Monday, January 16, 2017

Shellwater Key #2

Straight on Toward ParadiseAt fifteen, Emma Bertram’s perfect family splintered when her father left her mother for another woman. Anger and bitterness, along with the demands of being a professional chef, have kept Emma apart from her father and his new family for years. Then her father and stepmother are killed in a car accident. Returning to her childhood home of Shellwater Key, Emma learns she has become guardian of her two half-sisters.

What Emma knows about raising children could fit on a restaurant napkin. So when her mother offers to stay and help with the girls, Emma can’t say no. She also can’t say no to her childhood friend’s job offer to be the head chef at the old Paradise Dinner Theatre. Renovating the dilapidated kitchen may be even more challenging than dealing with her half-sisters. Then there’s her father’s law partner, Reece Casings, who has no trouble telling Emma what she’s doing wrong. The buttoned-up, so-wrong-for-her, but oh-so-handsome lawyer makes Emma’s blood boil. Or is it heart race?

Romance is the last thing on Emma’s mind, especially when her mother and one of her sisters are cast in the debut musical at The Paradise. When she’s dealing with a firestorm of teenaged angst from her other sister. And when her mother is starring in a romance of her own, with the much younger lead in the production. All that is nothing compared to the explosive secret that boils to the surface when Reece reveals a much deeper connection to her family than anyone ever knew.

In the end Emma will have to learn how to forgive her father…and herself…and trust in love and faith again if she ever hopes to serve up a happily ever after for everyone. 

Published January 16th 2017
 by Write Notions, Inc.  


Available for Purchase:



My Opinion:


Kristin Wallace is a new author for me.  I found her books at the end of last year and truly enjoy the stories she brings.  This is the second installment in her Shellwater Key series and I truly felt it was a stand alone.  The plot is engaging and kept me turning the pages. It is full of emotions like bitterness, resentment, love and forgiveness.   The characters are strong, complicated yet well developed.   I found myself cheering for Emma one minute and giving her a piece of my mind the next.  She exhibits strong emotions which considering all things she really is entitled too.  Suddenly she must face the past in order to have a future, but as we all know dealing with the past brings both joy and heartbreak.  Reece Casings, I found to be an intriguing character and fell in love with him a little.  He seems very controlling, but when his secret is revealed he becomes even more endearing.    The secondary characters are well integrated and bring a lot of southern charm to the story.  
This is a story I would recommend to anyone who loves a good, clean romance. 

I voluntarily reviewed an Advance Reader Copy of this book. All thoughts and opinions expressed are my own.  



2 comments:

  1. Love to read, and I love finding new authors to read.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. I do too. Actually found Kristin through Facebook. I was hooked after reading the first book. Thank you for stopping by and happy reading.

      Delete