Review: Since You've Been Gone by Elle Kennedy

Since You've Been Gone by Elle Kennedy
Series: Welcome to Paradise, Book 4
Publisher: Samhain Publishing
Genre: Contemporary Romance
ISBN: 9781619214750
Source: Publisher
Blue Ribbon Rating: 4 out of 5
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Elle Kennedy Reading Order

For the past year, Austin Bishop has been trying to avoid his family…and the secret he can’t bear to face. He knows he has to go home to Paradise eventually, but that doesn’t mean the young photojournalist is going to rush to get there. When an assignment comes along to photograph small town Main Streets, he grabs at the excuse to take even longer to come home. Then fate throws a curveball at him in the form of a sexy, stranded redhead. Mari Smith is an out-of-work teacher whose car just died on her in the middle of nowhere. Playing knight to Mari’s damsel-in-distress seems like a good distraction for Austin at first, but it’s not long before their new friendship turns into something more. Mari soothes him in a way no one else ever has, and he’ll need her comforting presence if he’s to face what waits for him at the end of his trip.

The youngest Bishop brother meets his match in the fast-paced, fun and emotional SINCE YOU’VE BEEN GONE. I’ve adored every Bishop brother book in the WELCOME TO PARADISE series and Austin’s is no exception.

Austin had his world turned upside down a year ago when he uncovered a family secret, and it’s been eating at him ever since. He’s always been close to his family, but now he feels like an outsider and he doesn’t take it well. Strangely enough, one of my favorite things about SINCE YOU’VE BEEN GONE is that Austin doesn’t handle his altered view of his family well. Author Elle Kennedy does an excellent job of making Austin a realistic character, and there are plenty of ups and downs for the whole Bishop family as Austin struggles to cope with what he knows. Mari is the catalyst for Austin’s change for the better, and I loved her for it. In fact, there’s pretty much nothing not to love about Mari. Her exuberance and zest for life is infectious, leaping off the page and bringing sunshine to the story. Her relationship with Austin is sexy as hell – as one might expect from an Elle Kennedy book – but more than that, Mari and Austin are simply a great fit. I loved watching these two swiftly fall in love.

SINCE YOU’VE BEEN GONE is the fourth book in the WELCOME TO PARADISE series, but it can easily be read as a standalone. Of course, all your favorite heroes and heroines are back from WELCOME TO PARADISE, TAKE ME HOME TONIGHT and BORN TO BE WILD, and it was lovely to see the whole Bishop family together. Whether you’re an old fan of this series or are just diving in with Austin and Mari’s book, you’re sure to adore SINCE YOU’VE BEEN GONE.


Note: My review was written for Romance Junkies and is cross-posted here with permission from Romance Junkies.

FTC Disclosure: I received this book for free from the publisher in exchange for an honest review. This does not affect my opinion of the book or the content of my review.