JoAnn Ross

Good second chance love story. Meghann, a former foster child and shy book nerd became a very successful author of YA stories and now lives in New York City. Adam, the school science geek, went on to become a marine biologist studying whales in Shelter Cove. During high school, Meghann tutored the punctuation-challenged Adam in English. The two quickly became friends with mutual crushes they were too shy to share. One sweet kiss shared lingered in their memories after they went their show more separate ways.

Years later, Meghann meets with her editor after turning in her latest book and is given an email from her old friend Adam. Back in Shelter Bay, he's raising funds for a hands-on children's science museum and asks if Meghann would be willing to donate some of her books for their auction. Meghann will gladly do more than that.

I loved the rekindling of Meghann and Adam's relationship. It started with the influx of memories aroused by Adam's email. I loved her call to Adam, offering to come to Shelter Cove and with multiple ideas of how she can help. I loved Adam's reaction, as he becomes nearly speechless at the thought of seeing Meghann again. The sparks flew from the moment they saw each other again, and they connected as if they'd never been apart. I loved the scene when he dropped her off at her hotel room, with their slightly awkward conversation, both trying to find a way to let the other know of their interest. Adam was sweet with his goodbye, then rapid return because he "forgot something" - the sizzling kiss he then laid on Meghann before leaving again.

I loved Meghann's enthusiastic participation in Adam's whale search and how it allowed them to spend more time together. I liked how easily they shared their pasts, including Meghann's brief marriage. I loved Adam's protectiveness as he listened to her story. I wasn't surprised that the sparks between them burst into flame so quickly or that they gave into them. I loved the scene after the orca reunion as Adam and Meghann planned their future.

I was fascinated by the whale theme running through this book. Information from how they communicate to their family/pod life to their connection to Native American practices was woven seamlessly into the story. I rooted for the lost Orca to find his way to his family and loved seeing the whole town get involved. The method Adam used was intriguing, and I enjoyed watching it play out to its successful conclusion.

As a long-time fan of the Shelter Bay series, I loved seeing characters from the earlier books. I loved the mention of the elder Douchetts, in their eighties and still holding hands. I loved seeing Adam's lunch with Sax (The Homecoming) and Dillon (Sea Glass Winter) as they gave him a hard time about Meghann's visit. Others also made appearances or were mentioned, reminding me of the fun I had reading their books. I still have some JoAnn Ross books on my TBR list and will have to move them further up the list. show less

Terrific story centered around Quinn, the oldest Mannion sibling. After realizing his big-city lawyer job was no longer fulfilling, Quinn moved back to Honeymoon Harbor to become a brewer and take over the family pub. The last thing he expected was to fall in love with a married woman. As an honorable man, he sticks to being the friend she needs.

As the book opens, Amanda and Quinn continue their friendship. She is now divorced from her abusive husband, but the effects linger. Amanda's show more feelings for Quinn are growing, but is she ready to move forward?

I loved watching the relationship between Quinn and Amanda develop. He is so sensitive to everything she went through with her ex-husband that he has been careful not to push forward with his desires. But it's been eighteen months since Amanda's divorce, and several friends and family members have told him it's time to go after what he wants or risk losing her. I loved when he finally screwed up his courage and invited her to the beer competition. Seeing Amanda blow him away with her flirtatiousness and directness about the weekend was even more fun. I loved seeing them open up about their lives, especially how Amanda told him about her marriage and its continuing hold on her.

That weekend was fantastic for them as they moved on to a new stage in their relationship. As they returned to Honeymoon Harbor, I loved their respect for each other and their lives. With a solid friendship already under their belts, their growing feelings for each other felt realistic. I also loved that their relationship is solid enough not to be fazed when Quinn's past comes knocking on his door. And once Amanda worked past her last bit of past baggage, the sky was the limit for their relationship. Their visit to the Botanical Gardens was sweet and romantic and the perfect lead-in for his surprise for Amanda. I loved the outpouring of emotion that followed and seeing them look forward to a future together.

A secondary storyline follows a newcomer to Honeymoon Harbor. Piper is an eighteen-year-old British woman traveling the US during a gap year before college. She takes a job at Quinn's pub, replacing a former employee who had moved away. She's an interesting character with big plans for her future. I loved how she took to life in Honeymoon Harbor and fit in well with Quinn's family. I loved her family background and the interesting life she'd led because of it and a maturity that is unusual in someone her age. But she also has a secret that gets harder to reveal the longer she stays in Honeymoon Harbor. There's a bit of drama when it finally comes out, but I thought it was handled very well.

There is plenty of time spent with secondary characters, mainly members of the Mannion family. I loved catching up with what was going on with the couples/families from previous books. It is always terrific to see the family dynamics, from teasing to disagreements, to support in times of crisis.

