From bestselling author, Dr. Rebecca Sharp, comes a steamy, small-town romance with a dash of suspense.Laurel Ocean knows loss like the sea knows the shore.The loss of her parents took her from Carmel Cove and the loss of her grandfather brought her back. Unexpectedly inheriting the shambles of her family’s coffee shop, her first instinct is to run. After all, it’s just something else to lose.So, … After all, it’s just something else to lose.
So, Laurel makes a plan: fix up the business, sell it, and get out of town. And it would’ve been perfect… if the building hadn’t come with a condition: a stubborn, broody, and distractingly sexy contractor.
Eli Downing made a promise to look after Laurel, and offering to repair the coffeeshop is just the start. He’s not going anywhere whether she likes it or not. And for as many walls as she pays him to fix, he’s determined to tear down the same from around her hardened heart.
The longer she stays, the more Laurel finds herself beholden.
To her family’s legacy. To her loyal hometown. And to the man healing her heart.
Unfortunately, Carmel has only given Laurel one outcome she can rely on. And when loss draws another line in the sand, will she flee from her fears or fight for her future?
Beholden is the first enemies-to-lovers standalone in the Carmel Cove series.
more
I absolutely loved this story, I have read all of Rebecca Sharps, books and this one does not disappoint. The clever way she weaves the characters past and new is amazing and this is one well written book. The book further explains what happened in the book Redemption to Larry Ocean and why he was the way he was! I loved it!
Poor Laurel Ocean has returned to Carmel Cove to bury her grandfather and she meets the town and all those who love her and those amazing memories that she fights. She is determined to leave quickly but Eli and the town have other ideas.
Will Laurel and Eli find their happy ever after or will the beast in town who wants her café get to her like he did her Pap? Eli promised to keep her safe, you’ll have to read this book to find out if he does. Or will they end before they even get started. This book will take you on an emotional roller-coaster, but you will love the ride all the way.
Bravo again Rebecca. I cannot wait for the sequel and Mick and Jules story.
This is a must read, I read this book as an ARC promising to give my honest review for joandisalovebooks blog
Lordy…. this was the first book I’ve read by Rebecca Sharp and it was a fabulous introduction to her work and this new series!
BEHOLDEN was full of emotion that you could feel deep down. My heart broke for Lauren and the losses she had suffered, you can empathise completely with how she feels about returning to her home town, trusting people and letting her walls down.
Eli… he was a fantastic leading man. He himself hadn’t had the easiest life but ending up in Carmel Cove and meeting the old man who helped him out led to him becoming the man that he was now… and he was perfect for Lauren!
I enjoyed the suspense and mystery thread that ran through this book and I’m thinking (ok, kinda hoping) that this is picked up again as we go through the series as I have my suspicions about some of the people involved and I want to see if I’m any where near the mark!!
Dr Sharp has given us a beautifully written story, full of loss, love, hope and redemption. Your emotions will run riot reading BEHOLDEN, you’ll feel everything our characters are going through but it’s believable and makes you think (I highlighted more than a couple of quotes and phrases!)
There’s a host of great supporting characters who I can’t wait to read about in upcoming books – and a couple who already have a book written (that I’ve just bought on kindle since ‘meeting’ them).
As I said, my first read by this author but it won’t be the last and I’m itching to find out Jules and Mick’s story in BESPOKEN!
A definite 5* read and a top 10 book of this year for me.
It’s so tempting to read a book by Rebecca Sharp, because you know it will change you forever.
Rebecca’s writing style is so powerful that you can’t help yourself to be consumed by this story.
“Sometimes, to get better, you have to risk getting worse.”
For Laurel, living in her hometown was synonymous of pain. After she lose another family member, she decides to start over in a different place, far from the memories that haunt her every day. But tragedy strikes again and she has to go back to the town where everyone is a stranger and the only feeling she can have is sadness. But that’s what she believes until she meets the protective and stubborn Eli. She has to decide if running away is the best option or facing her fears.
