Today for Fiction Friday I’m sharing my book recommendation for Sandcastle Inn, Irene Hannon’s recent contemporary Christian romance release that’s set on the Oregon Coast.
Here’s the book description:
Vienna Price never intended to return for more than a passing visit to Oregon and all the bad memories she’d left behind. But when your career tanks, home is where you go to nurse your wounds and chart a new course. Only temporarily, of course–because as much as she loves her quirky mom, anything more than a short stay would drive them both crazy.
A trip to Oregon isn’t in Matt Quinn’s plans, either, until a perfectly timed appeal for help arrives from his sister. What better place to decompress after a shattering loss than a quiet, seaside town named Hope Harbor? But R&R isn’t on the agenda when he arrives to find his sister’s new enterprise on life support.
Vienna, however, may have just the skills needed to resuscitate the foundering B&B–if Matt can convince her to hang around long enough to mend an inn . . . and his heart.
Narelle’s Thoughts:
I enjoyed reading Sandcastle Inn, the tenth book in Irene Hannon’s Hope Harbor series set in a fictional town on the Oregon Coast. It was fun visiting with side characters from earlier books in the series. The books are standalone romances that can be read in any order.
Vienna has a complicated relationship with her eccentric mother. It’s desperation that inspires Vienna to leave Denver and temporarily land in the small coastal town where her mother lives and owns a book store. Vienna’s hotel management career ambitions are in tatters despite the many sacrifices she made for her former employer.
Matt’s older sister, Kay, raised him after their parents passed, and Matt will do anything for his sister. That includes leaving behind his veterinarian practice in San Francisco and temporarily relocating to Hope Harbor to help rescue a failing B&B. Kay sank her life savings into purchasing the rundown B&B without thinking through the implications.
Matt and Vienna’s first meeting is memorable for all the wrong reasons. Matt discovers that Vienna’s boutique hotel background could be an answer to prayer and provide the solution for Kay’s financial dilemma.
A charming romance develops as Matt and Vienna become friends and work together to save the B&B. Matt has emotional wounds that need healing and Vienna is challenged to reassess her life goals.
I loved the subplot involving a young couple from Portland who are down on their luck and looking for a big dollop of hope in Hope Harbor. I recommend Sandcastle Inn to contemporary romance readers who like small town friends-to-more romances where the town is like a character plus a relevant faith element in the story.
Learn more about Irene Hannon and her books at her website.