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Terrific story of family, love, loss, and healing, combined with some fascinating WW2 history. I loved seeing the three sisters go from wary strangers to loving and supportive siblings as they got to know each other, their grandmother, and their family history.

The story opens as Jackson Swann, conflict photographer and father of three daughters - from different mothers, nears the end of his battle with cancer. He has many regrets, not the least of which are his shortcomings as a father. In show more the end, all he can do is give them each other and the family they never knew. In the little bit of Jack we see, it is evident that he is driven by his need to show the starkness of the conflicts he photographs. As much as he would like to be the kind of father his father was, he can't change who he is. Most of what we learn of Jack comes through the memories from other people, except for the videos he leaves for each daughter. I liked the honesty of his last words to each one.

Tess is the oldest daughter, born from Jackson's very brief marriage with her mother. Jackson played no part in her life, causing Tess to refer to him as simply "the sperm donor." A former child TV star and currently a bestselling author of books for teens, Tess isn't interested when Donovan, her father's lawyer, comes to tell her of his death and her inheritance. However, with a case of writer's block and a looming decision about her writing, Tess decides that an Oregon getaway might be just what she needs. Tess knows of Charlotte's existence, but not about Natalie.

Raised by her high society, Southern belle mother, Charlotte rarely saw her father. Jack's relationship with his wife was volatile at best, and Charlotte would retreat in the face of their arguments. The best thing Jack did for Charlotte was encourage her to pursue her dream of interior design and never forget her passion for her work. However, her mother's influence remained strong, and Charlotte found herself putting her career on the back burner when she married a politically ambitious man. On the same day she learns of her father's death, she discovers her husband is cheating on her. Suddenly, escaping to Oregon sounds like a swell idea. Charlotte had no idea she had sisters before learning of Jack's death.

Natalie is the youngest daughter and the one who saw the most of Jack. Like Jack, she is a talented photographer, though she focuses on the lighter side of life. Natalie is still grieving the loss of her mother when Donovan tells her about Jack's death. She's always known about her sisters and wanted to meet them, but now she's nervous about it. Will they like her, or will they resent the amount of time she got to spend with Jack?

Madeleine is Jack's mother. She is a French war bride and former resistance fighter whose husband turned his family farm into a vineyard and built a French-style house to make her feel more at home. Though devastated by her son's death, Madeleine is thrilled to have all three of her granddaughters under one roof. She immediately makes them feel welcomed and loved.

Gideon is the widowed father of a teenage girl. When Jack's father died, leaving the vineyard and winery to him, Jack immediately hired Gideon to run the place for him. As the story opens, Gideon worries about his job if the winery ends up sold.

I loved watching the relationships develop. Each of the sisters had a different kind of relationship with her father. I liked seeing them sit down and share their experiences, gaining insight into Jack and his issues. None of them expected to inherit anything and were stunned to discover that they would share ownership of the winery with Gideon. The only caveat was that they had to stay through the harvest before any of them could sell their share to Gideon. With that requirement, each of them became more invested in the business's success and brainstormed ideas of changes they could make.

Another big part of remaining in Oregon was the chance to get to know Madeleine. Sprinkled throughout the book are flashbacks to her time with the French Resistance. Her progression through the ranks kept me intrigued, and more so when she rescued the American pilot who would later become her husband. The narration of their escape into Spain had me glued to the pages until they were safe. Madeleine's story provided a burst of inspiration for Tess, who needed a new direction for her writing.

Each of the sisters faces a turning point in her life, and their time in Oregon gives them the space and support to make their changes. Tess has reached the end of her long-running teen series and wonders what to do next. Before settling on telling her grandmother's story, she also considered a wine-themed murder mystery. I enjoyed seeing her bounce ideas off Gideon as he taught her about the vineyard and winery. Charlotte faces the end of her marriage and realizing that she allowed her husband to chip away at her self-confidence and self-worth. I loved watching her rekindle her love for design and how the support of her family boosted her confidence. Her joy at arranging the celebration of Jack's life lit up the pages, and also using her skills to improve the winery. I loved the scene where she told off her husband. Meanwhile, Natalie looks at whether to risk her friendship with the man she secretly loves.

Along with learning the wine business and family history, romance also finds its way into each sister's life. For years, Natalie has been in love with her father's lawyer, Donovan, but hesitates to make a move. Their friendship is solid, and she doesn't want to lose it, but neither does she want to lose out on the possibility that it's returned. As outsiders, the reader can see that Donovan is just as conflicted. I loved seeing Natalie take matters into her own hands and had to laugh at Donovan's reaction. Charlotte is the wariest of the trio, still reeling from what she sees as her poor judgment. However, she isn't entirely man-averse as we see her show an interest in the man helping with the winery renovations.

