First Time in Forever (Puffin Island, 1) Mass Market Paperback – February 24, 2015

I really loved Sarah Morgan’s previous romance-trilogy, so I was excited when I read that she would be releasing another trilogy this year. And it would be set on an island!! Small-town romance is my favorite kind of romance, and I love a story that is situated on an island because it makes the community-vibe stronger.So how did this one go?Well, I was absolutely LOVING it as well!!In the beginning, I didn’t know whether I could warm up to Emily. Emily discovered that she has become a guardian for her 6-year-old niece and she didn’t know if she could handle the responsibility. She didn’t know if she could provide the love and emotional attachment that the kid needed – her ex-boyfriend accused her of being cold and unfeeling. Worse, she came to Puffin Island in order to protect Lizzy from intrusive paparazzo, but she is terrified of sea! So Emily in that first few chapters for me felt a little bit of a mess. Which is weird, because I would be seriously freaked out if I was in her position too!! I can’t see myself taking care of a child – I definitely don’t have that ‘motherly’ vibe. So maybe I was projecting myself in Emily, and I knew it would be hard for one to warm up to me as well.But as the story went along, I became very proud of Emily. Despite the fact that she kept saying that she didn’t know what to do with Lizzy, it was clear that she wanted her niece to be safe and sound. Emily could be a tiger in protecting Lizzy and she was willing to overcome her fear to make sure that Lizzy got the best childhood experience. That made me admire her so much!!There was a reason why Emily became as distant as she was – and I was glad that her secret was revealed in the middle of the book. One thing I dislike from romance is when the hero or heroine keeps a secret that drags along until almost the final chapter. It didn’t happen here which made me very happy. Instead, the reveal helped Emily to move forward and to heal and to embrace being Lizzy’s one and only family. There was one very significant moment between Emily and Lizzy that made me all teary eyed – right there on a public train (that I use for commuting to work).Now, Ryan, gosh I loved him too! What can I say, when a hero is being sweet to kids and very good with them, I just melt. Ryan was really great with Lizzy (and Emily too!); despite him refusing to be in a committed relationship because he said that he wanted his freedom, it was clear that family kept him grounded. So I loved that he finally recognized his shortcomings.All in all, this was a VERY GREAT start of a series. I loved the feel of the tight-knit community and the secondary characters that rounded up the town. I seriously can’t WAIT to read about Brittany and her ex-husband, Zach, in the second book. I mean, second-chance romance, people!! That is like, my kryptonite!

For The First Time In Forever is the first in the new Puffin Island series from author Sarah Morgan and kicks of the series with a heart warming and emotional start. I loved everything about it from the small town feel to the main characters’s histories and what leads them to cross paths at this moment in their lives.Raising a child and living on a small town island. Two things Emily Donovon never would have pictured for herself. Yet, here she was, on Puffin Island now raising her six-year-old niece….and not really adjusting well. Her adjustment could be because she was trying to keep her semi-famous niece out of the spotlight while simultaneously trying to avoid a panic attack with every glance at the ocean thanks to a traumatic event from her childhood. Yeah, because avoiding ocean views while living on an island was easy to do. But this island had been a place of solace though her younger years and there was no better place to rebuild and restart than here. An added distraction she didn’t need was one like Ryan Cooper. Handsome, charming good with kids, smart, kind…and not on the menu. She had sworn off men the minute she broke up with her serious boyfriend a month ago and it was solidified when took on parenthood. That would prove to be easier said than done when Ryan is there every time she turns around, willing to lend her a helping hand and a shoulder to lean on…Ryan Cooper can spot a woman with baggage a mile away. He had plenty of his own to know that look. He saw it every day when he looked in the mirror. He had promised his childhood friend that he would help her friend and the new guest on Puffin Island, and, because he wouldn’t dare say no to his friend, he was doing just that. It should have been a whole lot easier than it was turning out to be. He swore off having kids of his own years ago, and in turn dating a woman with children. He had been down the child rearing route before and now he just wants his freedom to come and go as he pleases. Unfortunately, every time he looked at Emily, those reasons flew out the window like an island summer breeze. This favor would soon turn from a favor for a friend into a possibly life changing relationship….Each suffering from a less than picture perfect childhood and plenty of emotional damage, Ryan and Emily couldn’t have been more perfect for one another. Of course, it will take a whole lot longer for them to realize it. Will they give love and new beginning a chance to blossom on Puffin Island?This book was just so wonderful and well-rounded. There was a bit of mystery to both Emily and Ryan that lingered on and made me curious. There was sexual attraction and heat between them that made me swoon. There was a soft side to Ryan that made me melt. There was a vulnerable side to Emily that made my heart ache. There was a sense of community with the secondary characters that made me appreciate each and every one of them. I loved that I was able to feel so many different feelings and emotions as I dove into this story. I truly felt as though I was a visitor on Puffin Island, enjoying visits with friends. The best part, however, were the interactions between Ryan and Emily and their relationship as it builds. Neither one wants it, but neither one can deny the pull they feel. The heat builds at a delicious pace with quiet moments and stolen kisses and before they realize it, into something much more potent. I don’t blame Emily…there ’s no way any woman could stay away from someone like Ryan! Talk about the whole package…yum. Together they make a well-balanced couple and even with a few stumbles along the way, manage to make it work in the end.If you’re looking for an afternoon escape with a really good book, this should be on your list. I know I enjoyed my stay on Puffin Island and am looking forward to a return trip in the future! Thank you, Ms. Morgan, for a fabulous read!

