Recently widowed Sara Ness moves to Cliffside Bay to hide from her painful past and the scandal that cost her far too much. With a baby daughter to raise alone, the peaceful privacy of small town life, and the comfort of the local grief support group, are just what the heiress needs. But when her inheritance is jeopardized by her new marital status, Sara is forced to make a deal with the only … suitable candidate available. And for the next year she’s paying for the pleasure of pretending to be married to the one man in town she simply cannot stand.
In the wake of his wife’s death, architect David Perry accepts a job at Wolf Enterprises and promptly moves his children to be near what’s left of their family. Though work and the kids are more than enough to fill David’s days, his quiet, lonely nights force him to seek the help of the local grief support group. And when the spoiled Sara Ness proposes a partnership that promises to be lucrative for them both, David agrees to her terms and discovers that his fake bride just might hold the key to his future happiness.
The final installment of the wildly popular Cliffside Bay Series weaves a heartwarming enemies-to-lovers meets marriage-of-convenience tale in the style readers have grown to expect from USA Today bestselling author Tess Thompson, with richly developed characters, a setting to marvel at, and the ultimate life lesson about true love’s never-ending ability to bridge the gaps that we frequently allow to divide us.
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This one is a doozie!
Wow! My emotions were ALL OVER THE PLACE! Tess Thompson touches your heart. Her words wrap around you, like a warm hug. Leaving you feeling giddy with emotions.
The best of the best! Departed captured me and wouldn’t let me go. I was so consumed. I’ve been such a huge fan of this series. All the characters feel like family.
Anyone out there reading this, that is hesitant to start this series… DO IT! You will not regret it, begin from the beginning, get lost and fall in love with Cliffside Bay. You won’t regret it.
All the feels! The long awaited match finally happens! I love the Cliffside Bay family, so this was a perfect ending (or is it the end?!) to their wonderful stories! David and Sara had to learn to love again after betrayal from their former spouses. What better way to do that than with some adorable kids! I love that the couples from the previous stories comes together at points in the story. Tess knocked this one out of the park! It’s so easy to read her stories again and again!
Departed is the last book in Tess’s Cliffside Bay series. David and Sara are both widowed and the deaths of their spouses left them feeling betrayed and devastated. We met David & Sara briefly in an earlier Cliffside Bay story and they didn’t seem to like each other very much. When both of their families encourage them to attend a grief counseling group, they begin to form a friendship. When David and Sara decide to take their relationship to a new level (with ulterior motives for both) – they realize they have a lot more in common. You really feel all the emotions these characters are feeling.
Although this book could be read as a stand alone, I recommend you read the series in order as Tess brings characters from previous stories to this one. This is her final chapter in the Cliffside Bay series and she did a great job of bringing this series full circle. Although I will miss Cliffside Bay, we will see some of those characters in her new Emerson Pass series. I love how Tess brings characters from other series into her other books – the good-bye is never forever!
After Sara lost her husband and David lost his wife, they both moved to Cliffside Bay. They met on the streets and weren’t particularly fond of each other. But their friends made them go to grief counseling. Thats when they found out how much they actually had in common. The attraction was intense, but neither wanted to get hurt the way they did in the past and didn’t want to out their kids in a bad situation. Through unforeseen circumstances, and a little trust, they ended up married with 3 kids combined. They moved past their past and grief and moved forward together.
Cliffside Bay has been a huge part of my life from the beginning. I loved every part of the series and loved how the series ended. Tess has a way to bring life into her books in a way only she could do.
* Thanks to the author & publisher for the opportunity to read an ARC. All opinions & thoughts are my own*
Another sweet visit to Cliffside Bay. This is possibly the final book, but fans are hoping Tess Thompson will bring all of these beloved characters back.
These books are easy reads, an escape from the real world-and where better to escape than to a beach town with a lovable cast of characters? While this could be a stand-alone book, reading them in order is best so you know the backstory. We first met David & Sara a few books ago, and each has had enough heartbreak and betrayal to last a lifetime. Could this be their chance for happily ever after? If you’ve read Tess Thompson in the past, you know the answer-but it’s so much more fun read and find out for yourself!
Tess Thompson is one of my favorite authors. I hate to finish her books because I have to leave a beautiful town with amazing realistic characters. I just finished Departed, latest book and once again I am thrilled with the story and sad to leave characters who feel like friends. Don’t miss out on Departed or any of the Cliffside Bay series. They are good for the heart.
