Discovering Delilah is the second book in the Harborside Nights series by Melissa Foster. These are standalone new adult books that do not need to be read in order, though for full enjoyment I would recommend it if possible. I absolutely loved the first book in this series, and I couldn't wait to get to know Wyatt's sister Delilah better. I will tell you upfront that this book won't be for everyone. Though Catching Cassidy (book #1) is a male/female book, Discovering Delilah is a female/female book. This series is very diverse and there will be male/male stories as well. If this is something that you are not interested in reading, you do not have to read those books to understand the series. I love that Melissa Foster has chosen to write all of their stories though, and I think it shows what a talented author she is.
After losing her parents, Delilah Armstrong was ready to finally embrace who she was. She figured coming out to her friends would be easy with the support of her brother Wyatt. But her parent's beliefs against her lifestyle left her with insecurities and trust issues. Delilah has been attracted to her best friend Ashley Carver since the day she met her, but is still afraid to say anything. Ashley feels the same way about Delilah, but neither of them know where the other stands or if they are straight or gay. When Delilah and Ashley finally figure out that the feelings between them are mutual though, they will have more to face than just taking their friendship to the next level. Ashley vowed to never date someone who wasn't out after her last relationship ended badly, and Delilah isn't as ready as she thought she was to embrace who she really is. Can Ashley and Delilah figure things out together?
I liked both Ashley and Delilah. I thought that their friendship was so easy and natural, and having seen them in the first book of the series is was clear that they just connected. These two were into a lot of the same things, and that made it really easy for them to get to know one another. It was easy to see how much they cared about each other, and I was glad that they were able to take things to the next level. I thought that these two needed to talk more though, and a lot of their issues seemed to be because they didn't share much with the other. That didn't really make sense to me though, as they had such a strong friendship and seemed to be able to talk about anything. I wish I had seen more of a connection between them as the book progressed, but the drama and insecurities sort of got in the way of that.
My biggest issue with this book was the fact that I felt like the romance and relationship between them sort of took a backseat to Delilah and her issues. Though this book was told from both her and Ashley's POVs, it seemed to really center around Delilah. Because of that this one really felt like more of a coming of age type of story rather than a romance, as we watched Delilah learn who she was and embrace the person that she was becoming. I would have liked to have seen more of Delilah and Ashley together, rather than just Delilah's journey with a side of romance. Though I do read male/male books from time to time, I don't typically read female/female books. They usually aren't something that appeals to me, but being a part of this series I wanted to read the whole thing. I thought that Melissa Foster did a great job of writing these characters and taking on this genre. She handled a tough subject for some, and I thought that she wrote the scenes between Delilah and Ashley very well. I was surprised how much I enjoyed them together and I think that is part of why I felt like this one could have actually used more of them together. I wasn't expecting to enjoy seeing that side of them since I am not gay and that isn't really my thing, but Melissa Foster wrote it in such a way that it was just love and romance rather than about their gender. So even though this wasn't my favorite of Melissa's, I am still excited to get more of all the characters in this series. I am really looking forward to Tristan's story next, and I cannot wait to read more from Melissa Foster in the future.
**ARC Provided by Tasty Book Tours**
Thank you so much for giving it a try, even though it wasn't one of your favorites. I hope you have a great week filled with more books XOXO
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