Beach Season [Paperback]

If you're looking the THE beach book of the season~~this is it. The front cover of this book says, "Every summer offers a new beginning..." Each story of this wonderful anthology offers just that, a new beginning. Though this theme of new beginnings resonates through each story, each story is different from the others. And, I was lucky enough to actually read much of this wonderful book~~on the beach.

JUNE'S LACE by Cathy Lamb introduces us to even more fun and quirky "Cathy Characters". I loved June, a wedding dress making phenom who vows to never wed again, from the first page and I loved Reece, a country music song writing cowboy, from the moment he fished June out of the water. Not all things are smooth sailing with June and Reece~~June has issues and baggage. Baggage in the form of a husband that not only should be an 'Ex' but should have a big 'X' stamped on him. Is her baggage too much to let her find a happiness she thinks she no longer wants. Through it all we get to have so much fun with the author's incredible sense of humor and her ability to bring her quirky characters to life. Well done Ms. Lamb.

SECOND CHANCE SWEETHEARTS by Holly Chamberlin brings us the story of Thea and Hugh. Thea is trying to leave behind her old life and find a new one. Hugh, the last person in the world she thought she'd see in the town where she decided to make a new start, just happened to be the 'one that got away' so many years ago. When Thea learns to trust and to open her heart again, she finds that she deserves a new start; but she has so much anger towards so many in her life. And Hugh, what a strong character in Hugh! I love that the author kept this man strong and yet gave him his own struggles. There is a particular scene in this book that caused me to actually roar with laughter~~I probably shouldn't have been laughing so hard~~but for all of you cat lovers out there~~you'll enjoy Henrietta the cat. Mark my words on that one!

CAROLINA SUMMER by Rosalind Noonan finds Jane Doyle on the run. Jane ends up in the Outer Banks of North Carolina and not by choice, she must stay there. She meets Cooper, the Sheriff. Jane needs Cooper whether she realizes it or not. What's more, Cooper needs Jane. There is a quick attraction between the two of them and a quick attraction to the folks in this small town. There are some very dangerous forces that send Jane on the run again from this town where she could be so happy and safe. Will Coop bring her home?

And finally,

THE BRASS RING by Lisa Jackson. Ms. Jackson you are on my literary radar! What a roller coaster ride. Shawna and Parker are in love and about to be married. Sometimes things just don't work out the way they should. Enter a car accident and accusations of infidelity and anyone less determined than Dr. Shawna McGuire would have gotten off the ride and before it even started. Parker, a renowned tennis coach, suffers so much loss~~will he lose Shawna forever too? As much as I grew to love Shawna and Parker, I also grew to love Jake, Shawna's brother. What a wonderful collection of characters!

June's Lace:
Really enjoyed this story of a woman rediscovering her old self. June had an unconventional childhood, raised by hippie parents. Wanting to be "normal" she basically turned her back on the wild, free part of herself, became a lawyer, and married another lawyer. She was miserable.

Trying to recapture the Old June, she starts a business creating unconventional wedding dresses. June is artistic and smart and a free spirit. Why anyone would want to bury that part of themselves is beyond me. Really liked this woman! And her family! Loved her family!

This was a great start to this collection, as June and Reece are wonderful characters! Slightly too many oddballs in this story, but they were all lovable! But I would like to see more of Leoni and Morgan, as that little girl almost broke my heart and deserves a happy ending.

Second Chance Sweethearts:
Didn't really care for this story as much, as it felt dated and wasn't as smooth a read as the others. Thea is supposed to be 34 and her landlady Alice is supposed to be 53, but neither acts their age. For some reason, Alice seemed more like a 73 year old, as 53 seems too young for a twice-widowed Frank Sinatra fan! This bothered me.