Departed by Tess Thompson is the tenth, and final, book in the Cliffside Bay series. In this book we follow Sara and David’s story, as well as catch up with all of the other Cliffside Bay charaters. Ms Thompson made me laugh and cry with her newest book and I was devasted to have it end!
Departed wrapped up the Cliffside Bay series beautifully. It was wonderful to get an update on all of the characters before the book ended. Thank you to Ms Thompson and the publisher for granting my request for an advanced copy of Departed.
How are we already at book ten and wrapping up the Cliffside Bay series?! Sara and David’s story is my favorite of the bunch. Tess truly has saved the best for last. An emotional, sweet book filled with love. Sometimes external circumstances push you in the direction of what you are really in need of. Seeing David and Sara come together with their families was wonderful. I love that the characters of Cliffside Bay come back in all of the books. I hope that this isn’t the end for Cliffside Bay and that we get to see all of these wonderful characters again.
Once again Ms. Tess Thompson has hit it out of the stands. I loved the characters and they are fully fleshed out and lovable, it feels like you know them and can’t wait to read more about them. There is heartbreak and love in this world that Ms. Thompson has created and I can hardly wait to revisit Cliffside Bay again.
I received and early copy of this book, this is my honest review and in my words.
David and Sara both have heartbreaking stories to tell of their lives… Sara, a widow and heiress with a baby girl to raise and David with his children, abandon by his wife only to find out she’s dead and the reason why she died.. come together in an unusual way… They don’t particularly like each other but need each other…. and who knows what’ll happen… you’ll find it tugs at the heartstrings .. Their story is a beautiful one.. Author Tess Thompson has done an extraordinary job of writing the Cliffside Bay Series and telling us their stories and somehow working her magic so that by the time you’ve finished, You feel as though you were right there with them.. That you’re a part of them.. and that is the works of a true writer…
Wow.. did I ever mention that Tess Thompson’s book NEVER disappoint! This book was amazingly written.. it was heartfelt.. it was emotional… I felt (and always do) like I was right there in the story… two emotionally people who fear commitment because of their past but who also deserve happiness… thank you Tess again for another amazing book!
I received this book as ARC and this is my honest review.
This is the last book on the Cliffside Bay series. I absolutely loved this book. I’m glad that David & Sara got the second chance they both deserve so much! The grief & anger they had to overcome brought them together and has made them a strong blended family!
Thank you Tess Thompson for a. Wonderful series!!
David and Sara learn grieving is a process and sometimes, good can come out of it.
David and Sara are two lost souls just trying to make it through each day. Never in their wildest dreams, did they think they would meet their soulmate, when they agree to attend a grief support group.
I liked David and Sara from the moment they are introduced in the story. They are both good people who unfortunately married the wrong person. A person who took advantage of their kind heart. After their spouses die, they are left with the best part of their marriages: their children. It isn’t easy struggling with anger, grief, a job and taking care of their children, too. It isn’t easy, but they are trying to keep everything together.
This is an emotional and touching story with fragile characters carrying a lot of baggage. David and Sara help each other through their grief and anger and are able to reach the other other side and find happiness and contentment with each other. This feel good story had me laughing and crying and never wanting it to end.
Thanks to the author for providing a copy of this book via Bend and Snap. The opinions expressed are my own.
Departed brings us full circle in the Cliffside Bay series by Tess Thompson.
Both Sara and David are widowed with young children. But, from appearances that’s all they seem to have in common. Honestly, they don’t even seem to like one another very much. But, when their friends and family push them to go to a grief support meeting, then soon discover they have more in common than they ever could have realized.
When a large inheritance comes into jeopardy, Sara needs a husband and she needs one now. And, with David’s money problems from the debt his wife racked up before she died, it seems like a match made in heaven. They’ll marry for a year and support one another allowing Sara to gain her inheritance to start a foundation to support her favorite charities and allowing David to become financially independent to raise his children. But, what happens when feelings become involved and what felt like a business deal suddenly feels like so much more?
I adored David and Sara’s story! They have both been through the wringer with their former marriages and neither feels they will ever trust again. And, they harbor anger deep in their hearts. But, coming together through their “fake” marriage really allows them to get closer than they ever expected and in ways that make them both understand just how much they missed out on the first time around. And, having two caring parents for their children is something that warms their hearts. I really loved watching this blended family come together in a beautiful and authentic way even if it wasn’t their expected outcome.
