I loved the first book in this series (Summer at Hope Haven), so I was excited to visit the world again. Even though it’s the same location, we get a different set of characters.
This time, we enter Zoey’s family. Her great-aunts share a cottage. Zoey, after facing some hardships of her own, is around to help out. She is constantly at odds with her cousin, Mark.
Right off, I liked this conflict because it set the scene for the two different approaches to elderly relatives. I found this to be relatable – I think most people have had some sort of conflict with family members regarding how to handle estates.
I also didn’t like Mark, which I am sure was by design. He was instantly shown to be untrustworthy. His arrogance and “know-it-all” manner, while annoying, is essential for the plot.
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Because there are secrets, you see, in Zoey’s family. And somehow, they are connected to the old lighthouse keeper who the town thinks is crazy. Early on, he drops a cryptic statement on Mark that goes right over Mark’s head – but Zoey catches it.
I liked Zoey’s attentiveness. She often caught things that other characters missed. She seemed very introspective, which was maybe because of her personal issues. But her cautiousness wasn’t annoying – it seemed real. I guess I’m trying to say that she was just genuine.
I also liked Gabi. I thought she was well-written and deep for a teenager. I kind of felt like she and Zoey were a lot alike, which made sense because Gabi was Zoey’s niece.
The family tree was pretty large, and I was sometimes confused. That may have been on me and not the fault of the author, but there were several times I had to go back and check as to who was which character (especially some had the same name).
I also thought the plot was a bit uneven (compared to the first book). The timelines jumped around and while that wasn’t confusing in and of itself, it did add to the complicated character relations.
As I mentioned, I liked the first book a lot. This one was okay but didn’t have the same magic for me. Still, I look forward to the next one in the series.
About the author
Ever since she was a young girl, there were few things Kristin Harper liked more than creative writing and spending time on Cape Cod, Massachusetts, with her family. Eventually (after a succession of jobs that bored her to tears), she found a way to combine those two passions by becoming a women’s fiction author whose stories occur in oceanside settings. While Kristin doesn’t live on the Cape year-round, she escapes to the beach whenever she can.
Website: https://www.kristinharperauthor.com/
