Bold, brash, Irish--Brodie Monaghan's been breaking
hearts ever since he arrived in Maine to rebuild the family business. Still,
there's one woman he just can't wow. Grace Maddox claims she's now part-owner
of Monaghan Shipbuilders, and she has her own dreams for the weathered dockside
buildings. Tiny Blueberry Cove has a way of welcoming strangers with wide-open
arms, but is the sleepy coastal village ready for the fireworks these two
spark?
DIY is so much better with two. . .
Terrific book about two people who come to Maine, making
significant changes in their lives. I loved the small town, coastal Maine
setting, and the colorful residents of Blueberry Cove.
Brodie left his home and large family in Ireland a year
ago. He wasn't interested in following the family tradition of pub and inn
owners. His heart was set on the older boat-building tradition and revitalizing
the long-defunct shipyard in Maine. After securing possession of the docks and
two boathouses, he splits his time between building and selling boats and
restoring the boathouses. He needs the boat sales to earn money to pay the back
taxes on the other boathouses. It's a slow process, and that slowness bites him
in the butt when he loses one of the boathouses to another newcomer.
Grace was a successful estate attorney in DC when she
realized she wasn't happy any longer. After years of witnessing the horrible
ways families treated each other regarding wills and estates, she is determined
to repair her relationship with her much older and estranged brother, Ford. She
takes her sudden desire to build and run an inn to the tiny Maine town where
Ford now lives. There she purchases a boathouse she intends to remodel into a
high-end inn. She never dreamed that the real estate agent who sold it to her had
an agenda of her own.
I loved the first meeting between Brodie and Grace. He's
awakened by the sound of her cussing and her little dog (Whomper) barking. When
he goes out to see what is going on, he's stunned to find out Grace claims to
own one of his boathouses. Understandably angry and confused, he still can't
help being a charming Irish gentleman and helping Grace with her current
problem - a dead-fish-covered pup who shared the stench with her. Grace's
reaction to all of that Irish charm is predictable, and the sparks between them
are undeniable. I ached for Brodie as he realized that the sale of the
boathouse was legal though extremely underhanded, thanks to a woman whose
advances he'd rejected and who used his boathouse to get even.
I loved that Brodie and Grace quickly accepted that they
couldn't change the circumstances, but they could control how they dealt with
them. Though they started as adversaries, it didn't take long for them to
become friends, visiting back and forth between their two properties. Brodie
was smitten with Grace from the very beginning and wanted to do anything he
could to help and protect her. Grace was
a little warier but rapidly found herself leaning on Brodie and depending on
his support when her belief in herself wavered. The attraction between them
also continued to build until they could no longer resist it, bringing them
even closer.
In addition to their developing relationship, Brodie and
Grace also had to deal with small-town politics and personalities. The real estate
agent who sold the boathouse to Grace, Cami Weathersby, is also married to a
town council member and is the daughter of the richest man in town. So when she
wanted to get even with Brodie for his rejection, she knew exactly how to do
it. Cami and her privileged attitude were very easy to dislike, especially her
refusal to give up her pursuit of Brodie. Complicating matters was her father's
plan to have Brodie build a four-masted schooner that Mr. Winstock plans to use
to bring tourists to town. He also wants to make Brodie's largest boathouse
into a yacht club. The negotiations between Brodie and Winstock were very
interesting, especially when it came to Cami (eww). It all came to a head when
Cami made another play for Brodie in front of Grace. I laughed out loud at
Brodie's deer-in-the-headlights look and cheered when Grace took action to
rescue him. It also precipitated unplanned talk of feelings in a fun
"after-action" conversation.
Another storyline in the book is Grace's plan to reunite
with her brother Ford. After her mother's death and Ford's joining the
military, her life was not an easy one and made her leery of sharing her heart.
I ached for both of them as they grew further apart until Ford stopped visiting
altogether. Grace's feelings of abandonment lasted for a long time. I liked her
story of how she decided to find Ford and reconnect with him. I understood why
she kept putting off that meeting once she arrived, worried about his reaction
and what she would do. I loved when she finally worked up the courage. That
scene was emotional, nerve-wracking, and ultimately satisfying. It was a good
start, and I was happy to see a little more progress by the end of the book.
I enjoyed seeing the various secondary characters.
Fergus, the pub owner, was fun with his grumpy commentary during Brodie's
visit. He's also one of two gossip-masters in town, the other being Delia, the
diner owner. Delia has an interesting backstory with Ford. I liked how she
connected with Grace and the rapid progression of their friendship. I
especially enjoyed their conversation on Brodie's boat near the end of the
book. The other fascinating character was Grace's friend Langston, the
architect. He was a terrific friend to her while also being an over-the-top
illustration of an eccentric artist. His conversations with Grace were always
fun yet filled with wise advice. His flirtatious ways were a riot to watch, and
I loved the scene at the end with Delia. 
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