A review by geekygraceelyse
Here With Me by Samantha Young

medium-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? A mix
  • Strong character development? It's complicated
  • Loveable characters? It's complicated
  • Diverse cast of characters? No
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated

3.0

I received an ARC of this book in exchange for an honest review. 

'So what’s worse? he wondered, agonized. Throwing her away before they could build a life together? Or risking the chance of building that life only to lose it? Was a limited amount of time with the woman he loved better than no time at all?'
 
 
Here With Me is the captivating first book in Samantha Young’s new Adair Family Series.
 
Settled in the tranquil remoteness of the Scottish Highlands, Ardnoch Estate caters to the rich and famous. It is as unattainable and as mysterious as its owner —ex-Hollywood leading man Lachlan Adair—and it's poised on the edge of a dark scandal.
 
After narrowly escaping death, police officer Robyn Penhaligon leaves behind her life in Boston in search of some answers. Starting with Mac Galbraith, the Scottish father who abandoned her to pursue his career in private security. To re-connect with Mac, Robyn will finally meet a man she’s long resented. Lachlan Adair. Hostility instantly brews between Robyn and Lachlan. She thinks the head of the Adair family is high-handed and self-important. And finding closure with Mac is proving more difficult than she ever imagined. Robyn would sooner leave Ardnoch, but when she discovers Mac is embroiled in a threat against the Adairs and the exclusive members of the estate, she finds she’s not yet ready to give up on her father.
 
Determined to ensure Mac’s safety, Robyn investigates the disturbing crimes at Ardnoch, forcing her and Lachlan to spend time together. Soon it becomes clear a searing attraction exists beneath their animosity, and temptation leads them down a perilous path.
While they discover they are connected by something far more addictive than passion, Lachlan cannot let go of his grip on a painful past: a past that will destroy his future … if the insidious presence of an enemy lurking in the shadows of Ardnoch doesn’t do the job first. 
 
“Oh, give me a break, Adair. I’m investigating a stalker, not compiling gossip to sell to a tabloid.” 
“That doesn’t mean I trust you.”
 “Considering you’re the most uptight, mistrustful son of a bitch I’ve ever encountered, I’m not going to take that personally. But Mac trusts me, so you’re going to have to unshrivel your balls and share.”
 He spluttered comically. “Unshrivel my what?”
 
I was so happy when I found out Samantha Young was working on a new series and was so excited to meet the Adair family. Here With Me was a great novel packed with charming characters and just the right amount of suspense to keep things interesting.
 
I loved getting to see Robyn reconnect with her father and watch their relationship grow throughout the novel.
 
“I can’t undo the damage I’ve done, as much as I wish I could. You have no idea how much I wish I could. My only excuse is that I truly believed you were better off without me. And I’m so sorry for how wrong I was.”
I didn’t think I had any tears left, but they slipped down my cheeks now. “I want to move on. I do. I just don’t know how to let go of the past.”
“Then read the letters. If, after that, you can’t, I won’t hold it against you, Robyn. No matter what you decide to do, I will love you. I will always love you, wee birdie.”
 
Robyn and Lachlan’s relationship had a great progression from rivals to lovers and was full with chemistry, I loved the tense antagonistic moments between the two of them and how they made the sweet moments that much sweeter.
 
“I didn’t even like you… You were everything I thought I didn’t want or need, no matter how physically attracted to you I was. But I came to see something in you… I saw how much you cared. About your family, about Mac, about Lucy and Eredine, and the people who work for you. I saw the weight of responsibility you carry on your shoulders, responsibility men like you don’t need to feel.”
 
I loved getting to see Lachlan interact with his siblings and I’m really excited for the second book to release and spend more time with the Adair family.
 
I know this review has been quite brief but unfortunately, I’ve been quite sick recently & this is all I’ve been able to write, but I did really enjoy Here With Me and recommend you check it out.
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