Title: Seaside Sunsets (Love in Bloom: Seaside Summers #3)
Author: Melissa Foster
Publisher: World Literary Press
Rating: 4 stars
From the book:
Jessica Ayers has lived a sheltered life with little more than cello lessons and practices taking up her day. Now a member of the Boston Symphony Orchestra, she escapes the prim and proper symphony to vacation in the Seaside community in Wellfleet, Massachusetts, and determine if she is living life to the fullest or missing it altogether.
For the first time since developing the second largest search engine in the world, billionaire Jamie Reed is taking the summer off. He plans to work from the Cape and spend time with his elderly grandmother—and falling in love is not in his plans.
From the moment Jamie and Jessica meet, the attraction is white-hot. Once-overly-focused Jamie can think of little else than sensual, smart, and alluring Jessica, and Jessica discovers a side of herself she never knew existed. But when Jamie’s business encounters trouble and his attorney and best friend intervenes, he proves that the blond beauty is too distracting for Jamie. To make matters worse, it appears that Jessica might not be who she says she is, turning Jamie’s life—and his heart—upside down.
In a world where personal information is always one click away, Jamie must decide if he should trust his heart or watch the woman he loves walk away.
For the first time since developing the second largest search engine in the world, billionaire Jamie Reed is taking the summer off. He plans to work from the Cape and spend time with his elderly grandmother—and falling in love is not in his plans.
From the moment Jamie and Jessica meet, the attraction is white-hot. Once-overly-focused Jamie can think of little else than sensual, smart, and alluring Jessica, and Jessica discovers a side of herself she never knew existed. But when Jamie’s business encounters trouble and his attorney and best friend intervenes, he proves that the blond beauty is too distracting for Jamie. To make matters worse, it appears that Jessica might not be who she says she is, turning Jamie’s life—and his heart—upside down.
In a world where personal information is always one click away, Jamie must decide if he should trust his heart or watch the woman he loves walk away.
My review:
Foster can certainly tell a story that gives you a wonderful roller coaster of a ride. She turns just the right phrases to make you feel as though you're sailing on a strong summer breeze or crashing into the ground at light speed.Her prose is strong and I didn't feel the story lagged at all - each scene was purposeful and moved the story without bogging me down in details. (However, as it was my first Seaside novel, I admit to being completely lost as to who was who, and with whom, for the first half of the book. It's an unfortunate nature of the beast with a series.)
The characters, Jess and Jamie, are wonderfully drawn and their romance is filled with the excitement of the first few weeks of love. But when reality intrudes upon that beautiful time, the way in which these characters handle it, and each other, left me feeling as though they were real. They work through it as grown adults would, and while my heart hurt for them as I watched the process unfold, the hope that weaves throughout the story held tight and led me towards a fully realized, believable, and happy ending.
The secondary characters are well-developed, but as they have or will have their own books, I wasn't surprised.
Seaside Sunsets is marketed as a stand-alone novel within a series that can be read independently. However, I encourage you to read the other two prior to reading this one - as this was my first Seaside novel, I was initially turned off by the antics of the women in the first few scenes, and it left a bad taste in my mouth as they appeared to be making fun of Jess. I think that, had I been privy to their friendship outside of Jessica's view (which was as unassuming as mine, being as I was also "new to the group"), I feel as though I would've not had an immediate dislike of them. It felt like high school...and not in a good way. The book would've been stronger without what I'm calling the thong scene, but maybe I'm missing the humor because I don't have the vantage point of books 1 and 2. Don't let that stop you from reading, though - I think it's an enjoyable read, perfect to chase the winter blues away. Plus, it takes place in Wellfleet, MA, on the Cape - one of my most favorite places in the world!
Four stars.
(Disclaimer: I was provided a digital Advanced Reader Copy (e-ARC) from the publisher for an honest and unbiased review.)
About the Author
Melissa
Foster is an award-winning, International bestselling author. Her books have
been recommended by USA Today's book blog, Hagerstown Magazine, The Patriot,
and several other print venues. She is the founder of the Women’s Nest,
a social and support community for women, the World Literary Café. When she's not writing, Melissa helps authors
navigate the publishing industry through her author training programs
on Fostering Success. Melissa is also a community
builder for the Alliance for Independent Authors. She has been published in
Calgary’s Child Magazine, the Huffington Post, and Women Business Owners
magazine.
Contact Melissa:
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Thank you for hosting today! Happy Holidays!
ReplyDeleteThe Cape is my favorite place as well! So happy you tried out one of the Seaside Summers books and enjoyed it! I hope you had a peaceful holiday with your family and have a happy new year! XOXO
ReplyDeleteI love this book. I like Jessica as she is. Jamie is quite a pleasant man. Though it pisses me of that he is a millionaire.
ReplyDelete