Melissa Tagg

I really wish that you could give 1/2 stars on Goodreads. I would give this a 3.5. This was a contemporary romance with a bit of a twist that made it quite enjoyable. Mara has been living with Lenora at Lenora's B & B for almost a year. Mara had ended up there and Lenora let her stay in return for helping her out around the place. Lenora left several weeks ago and hasn't come back and no one is sure where she went or when she's coming back so Mara is left to hold things together.
One night Marshall shows up. He was put on administrative leave due to an addiction to painkillers and he's grieving the loss of his daughter two years ago. Marshall begins to help Mara restore the old home and they find a hidden room behind the fireplace. They try to find out more about who lived there before and how Lenora is connected.
This story is set in a small town and it has a nice small town feel to it. A few of the chapters are from Lenora's point of view which I liked as it gave you a little bit more information about her but also deepened the mystery of her past and where she is now. The romance didn't feel forced and wasn't the focus of the story. One of the reasons I didn't give it a 4 was at one point something happened that felt incredibly unrealistic and I think could have been written differently. Other than that I enjoyed the story. It wasn't super fast paced but the author ended the chapters in such a way that I didn't want to stop reading.
Content warnings: A woman being stalked, a child passing away from an illness. Overall a clean read.
This book was reviewed on the Literary Club Podcast Season 2 episode 15
https://www.buzzsprout.com/1984185… (más)

"Hope was stronger when it was chosen and chased and held close despite the odds."

It's been a while since I've picked up a Melissa Tagg book and I'm glad to have read this one. Though it's third book in the series, it can still be read as a stand-alone. There are plenty of details and in-depth references sprinkled in to make sure you aren't lost or confused when the characters are talking about past events (FYI, I haven't read the first two books in the series yet). I loved the setting of Muir Harbor in Maine and really enjoyed getting to know the entire Muir family and the overarching theme of Maggie Muir's desire to find her granddaughter. Lily is spunky and driven, though oftentimes too impulsive, arrogant, and prickly. Wilder is fun, charming, and quite delightful though he loves to antagonize Lily and is haunted by grief, loss, and self-doubt. As Wilder and Lily dig further and deeper into Maggie's deceased daughter's past, the carefully latched top to the big box of secrets blows wide open to provide plenty of twists and turns in the mystery portion of the story. There is a solid faith thread to provide grounding and foundation for the characters as the mystery unravels. Older brother's best friend and enemies to lovers romance tropes provided lots of romantic tension between Lily and Wilder.

If you enjoy contemporary romance that tugs at the heart and has some mystery/sleuthing involved, you will love this book. I received a complimentary copy courtesy of publisher via NetGalley and was under no obligation to post a positive comment. All opinions are my own.… (más)