SAND CASTLE BAY – Sherryl Woods
Ocean Breeze Series , Book 1
MIRA
ISBN-13: 978-0-7783-1436-3
April 2013
Contemporary Romance

Sand Castle Bay, North Carolina – Present Day

Interior designer Emily Castle hasn't been home to SAND CASTLE BAY in almost ten years. She spent many summers on the beach, helping her grandmother inside the family restaurant, Castle's By the Sea.  Now, there's a storm brewing off the North Carolina coast, and Emily is beside herself with worry, but she can't get a flight to North Carolina until the storm abates.  Somehow, she never made it home in all the years she's been away carving out a career on the West Coast, as far away from Castle's as she could get.  Emily left behind her true love when she moved to Los Angeles, but it didn't take Boone Dorset long to replace her when he married another local girl. Even though Emily was the one to leave their relationship behind, she still blames Boone for marrying the other woman so quickly. 

When Emily finally arrives at Cora Jane's, it is to find Boone inside Castle's helping to right the damage done by the hurricane.  The owner of several successful restaurants on the North Carolina coast, Boone owes Cora Jane for his success.  Emily's grandmother has helped him since he was a teenager, and she's been there for his eight-year-old son, B.J., since his wife, Jennie, died over two years ago.  Boone sees the writing on the wall as Cora Jane pushes him toward Emily after she arrives.  There is nothing subtle about Cora Jane's matchmaking.  She wants Boone and Emily to reconcile, but that isn't about to happen any time soon.  Emily's life is in Los Angeles, and Boone has built a successful business right here on the East Coast.  And even though they might still be in love, Emily's career comes first in her life; it did then and it does now.
 
Welcome to SAND CASTLE BAY and Castle's By the Sea family restaurant.  Here, we meet Cora Jane Castle and her granddaughters, Samantha, Gabriella, and Emily, in this new series, Ocean Breeze .  The first book in the series, SAND CASTLE BAY, is Emily's story, and while Cora Jane is busy pushing Emily and Boone together, she's also working to find men for Gabi and Sam.  Cora Jane is hoping that local carpenter Wade Johnson will be the one for Gabi, so Cora Jane hires Wade to rebuild her cabinets in the restaurant, which, of course, puts Wade and Gabi in the same vicinity.    

Meanwhile, Boone and Emily have a difficult road to travel.  Their attraction is still burning, but Emily's career is still taking off.  On Boone's side, Jennie's parents are threatening him with a custody battle if he tries to move on with his life and marry Emily.  Vibrant characterization and lush scenery make SAND CASTLE BAY a great beginning to the new trilogy by Sherryl Woods.  Book two, WIND CHIME POINT, is right behind in May 2013 and will give us Gabriella's story, and SEA GLASS ISLAND follows in June 2013. 

These new stories are all about family and love.  Will there be a love story for Cora Jane too?  Be sure to catch this series and find out!

SAND CASTLE BAY is a winner!

Diana Risso