This is one of those romances that I would call a "comfort book." When I don't want to worry about the content I am going to discover in a book, and I'm in need of a "happily ever after" to boost my spirits, this is the kind of book I enjoy. Even with the story line being a bit predictable (guy-girl meet and don't like each other/ guy-girl work through issues and start to like each other/guy-girl figure out they love each other), there were elements of surprise that kept the storyline interesting and engaging. I really enjoyed the characterization of the main characters, Meridith, Jake (Uncle J), Noelle, Max and Ben. They were believeable and quirky (Meridith is a clean freak, Noelle is a drama teen, Ben is insecure), which made for humorous moments as well as created tension in the story. I rate this a "goodread" and would read other books by this author! Denise Hunter is the award-winning and best-selling author of several books including: Surrender Bay, Seaside Letters, The Convenient Groom, and Sweetwater Gap. She resides with her husband and three sons in Indiana. When Meridith Ward receives a call telling her the father who abandoned her is dead and she's been named the sole guardian of the three half-siblings she's never met, her orderly life she worked so hard for comes to a screeching halt. Planning to stay only until the children's uncle returns to claim them, Meridith leaves her cozy job and fiancé behind to head to Nantucket. The children are living at Summer House, a Bed & Breakfast that's falling apart around them. Wanting to get back to her old life as quickly as possible, she hires a handyman named Jake to help restore the coastal home so she can sell. But the children, and Jake as well, are swiftly showing her just how devoid of happiness her old life was. What if what she fears most is exactly what she needs? Can she find the strength to reach for happiness? This is book four, and the last installment, to the "Nantucket Love Stories" series. Denise Hunter writes with a compelling and bittersweet tone. Her plots and characters are complex, making every story a page-turner. The setting for this Nantucket Series was well-crafted and fitting. No other author can make you laugh, cry, dream, hope, and despair all in one sentence. That's talent. As in all her stories, there's an Austen-like edge to this book that makes for an intricate and spellbinding experience. A perfect book to curl up with by the fire, or for a hammock on the beach. A must read!Kelly Moran,author of SUMMER'S ROADand WHEN THE LEAVES STOP FALLING
Do You like book Driftwood Lane (2010)?
I liked the other Nantucket book I read previous to this one better. It's still a nice read.
—lizg