This book kept my interest from the first chapter on...no skipping forward or cheating by looking to the back. I liked the inter-woven messages of finding new love, but of family and how important family is to each of us. I also enjoy the underlying message the author put in the story of how we often times don't appreciate our families, or the people in our lives, until something happens. This was a great book...steamy love scenes and attention getting...I can't wait to get the follow up to this one.

I read Carly Phillips series with the Chandler brothers and just loved them, so I was excited to read this book too. I'm a fan of quick reads - romance novels with some action mixed in. This story had all of that and was a lot of fun to read.

Ariana Costas returns home when she finds out that her twin sister is missing...and presumably dead. For years Ariana was embarrassed by her family (and their conniving ways), so she moved to Vermont and didn't have a great relationship with her sister or her parents. She didn't understand them and they didn't understand her. But, in the time of crisis, she realizes she needs to go home and help the family.

Quinn Donovan is an undercover cop trying to wrap up his undercover case at Damon's Casino. He comes from foster care and doesn't know what it's like to have a family...let alone a crazy one you'd want to run away from. He helps foster kids feel like they have a friend (in him) in his spare time, and especially tries to help a little girl named Sam find a home.

All these characters come together for an exciting adventure. Ari goes to work at the casino in hopes of finding out answers about her sister's disappearance. Of course she meets Quinn and they have instant attraction. Sam gets involved in their story, along with a monkey named Spank, and the Costas family and all their eccentricities. It's a really fun read!

I just finished the book at lunch. I have now read everything written by Carly Phillips. I think she's great. The way that Quinn put Ari feelings about her sister first were heart warming. The electricity that was between these two characters was great. Spank the monkey, I could just see in my head the way she acted when Zoe came home. Too funny.

Wow, im really surprised about all the negative reviews. Its not the best book Ive read, but I can think of SO many others that were truly bad, horrible, make you cringe they are so bad. Im not sure what everyone was expecting, from the reviews you woulf think a documentary. The title is Under the Boardwalk, that is self explanitory for fun beach read, not serous make you think tank kind of book.
Ok, Ari. She is a woman who thought she knew herself. She does not agree with her family of cons, thinks she is making the right choices by leaving and starting a new life. She is not over he insecurites, but thinks she is. When her sister turns up missing, she comes home to find out she is even more confused than when she left and now has to find herself. She was worried about her sister, but life still goes on, you know. It that twin bond thing. She knew that if something had happened to her sister, she would feel it. She felt for certain that she was alive, she felt it. So, there is that.
Quinn was ok. Nothing really stands out about him. He an alpha male, pretty good guy for the most part.
Honeslty, her family that no one likes is one of my favorite parts. They are funny and there are so many off the wall moments. They love their daughter, no matter that she does nto agree with how they live. No family is perfect and while they do scam, the border it on the line of legal. They love their daughter. So, I did not agree with her leaving and not talking ot them really for 5 years. Immature. But that is part of her growing.
No this book is not as good as some of the others, it was still ok. It was light and fluffy, good for a relaxing read. It was plenty entertaining, a smooth flowing story that had humerous quarks all over. Slight mystery too.
So, no it is not a searous book. It is a fun light read and I would still reccomend it reguardless of the other reviews. But then I dont usually care what other people think and I want my own opinion.
This book does not stink, it wont win any awards, but it will keep you entertined.

What I hated most about this book is that the heroine beats herself up for distancing herself from a family of con artists. I think she did the right thing -- who wants to associate with people you can't trust, even if they are family? Really, she goes on and on and on about this throughout the book, and it got really old. Also, how does a psychology professor manage to be so emotionally immature? There is also the problem of the heroine's "two sides" -- one the uptight professor, the other, a flirty waitress. Which one is she? She spends so much time whining that at this point I didn't care.