HALF MOON HARBOR is Book two in Donna Kauffman's
Bachelors
of Blueberry Cove series. Having never read the previous
book in this series, I was still able to enjoy this book
without being confused. Grace Maddox is a newcomer to
Blueberry Cove, Maine but Brodie Monaghan's family has been
building ships in the area for over a hundred years and
more. Being new to this series helped me associate with
Grace as a newcomer.
Brodie is an easy character to like. He has a lot of Irish
charm and knows how to use it -- a fact that Grace is very
much aware of and is amused by. He's extremely hard-working
and trying to hold onto his family's shipbuilding business
and legacy. It only adds to his appeal that he is also a
nice guy getting over an unrequited love. I like that when
Grace showed up at his boathouse, telling him something he
didn't want to hear that he handled himself well rather
than act petulant.
I liked that Brodie and Grace never have
an antagonistic relationship, in spite of having very
different ideas about the same piece of property. I also
loved how honest with each other they are when it comes to
their feelings. The chemistry between them is electric and
makes for a lot of sexy scenes.
One of the things I love
about HALF MOON HARBOR is the assortment of complex and
interesting characters. Donna Kauffman does a great job of
avoiding having characters act in a predictable way. In
addition to the yummy hero, I liked Grace a lot too. She
has a lot of inner strength. Growing up, she didn't have
the tight-knit, big family that Brodie did. All she had was
her older brother, Ford, until he left her for the
military. She obviously has feelings of abandonment, but
rather than wallow in self-pity, she carves out a
successful legal career and then makes plans to put her
dream of owning an inn and reconnecting with her brother a
reality. Graces strikes me as being very real and a strong
woman. I loved the addition of her dog Whomper and her very
good friend and celebrated architect, Langston deVry. I'd
enjoy seeing both in future books. Cami Weathersby made a
fabulous "bad guy" and I loved how that situation got
resolved.
HALF MOON HARBOR is exactly the kind of character-driven,
sexy, well-written story that I live for. I very much look
forward to the next book in this wonderful series!
Bold, brash, Irish—Brodie Monaghan's been breaking hearts ever since he arrived in Maine to rebuild the family business. Still, there's one woman he just can't wow. Grace Maddox claims she's now part owner of Monaghan Shipbuilders, and she has her own dreams for the weathered dockside buildings. Tiny Blueberry Cove has a way of welcoming strangers with wide open arms, but is the sleepy coastal village ready for the fireworks these two spark?