By the bestselling author of the Three Wise Men box set (USA Today bestseller list, November 2016).Blue Penguin Bay Book 2: As Beautiful as the BayWhen Sam Pankhurst returns to Blue Penguin Bay after a five-year absence, his plan is to help his father run the family bakery until he can find someone else to take over. Then he’s going to return to his job as a pastry chef on a cruise liner, … pastry chef on a cruise liner, travelling around the world. Settling down in the bay and making the same old loaves and muffins until the day he dies isn’t his idea of a dream future.
Then he meets Ginger Cartwright. Feisty, confident, and as beautiful as the sub-tropical Northland bay that most people think of as paradise, she has a touch of vulnerability that makes him want to take her in his arms and protect her from the world, especially once he finds out about her troubled past.
Torn between desire, duty, and the ever-present urge to escape from his father’s constant disapproval, Sam finds himself unable to resist Ginger’s charms. But when the bay is hit by a tropical cyclone, everything is turned upside down. Will Sam stay and rebuild his old life? Or is it the perfect opportunity for him to move on?
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A Perfect Match
I loved this second book set in Blue Penguin Bay with its vivid descriptions of the area. This story is about the youngest sister Ginger (Virginia) Cartwright, a gifted chef who is hoping the restaurant she is setting up at the vineyard will be award winning. However, when she tells Sam Pankhurst, bakery owner of All or Muffin, of her entry into the Bay of Islands Gold Food Awards and boasts how she will win; he decides to enter too and he is likely to garner the local votes. Sparks fly between the pair but she refuses to accept his weekly attempts to date her. Strong, likeable characters with plenty of sizzle. Standalone book with strong language.
I received a complimentary copy of this book from the author. I was not compensated for my review, and I was not required to write a positive review. The opinion expressed here is my own.
Read 2017
As Beautiful as the Bay by Serenity Woods
Blue Penguin Bay #2
The wait was definitely worth it!
Background: Three sisters come to New Zealand to decide what to do with an unexpected inheritance that includes a B&B, winery and restaurant. In book one Winifred, “Fred”, took the lead focusing on the vineyard and winery and marries Mac. Sandi took on the B&B and will have her story told in book three. Ginger’s interest was the restaurant and we have her story in this book
Sam “The Muffin Man” Pankhurst has been asking Virginia “Ginger” Cartwright out weekly for months – only to be told no. Ginger’s unwillingness to date Sam has to do with his jumping into a competition she has signed up for, his laid back personality, his seeming lack of ambition and the impact of the bad breakup she had in England just before heading to New Zealand. Ginger has a tendency to act before thinking, jump to conclusions without all the facts and a true sense of superiority when it comes to her abilities as a chef and business person – a trait that is not always appreciated by those she encounters. That said, she wants vindication for what happened in England and also to prove herself professionally by making the restaurant a success.
When a storm and flood impact the community both Sam and Ginger make some realizations about one another. Ginger truly sees and appreciates Sam in more ways than one as they spend time together. The two truly communicate for the first time and find they feel similarly about more than one thing, truly enjoy one another in and out of bed and believe there might be a future to explore together. BUT it is not easy sailing because there are a few twists and turns for them to deal with before they can move forward and achieve their HEA. Oh…guess what? I can’t wait to read Sandi’s story and find out whether or not she ends up with Jace, lawyer and friend of Mac and Sam, or if she ends up with someone else.
Another wonderful story by Serenity Woods – I thank her for the ARC – This is my honest review.
5 Stars