‘Great escape to the beach! I could not put this book down and stayed up to 1am to finish it.’ 5 stars, Amazon Reviewer’ Renee Clarke is perfectly happy just the way she is… Renee may be thrilled to be planning her sister’s wedding, but after witnessing her mother’s two failed marriages, she has always vowed that she is better off on her own. But when Renee discovers that Luc Hardy has … when Renee discovers that Luc Hardy has moved next door, her world is knocked off kilter. Luc was her whirlwind summer romance as a teen and, more importantly, her first love. Now he’s back in West Cove, looking more handsome than ever.
There is no escaping the romance in the air this summer. With the wedding planning in full swing, Renee begins to believe that she might be able to put her childhood reservations about marriage aside.
Yet when her mother arrives, she stirs a torrent of emotions in Renee’s heart. She’s up to her old tricks again – boasting about her latest conquests – reaffirming Renee’s lack of faith in love.
As Renee’s happily-ever-after hangs in the balance, will Luc be able to convince her that true love can last forever?
A totally heart-warming summer romance you won’t want to put down! Perfect for fans of Jenny Hale, Susan Mallery and Jill Shalvis
Readers LOVE Barefoot on the Beach!
‘Just what I needed. A delicious escapist read of the boy-next-door variety’– NetGalley Reviewer, 5 stars
‘This book was a fun beach sunshine read…Makes me want to go to the beach!– NetGalley Reviewer, 5 stars
‘I absolutely loved reading this book!…I stayed up so late to finish it!’– NetGalley Reviewer, 5 stars
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I have to admit that it took me a good 25-30% before I could connect with this story. I’m not one to admit defeat and given that I loved Katlyn’s Christmas book, Wrapped Up For Christmas, I was left thinking it was going to be a ‘it’s not you, it’s me’ scenario.
But hallelujah (I’m not apologising for being dramatic as I was getting stressed out, lol), as Renee started to open up (metaphorically speaking) on the page my connection to the story developed.
Families are a funny old thing, aren’t they? Good or bad our upbringings shape us. They can either give us the courage to embrace all that life has to offer or they can inadvertently make us fearful of history repeating itself.
Renee’s past has taught her that love is a fickle thing and not to be trusted. She has her heart firmly shored up, but is that any way to really live? Luc’s return to West Cove may be the just the shake-up Renee needs.
Ugh, I have to admit to having a rant or two. Okay, okay – it was more like double figures *palms face*. All directed at Renee. Every time she bit her tongue rather than express her true feelings on a matter, I was there like an angel (read: devil) on her shoulder giving her what for. My very own version of a ‘Come to Laura’ moment *snorts*.
Coming from someone with vampire-like tendencies, the setting in this story was everything. I could literally feel the sun sinking into my bones and the sand between my toes. Renee’s connection to this special place leapt from the page. It’s where she can leave the stresses of life behind and just be.
I love how the author isn’t afraid to let her characters embrace their flaws and make mistakes in the pursuit of happiness.
Life is full of ups and downs, and BOTB reflected that with my initial struggle but ultimately left me with a smile on my face.
Best of luck, Renee – you got this!
I enjoy a second chance romance especially in a lovely beach town setting I can get lost in. Renee is a carefree woman who is enjoying summer flings and living the single and ready to mingle life. All fun until one day Luc her first love reappears into her life and her younger sister Cait needs her help in planning a wedding.
I enjoyed the characters and the underlying message within the story that explores our relationships in our family no matter how dysfunctional. I really enjoyed this fun beach read that took me to West Cove for an afternoon.
I recommend this book for great characterization, excellent location, and amazing dialogue that I enjoyed.
2.5 to be exact but rounding up to give the benefit of the doubt. This was one of the longest short reads of my life. It started out well. By halfway through, I was done with Renee. She was supposed to come off as the compassionate older sister, but in reality, I found her to be annoyingly whiny and more of a doormat than anything. She let her sister run roughshod over her without saying a word. If Renee did say or do something to make Cait, her sister, realize how self-centered Cait was being it was done in a passive-aggressive way that Cait could never figure out. Renee questioned, double questioned, and triple questioned absolutely everything. She blamed everything on her mother. I’ll give her there were some things solidly due to her mother, but a lot of it was also Renee being a martyr and wishing everyone would notice. I did like the setting, I mean it was on a beach……
Pretty ordinary book.
To work, this story needed the reader to sympathize with the main female character, Renee. Instead, I soon tired of her obsession with her mother. The plot demands that the younger sister be too dependent on Renee, but instead the sibling comes across as a spoiled brat. The author succeeds in painting Isla, the mom, as a terrible person, though at the end the writer seems to give a mixed message about whether Isla was more than the just 2-D “bad guy.” The male leads, on the other hand, were sympathetic and a little more threshed out. Though it had its moments, the plot seemed uneven. As happens frequently, it seemed to drag and then, near its conclusion, the lead character (finally) resolves her issues a little too quickly.
Charming beach read