Why I read it: This is one from my own TBR.
What it’s about: (from Goodreads) 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.
What worked for me (and what didn’t): A new Jenny Holiday book is cause for celebration so I preordered this one and cracked it open almost as soon as I had it. There was a lot to like, with the signature humour which tends to really work for me and characters I cared about, as well as some delightful quirkiness for extra spice.
Eve Abbott used to spend summers in Moonflower Bay, on the banks of Lake Huron in Ontario, with her Aunt Lucille who ran the Mermaid Inn. (Yes, I know the series is called “Matchmaker Bay” – I’m getting there.) She became fast friends with young Sawyer Collins as a young teen and they gradually grew to be more over the years. By the time they were both 17 they began having sex and then when they were both 18, everything came to a screeching halt when Eve watched Sawyer make out with Jeannie Wilkerson on the Mer-Queen float in the town’s annual Labor Day Mermaid Parade. Eve left town and did not return. Thereafter’s Eve’s interactions with Aunt Lucille were limited to when she came to where Eve was, or via phone calls or email. Eve put the rest of Moonflower Bay out of her mind and had not intended to ever go back. However, as the book begins, Aunt Lucille has died and left Eve the Inn in her will. Only, there’s a catch. Eve must not sell the Inn for a year. Continue reading