Most of the romantic attention goes to the growing feelings between Tess and Gideon. They connected from the first day Tess arrived. I enjoyed seeing his amusement at how she would plot murders as he explained various steps in winemaking. It wasn't long before the sparks flew between them. I laughed out loud when Gideon's daughter pushed him to ask Tess out, even advising on the type of date it should be. I liked that both Tess and Gideon are mature enough to be honest about their feelings. I loved the scene at the restaurant as Gideon nervously but eloquently told Tess how he felt, and Tess's reaction made me grin.

I loved the epilogue, which showed the sisters eighteen months later. The changes in their lives are remarkable and something none of them had foreseen. I do wish that there had been more time spent on Charlotte and Natalie's romances. I loved the nod at the end to the author's Shelter Bay series, one of my all-time favorites.

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It's been a while since I read a JoAnn Ross book, and this one reminded me why I like them so much. This one takes two people who are very different and shows how right for each other they are. The story opens with the youngest Mannion brother, Gabe. He couldn't wait to get out of his small town and test himself in the city. He has become so immersed in his Wall Street life that he doesn't even go home for family events. But when he collapses at a friend's funeral, the doctor makes it clear show more that if Gabe doesn't change his workaholic ways, he's likely to follow in his friend's footsteps. Reluctantly, Gabe heads back to Honeymoon Harbor for the summer. After three weeks, he's slowly going nuts with boredom when his brother suggests he dust off his high school boatmaking skills. So Gabe immerses himself in building a Viking faering and ignoring any and all interruptions. Until Chelsea shows up, looking for his help with her library's summer kids' program. He's quite rude to her, a reflex to push her away because he feels an immediate attraction to her.

Chelsea has lived her whole life in Honeymoon Harbor. Her childhood was difficult when her little sister got sick and died, with the stress and grief tearing her parents apart. Chelsea coped by spending as much time as possible at the library. The librarian became a friend and mentor, and now Chelsea is the head librarian. She loves encouraging people, especially children, to read, and is full of ideas for her summer programs. When she hears about Gabe and his boat, she's determined to get him on board. She doesn't expect a Mannion to be so cold and rude, and leaves the workshop furious with him - and unexpectedly attracted. But she's not about to give up on getting him involved.

I loved the development of Gabe and Chelsea's relationship. The sparks flew between them from the beginning. Gabe is reluctant at first to pursue anything because he sees her as the forever type and he plans to be gone again after Labor Day. Chelsea is attracted, but not interested in a relationship. She keeps herself closed off, determined to guard her heart against pain and loss. I loved the scene where Chelsea rowed across the lake to beard the dragon in his den and found a meeting of the minds (and bodies) instead. I had to laugh at Gabe's description of her as a velvet bulldozer, able to roll right over any of his objections to her program. They then moved on to a frank discussion of their attraction and, realizing that neither wants anything permanent, decide to go for a summer fling. I loved watching them start the getting to know each other process while at the same time respecting each other's boundaries. Those boundaries get blurry very fast when two young girls come into Chelsea's life.

Chelsea befriended two young foster girls who hung out in the library every day after school. She saw a lot of herself in the older girl, Hannah, and found herself getting more and more involved in their lives. When circumstances led to the loss of their current foster home, Chelsea stepped in to become a foster parent herself. Gabe is stunned to find himself just as involved, in spite of frequent self-doubts about what he is doing. I loved seeing how deeply Hannah and Hailey touched both their hearts. There were fantastic scenes of the four of them together, of Chelsea doing "girl things" with them, and them slowly becoming a family. I loved Gabe and Chelsea's attempts to find time for themselves and laughed out loud at "The List." Gabe totally melted my heart when he got Hannah involved in helping with his boatbuilding. I ached for Hannah, who found it very hard to trust the adults in her life, as she slowly opened herself up to Gabe and Chelsea.

Though Chelsea embraces her new reality and looks to making the girls a permanent part of her life, Gabe still has his eyes set on his return to New York. There were the occasional moments when I had high hopes that he would see how much happier he was now, but he would always fight them off. Then he goes and pulls a genuinely boneheaded move, at his sister's wedding of all places. I cried for Chelsea's heartbreak and cheered when she blasted him for it. Even Hannah got into the act, capped off by his own brother. I liked Gabe's big moment at the end, though I'm not sure that Chelsea made him work hard enough to dig himself out of trouble.

I loved the small town vibe and the way that everyone looks out for each other. It was great to see how many people got involved in Chelsea's library program. I also loved the scene at the fire when so many people stepped up to make sure that Chelsea could take care of Hannah and Hailey. The foster moms' support group was another example of people helping each other, with a great mix of serious and fun advice. show less