He puts the Bad in bad boy.

She puts the Sweet in sweetheart.

When a hired gun burns out from the life he’s been living, he returns to the small country town where rumors run rampant and everyone goes to church on Sunday.

With sins and secrets trailing Jason Koster home, he is searching for redemption in hopes of living a life less complicated. He didn’t expect to find the only girl he ever loved now a recently single woman running her family farm.

Delilah Noelle never needed much, but she wanted Jason Koster—one time love of her life. When misunderstandings tear the former beauty queen and quarterback apart, can a second chance heal their broken hearts?

Will the years and circumstances that have passed be too much to bridge the distance to a future together?

Solace is a heartwarming small town romance with plenty of action and swoons that will have this hometown hero vying for the affections of his high school sweetheart.

I used to think she couldn’t resist me, but she had no problem earlier this week. I’ve got a few tricks up my sleeve when it comes to Ms. Noelle. Let’s see if she still can. “I’ll be right back.”

“What?” my mom asks, watching me get out of the car. “Where are you going? The light’s going to turn green any second.”

I keep walking.

She sees me. Even though her pretty eyes are hidden behind big sunglasses, I can figure they’re probably damn wide right now. Reaching for the truck door lock, her finger pushes it down just as I arrive. She can kid herself like that. She knows deep down that I’ll never hurt her, but I might pressure her into giving me a little of her time.

Standing on the other side of her door, I knock. Delilah finally looks up and points at the light. It’s green. I shrug. I make the lame twist of the wrist roll down your window motion with my hand because I have a feeling she might not understand if I pretend to push a button to roll it down.

“Get back in your car, Jason,” she says through the glass.

“No. Roll down your window.” To sugarcoat it, I add, “Please.”

“Why?”

“What do you mean why? I want to talk to you and I don’t want shout through the glass.”

Huffing, the glass slides down slowly. “What is it?” She keeps her hands on the steering wheel and her grip seems to tighten just a bit.

She glances my way, so I say, “I want to see you.”

“You’re seeing me, Jason, so if that’s all there is, I’ll be going no—”

The glass starts to roll up, but I clamp my palm over it. She releases the button and looks up at me. “I don’t know what happened the other day, what turned your mood so quickly, but I’d like another chance for us to talk this time.”

“It’s not a good idea.”

“It’s a great idea, actually. All you have to say is yes.”

“No.”

My smile tilts into a smirk. “You haven’t changed much.”

“Then you haven’t been paying attention.”

SOLACE by S.L. Scott
Rosa's rating: 5 of 5 iScream Cones

"I did more than break my heart. I broke yours, and that's harder to live with."

I met Jason in the author's Kingwood series. I knew he was running from something, but I didn't know what. I knew he had a heart, even though he didn't show it often. I also knew he liked Oreos. Everything else was a mystery that I couldn't wait to solve. Solace couldn't come soon enough for me, I was chomping at the bit to spend some more time with Jason. And let me tell you, now that I have, I admit he surprised me. I wasn't expecting a #HometownHero. I thought he must have started out as a bad boy, but apparently, it was a broken heart that turned him into one...

Delilah might be sweet, but she's sassy too. Unfortunately, her fire was put out when she lost the love of her life. And she had nobody to blame but herself for the heartache that followed. Well, at least not all of it. She had a little help. It's been a rough three years, but she survived. "Strength is found in the ashes of the fire." She thought that the most she had to look forward to was a life of solitude, she never expected him to walk back into her life. But he did. And he was all grown up, hard in the all the right places, and harder in others. The last three years had not been kind to him either. She could tell when his mind took him to dark places that he refused to share with her.

When Jason hopped on his Harley and hit the road, he seemed to end up back home without having actually made the decision to go there. They say that home is where the heart is. And since that's where he left his heart, that must be true. His mother and his high school sweetheart were there. Maybe he would just stay a while. Visit his mother, fix what was broken, and then move on. He was a good handyman. He was able to repair his mother's house but fixing his broken heart was another problem all by itself. It was a job too big for him. Only one person could help him with that...Delilah. Too bad she sent him away when he showed up at her farm.

Solace is exactly what I got from this beautiful story. As I spent time inside the head and heart of Jason & Delilah, mine broke with theirs. I yearned for them to find each other again and right the wrongs of their past. I hoped for answers to the questions. I wanted the misunderstandings to brought into the light and the truth to be told. I wanted Jason to find peace and acceptance, especially in his own mind. Of course, he didn't believe he deserved it, thinking to himself, "I didn't believe that a sinner like myself deserved solace from the wrongs committed."

If you haven't read the Kingwood Duet, I highly recommend it. It isn't necessary to enjoy this standalone story, but it does give you a little bit deeper understanding of Jason's career and the actions that make him feel like such a sinner, undeserving of Delilah's sweetness.

I really enjoyed meeting Billy, a friend to both Jason and Delilah. I'd really like to spend some more time with him and I hope the author decides to write his story. If so, the line forms here...

Living in the capital of Texas with her family, Scott loves traveling and avocados, beaches, and cooking with her kids. She's obsessed with epic romances and loves a good plot twist. Her favorite color is blue, but she likens it more toward the sky than the emotion. Her home is filled with the welcoming symbol of the pineapple and finds surfing a challenge though she likes to think she's a pro.

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