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Review: Love in Catalina Cove
Title: Love in Catalina Cove
Series: Catalina Cove #1
Author: Brenda Jackson
Release Date: October 30, 2018
Rating: 3/5 Stars
Find it here: Goodreads – Amazon – B&N – Book Depository
Synopsis from Goodreads: In the wake of a devastating teen pregnancy that left her childless and heartbroken, Vashti Alcindor left Catalina Cove, Louisiana, with no plans to return. Now, over a decade later, Vashti reluctantly finds herself back in her hometown after inheriting her aunt’s B and B. Her homecoming gets off to a rocky start when the new sheriff, Sawyer Grisham, pulls her over for speeding, and things go downhill from there. The B and B, a place she’d always found refuge in when it seemed like the whole world was against her, has fallen into disrepair. When a surprising benefactor encourages Vashti to reopen the B and B, Vashti embraces a fresh start, and soon old hurts begin to fade as she makes new memories with the town—and its handsome sheriff… But some pasts are too big to escape, and when a bombshell of a secret changes everything she thought was true, Vashti is left reeling. With Sawyer and his teenage daughter determined to see her through the storm, though, she’s learning family isn’t always a matter of blood—sometimes it’s a matter of heart.
My Review: This book had all the making of a book I would love but it really fell flat on the romance front. It also suffered from a case of trying to be too many things. I love the idea of a woman with a past returning home and refurbishing a family business. I started out liking Vashti but that faded. The main problem I had with this book was that the romance felt forced and a little juvenile. To be fair I don’t read a whole lot of romance books but there have been a few recently that I have loved. The book had a great setting and a fantastic set up supporting characters. The relationship between Sawyer and his daughter Jade was well done and I liked that. The book is also well written. But I just couldn’t get into it. There were a few twists in the story that I found to be pretty unbelievable, and that I also saw coming from pretty close to the beginning. Also, the way that Vashti acted seemed really juvenile to me a couple times which really turned me off from the book.
*I received this book from HQN in exchange for an honest review*