Book Recommendation – A Seaside Wonder by Melissa Tagg + #giveaway

Today I’m sharing my book recommendation for Melissa Tagg’s wonderful new release, A Seaside Wonder. It’s the second book in Melissa’s Muir Harbor contemporary romantic mystery series set in Maine.

Here’s the Book Description:

In one evening, Indi’s world falls apart. Enter the shy professor her family mistakes for her fiancé…make that ex-fiancé.

Professor Philip West never wanted to return to Maine . . . or his grandfather’s miserable old house. But after his mother’s death, he’s now the guardian of a teenage half sister who doesn’t want anything to do with him. He longs to help her heal, but he’s exhausted and numb, desperate for relief of his own. Maybe that’s why he’s so easily distracted when he happens upon the little shop with an intriguing owner—one who happens to share a name with someone from his grandfather’s mysterious past.

More than a decade has passed since Indi Muir made the heartbreaking decision she’s never recovered from—though she’s certainly tried. She has a full life running her shop and creating the artsy pieces that fill its shelves. If she can just stay busy, she’ll keep her hurt and regret at bay. But when her ex-fiancé returns to Muir Harbor, he brings news that shatters her carefully built walls. Things only get worse when lurking danger comes calling at her childhood home.

The one bright spot amid Indi’s turmoil is the shy stranger who wandered into her shop months ago and his moody but lovable sister. As she confronts her past and the mysterious threat facing her family, she’s intent on helping Philip win over his sister. He just might win over Indi, too, if they can overcome old secrets and wounds, outrun rising peril . . . and take a chance on love.

Breathtaking romance, a captivating mystery, and an enchanting wintry seaside . . . return to Muir Harbor in bestselling author Melissa Tagg’s latest.

Narelle’s Thoughts:

I loved reading A Seaside Wonder by Melissa Tagg, and I especially loved the meet cute in the story. Indi is Maggie Muir’s adopted daughter who owns artsy antique stores in Muir Harbor and Augusta. Philip is a history professor in Augusta who, many years ago, found an old love letter written by his grandfather to Maggie Muir.

When Philip discovers Indi’s store in Augusta, and sees the owner is Indi Muir, he wonders if she’s related to the Maggie Muir mentioned in his grandfather’s letter. Philip wanders into Indi’s store and accidentally eavesdrops on a conversation taking place at the back of the store where Indi’s fiancé is dumping her. Philip is shy and socially awkward, and when he hears them leaving the back of the store and heading to the front, he makes an impulsive decision to hide in a wardrobe.

Indi discovers this strange man in her wardrobe, and wonders if he’s looking for Narnia. A family emergency phone call from her sister, while she’s trying to sort out the Philip situation, sparks the beginning of a friends-to-more romance between Indi and Philip.

Indi and Philip are adorable characters who are struggling with many issues. They both have a challenging and emotional journey to travel in the story that pushes them to face their fears and deal with painful situations and circumstances from their past.

The cast of minor characters are fascinating and the series mystery, set up in Autumn by the Sea (Book 1), is partly solved. New questions arise in A Seaside Wonder that deepen the series mystery. These questions will be addressed in the final third book in the series that I can’t wait to read. I recommend A Seaside Wonder to contemporary romance readers who like friends-to-more romances with a mystery subplot and a relevant faith element in the story.

Many thanks to the author and NetGalley for the advanced reader copy.

Learn more about Melissa Tagg and her books at her website.

Read my book recommendation for Autumn by the Sea (Book 1, Muir Harbor) here.

Gift Card Giveaway

I’m giving away a US $10 (Amazon USA) or Australian $15 gift card (Amazon Australia or Koorong) to a reader who comments on this post before Sunday 13th November. The winner will be announced in the November Recent Releases blog post.

Questions for you: Are you a fan of contemporary romantic mysteries? Have you read any books in Melissa Tagg’s Muir Harbor series? I’d love to hear your thoughts.

Paperback Giveaway for Australian Readers: The complete Luella Linley series

I’m giving away autographed paperback copies of the complete Luella Linley: License to Meddle series by Meredith Resce at my blog. A fabulous Christmas present for a reader who will love lighthearted contemporary Christian romance novels set in Adelaide, South Australia. To enter the giveaway, please visit NarelleAtkins.com for more information. Only entrants with an Australian mailing address are eligible to enter this giveaway at my blog.