Eve Abbott has a problem-actually, make that a lot of problems. And they’re all going to get worse the moment her toes hit the sand in Matchmaker Bay. Once a blissful summer escape, now the tiny town just reminds Eve of loss. Inheriting her aunt’s beloved Mermaid Inn is the only reason Eve is coming back. She’s definitely not ready to handle nosy neighbors, extensive renovations, or the discovery that a certain heartbreaker still lives down the street.
Police Chief Sawyer Collins always does the right thing, even when it costs him everything. Like Evie. He’s spent the past ten years trying to forget her–to forget how right she felt in his arms, to forget the pain in her eyes the day she left. The last thing he expects is to see her back in town or to find that the spark between them is as strong as ever. Sawyer knows this is his only chance to prove that his feelings have always been real… before Eve turns tail and leaves for good.
Titles in the Matchmaker Bay series include – Mermaid Inn – Paradise Cove –
Includes the bonus novella Meant to Be by Alison Bliss
Title: Mermaid Inn
Series: Matchmaker Bay #1
Author: Jenny Holiday
Genre: Contemporary Romance
Published: January 28, 2020
Publisher: Forever (Grand Central Publishing)
My Rating: 4.5 stars
Mermaid Inn begins the Matchmaker Bay series with a charming second chance romance that brings on all the feels of young love and all the reality of viewing those younger people with eyes a decade older. When your heart’s been broken, even if the person breaking it did it for the “right” reasons it still changes you and now Eve has returned to Moonflower hoping she can get through this without running into Sawyer again – but luck is not on her side (or perhaps it is, eventually).
At one time, Mermaid Inn was a summer sanctuary for Eve now she must remain at this now older, crumbling at the edges property for a year before she can sell a place that once meant so much and yet provided such pain as well. Sawyer knew he broke Eve’s heart, but he also broke his own as well. Now that Eve is back in town they might have a chance to fix the past but they have to be willing to risk their hearts once again, and Sawyer isn’t sure that Eve can trust him enough to do that again.
Sawyer and Eve make an interesting couple still dealing with the decisions of the past but the emotions have never died away and that spark that remains makes for an entertaining, at times emotional, romance. While their romance is engaging and I definitely wanted them to find their way back to each other – it was the town, the residents (quirky as they mostly all are) and the traditions of Moonflower that drew me in the most. There is, of course, world-building in the first story of a series so I expected to be learning this world. There were times that the town overshadowed Sawyer and Eve, I’ll admit to that feeling. I believe the next story will show if the town gets as much attention or the romance takes center stage. It didn’t change my enjoyment of Sawyer and Eve’s relationship yet I was aware of it. In all, I had a good time with this story and I’ll definitely be back for more.
*I received an e-ARC of this novel from the publisher via NetGalley. That does not change what I think of this story. It is my choice to leave a review giving my personal opinion about this book.*
Available in a variety of formats including the Kindle