Even though this is the first book in this series it was the third book that I read. That said that I was able to keep them together and still enjoy each book/friend on their own way. Here is Emily, friend to Brittany, who owns a cottage on an island off of Maine. She comes to hide and connect to a niece who lost her mother. Ryan is a close friend to Brittany and has been asked to watch over the two people. The chemistry is off the charts. Both have pasta that make them who they are today. His will become more able to help her. She will have to heal old hurts to be able for her niece. Will the two of them learn that together life will become brighter?

I'm torn about this novel: I loved the premise but the execution missed the mark.I loved the premise of this story (others have laid out the plot so I won't) but this book was just too repetitive and a good editor could have shortened it by 30% and made it a wonderful story instead of just a so-so read. Both characters had good reasons for being the way they were but there was so much internal thinking (and often entire paragraphs that were repetition of thoughts they had had in previous pages) that it slowed everything down; the plot, the emotional development between H/h, and the emotional impact on the reader. At the 40% mark I started doing some very serious skimming. In all I wouldn't recommend this one but maybe the next one will be a bit shorter and less repetitive so I might give it a try.

This is the story of Emily, who has recently been given custody of her niece, and Alec, an island businessman. Emily and Alec are given interesting back stories as Emily is a recently laid-off management consultant related to a famous film star, and Alec is an injured former war correspondent who helped to bring up his siblings when their parents died. These back stories only feature lightly, however, as the emphasis is very much on Emily adapting to bringing up the child she barely knew and Alex assimilating his past so that he can face handling other people's children again.Sarah Morgan fans will be familiar with her 'Glenmore Island' series of M&B medical romances set on a Scottish island (Summer Kisses and Summer Fling, published previously as four books: The Rebel Doctor's Bride, Dare she Date the Dreamy Doc, A Bride for Glenmore and Single Father, Wife Needed). In First Time Forever, we're back in similar territory on a US island, Puffin Island. There are similar issues to do with the benefits or otherwise of small communities, and the impact that the isolation can have on medical emergencies.There's no doubt that Sarah Morgan is a superior writer of detailed romances. Her breakthrough trilogy, Sleighbells in the Snow, Suddenly Last Summer, and Maybe this Christmas featured heroes with very contemporary attitudes, personalities and dilemmas with sizzling romance that might knock Nora Roberts off her perch. First Time in Forever is more family-focussed, with, in my opinion, a bit less of the emotional whack that was so impressive in the Christmas trilogy. Three-and-a-half stars.

