJâ a private jet, in case youâre not up on your 1% lingoâfor you and handle all the details. I would 100% be doing this myself but I canât work through food poisoning and theyâre flying me out of here in a couple hours. Iâve got to cover the work or return their retainer,â Van pleaded.
âIâm almost all booked out, Van. I admit editing and producing for Pathage House is a big deal. ButâŠâ
Avery flopped back into her rumpled sheets, turned her head to face the wall of glass just beyond her bed and looked without seeing into the urban tangle all around her building. In the streets below her high-rise unit, she knew glistening jet and onyx spiked towers of skyscrapers were swirled with diamond spears of snow and ice. Sidewalks covered in gritty slush and below-zero temps, or a week or two working with a major influencer house, all expenses paid? The more she thought about it, the easier the choice was.
âAlright, let me check my calendar, okay? One sec.â
Avery pulled her feather-light laptop off the bedside table where it nested permanently within reach. A couple clicks and she saw, with mixed feelings, she was freeâfree enough if she delegated and outsourced a few things. Which she should, come to think of it.
âAvery, with all due respect, youâre getting stretched too thin. And your work is starting to suffer.â
The words of her most trusted contractor and advisor rang through her mind as she moused around the screen, checking and double checking her schedule. Robin was rightâthe last few months sheâd dropped the ball more than once, something that still stung in her memory weeks later.
Sheâd thrown herself into her career to get her mind off Daniel, and for a bit it had workedâŠuntil it didnât. Focusing on just one project in a new location would be a much-needed reboot to her creative core and purpose. Another few clicks and sheâd cleared the next 10 days, a jolt of excitement unfurling down her spine as she did so.
âDonât you have a very pricey new swimsuit you bought at Versace âin Rome, no lessâ that hasnât even touched a drop of water yet? Miss Workaholic?â Vanessa cajoled.
âItâs not the kind of swimsuit you wear to actually swim in!â Avery shot back.
Swinging her legs out of bed, she resigned herself even though sunrise was several hours from now in wintery, gray NYC, there was no going back to bed.
âOkay, Iâll do it.â
Van let out a sigh of relief.
âOh, AveryâŠ?â Her voice dropped into a near-whisper. âCan you spot me like a hundred bucks until the trust fund cash drops on the first, you know Iâll get you back? Thanks babe, youâre a doll.â
Avery swung into action, energized by the new project. Her mind ticked away like an intricately tuned machine, making checklists and bubbling with ideas for content and styles as she went about packing for the trip.
Spinning through the bathroom, she grabbed her always-ready-to-go cosmetics and personal care ditty bags. Next, she dove into her closet and rummaged until she found the zippered cloth box she was looking for. As she brushed a light coating of dust off the top, she realized it had been a bit more than a minute since sheâd brought out the missile-grade lingerie. Well, even if these Instagram hotties didnât hit on her or they were all obnoxious playboys and permanent man-children, she still wanted to look and feel her best. And sometimes that started with a beautiful embroidered set of black floral underwear, darn it.
Avery was wheels up out of Teterboro airport at just after 6 PM local time, her silver Tumi luggage nestled in the sleek overhead compartments, complimentary slippers and pajamas on, a silk eye mask in her hand and a much-needed flute of champagne in her other. She tried to act like she wasnât wowed by the âPJâ but she very much was. Vanâs promise was trueâPathage had a room booked for her in just a few hours and a per diem set up for food. Everything was in place for a relaxing yet profitable trip. Working with a top-tier influencer and content âhouseâ like Pathage was indeed an incredible chance to not just create amazing work but to gain valuable contacts.
Sheâd arrive on a tiny dot in the South Pacific 20 hours later, with a refueling stop mid-flight. If she had her way, sheâd sleep through most of it. Lately every time she wasnât distracting herself with work, the breakup with Daniel came rushing in, haunting her. The last words her now-ex fiancĂ© said to her were on repeat in her tired mind and she just wanted to blot them out:
âIf you keep this up, youâll die alone and miserable. All the money and success in the world doesnât mean anything without someone to share it.â
âSo clichĂ©!â sheâd yelled back at him, but he was already out the door. Crumpling to the floor, she cried her eyes out for the next few hours, but deep in her heart, she knew her choice was right. Daniel didnât support her, or even know her. Like all men, he loved the idea of a chic, together, going-places businesswoman but the reality of missed dinners, late nights and early mornings, and very little quality time was too much to handle, she mused.
Well, forget him, she told herself now. Six months is long enough to get over that. So why did her eyes burn and her throat feel tight when she remembered their last conversation?
She took a sip of champagne and cleared her mind.
