Sandcastle Inn by Irene Hannon ~ a Review

by Susan Roberts

I was surprised to learn that this was the 10th book in a series and was worried that I'd be lost when I tried to read it.  Luckily, it can be read as a standalone with no confusion.  There are a few characters that were mentioned that I am guessing were part of earlier books in the series but they aren't really part of the storyline.  What did happen when I read book 10 is that I enjoyed it so much, I've just ordered the first 9 books in the series.

Amazon affiliate links are used on this site. A free book was provided for an honest review.

April 2024; Revell; 978-0800741921
audio, ebook, print (352 pages); romance

The Hope Harbor series takes place on the beautiful Oregon coast and Sandcastle Inn features two major plot lines.

• Vienna has come to town to visit her mother and see her mother's new bookstore.  They'd never really been close -Vienna was a 'by the rules' person who never strayed outside the lines while her mother was a free spirit always ready for another adventure.  Vienna decides to stay in a hotel instead of her mother's one-bedroom apartment but there are no hotels with vacancies so she asks Matt, if she can stay in his B&B while it is being renovated.  Matt has come for a two-week stay to take care of the B&B while his sister (the new owner) goes to help a family friend.  He is appalled at the state of the inn and the work that needs to be done to make it presentable.  Turns out that Vienna had worked at a high-end boutique hotel and she offers her expertise in exchange for a room.  Sparks begin to fly between them even though neither one is looking for a romance.
• Paige and Andrew have lost their home and their contractor business due to the betrayal of one of their trusted workers.  They are living in a tent and hoping to find a job.  When they find out about the renovation of the Sandcastle Inn, they ask Matt for a chance to do the work.  Will he be able to ignore their past issues and give them a chance?

I enjoyed reading about both couples.  Paige and Andrew were in love and supportive of each other.  Vienna and Matt on the other hand both had a lot of baggage and weren't interested in a 'happily ever after'.  But life often has other plans.

This book is defined as a Christian romance but it was so much more.  The main characters were all well written - flaws and all - and the hardships in life had affected them in different ways.  Basically, it's a book about love -- parental love, sibling love, and the love between two people that makes them want to spend their lives together.

Sandcastle Inn is book 10 in the series and I reviewed book 8 Sea Glass Cottage a couple of years ago. Can't wait to read the series from the beginning!

Buy Sandcastle Inn at Amazon

Susan Roberts grew up in Michigan but loves the laid-back life at her home in the Piedmont area of North Carolina where she is two hours from the beach to the east and the mountains in the west.  She reads almost anything but her favorite genres are Southern Fiction and Historical Fiction.

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