Emily Donovan's life changed in an instant, one minute she was living her own life responsible only for herself but then overnight she finds herself the guardian of her young niece Lizzy following the death of her famous half-sister Lana. The added complication being that she's never met Lizzy before as she and Lana were estranged, and the media are out to track Lizzy's whereabouts, so when best friend Brittany suggested that they escape to her remote cottage on Puffin Island it seemed like the perfect solution except for one minor detail...Add into the mix Ryan Cooper who has been leading the 'love em and leave em' lifestyle in recent years but when he meets Emily there's a connection that he cannot deny so will he follow his head or his heart? As an older reader I'm not really one that picks 'Book Boyfriends' but I do have to admit that Sarah certainly creates the perfect leading men that if I was 10 years younger, alright maybe a bit more, I would love to meet and Ryan would definitely be top of the pile. I loved how protective he was of young Lizzy, especially since his own past had made him extremely reluctant to have a family of his own, and as for the chemistry between him and Emily...The setting of Puffin Island sound magical as Sarah's descriptive writing really paints a beautiful picture, I found myself imagining what it must be like to live there exploring the island and it's rugged coastline. I also loved the whole community feel of the islanders and how welcoming they were to these outsiders and how protective they were when the need arose. I really want to escape my own life and go live there!It was so refreshing too that Sarah has created two characters in Emily and Ryan who were not perfect, both had childhoods that had affected them deeply and influenced the way that they had lived their lives until now, so you couldn't help but fall in love with them and find yourself rooting for them to find the happiness they both deserved.A truly magical start to the Puffin Island trilogy, I cannot wait until the Summer to be able to read Brittany and Zach's story in Some Kind of Wonderful.

The first in the long awaited Puffin Island trilogy, Emily is a career woman thrown into the deep end when her sister accidentally dies and leaves her young daughter in Emily's care. Fleeing from the paparazzi, Emily moves temporarily to Puffin Island where she and her two best friends spent many happy summers. Only Emily hates the sea and Puffin is an island!Brittany, owner of Castaway Cottage where Emily seeks refuge, asked Ryan an old friend to keep an eye on Emily whilst she is away on an archaeological dig in Greece . However, Ryan's idea of keeping an eye turns out to be far more than he (or Brittany!) bargained on.A fabulously delightful book by my favourite author. The Puffin Island series has so much promise and follows in the footsteps of the brilliant Snow Crystal trilogy.Sarah is such a wonderful writer - her characters comes alive with her excellent use of dialogue which supports the story in her very skilful way.Highly recommended! A brilliant read.

I discovered Sarah Morgan through her Snow Crystal trilogy and was delighted to receive this as an ARC in exchange for an honest review. I was sure I would not be disappointed and I was right!The story is about Emily, Ryan and Lizzy and how Emily and Ryan overcome their demons. Emily has her 6yr old niece Lizzy thrust upon her following her famous half sister's death and takes her to Puffin island off the coast of Maine to hide from reporters. There she meets Ryan and the attraction is instant. But, because of dreadful incidents in their childhoods, they find it difficult to form a relationship, particularly Emily. The book is all about their dilemma and Lizzy's innocent interference. It is also about the wonderful residents of the island and their amazing support for each other. I laughed, I cried and I got very frustrated! Not with the book, but the characters! Was very sorry when it ended, but it was a real feel good ending and made me very happy 😊. At the end of the book is short excerpt from the next Puffin Island book and I, for one, can't wait to get back to the island and follow the story of Zachary and Brittany!

Wow! There's throw-away Chick Lit and then there's the great quality stuff, which makes you take notice of the author and hunt out more of the same. The depth and back-story Sarah Morgan has given to the characters and the electricity between Ryan and Emily had me gripped and frankly, feeling hot...This is the first Sarah Morgan book I've read and I'm so pleased I have others to enjoy. I'm ordering the next as I write!Emily is suddenly thrust into a world of parenthood in a location she desperately wants to leave and doesn't know where to start with this unwanted new life. Ryan is so attracted to Emily but for his own reasons, doesn't want to attach himself to a family. Their chemistry, their clear liking and respect for each other and their shared concern for Lizzy takes us on a wonderful escape as fears crash and burn in the face of such an inevitable surrender.How Sarah creates such a sizzling dynamic on the page is sheer genius - though beware; it does make you want your very own Ryan.I can't recommend this book and author enough. You won't regret it!