Neither Thea or Hugh appealed to me and didn't seem well rounded. Maybe important details were left out of the story due to editing or something, but the story seemed incomplete. I did like Alice and her cat Henrietta, but even the cat acted out of character at one point. This one just wasn't my cup of Lipton tea (Thea's drink of choice). :)

Carolina Summer:
At first, I rolled my eyes as yet another damsel-in-distress story seemed to be taking shape, but I was soon caught up in the story and it wasn't anything like I expected!

Really enjoyed getting to know Jane and Coop, and think they made a great couple! Despite first impressions, Jane was not a helpless female (those really annoy me) and I admired her initiative and ability to think on her feet. And Coop! There's that spark I was looking for!

This was a well-done, polished and well rounded story. Loved the description of the town almost as much as I loved the characters, as it sounds like a great place! Would love to read Rusty and Kailani's story next!

The Brass Ring:
This one was my third favorite of the collection, as I couldn't really relate to the beautiful Dr. Shawna or the handsome semi-famous former tennis pro Parker.

They are a golden couple who seem to have it all, but then it all comes crashing down when Parker is in a horrible accident the night before their wedding. Who knows how they would react to that kind of news, but Shawna behaves admirably while Parker lashes out because of his injuries, both physical and mental.

Felt that the length limitations on this one hurt the story, as we didn't get to know the couple before the accident, so couldn't really appreciate what had been lost or Shawna's anguish. And I didn't really care for the ending, as it tied things up too neatly for my tastes. Still a good story, I just liked two of the others better.

The book had four stories so I have a brief review of each one. They follow the same order as in the book. In addition to the beach and summer theme common to the stories, three of the four also have exes who are stalkers, abusive or both. That is not my idea of a little light summer reading and I had to readjust my expectations while reading.

JUNE'S LACE by Cathy Lamb

A light sweet frothy confection, complete with eccentric family members.The ex in this one is emotionally and verbally abusive. It's a sweet love story, and I liked that June was honest about her relationship with her ex with her new guy; both she and Reece had some careful balancing to do before they could be together completely.

SECOND CHANCE SWEETHEARTS by Holly Chamberlin

I just could not get into this one. It's over 90 pages and I read 30 before giving up. I couldn't relate to Thea (though I do like that name) and the author was taking too long to get things moving. Plus, I felt like she was giving us information in dribs and drabs; instead of an info dump, it was an info drought. The story was too short for that technique to be effective. I moved on to the next story and when I finished the book, I went back to this one and tried again, and gave up again. Although it didn't work for me, you may enjoy it. Before I gave trying to read it, I got the impression that Thea's ex was abusive but since I didn't finish it, I could be completely wrong.

CAROLINA SUMMER by Rosalind Noonan

Again, a story where the author, albeit a different one, took too long to tell us why the lead female, Jane, was running and hiding. No abusive ex this time, but a stalker. This one gave a more realistic portrayal of small town living, including the inevitable gossip that happens. I liked Jane though towards the end of the story when she thinks someone may be in her apartment, she goes all stupid. I also wondered how she was able to hold on to her job while she was down South (I can't say more without spoiling the story). Still, it was a good story and I enjoyed it.

THE BRASS RING by Lisa Jackson

This is a reprint, though I only knew that from reading the author's note at the end of the anthology. I liked the premise; I don't know how realistic it is, but it's a thought provoking one. It brings up questions of personality, character, innate traits vs. learned traits, the malleability of a person's emotional make up, and so on. Parker has difficulty believing that Shawna could still love him as he's no longer the man she fell in love with. He believes, and I agreed, that Shawna that she doesn't properly appreciate that he's a different man; she still sees the Parker who existed before his accident and not the man he's become. There's also a secondary plot line that I thought was unnecessary; the basic premise provided more than enough dramatic and romantic tension. Still, I liked Shawna, I liked her brother and I liked both of the Parkers, though the second one is a harsher man.

Overall, a good anthology; it's not quite as light as the title and cover imply it has some good stories.

I received this book from Meryl Moss Media for review.

Beach Season