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Review: Sweet Beginnings (Indigo Bay Sweet Romance Series Book 8) by Melissa McClone

A little hope changes everything...

Artist Hope Ryan dreams of seeing her artwork displayed in top galleries again, but a devastating betrayal left her unable to paint as she once did. Instead, she settles for creating unique items for tourists and wedding couples in her hometown. Although Hope longs for more, she refuses to venture outside her comfort zone, fearing the heartbreak and disappointment of failing again.

Highly paid sportscaster Josh Cooper never overcame his bitterness after an injury on the football field sidelined him for good. Finding his solace in alcohol and women only made matters worse until he finally hit rock bottom. Now, he’s looking for redemption. When he’s asked to fly a wedding gown across the country for one of the victims of his wrongs, he doesn't hesitate.

Arriving in Indigo Bay, Josh finds himself captivated by the artist creating the wedding favors. He knows exactly what he wants—Hope—even though she deserves someone better. Can Josh prove he’s more than a broken has-been? Or will he not only lose Hope but also lose himself?



My Review:

A nice clean romance between a struggling artist and an alcoholic football commentator who are brought together by an impending wedding. 

Josh Cooper, a well-known sports commentator, was on leave of absence while he went through rehab for his drinking problem, when he offered to fly his friend Jenny’s wedding dress and some other things to South Carolina for her wedding.  Little did Josh, know this trip would change his life.  In the past, he was known for dating lots of women and leaving them heartbroken.  When he met Hope Ryan, who works at Indigo Bay Cottages Resort, he knew she was the one he wanted to spend his life with.  But he had one thing standing in his way, his recovery wasn’t done.  He needed to go through 12 months of not drinking or dating. 

Hope left her life and art career behind in New York City when her marriage failed.  Now she lives with her brother and spends her time painting souvenirs and wedding favors.  She had no desire to touch the canvases again.  She only knew Josh a few days when his time in Indigo Bay came to an end and he had to return to Washington. Hope knew she had to let Josh go even though she had already fallen in love with him.  But from her sadness, a miracle took place, she started painting again.  And this painting just might have the ability to bring Hope and Josh back together again.     

This book touched me in so many ways.  For starters, I always like a starting over story and both characters are starting their lives over.  But I have never read a book that had a hero who was an alcoholic.  It really amped this story up a notch for me and made it very believable.  Even though this is part of a series, you can totally read it as a stand-alone.  The other characters mentioned don’t take away from this story at all and just add more depth to it.    

Review: Love at the Beach Shop (Paradise Key Book 2) by Kyra Jacobs

The last thing Jenna Davis wants right now is more drama. Still reeling from the untimely loss of one of her four closest friends, she intends to bury herself in work and forget the hurt. But when her other friends announce they're planning an extended stay on the island, Jenna needs to come up with a plan–and fast–to cover up the little white lie she's been telling them.

Zach Taylor is dealing with a mess of his own. A sinkhole in front of his shop is keeping customers away and putting his livelihood in jeopardy. So when his best friend’s older sister—the one he’s been secretly crushing on since the day they met—offers to loan Zach some shop space if he’ll do her favor, he’s all ears. The request? Pretend to be her boyfriend until her friends head back home.

The stage is set, the charade about to begin. Can these two long time friends keep things purely platonic while they fool the others? Or will Zach and Jenna stop fooling themselves and finally let love in?


My Review:

A fun lighthearted romance.

Jenna Davis has found herself in a predicament.  She told her friends she had a boyfriend and now they want to meet him.  So, Jenna asks her brother’s best friend, Zach Taylor, to be her stand-in boyfriend until her friends leave Paradise Key.  Since Zach is currently not able to do business at his shop or live in his apartment because of a sink hole and sewer line break, Jenna offers him her guest room and use of part of her store in return for him pretending to be her boyfriend.  Zach has had a crush on Jenna for a long time so it won’t be hard for him to play the part.  But once he starts, he decides to use the situation to try to convince Jenna that they should be together. 

I enjoyed everything about this book.  A friends to lovers story is always fun, but add in a lie that brings the couple together, and that makes it even more fun.  I liked the author’s writing style and all of the characters in the book; Jenna’s best friends and family and even Zach’s mischievous kitten named Flipper.  I look forward to reading the rest of the books in the Paradise Keys series and learning more about Jenna’s friends.    

Review: Summer Love: Take Two (Paradise Key Book 1) by Shirley Jump

Lauren Webster has always thought the town of Paradise Key could use a little shaking up. A partner in a marketing firm, Lauren decides to turn her trip to Paradise Key into an opportunity to work with the Tourism Bureau and create a splashy media campaign. Lauren isn’t interested in love—she’s all business from the second she arrives... until the summer love she never forgot leads the fight against her cosmopolitan changes, and Lauren begins to question the life she thought she wanted and the life she left behind.

When Carter Malone's father has a heart attack, he runs back home to take care of his family. He revels in the small town life, so when he hears Lauren's plans for commercializing Paradise Key, he steps up as her most vocal opponent. However, he can't forget the summer they shared and everything unspoken between them.

If Lauren falls for Carter, she risks losing everything she's worked for. Will this second chance at love be doomed before it has a chance to rekindle?

