I picked up this book from a recommendation from Youtube and found a deal that the book for free through Kindle. Usually, I take my time to read e-books that I have on my TBR. This time the cover book called, and I happy it happened.
This story builds layer upon layer. Vashti & Sawyer's story is an interesting one. Sawyer and Vashti have quite the connection right from the beginning. I understood both of their reasons for now wanting to get involved and knew it was inevitable that they would.
Brenda Jackson takes us on a journey of family, betrayal, classism, and small-town gossip that alters the lives of so many in Catalina Cove.
Take the journey into this story of love, deceit, betrayal, forgiveness, secrets, and scandal. You will be amazed, appalled, and awed.
I found a new author, Brenda Jackson, that I look forward to reading everything that she has written, writes, and will write. ( )

An inheritance from her beloved Aunt brings Vashti home to the small town that once shamed her over a teen pregnancy. Vashti doesn’t intend to stay for long, but circumstances conspire to keep her there which might not be as miserable a scenario as she thought with an attractive new sheriff in town and with someone else who may be able to shed light on a loss Vashti suffered long ago.

While Vashti and Sawyer are undoubtedly attracted to one another, their attraction was conveyed in such a heavy handed way, constantly ogling one another, assessing each other physically, which I’m sure many readers are perfectly fine with, it’s just not my thing, I don’t mind some overt physical awareness but I do long for some subtlety mixed in here and there.

I also found it just plain weird how strongly Sawyer chastised his daughter for not following a recipe, like attempting to do her own thing was against the law or something. If cooking is the worst thing your teenager experiments with, maybe you shouldn’t complain or you know, rip into her for something that ridiculous, his overreaction and further harping on it later, was just so strange and unappealing (as was the souvenir he keeps from a night with Vashti).

My issues with the romance were definitely personal preferences, but my issues with the book overall were about execution, so much stilted formal dialogue that sounded unnatural, and so much information repeated, recapping things the reader already knows, it felt like filler rather than digging into the meat of the story. Adding to that frustration, the part of the story that had the juiciest potential, the mystery surrounding Vashti’s pregnancy, took far too many convoluted turns reliant on coincidence.

The way this was written reminded me so much of Danielle Steel’s more recent work, where I’m left shaking my head, wondering how a narrative this repetitive could have slipped past an editor. Was the author rushed to meet a deadline? If you’re an automatic bestseller does an editor back off and assume they’re no longer needed?

Unfortunately, this one didn’t work out all that well for me. I am open to trying something else by this author somewhere down the road though, since so many other readers do enjoy her work and perhaps this one just wasn’t representative of her best. ( )

This was a terrific start to the new series. Vashti left her hometown behind years earlier, determined to escape the heartbreak and memories that were there. However, the recent death of her aunt left Vashti as the owner of her aunt's inn, and she reluctantly returned to take of selling the place. On the way into town, she had a bit of a confrontation with the sheriff, who pulled her over for speeding. Though neither made a good impression on the other, under the antagonism there were sparks of attraction.

Vashti was determined to get in and out of Catalina Cove as quickly as possible. She had loved and lost her first boyfriend there when she got pregnant and he didn't stand by her. Because she refused to name the father of her baby, she drew a lot of gossip and condemnation from the townspeople. Her parents, always concerned with the way things reflected on them, sent her away to have the baby and tried to talk her into giving it up for adoption. Though she planned to raise the baby herself, her son died, leaving her heartbroken. More recently, she divorced her cheating husband, and has declared herself "two and through" in the relationship department. When the sale of the inn fell through, Vashti was surprised to receive an offer to help her keep and reopen the inn, giving her the chance to make a fresh start.

Sawyer moved to Catalina Cove with his teenage daughter, Jade, after the death of his wife. After time in both the military and the FBI, Sawyer was ready for a more laid-back career. It would also give him more time with his daughter. Jade was the focus of his life, and he had no plans for another serious relationship, much to the dismay of the single women in town. I loved seeing the two of them together. Sawyer is a terrific dad, and it's obvious that he and Jade have an amazing relationship.

I really enjoyed the development of the relationship between Vashti and Sawyer. The sparks were there from the moment they met, but each had a different way of looking at them. Vashti was more than willing to indulge in some discrete time together. On the other hand, Sawyer was intrigued and mesmerized by Vashti and wanted to see if there could be something more. Though initially resistant. Vashti eventually came around, and they began to see each other regularly. I really liked how the initial attraction morphed into friendship and then into something deeper. Both Vashti and Sawyer had dealt with loss in their lives, which made them more empathetic to each other when they shared their stories. I loved that Sawyer was such a rock for Vashti when a shocking secret was revealed. His calm and logical way of looking at things helped Vashti sort through everything she felt. There was a point near the end where their faith in each other was badly shaken, but once again, cool heads and logical thinking brought clarity. I did think that Sawyer needed to grovel just a little more than he did to make up for his actions, but that was a small thing in the overall picture. I loved seeing them overcome all the challenges and find happiness together.

Jade was one of my favorite characters. She was a teenager who was secure in the love of her family, which gave her the confidence to be herself. I loved her relationship with Sawyer and how they could talk about anything. Their conversation about friends with benefits had me laughing out loud at Sawyer's surprise and shock. It was sweet to see the way that Jade worried about her dad being lonely. I liked how Vashti connected with Jade, outside of the relationship with Sawyer. I especially enjoyed Jade's job interview with Vashti. Jade has a kind and caring heart, and I loved how she called Sawyer for help when she saw Vashti crying. Jade's maturity and compassion were in full force at the end.

A considerable part of the story was about Vashti's past and the effect it had on her life. The pregnancy itself and her decision not to reveal the father put her at odds with her parents and the entire town. Those attitudes were what drove her away from Catalina Cove, and made her reluctant to return. It was only her good memories of her aunt and her times at the inn that made her receptive to the suggestion of reopening the inn. Vashti was surprised by the changes in attitudes once she was back, which made her decision that much easier. However, she received the opposite of support from her parents, who were not pleased with her plans. That attitude became even worse after Vashti talked to an old friend who dropped a bombshell about Vashti's pregnancy and baby. The more I saw of Vashti's parents, the more I saw them as people who were far more worried about other's opinions than about the right thing to do. As Vashti searched for the truth about what really happened sixteen years earlier, Sawyer's support was vital. Though some of the truth was made apparent early on, there were several twists to the story that came as a surprise, including one enormous bombshell at the end.

Having read this first book in the series, I can't wait to read the others. Fortunately, I already have the second book "Forget Me Not," which is the story of the mysterious Ray Sullivan. I am also looking forward to finding out more about Kaegan and Bryce, who seem to have a history that no one knows about. I expect some fireworks in their book. ( )