MEANT TO BE is an extremely cute and wonderful little story.
It is
light and fluffy as air, but a quite engaging tale
nonetheless. (The manuscript was an RWA Golden Hearts
finalist in 2012). MEANT TO BE is a debut novel, and the
beginning of a new series, Anchor Island. Readers are
left
believing that Terri Osburn has a bright writing future
ahead of her.
Beth is on her way to Anchor Island to meet the family of
her fiancé Lucas. He doesn't make the trip with her,
however. Lucas is a driven lawyer trying to work his way
into full partner, and is held back by an important case;
leaving Beth on the island alone for the better part of two
weeks. The first person she meets is Joe Dempsey, Lucas'
brother. The first meeting does not go well. Joe has his own
ideas on what kind of a woman his brother would marry, and
Beth doesn't fit that image at all.
Left to her own devices, Beth wanders the island and becomes
friendly with the natives. She also spends a lot of time
with Joe, and first impressions fall to the wayside as they
become increasingly attracted to each other. Beth also
becomes embroiled in a subplot about greedy investors trying
to buy up the island to put up a fancy resort; an effort
spearheaded by none other than Joe's nasty ex-fiancé Cassie.
This is an interesting storyline, but it ultimately just
went away without much in the way of resolution.
I enjoyed the story, and especially the characters
populating the town. Joe's dog Dozer was an interesting
character all on his own. There are several possibilities
for future romances. The townspeople are well-drawn and had
distinct personalities (good or bad). The only real nit I
had with the story was that the Lucas/Beth/Joe conflict was
resolved incredibly quickly and easily. The triangle was an
issue right up to the end of the book, and was then suddenly
resolved in just a few pages.
Still, MEANT TO BE is an extremely fun read, and the series
looks to
be well worth continuing. Next up is Lucas and Sid, the
not-so-feminine boat mechanic (who has long harbored a crush
on Lucas). MEANT TO BE is a recommended read, and is an
excellent
debut novel.
Sometimes the next best thing is what you’ve been looking
for all along…
Beth Chandler has spent her whole life pleasing others. She
went to law school to make her grandparents happy. She
agreed to marry her workaholic boyfriend, Lucas, to make him
happy. And, despite her fear of boats, she took a ferry to
see Lucas’s parents just to make them happy.
While suffering through a panic attack on the ferry, Beth
meets a tall, sexy stranger who talks her down from her fear
—and makes her heart flutter in the process. Soon, she has a
new reason to panic: her gorgeous, blue-eyed rescuer is
Lucas’s brother, Joe. But could she ever leave her fiancé
for his own brother…even if Lucas is more focused on making
partner than on making their relationship work…and even if
Joe turns out to be everything she never knew she wanted?
Filled with excitement and delight, Meant to Be is the story
of a young woman torn between urban pressures and small-town
pleasures.
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