As she settled deeper into the plush lounge chair, with her legs curled part way under her rear end, she pulled out her phone, flipped open Instagram and scrolled through the Pathage page, doing reconnaissance before she was plunged into the mix of content creation and editing for the house. Her eyes scanned the pictures, making note of the colors, style, composition and moodâand on the lookout for any ways to make the content pop and stand out in a saturated and competitive marketplace.
Technicolor green jungle foliage and sparkling blue seas dotted with crisp white yachts, smiling tanned Beautiful People laughing over fancy cocktails. Chiseled torsos and sun-highlighted man buns on the dudes, perfect beach waves and flirty tan lines peeking out of skimpy neon bikinis on the chicks. Standard stuff for a group of high-end-travel influencers. Conventional posts, somewhat easy to create and make it look good. She was more than up to the task. Avery leaned back in the chair and sipped champagne while scrolling, her eyes half-focused.
One man in the group caught her eyeâjust tall enough, lean, wiry muscles, a perfect scruffy beard and goatee, long wavy dark hair, and striking features. With full lips and soft eyes, he fell just this side of masculine, but his type of beauty was more androgynous than the typical travel-bro influencer. He was hotâand way out of her league.
A moment later, flicking through his feed, sheâd cemented her belief. Arms around leggy, California-tanned beach babes, shot after shot of an enviably toned body with very little clothing on it, heart and fire emojis both to and from a gaggle of female account holders: picture after picture told the story of a playboy, ladiesâ man, and heartbreaker.
Too bad. There was something in those molten hazel eyes which pulled her in like a magnet.
That kind of guy went for a certain kind of woman, though. She had her good featuresâliquid dark eyes, high cheekbones, and a tiny sprinkling of black freckles like charcoal confetti over her features. Sheâd gotten compliments on her long neck and pretty hands more than once. But she wasnât a knockout, a 10, the kind of woman who appeared to be moving in slow motion with a wind machine somewhere just off camera everywhere she went. Most days it was just fine with herâlooks faded, after all. But other days, when she saw pictures of influencers like theseâŠ
Thatâs a look and donât touch, girl. A rebound fling is supposed to be a sure thing, not a Hail Mary, she told herself with a rueful smile.
Clicking the phone off with a sigh, Avery slipped the silk eye mask onto her closed eyes and drifted into a blissful sleep.
The humid heat enveloped Avery like a damp towel as she exited the plane into the miniscule regional airport on the tropical paradise sheâd be living on for the next week or so. The linen suit sheâd put on an hour prior to touchdown wrinkled immediately as she hurried into the blessed cool air of the terminal to wait for the shuttle.
With only two runways and four terminals, âremoteâ wasnât quite the wordâ âedge of the earthâ was more accurate. But the spectacular coves of powder-soft white sands, crystalline waters, five-star resorts and amazing local cuisine drew a consistent tourist trade all year round to the island. The airport was buzzing with a modest crowd of tourists, both coming and going.
A few bruised, plum-colored clouds dusted the sky in the distant horizon as Avery climbed into the hotel shuttle van, but otherwise the day was postcard-perfect.
âWelcome to The Marquis!â the concierge greeted Avery with joy as she handed her bags to the bellman.
The whipped custard façade of the 1990âs-era hotel loomed above her, the rattle of luggage carts, click of heels on polished marble floors, and buzz of crowds milling through the lobby created a soundtrack familiar to any seasoned traveler.
âIt will just be a moment while we get the room set up, Miss Roman. Iâm Theo, and Iâll be your personal concierge. Please be our guest at the Illuminations Bar and Grill, or if you like, our spa pool and lounge area is open for a relaxing afternoon mimosa and massage.â
Theoâs bald head and shiny teeth gleamed in unison as he completed a clockwork progression of whisking her carry-on into a lobby chair, procuring a frosty mimosa complete with a berry garnish from somewhere, and discreetly signaling to housekeeping to hustle and get Room 201 ready.
Avery found herself in a tropical-plant-shaded solarium overlooking a stunning lagoon, the scent of island flowers and sea salt mingling in a wonderful bouquet. Despite its cheesy name, Illuminations was just what the doctor ordered for this weary traveler. The scent one of her favorite flowers, the amaryllis, floated around her on the gentle breeze.
She took a deep breath and let it out. A feeling of intense contentment washed over her and she scanned the bay and the ocean beyond it. To the left, just at the edge of what she could make out, was a small village with a lone much-larger, imposing house sitting on a cliff, and to the far right, was the two-lane highway leading to the main city, and beyond that, the airport.
âYour room will be ready in just about half an hour, Miss.â Theoâs voice startled her out of her reverie.
âOh, okay.â She sipped her mimosa with a dutiful âso delicious!â grin.