I honestly admire Laurel. It’s never been easy to deal with the loss of someone you love. It’s not something you can recover from that easily. It takes time and willpower that most of us lack of. But we also cope with those loses in different ways. Laurel decided she couldn’t handle the pain and tried to have a new life far for everything but deep down she knew her heart was in her home.
I understood she was afraid to let anyone in because just the idea to lose someone else AGAIN caused her so much suffering, it was impossible for her to handle. But she forgot that love, can also cure even the most broken hearts of all.
From the first night I held her in my arms, when she begged to not lose anything else, I knew that I’d do anything to give this woman anything she ever asked of me. Any f*cking thing.
Oooh, Eli
It’s pretty clear I love the man He is loyal, caring and protective. He feels he could have done more for Larry and wants to make sure, Laurel gets the help and guidence she needs after everything that happened to her. However, as much as he wants to be there for her, in order to convince her, he needs to show her that she still can find happiness in the same place she found sadness.
The relationship between Laurel and Eli is beautiful to read. It’s heartbreaking from day one but also so rewarding.
The plot, the pace, the characters development and the delicate writing, are the perfect combination to have an unforgettable story.
It’s inevitable to feel happiness without feeling sadness at some point of our lives, and Rebecca Sharp excelled in showing us that with her beautiful prose and poetic words.
This is, without a doubt, a must read.
Eloquently written although took a while to get into this one.
“Start where you are. Use what you have. Do what you can.”
Dr. Rebecca Sharp is an eloquent writer. So I was surprised that it took me a while to get into this book. I think part of it was due to Laurel – while I can empathize with her losses – many of us have lost multiple family members before their time – I couldn’t help but feel her selfishness too and a little too dramatic about her pain.
Eli, who is a calm and steadying influence, has obviously loved her from afar due to his closeness to her grandfather and he will do anything to break down her walls.
“I hated how Laurel Ocean would tread water in the middle of the sea until it drowned her because she was too afraid to admit she didn’t know how to get back to shore–because she was too afraid any life raft might hit an iceberg and sink her down even farther away from safety than she already was.” That is a perfect summation of the frustration of Laurel.
These two fought their feelings, but they were too strong to deny. Once the book got going – it was a page turner until the end. There are some things I am left wondering about, but hopefully future books might shed light on some of it.
This will definitely hurt your heart over a family’s loss – and family doesn’t always mean blood-related. That is the heartwarming part of the story and gives the town and Laurel the support she needs in the end!
I voluntarily requested and read an advance reader copy.
Je suis de plus en plus fan de ces ambiances petites villes avec le retour de l’enfant prodige qui vit un drame. Notre héroïne, Laurel, ne voulait pas remettre un pied à Carmel et elle veut s’enfuir le plus rapidement possible sauf que les rencontres et les espoirs qu’elles engendrent vont remettre en perspective tous ses choix. Les personnages sont très agréables, l’ambiance aussi et si j’avais vu venir certaines petites choses, d’autres m’ont étonné et beaucoup plu. Une très jolie histoire, je suis maintenant impatiente de lire celle de la cousine de Laurel !
Once again Rebecca Sharp had me hooked from page one. The push and pull between Laurel and Eli was intense; infuriating at times.
The story includes some valuable insights – about remembering lost loved ones, working through grief and creating your own family, your own future.
I really enjoy all the similes and metaphors that are weaved throughout the narrative, it helps to create a poetic feel to the book.
And I loved how it incorporated build up to the next book near the end- it’s going to follow on so well!
Eli and Laurel’s story was amazing! I was completely captivated from the very beginning! I could not put this book down! I need more from this series right now! FIVE STARS!!
This is the 1st in a new series and what a fantastic beginning this story is. Laurel is back home because her grandpa has passed away, and she is shocked to have inherited the family’s coffee shop and house. Laurel only intends to stay in town to fix up the coffee shop and then sell it, but Eli is determined to get her to change her mind and stay. This is a well written flawless story which is an emotional roller coaster, as well as having danger, suspense, and great secondary characters. I was hooked and intrigued throughout this riveting tale and cannot wait to read #2.
