Her Summer with the Marine by Susan Meier

All three books in this series were fun and satisfying reads, each focusing on a different Donovan brother.

All of the characters were well drawn and relatable, but Ellie and Finn are particularly suited and sufficiently flawed to ooze great chemistry from the pages. The added layer of parental dramas created a real internal struggle for both of them, and I bawled my eyes out at the end. (One of the highest accolades I can give an author, because it means I really care for the characters and can relate to their situations.)

When Ellie returns to the home town that ridiculed her mother and made her childhood a misery, because her sick father needs her, the last thing she wants is additional stres. Finn constitues additional stress. Not because he's smoking hot and stirs all sorts of sordid thoughts every time Ellie's within 10 feet of him, but their childhood competition always goes too far.