âMay I suggest a walk through the ornamental gardens down to our infinity pool at Cliffâs Edge? The scenery is just lovely this time of day. By the time youâre done with the walk, your room will be ready.â
Avery felt a little bit like a wayward ewe getting her wooly rear end nipped by a particularly persistent sheepdog, but she got up and followed Theo to the rear of the sprawling hotel nonetheless.
With a flourish, Theo opened the French doors leading to the terrace and gardens. Avery nodded at him and slipped outside. The air at the back of the hotel was cooler and the wind stronger. Her crumpled suit flapped around her as she ran her eyes over the horizon, taking in the spectacular view.
Theo hadnât lied, it was breathtaking. From her vantage point she saw the infinity pool, which was cantilevered in space over a sheer drop into a deep-water lagoon below. She made her way through the gardens, which were sparkling with beads of water from the whisking sprinklers all around.
A fine mist of water coated Averyâs body and hair, giving her an otherworldly glisten as she walked to the edge of the pool from the terrace gardens.
The bright blue waters of the huge pool parted into knife-edge-clean ripples by a deeply tan bladeâa single male swimmer cut through the water with impressive speed and athleticism.
Avery was just close enough to make out some featuresâhis long sable hair ribboned in the water behind him as she swam, and his wiry limbs sliced to the surface just enough for her to notice. Of course. It was the Pathage hottie sheâd noticed on Instagram in the plane. Naturally sheâd be in airplane-worn [G1] accordion-ridge-wrinkled linen separates and sensible travel shoes, her makeup long worn off, when she ran into Mr. Hot Stuff.
It doesnât matter anyway, she told herself Youâre not his type, you might as well be furniture to him, and youâre here to work! [G2]
Sheâd have to find an obliging fellow tourist or cute local guy if she even wanted to do a rebound fling, which was getting less appealing by the minute as she cataloged her lengthy to-do list. No matter how hot, or how available the men of Pathage were, it was a tad unprofessional to flirt with them, let alone hook up.
Off limits for good reason. She firmly closed the door on the lush fantasies which had started to bloom when she gazed at the man in the pool.
Avery became aware someoneâs eyes were on her, and as she turned away from the pool, she heard the sound of water being displaced and the wet slap of feet on cement.
Oh God, was he coming over to her? Avery froze, her face half-turned from the scene. If she scuttled off it would be rude, but if she stayed, her discomfort would be clear. Shit, now what?
Her fears were unfounded. She shifted her gaze to hazard a glance and the man in the pool locked eyes with her as he rounded the far edge to stand at the drop off point over the cliff.
His bright hazel eyes drew her closer to him, almost against her will, until her feet were almost in the 6â shallow wading lip ledged around the length of the pool.
The man gave a wide, almost cocky grin, still looking straight at her. It took every ounce of will power not to fidget or brush her hair back from her face, but she managed to stand stock still. Time froze for a moment as if to mark something, a stitch in the fabric of both of their lives, binding them together.
The air shimmered with possibility and the man arced his lithe, wiry body up and backwards into the air, with incredible force and precision into a backflip dive off the edge of the infinity pool, to the deep-water grotto beneath. A scream caught in Averyâs throat and her blood froze. She raced to the edge of the pool and craned over the edge into the rocky hollow far below.
Bubbles rose, and a sunlit cap of dense espresso curls broke the surface. He was fine. Avery let her breath out slowly and, in its place, anger slammed in. She wasnât sure why she was so angry, at first. Ordering her thoughts took effort.
This guy is making fun of you. The thought made no sense but it was clear as day. She didnât know him from Adam; why would he be teasing her.? How was a show-off dive from a poolâs edge mockery?
Because he wasnât showing off, he was showing her what she could never have, thatâs how. She turned on her heel and stalked back to the bar. She was just an audience for his tricks, like a little old lady being hoodwinked by a sneering magician at a fun fair.
The frigid air washed over her and she shivered, an adrenaline dump draining through her body. All at once she was exhausted, she wanted nothing more than to go to her room, change, and start working on her project plan. What an asshole he was. And she was stuck working with him. Great choice, Avery.
Ensconced in her suite a few minutes later, Avery pushed all thoughts of the beautiful diver out of her mind. A strange pain throbbed through her heartâthe pain of wanting someone you knew wouldnât give you second glance. The pain of being the girl guys pushed past to get to her friend. The pain of never getting a love letter or a grand gesture. The pain of always feeling like âheâ was settling for her. Living in the Midwest, where the beauty standard of creamy white skin with rosy cheeks, bright blue eyes, and blonde hair hadnât changed much since the 1950âs when Grace Kelly and her many imitators reigned supreme, meant that Avery was often the odd girl out with her coarse black curly hair, mono-lid dark brown eyes, golden skin, and non-white features. Even at 30, when sheâd grown into her looks, she still felt the sting of being the âdifferent oneâ all too often.