This story blew me away. I really cannot even find the words to explain how absolutely beautiful it was. Emotional, and heartbreaking, and incredibly inspiring. Loss of loved ones is never something a person wants to face. Imagine having your whole family taken from you in one tragic event after another. Imagine how broken that would leave a person. Broken is exactly what Laurel is, broken but so incredibly strong and brave at the same time. After years of running from the heartbreak she faced in her hometown she is back, again to face another loss but now that she is back in Carmel Cove she is remembering all the good that her grief has buried. There she meets Eli who is absolutely incredible, like can I please have one of him, incredible. Their connection is quick and fierce but Laurel protects her heart like a fortress so she doesn’t make it easy for Him.
Not only do we get two incredible main characters but the supporting “cast” are all people you will fall in love with and I am so looking forward to reading more stories set in this charming town. I definitely need to know more about what is going on with Jules, I have so many predictions. I have no doubt this series is going to be one of my favorites when all is said and done.
This book has everything you could possible need, great characters, small town charm, originality, amazing writing, a beautiful love story, some mystery and suspense, an HEA and the promise of some more amazing books.
**I was provided with a free advanced readers copy of this book in exchange for my fair and honest review**
I’m already a huge fan of this series. My time in Carmel Cove began with Bespoken, which is the second book in this series, and I have wanted to go back to the very beginning ever since then. I am so pleased that I have done so. I never felt that by not having read Beholden that I was missing something, but having read it now I do feel that I have a greater understanding of how important Roasters, and indeed Larry, are to the people of Carmel.
This is a story about loss, grief, guilt, love, acceptance and forgiveness. Laurel has suffered so much heartbreak in her life, and coming back to Carmel after a lengthy time away to deal with more heartache isn’t easy for her. I could understand and feel her pain and resistance. What I loved about her is the strength and determination she possesses, even when this created some angsty moments in the storyline. I absolutely loved witnessing her journey throughout this book.
Eli Downing is an incredible person and I loved learning more about him. I know that the other men of Carmel Cove own pieces of my heart, having already read their stories, and as expected I have indeed handed over another piece to Eli.
Beholden is another great book in this must-read series. I’m certain you will enjoy it as much as I have.
5 Stars
Review by Lisa
Late Night Support Group
Up All Night With Books Blog
Beholden is Carmel Cove book 1 by Dr. Rebecca Sharp. This story was one of an emotional rollercoaster. From the start to the very end we are taken on this emotional ride. Living through heartbreak after heartbreak and now it is time to face your fears. On top of all that stuff that goes with it and knowing when it’s time to stand up for yourself.
Laurel returns home to bury her grandfather but what happens when you return to a place that holds sadness and heartbreak? Yet the place has a family history that is so strong. Laurel is on a spiral of loss and keeps moving. Don’t stop. Get in and get out. But when Eli sets his sites on Laurel nothing stands in his way.
The chemistry between Laurel and Eli rockets off the pages. This is story is well written that the story runs smoothly through the pages. I love how we get to meet the characters of the past books and new storylines that start to unfold.
I have two favorite lines in this story:
Because the strongest people would rather break alone in the shadows than risk reflecting any weakness in the light.
Do what you can. Start where you are. Use what you have.
As it can be read as a standalone, we do meet some of these characters in Redemption and we meet the Redemptions characters in Reputation. Reading them in order will give you a greater understanding of these characters making this book more enjoyable.
