If you like a good fixer-upper, fresh donuts and fun storytelling, jump on the ferry and make your way over to Sweetwater Island!Virginia’s entire life needed a renovation, but it took inheriting her aunt’s island cottage to realize it. Crafting gourmet donuts, hanging out with her sister and maintaining her slightly off-kilter relationship, have become the epicenter of Virginia’s life. But when … epicenter of Virginia’s life. But when she looks in the mirror, she knows better than anyone that her self-esteem is shot.
So when she inherits her beloved Aunt’s house in the quaint, neighboring island town of Sweetwater, she’s elated. That is, until her longtime boyfriend Jason convinces her to sell it. The catch is, there are substantial fixes that need to be made before that can happen. On a recommendation, she hires Tristan, a cute, funny, church-going contractor, with a good heart and a dark secret.
If she does fix up the old house, perhaps she’ll find what wonderful things can be uncovered with a little sweat, proper attention, and some TLC…maybe even her old self.
Will Virginia be able to fix the cottage, along with her relationship with Jason? — Or will one of the two end up being beyond a fixer-upper worth investing in?
Start reading For Love…and Donuts today for a heartwarming story about finding true happiness in the most unlikely of places.
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Sweet Christian Romance
This is a lovely novella length romance. It has a Seattle area island as a backdrop. The story is short and moves quickly. I enjoyed this book for so many reasons. There was quit a bit of character study as we watch the heroine grow in both her faith and in her confidence. This book did not end in a cliffhanger and can stand-alone. There are some interesting possibilities for this series as it grows. I will be watching for the next episode.
Sweetwater Island Ferry Trilogy:
For Love … and Donuts #1 – I read the second book first and I enjoyed this one more. The well thought out storylines just felt similar to slipping on a pair of comfy, cozy slippers and sharing a cup of tea. I liked the characters; they were so realistic and human, and worked so well together: Virginia , Tristan and Sam were perfect. Of course, the story needed Jason for to all end well. I found the cottage and the island to be important characters in their own right. This fast flowing, easy to read story was entertaining and enjoyable. I loved that the author gave enough details without doing the daily, boring grind some authors do; writing about every unimportant detail instead of letting time past and writing about the important parts. An enjoyable, clean, happy read. I contacted the author to review her books and received this through Booksprout. 4*
To Love … and Renovate #2 – This story takes place six months after Donuts ends. I didn’t get to read the first book of this series, which I think would have made this book more meaningful to me. Well written and easy to read with likable characters and a plot full of happenings. Of course, there’s wedding details still to be completed, working at their jobs and trying to wait for the wedding night, why wouldn’t there be drama? But there was fun and laughter, too. A good balance throughout the book. I liked Virginia’s calm approach to the wedding preparations. Oh, don’t forget the elephant in the pink tutu – the renovations. I appreciate this being a clean story, which only needed minor editing. I found this book on Booksprout.co. 4* Update: I reread this after reading Donuts and I liked the story better. I recommend these three in order written since they are about Virginia, Tristan and Sam.
With Love … and Reality TV #3 – This story takes place four months after Renovate ends. I don’t really care too much for Hollywood and TV, but this was a local station with a surprise character and a surprise deal. An entertaining, sweet read with plenty of romance and problems for everybody. The storylines were interesting; the characters multi-faceted and there’s plenty of emotions running the gamut. I just wish Ms. Mayes would edit her books, the errors do distract from the story. 4*
Sweetwater Island Ferry Trilogy end.
Unexpected Events – This is a quickly read, sweet romance between old friends. The characters are believable without any stupid dialog or actions. The storyline is interesting. A nice story for relaxing with a cuppa. I contacted the author to review her books and received this through Booksprout. 4*
A great, clean romance. It is a wonderful tale of how Virginia grows as she starts to listen to her heart and puts God back into her life. This story has well developed characters with stand out personalities, a Seattle island as a backdrop and a great story line. I highly recommend it to anyone wanting a quiet escape.
A well written and heart warming contemporary Christian romance. It is definitely a feel good with a lot of emotions throughout this book. Virginia and Tristan’s story is a wonderful one. Virginia finds healing and true love and even finds her way back to God. Aunt Emily left her the old house in the Island but it needs a lot of work. Tristan ends up being her contractor. She ends up helping him to get the project done. A wonderful light romance with a lovely message.
I received a free copy of this book via Booksprout and am voluntarily leaving a review.
It was such a phenomenal read and had amazing characters and storyline that had me hooked certainly turning pages.
Book one in the Sweetwater Island Ferry Series and I want to read the next book. Virginia has a lot she has to deal with and her boyfriend Jason is one of them. Virginia inherits her aunt’s cottage and it needs a lot of repairs if she is going to sell it she hires Tristan to do the work. As Virginia and Tristan get to know each other her life starts to change for the better. My favorite line between them is”And I promise that I will always support you, lift you up when you’re down & no matter what, I promise I will always be your friend.” I received a free copy of this book via Booksprout and I also bought the book.
Virginia is in a long-term relationship that really leads nowhere. She is aware of it but being scared to be alone and a known not-so-good is better than the unknown. All of that changes when she inherits a house, where she had spent many summers as a child. Reason and her boyfriend tell her to sell it once it is fixed-up. But when she starts helping with fixing up the house she finds that she is changing and looking for more in a relationship – and maybe the contractor’s charm also helps her to realise that she could have more.
A lovely story of growing up and facing life and its issues. This book is a lot more than just a romance, it describes how to people grow with the help of each other and some friends. Well written and entertaining it is a wonderful, clean story.
I received a free copy of this book via Booksprout and am voluntarily leaving a review.
The storyline was well written and the characters were very likable which kept me totally captivated until I finished reading the very last word of this book! I was so invested in this storyline that I ended up reading this book in one sitting!
If you are looking for a good clean romance then you will want to give Virginia and Tristan’s story a go. This is a good quick book and it held my interest all the way through. With really good likable characters I enjoyed watching Virginia grow and come into her own and put her faith in God.
Jason was there when her parents died, when her Aunt passed, but has he really been present? especially lately?
Virginia has been helping him pay off grad school and putting off her own studies, while she and her sister live off interest from trusts established for them after their parents death.
so as long as she is frugal, the money goes far for Virginia.
But Jason has expensive tastes, and promises an engagement after the sale of the home of her beloved aunt.
But is the price worth it ? is their love worth it?
making choices where none are easy – faith filled choices.
clean romance – tough choices
I received a free copy of this book via Booksprout and am voluntarily leaving a review.