My Review:

Lauren Webster always played by the rules.  She was a good girl, raised from an early age to take over her father’s marketing firm.  But, one summer when she spent time on Paradise Key, she rebelled.  And she rebelled in a bad way.  She even fell in love with Carter Malone.  Lauren and Carter both had different plans for their futures and when summer came to an end, they broke up.  But they never forgot each other.

After Lauren’s good friend, Lily, passes away, she returns to Paradise Key, but she also has another plan.  She wants to try to get Paradise Key’s tourism bureau to agree to a new marketing plan to bring more business to the little island.  Lauren needs to land this account to prove to her father that she is serious about her job after she loses a big account and disappoints her father. 

Carter was surprised when he ran into Lauren and learned of her plan for the island.  Everyone knew they needed to make more money to restore parts of the island and increased tourism was the way to do it, but they were afraid of losing their small town atmosphere that the residents have come to love.  Lauren and Carter butt heads about Lauren’s marketing plan, but when they let their guard down for a little fun, the old romantic feelings start to return.  That’s when this book gets really interesting.

This was a fun book to read and easy to visualize.  I loved everything about it.  The author did a fantastic job writing the characters and keeping their story interesting. 

My favorite quote:

It was almost laughable how the two of them were trying so hard to keep their distances, to pretend they weren’t interested, that nothing existed between them. 

 

Review: Whiskey River Rockstar (Whiskey River series Book 3) by Justine Davis

Zee Mahan had always known the boy she loved would leave one day–Whiskey River was too small to hold the talent and charisma of Jamie Templeton forever. She just didn't realize that when he left, it would break her hometown heart.

Jamie had never lied to Zee about his plans, and when he'd left for the bright lights—and made it big—he'd thought she understood. She'd loved him and his music and had encouraged him to chase his dream. Sure, he could have gone home for a visit, but when his band caught fire, he was afraid to interrupt their momentum.

When the crazy world he was living in turned on him, Jamie walked away---back to the only place he could think of to go....home. But was it too late to find forgiveness and rekindle the fire with the only woman he’d ever loved?

My Review: 

An emotional roller coaster of a story.

Jamie Templeton was Whisky River’s very own celebrity, a local boy who turned into one of the country’s biggest rock stars.  After the death on one of his band mates, he decided he wanted to return home to lay low for a while.  He knew his old friends would be there to welcome him with open arms.  But there was one person that he knew might not be as open as the rest, his old girlfriend, Zee Mahon.  He knew how upset she was when he left town to follow his dreams seven years ago.  

Zee was still in love with Jamie even though he broke her heart all those years ago.  The thought of having him back in town was unsettling, but she would still be there for him even if it still hurt.  They had been through so much in the past.  Helping him now was the least she could do.  

Working together fixing up Jamie’s aunt’s house brought back so many memories for them both.  Those memories were so strong that they ended up finding themselves wanting to pick up where they left off.  But Jamie has been keeping a secret that he hasn’t told anyone.  Will it destroy what they have built once again when he lets it come out?

This was a book that I couldn’t wait to read and it didn’t disappoint.  I could just feel the passion through the author’s words.  I loved both characters.  They were flawed and felt real.  The emotional story made me happy and sad over and over again.  It was a great read all the way to the end.  I also enjoyed catching up with characters from the previous Whisky River books. 

Review: On the Road to Love: a Love in the City romantic comedy by Melissa Baldwin

From bestselling romantic comedy author Melissa Baldwin comes the road trip of a lifetime!

Successful Manhattan accountant Stacy Brown is shocked when her almost perfect life unexpectedly crumbles around her. Blindsided by her husband when he serves her with divorce papers and tossed aside by the women she considered her best friends, devastation and depression hit her hard. But when her mother sends her an old photograph of her and two childhood friends, Candace and Olivia, it fuels a desire in Stacy to find that person she once was. What starts as a chance to reconnect turns into an unforgettable road trip back to her childhood home and an encounter with a man from her past.

Gavin Kingsley, son of Stacy's old piano teacher and former annoying boy next door, sparks something in Stacy that she hasn't felt in a long time…maybe never? Despite her hesitation to jump into a relationship, Stacy can't help being drawn to him as she and her girlfriends take a journey of self-discovery, laughs, tears, and hysterical moments.

Can returning to her past give Stacy everything she's been searching for in her future? 

My Review:

An inspiring story about three old friends reuniting for a road trip down the east coast to their home town in Florida.

After Stacy Brown's divorce, her mother comes across a picture of Stacy and her two best friends when they were younger.  Stacy decides getting together with her old friends for a trip home would be fun. 

Along the way there were some comedic mishaps that made me laugh and Stacy's two best friends learn to forgive each other for something that happened in the past.  When they get to Florida, Stacy spends time with Gavin, a guy from her childhood, who helps her move forward from her divorce.  Just when Stacy starts to fall for Gavin and decides she wants to move back to Florida to be with him, she gets a job promotion that could change things.  But with her ex –husband getting a job at the same accounting firm, Stacy needs to decide what she really wants in life, the job she dreamed of (even with the ex there) or a new life with a man who knows how to make her happy.

I enjoyed this book a lot.  It makes you think about what is most important in your life.  I would love a spinoff of this story so I can read more about Olivia and Candice and also find out how Stacy and Gavin’s new life goes.  I just couldn’t get enough of these characters.