Beholden is an exquisitely written story that begins with a broken heart that isn’t healed until the very end. Lauren Ocean has known loss her entire life. Her parents died in a boating accident thirteen years ago, then her grandmother and now her pap. Larry Ocean was the center of Laurel’s life after she lost her parents and they spent a great deal of time together. He taught her everything he could about living and gave her insights into life. The coffee shop, Roasters, had been owned by the Ocean family, going back five generations, but Lauren’s not so sure she wants it to continue. She talks about getting out of Carmel Cove where the ghosts of her past and her sense of loss take away her happiness. Pap knows that she needs to get away to heal, but he keeps reminding her that “Sometimes, to get better, you have to risk getting worse.” Then, her heart is broken once more when her pap unexpectedly dies and she has to return to Carmel Cove again. The townspeople welcome her back as family, but she has her mind set on leaving right after the funeral. Pap’s will left everything to her but she is sticking to her decision that she has to leave. Her mind is in control of the decisions she makes without consulting her heart. But Pap knew her well and he seems to have known that Laurel would need help rebuilding the coffee shop and emotional support to help her find her smile. Levi Dowling owed his life to Larry, after he rescued him from wandering aimlessly and stealing just to have something to eat. Levi is beholden to Pap and will do anything for Laurel. When she literally runs right into him after the funeral, he is resolute that he’s going to help her to stay in Carmel Cove. The more time she spends getting to know Levi, the more determined she becomes not to leave, but to stay! There is a good mystery winding through the story with crime lords and vandalism, as well as a fair amount of angst. For me, there is a feeling of sadness through some of the story because Rebecca Sharp succeeded in writing Pap as if he were my own! The main characters and all the supporting cast are well-crafted with a skilled hand. It’s a story that touches a part of each of us.
“Amazing story! Rebeca Sharp has a thing with words and Beholden wasn’t the exception. Lauren and Eli had such a beautiful story with the up and downs. It broke my heart but also put the pieces back together. Lovely and so romantic. There’s something about small town romances that make everything so much cozy.”
Once again the author had me hooked from page one.
This is Lauren Ocean’s story, with the passing of her grandfather, she is called back to Carmel Cove after a decade away.
Eli is struggling too with the passing of Larry Ocean, he has massive amounts of guilt and the need to redeem himself by helping Lauren navigate the fall out from her grandfather’s passing.
I can’t wait for the next Carmel Cove book.
I received an advance copy of this book. I am voluntarily giving my honest review, and I plan to buy this book when it becomes available.
Rebecca Sharp really blew me away again! She is fast becoming my favourite and auto-read author. The MCs are just so broken yet so beautiful. The story is definitely a rollercoaster of emotions. Your heart would literally hurt for Laurel and Eli. I couldn’t put the book down. I was so captivated by their story from the beginning, even though it’s kind of a slow burn.
This is a heartwarming part of the story and definitely worth a read. You can never go wrong with Rebecca Sharp’s writing.
I seriously love all of Rebecca Sharp’s books that I’ve read so far. This one just pulled at my heart strings. Love, loss, suspense, self forgiveness and discovery all wrapped up into one amazing book. The struggles that Laurel went through just spoke to me on so many levels. That it’s ok to be vulnerable and it’s ok not be ok, its something that I needed to hear and it just resonates with me.
Laurel and Eli are an instant connection despite Laurel fighting so hard against her feelings. It’s like a match being lit when their together and it burns hard and fast. Eli is strong, loving, and caring and I swooned hard over him. I admire Laurel’s strength despite everything that’s happened in her life. I couldn’t get enough of these two and Carmel Cove.
Must read from start to finish! Just unputdownable and so inspiring!
What a sad but lovely story this was .This story was all about love forgiveness and so much grief and sadness and starting over.This was one emotional tale that tugs on the readers heart strings that is for sure and Laurel and her grief even touched the reader so much so that it felt like you were experiencing everything this poor girl was going through personally.
I loved the little town this story took place in and we loved the characters as they were all so amazing that they made it easy to love them all.I have to say that the story had us wishing we had a Roasters and a family like the Ocean’s running it in our small town because we loved what that coffee shop stood for and it was so much than just making a buck it was about changing peoples lives that came in there to commune together and a safety net to others and life changing to so many others.We felt the love that those same people had for Laurels grandfather and how many lives he impacted just being the loving and generous man he was.
Eli was one of our favorite characters he was so thoughtful and so loving and generous and so understanding when it came to Laurel and how she was dealing with so much loss and in a small way he only wanted to help her wade through all the grief and for her to start to heal once again.
We loved the chemistry and the instant pulled that Eli and Laurel had between them.
Overall we really enjoyed this story even though it was so sad but, it was mostly about healing and forgiving oneself and it had so many love-able characters and it had a bit of drama added into the mix but, it also made you think is the grand-father still working his small miracles from his grave ?
