Series Review: Port Lucia by Renita Pizzitola

Fresh Fridays: On Friday, I review a brand new series (ie. only has one book released so far) to see if the series is worth keeping up with. Here is this week’s offering:

Port Lucia Series

Synopsis for Addicted to You (from Goodreads):
In the sleepy fishing town of Port Lucia, everyone knows everyone, but Isla Diaz really knows Colby Callahan, with his blue-gray eyes and the tousled brown hair always tucked sexily into his cap. After all, Isla has been crazy about Colby ever since she can remember—even if he treats her like a kid sister. Now, without her best friend, Felicity, around, Isla spots a golden opportunity to take things to the next level . . . or at least wrangle a kiss out of Colby.

By random chance, a tropical storm is headed toward the coast, leaving them stranded together overnight—and there’s nothing to do but drink. As the evening wears on, Isla gets the feeling that her not-so-secret crush may finally release her from the friend zone. With her dreams finally coming true, Isla isn’t about to pump the brakes, but is this just a one-time thing? What if the next morning, she needs more than Colby’s prepared to give?

Little does she know, Colby would like nothing more than a real relationship with Isla. She’s always been the one. But there’s a very good reason he’s been keeping his distance. Someone else loves her too, someone who also means the world to Colby: his brother.

Series: Port Lucia

This series intersects with the 3rd novel of the Crush Series.

Author: Renita Pizzitola
# of Books: 1+ (Full Reading Order Here)
Book Order: Connected
Complete?: No, Book 2 is to be published
Genre: New Adult, Contemporary, Romance
Heat Rating: warm
Point of View: First Person, Single
Publication Date: November 1, 2016 – ??
Source & Format: Netgalley–eARC

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**This post was originally published as a Fresh Friday review of the first book of the series. It has now been updated to reflect my conclusion to DNF this series. It will not be further updated.**

Why I Picked it Up / My Expectations:

I really enjoyed Renita’s Crush Trilogy. Cade from Just a Little Flirt is on my list of Ultimate Book Boyfriends so I think it goes without saying, I like Renita’s works.

So I was really excited to start her new series! It wasn’t until I started reading it and they mentioned characters from Just a Little Kiss that I remembered we briefly meet the stars of this new series in the old one. I remember being eager to see what was going to happen next thanks to the little tidbits we got. And when I read the synopsis, even with the promise of a love triangle, I was excited to get started!

What I Liked:

–This is a Spin-Off!–

I’m embarrassed that it took me a chapter or two to realized this was a spin-off. We got a little taste of Isla and the Callahan boys in Just a Little Kiss so I’m always up getting those new stories just waiting to be told.

What I Didn’t Like:

–The Love Triangle (And for the reason you think!)–

For the first 50% of the book, I wouldn’t have known there was a love triangle if the synopsis hadn’t told me. I even contemplated excluding that portion of the synopsis from this blog post because it is a huge spoiler! (In my opinion).

You really don’t know where Colby’s stance is and his feelings for Isla (we don’t get his POV at all). His reservations aren’t really mentioned until you are past the 50% mark and to me, that’s not where something mentioned in the synopsis should be. It should be in the first 20% of the novel.

–Not a Lot Happening–

There was no drama besides Isla fretting over their hook-up (and rightfully so) and Colby going from hot-to-cold without “knowing” why (but you do as the reader because of the synopsis giving it away!). So that made for a boring read for a good majority of the book. I wanted something to focus on besides their “love-triangle” that had yet to be introduced and that wasn’t happening.

–Lack of Colby’s POV–

I think this would have been a much more enjoyable if we got Colby’s POV. Insight into his thought-process would have added a depth to this story that was seriously lacking. He really doesn’t get elaborated on besides Isla’s commentary about how amazing he is. I wanted to see for myself how amazing he was and I didn’t feel like I got that.

I also think it would have pushed the love triangle aspect of this novel to the forefront early in the story.

My Expectations for the Rest of the Series:

I feel like Addicted to You was just a missed execution on the love triangle trope. I know Renita can write solid NA reads, so I’m looking forward to seeing what she has in store for these Callahan boys.

–October 8, 2019– Book #2: Untitled

As it has been a few years since the inaugural book release and there are currently no updates on when the sequel will be released, I have opted to mark this series as incomplete and pass on future sequels.