Maybe coming to an isolated island to work with an entire gaggle of confident, model-hot young influencers after getting left almost at the altar wasnât such a great idea.
She flopped onto the bed and stared at the ceiling.
Youâre a pro, Avery. Work is whatâs gotten you through all the hardest times in your life and itâs what will get you through this. Youâre being a baby and a brat. Snap out of it.
As if on cue, her room phone rang and she almost jumped out of her skin.
âAvery Roman?â a cultured honey-drip voice asked at the end of the line.
âThis is she.â Her heart was still pounding. Another scare and sheâd need a change of underwear, yeesh. Werenât torpid tropical islands in the middle of nowhere supposed to be relaxing?
âHi there! Iâm Monika Bloor, one of the Pathage influencers! Weâre so excited to have you working with us. Listen, I know youâre likely completely wiped out, but I called to invite you to a little dinner tonight. Just the team, very casual, on the terrace. The food here is great, please do come.â
âOhâŠokay. I guess I can come.â Avery frowned. She didnât want to get off on the wrong foot but the last thing she was interested in was a bustling public dinner. With him in attendance. Her mind jabbed into her heart again.
âBet! Okay, Iâll let the others know youâre coming. Did I mention weâre excited? Because weâre excited. See you at 8!â Monika rang off with a burbling giggle that somehow managed to be endearing rather than obnoxious.
Avery allowed herself 5 minutes of lying on the bed feeling sorry for herself and forced herself to get up and get going.
A near-scalding shower, using the Molton Brown toiletries provided by the hotel, later, and she was now padding around the room in her towel, feeling much better-almost ready to face the horrors of a group of exceptionally photogenic influencers over dinner.
Sheâd hung up her clothing first thing when sheâd entered the room, and now she was glad she did. Rifling through the limited selection, she settled on a sage green silk slip dress paired with cobweb-dainty strappy gold sandals.
Regarding her reflection in the mirror as she applied lipstick and eyeliner, she was buoyed by an unexpected swell of self-confidence. The slip dress clung to her small breasts and made them look high fashion and chic rather than scanty, showed off her long neck, and skimmed over her softly curved lower belly, making her look elegant and feminine. She took the time to emphasize a few of her freckles with a liquid eyeliner pen to heighten the contrast with her light fawn colored skin. Somehow in this lighting, her skin, typically sallow with almost green undertones, was the glimmering gilt of a rare South Sea Pearl, reflecting the depths of the luster of her inky hair. Wow. She lookedâŠgood. Really good.
Grabbing her clutch purse, she strode forth into battle, armed only with the scent of Frederick Malleâs Synthetic Jungle perfume and the merest bud of brio born from the blooming reflection sheâd been gifted in the mirror.
At just over 200 pages, this story flows quickly and reads very quickly making it a great weekend beach read.
Avery is the main character in Island Nights and she is battling major self-confidence problems. She is healing from a horrible breakup and is working through the hurt and heartache. Taking a job on a remote island surrounded by tons of gorgeous social media stars seems like a completely out of character move, but it sets the story in motion.
Avery comes off as a bit of a risk taker, in a good way, when she does something out of her comfort zone. She is willing to put herself out there because she likes her job, even though she doesnât see herself reflected in the other people she is around.
When she runs into gorgeous travel influencer Vik, she immediately writes him off. He is showering her with affection, but she doesnât believe it could be real. She isnât trusting of his intentions. Which I could completely relate to, as will most readers. She enjoys being around him, but doesnât think he will be anything more than a guy who she can hang out with and make her laugh. Vik on the other hand is smitten and wants to show Avery how he sees her, as beautiful and amazing.
Avery continually gets in her own way, holding herself back and doubting herself and Vikâs feelings for her. I understand the tension buildup for the sake of the plot, but dang girl, she kept shooting her self in the foot over and over again. Vik had endless patience when in real life, many would have given up and moved on. It made their ultimate romance satisfying.
One of the drawbacks was the telling instead of showing with some of the descriptions. It wasnât what I would consider a deep read and sometimes the dialogue was very much like watching a drama filled reality show on TV. The steamy scenes were okay, with some awkward writing and adjectives used. They often seemed very short and quick as well. They were fine, but didnât make me feel all hot and bothered by what I was reading.
The setting of the island made for a great backdrop and it felt like being on vacation and living through the two characters. This is a fun, light read for people who read a ton of romance and want something they can breeze through. The social media aspect pushes it closer to new adult since that is such a major aspect of 20-somethingâs lives. Anyone who likes tropical scenery and summer sun romances will like this book too.