Review & Giveaway: Sand Castle Bay by Sherryl Woods (CLOSED)

Sand Castle Bay by Sherryl Woods

Harlequin MIRA

March 2013

Format: ARC e-book, 400 pages

Source: Netgalley

First line: The television in Emily Castle’s Aspen, Colorado, hotel room was tuned to the Weather Channel, where there was minute-by-minute coverage of the hurricane aiming directly at North Carolina’s coast, the place that had been like a second home to her.

About the book: In a trade-off she’s
lived to regret, Emily Castle left home years ago to become an interior
designer. The youngest of three sisters, Emily desperately wanted to
prove herself. Success, though, came at the cost of leaving behind the
man she loved.For Boone Dorsett, losing Emily left his heart shattered,
but another woman was waiting in the wings. Now a widower with a young
son, Boone has a second chance with Emily when a storm brings her home.
But with his former in-laws threatening a custody suit, the stakes of
loving her are higher than ever.

Will fate once again separate them—or is the time finally right for these two star-crossed lovers?

My thoughts: Sherryl Woods is definitely one of my go-to authors. I’ve read most of her series and know that I am always going to fall in love with the characters she creates. She writes about families and the dynamics that come with them, as well as characters that are just trying to find their way in life.

Sand Castle Bay is the first book in Sherryl Woods’ new Ocean Breeze series and we are introduced to the three Castle sisters and their feisty grandmother, Cora Jane. Each of the Castle girls are grown and living their lives in different places around the country, but come running back to Sand Castle Bay to help their grandmother clean up her restaurant after a hurricane has wreaked havoc. The story focuses primarily on the youngest Castle sister, Emily, but we do get to meet Gabi and Samantha, who will each be the focus of upcoming books.

Emily had left Sand Castle Bay years ago to pursue her dreams, leaving in her wake the man, Boone Dorsett, who had stolen her heart since they were teenagers. Not once looking back, she focuses her every waking breath on her interior design business. Now back and helping with the clean-up, she comes face-to-face with Boone. While he has stayed in touch with her family, this is the first time in over 10 years that Emily and Boone have seen each other. A lot has happened to Boone during the ten years, including a marriage, the birth of his son and then the death of his wife. One thing that has remained constant is the fact that part of him still loves Emily and the same can be said for Emily. Will they be able to overcome the past and the many obstacles that are in their way to get their happily-ever-after?

I loved getting to know this new cast of characters and am looking forward to visiting with them in the next two books of this series. As with all her books, Sherryl Woods is able to create real-life problems for her characters – problems that almost everyone can relate to. In this case, there’s the issue of being able to balance work and family and then there’s the issue of dealing with one’s in-laws after the death of a spouse. As the book progressed, we are given little hints to future story-lines and I can’t wait to see if what I think might happen really does.

Books in this series:

1. Sand Castle Bay
2. Wind Chime Point
3. Sea Glass Island

Giveaway Information (GIVEAWAY CLOSED):

Thanks to Amy at McAllister PR I have one copy of Sand Castle Bay to give away to my readers.

Rules:

• Open to US/Canada
• Must include email address to enter 

* Mandatory entry – Tell me why you want to read this book. 

* Extra entry #1 – become a follower of Always With a Book. If you are already a follower you will automatically receive the bonus entries (just leave the name you follow under).  

* Extra entry #2 – please help spread the word by
blogging, posting on sidebar, tweeting, pinning onto Pinterest or posting this
giveaway on Facebook (each way you share gets you 1 more entry).  

All entries can be in one email – but you MUST include email address or no entry. 

GIVEAWAY ENDS APRIL 8th

Good Luck!!!