As Departed is supposed to be the final book in the series (even though Tess has teased she may spin off . . . yeah!) every couple has a highlight and update and it was fabulous. We get to catch up with all of the Dogs, Wolves and their significant others and children in an extremely heartwarming way. And, David and Sara’s story was unique and special and wrapped up this series wonderfully. 5 stars!
A broken and betrayed heart is hard to overcome. Fighting and having or running away are the usual ways of overcoming the emotional scars. What if the person who wronged you is no longer here to face the hurt and betrayal? What if your expected to mourn their loss? For David and Sara their lives had become those twisted soap operas. Both vowed to never be that vulnerable again, but both needed to take a chance.
What starts out as an enemies to lovers romance, with a twist turns out to be a romance of blending their lives together. Becoming a family filled with love was all they ever wanted but never dreamed could happen. Their scars were deep but their love helped cure and give them more than they ever imagined possible.
This was a beautiful journey back to Cliffside Bay, reuniting with all the characters and seeing how strong Wolf Enterprises had become how the band of brothers fell for the strong woman that loved them. To see their families grow and their hearts overflow with love in the small town of Cliffside is a journey that warmed my heart.
The book was bittersweet. The love story between David and Lisa will melt your heart. David is a single dad to two young children, Lisa is a single mom to one young toddler. They don’t really like each other but Lisa learns of an inheritance from her estranged grandfather that comes with one caveat, a rather big one. She has to be married within a year to receive a large amount of money that would change many lives for the better.
The obvious solution to her problem is to get David to agree to a fake marriage for a year and make it look believable for the investigator who will be watching. In return, he will get part of the money to pay off debts left by his wife who was recently murdered in connection with drug trafficking
Can they make it look as though they love, instead of disdain each other for a full year? They will need to be good actors to convince the town and investigator that they are blissfully married.
This book, like all of the others in the series, could be read as a stand-alone, but I highly recommend reading the other books in the series first. Departed wraps up the Cliffside Bay series. Readers will have to say goodbye to all of the characters they have grown to love through all of the other books.
In addition to the love story between David and Lisa, you get a small glance into each of the other books in the series, and all of the main players kind of get a curtain call at the end of the book. Readers like myself will be asking Tess Thompson to do an encore. We are not ready to leave Cliffside Bay yet!
*I am in an early reading group for this author and received an advanced copy of the book. I was not asked to give a positive review. All of the thoughts are mine, and not from the author or publisher.
A terrific addition to an incredible series.
This fake relationship to true love is a must read. You can’t help but fall in love with the small town and all of the characters, David and Sara especially. Her writing makes you feel as though you are part of the story with how you feel everything the characters are experiencing. The whole series makes for a weekend binge read, with this story being one of my favorites.
I was a newbie to Cliffside Bay before this story and also pretty new to the author herself, but I can tell you right now that I will never not read a Tess Thompson story ever again!
One of the things that sticks for me about this book is the sheer emotion it brought out in me. I felt everything. I was invested in it all. I felt like these people were my people and it was all happening around me. Magic …
Tess is a gifted storyteller. I’ve only read a few of her books but my gut is never wrong. This woman is super talented and diverse in her talent. With this story, she brought two widowed people together to forge a path together where they thought there would never be a path again. Magic …
Both Sara and David carried such heavy hearts that I honestly did not think a HEA could possibly happen. Magic …
I know I keep saying ”Magic …” after practically every sentence lol but there just is no other way to convey what I just read. If you’re not reading this author, I just don’t know ….
Departed: David and Sara by Tess Thompson
I don’t know how Ms. Thompson continues to outdo herself with each new story in this series. I was so blown away by this story. The story and the characters are heartfelt. I could not put this book down. I have grown to love all the characters in Cliffside Bay. David and Sara’s story is probably one of my favorite stories in this series. Understanding loss, learning to forgive, teaming up for a mutual benefit and finding love along the way. It doesn’t get much better than this. Sad to say goodbye to Cliffside Bay but I can’t wait to see what Tess Thompson has for us on the horizon.
Well done Tess Thompson. Well done !!!!
This story was fantastic!
I loved David and Sara’s story! What started out as a fake marriage turned into so much more. Departed was a very emotional story of two people who had been through so much heartache finding their way through to their happiness. You can’t help rooting for their second chance at love! Their children are adorable! It is always good to have the previous characters make an appearance in this story. I’m sad for the Cliffside Bay series to end, but I’m sure we’ll hear from them again!