Fantastic Story!
“Because the strongest people would rather break alone in the shadows than risk reflecting any weakness in the light.”
This is an amazing and beautiful story that will have you enthralled to the very end!
Laurel is heartbroken and struggling to come to terms of losing those closest to her. Coming back to Carmel Cove is hard on her and brings back too many memories that she tried to forget about. Until she meets the amazing Eli. He’s a strong man with an amazing heart of gold. He would do anything for Laurel and Carmel Cove! Their story is one of heartache and passion. They have an amazing and beautiful story to tell that you don’t want to miss out one. Their story will captivate you and entertain you from beginning to end.
It was a phenomenal read! Highly recommend.
Laurel Ocean never wanted to return to Carmel Cove after leaving so many years ago but with the death of her grandfather, Larry, she must return. Yet coming home brings back many bad memories and all Laurel wants to do is fix up the shop and her grandfather’s home and then sell them so she can leave town again.
Eli Downing owes so much to Larry Ocean and he will do anything he can to help Laurel, even knowing she may end up selling the coffee shop that means so much to him. He can’t deny his attraction to Laurel but knows she has no interest in moving back to Carmel Cove and Eli doesn’t want to get his heart broken.
Laurel is afraid of staying in Carmel Cove with the memories but when she is offered money for her grandfather’s shop she must decide where she sees her future.
This is such a great book and I love how it ties right into one of the author’s previous series.
I thought Laurel was such a great character but I hated that she was so opposed to staying in Carmel Cove and continuing with her grandfather’s legacy. At the same time I got why it was so painful for her to be there with losing her parents and her grandpa as well as losing touch with her cousin, Jules.
Eli was awesome and I loved learning his back story with Larry and how Larry made him pay off his debt. I think I am still having a hard time with Larry’s death because of his relationship with Eli and Ash and a few others in the community and something is still off for me, even with the end of this book.
The chemistry between Eli and Laurel was apparent right from the beginning but with Laurel planning on leaving it was hard for either of them to get attached to the other one. I liked that Eli was always there for Laurel no matter how much she tried pushing him away.
It was apparent that Laurel’s relationship with her Aunt Jackie, Jules’s mom, was strained although Laurel had no idea why and I am curious about this and I know we will get more in the next book. I just don’t understand some of the things yet and how they tie into Alexander Blackman.
Alexander Blackman was pure evil and I still think he has much more to do with Larry’s death than we are aware of and my guess is that it ties into Jules’s parents some how but this is all my speculation and I will be terribly upset if I am way off base!
The end was super tense but expected! I was so proud of Laurel even though she risked so much!! I’m glad that Mick was there and I can’t wait to learn about him next! I was definitely surprised with the reaction of Jules’s parents and there is so much more to them than we know!!
The end made me so happy and I can’t wait for more with these two in them!!
A Carmel Cove Novel
I had so anxiously awaited the start of this brand new series from Dr. Sharp, and she did not disappoint!
Beholden is the start of what’s going to be a phenomenal series full of heart, heat, swoons, a bit of a thriller and a mystery! All the makings of a fantastic story!
This is Lauren Ocean’s story, with the passing of her grandfather, she is called back to Carmel Cove after a decade away. She left to try to mend a broken heart and soul, devastating losses forced her Carmel Cove and another devastating loss brings her home. I fell for Lauren, I could empathize with her plight, and Dr. Sharpe has a true talent of writing emotions that bleed off the page. Heartbreak, guilt, and fear is what dominates Lauren, but love, hope, and faith is what takes over.
Eli is struggling too with the passing of Larry Ocean, he has massive amounts of guilt and the need to redeem himself by helping Lauren navigate the fall out from her grandfather’s passing. But soon Eli’s feelings take a more possessive and caring nature for Lauren and it’s beautiful to read how he helps her through the process.
Bravo, Dr. Sharp for creating a deep and realistic story, this was a story I was fully immersed in until the very end! I can’t wait to see what comes next!