Isn't It Romantic!

---

Escape to Starshine Cove by Debbie Johnson
Published by Storm Publishing on July 19, 2023
Age/Genres: Adult, Contemporary, Romance

Goodreads

Ella steps through the gate, and within seconds is standing at the edge of the most perfect beach she’s ever seen – a small horseshoe of sand fringing a rolling blanket of sparkling turquoise sea. Breathing in the fresh, salty air, she wipes the tears from her cheeks. Surely, in a place as beautiful as this, she can finally be happy?

Ella Farrell has reached breaking point. Shattered by her job and her boyfriend’s recent betrayal, she grabs her stuff and flees down the coast. When her car breaks down a few miles short of Cornwall, she’s astonished by where she’s ended up. Not on any map, the tiny seaside village of Starshine Cove is almost too perfect for words. A cobbled lane lined with pretty, thatched cottages slopes towards a pristine white beach… has she finally lost it, or is this place for real?

Spotting a little café on the edge of the cove, Ella settles in. It’s not long before – with a wedge of homemade raspberry cheesecake in front of her – Ella finds herself promising Connie, the café’s Dolly Parton-lookalike owner, that she might just stick around.

As days turn into weeks, Ella warms to the quirky little village and the people who live there. Particularly Jake, the broad-shouldered, dark-haired landlord of the Starshine Inn. As they sip cocktails together at sundown, Ella feels they’ve been friends for years… except that her heart does a little flip-flop whenever their eyes meet. Jake also came to Starshine Cove by chance – was he too trying to run away from something?

Just as Ella begins to feel the tension she’s carried for so long beginning to ease, the past comes knocking on her rustic, driftwood door. Will Ella find the strength to embrace this place and forge a new path, or is Starshine Cove – and her growing connection with Jake – simply too good a dream to last?

This story began with Ella running from her life. Thankfully, her car broke down near a magical town called Starshine Cove. There, she found a place in a warm and welcoming community where she could possibly find the healing energy she was seeking.

When Ella first stumbled into Starshine Cove, I was getting sort of Brigadoon vibes. Though this was indeed a real place, it possessed a special magic that was a combination of its natural beauty and the stupendous humans who inhabited it.

Ella had suffered some traumatic events which she had not really processed. She tucked them away, and her way to cope was to detach. It seemed that it had all caught up to her, and I think Starshine Cove was the perfect place for her to heal. There were many townspeople who had also suffered great losses in their lives, and therefore, they could relate to the pain she was feeling. But most of all, they were just the finest of humans, and they offered the connections that had been missing from her life. I couldn't get enough of this place and these people. They delighted me with their quirks and touched my heart with their generosity.

A part of the story that was interesting was the way Johnson included the pandemic. I am usually not too keen on its inclusion in the books I read, but this was different. It was an after-the-fact account and specifically related to how it affected the lives of healthcare workers. It wasn't a major part of the story, though it was a major source of the trauma Ella was dealing with. I appreciated the gentle way Johnson included this event as she shed some light on its affects in a community that bore a lot of its weight.

I mentioned the pandemic, and I bet you think this was all heavy, but it wasn't. This was a lighter side story which highlighted such things as connection and community, and it made me smile from ear-to-ear. I see that this is a part of a series, I cannot wait to return to Starhine Cove.

---

Riggs by Sawyer Bennett
Published by Big Dog Boos, LLC on October 26, 2021
Age/Genres: Adult, Contemporary, Romance

Goodreads

Known as the team loner, Riggs Nadeau gives his all on the ice, but nothing extra off it. A beautiful stranger is about to cause chaos in his very structured world.

As a professional hockey player, people think I live a charmed life. On the surface, I do. But they don’t know the horrors of my childhood, or the real reason that I have custody of my seventeen-year-old sister, Janelle. And that’s exactly the way I like it. They may think I’m a prick because I don’t like to share, but that’s fine. They don’t know me, and they don’t need to.

In an effort to help Janelle get settled in Phoenix and stay out of trouble at school, I set her up with a job at Clarke’s Corner, the local bookstore owned by the girlfriend of a teammate. It’s there that she makes friends with Veronica Woodley, the extremely annoying, arrogant, money-hungry divorcee who I don’t want anywhere near my sister. Janelle insists I’m completely wrong about Veronica, but I refuse to accept that. I have to keep reminding myself that that the gorgeous blond with legs for days is off limits.

Through a series of events, I start to see Veronica for what she really is—an amazing woman who has survived her own hell to come out even stronger. I have to admit, we’re more alike than not and the attraction between us burns hot.

Maybe I was all wrong about my ability to love and commit, but when the past comes back to haunt me, can I be the man that Veronica, and Janelle, deserve?

I was shocked to find this unread on my kindle. I thought I had finished the series, but alas, I had not. As a huge fan of Bennett's hockey romances, I am glad I finally finished this series, and Riggs was fantastic finale for the Arizona Vengeance series. 

I loved the exploration of the sibling bond between Riggs and Janelle, and the way Veronica became part of their family. The romance may have been between Veronica and Riggs, but Janelle was an important part of their story. It was their shared affection for her that brought them together, if you ask me. Veronica's action spoke volumes for how much she cared for Janelle. Seriously, there were several big moments when Veronica went mama bear to protect Janelle. She definitely stepped up to the plate when she chose to be part of Janelle's life, and I think that was very important to Riggs given his and his sister's pasts. 

Riggs personal journey was a big part of my enjoyment too. He had been well connected with his old team, but following his trade and his family upheaval, he began keeping to himself. However, his teammates weren't having it, and I am glad they were persistent. I also love that it was Baden who really pushed Riggs to open himself up to new friendships which led to so much more for Riggs. I didn't expect Baden to be featured so heavily, but once I got to the end, I understood why. 

This was a solid 4-stars until that last chapter. The last chapter set up Bennett's Pittsburgh Titians series which begins with Baden's book. Needless to say, it made me all sorts of emotional. I have read three (or four?) of the Titians books, and I couldn't help but be rather moved by the way the beginning of that series was woven into the end of this book.

Though I will always wish for more books in any of Bennett's hockey series, this was a fabulous final book for me.

Where would you runaway to?
Let us know in the comments!