He's playing the long game for her heart, but can she trust a player with a past?
Globetrotting travel writer Sophie Newport has built her life around freedom-no ties, no commitments, and certainly no one to hold her back. But when her grandparents' ailing health forces her back to Ireland, she finds herself not only running their beloved pub but also confronting the ghosts of a past she thought she'd left behind. And then there's Declan O'Shaughnessy, the childhood nemesis who's transformed into the kind of man she never saw coming.Once the bane of her childhood, Declan is a force of nature-on the rugby field and off. He's the single most attractive man Sophie has ever laid eyes on, and his effortless charm could sweep anyone off their feet. But it's not his good looks or charisma that draws Sophie in. Beneath his brash cockiness, Declan is kind-hearted, generous, and unexpectedly sweet-a combination that disarms her at every turn.
Sophie's determined to keep her distance, but Declan is relentless, his bold confidence hiding a vulnerability that calls to something deep within her. He's willing to fight for her, to show her that love doesn't have to mean losing herself. As their chemistry heats up, so do the stakes. Will Sophie keep running from the past, or will she finally take a chance on a future with the one man who's always been her match?