She’s a divorcee who’s struggling to recover. He’s notorious for his reckless ways with women. What could possibly go wrong?
Kate Bennet owns a bookstore in the breathtaking beach town of Cambria, California. Two years out from a divorce that left her emotionally fragile, she’s starting to think that maybe she’s ready for love again—or at least for a fling with a hot man. Jackson Graham is a … man. Jackson Graham is a local chef who’s controlling when it comes to food, careless when it comes to love, and temperamental when it comes to just about everything.
When Kate’s friends set things up between Kate and Jackson, she expects some casual pleasure followed by a hasty goodbye, but Jackson’s long-term crush on Kate means that he’s in this one to win. The problem is, neither he nor Kate knows whether he can change the self-defeating habits that usually send women scurrying for the door.
MOONSTONE BEACH is the first book in the Main Street Merchants series by Linda Seed, but it can be enjoyed as a stand-alone romance, offering an HEA and no cliffhangers. Read the novel readers have called “funny,” “delightful,” and “captivating.”
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Incredible waste of time
Kate Bennett divorced two years ago and hasn’t been part of the dating scene since. She became a timid person throughout her marriage and divorce and she still lets most people walk all over her. Jackson Graham is her polar opposite. He’s gone through so many women that it seems you meet one of his exes on every street corner. He brash, bold, bad tempered, and isn’t afraid to let people know exactly what he’s thinking. He’s also had a thing for Kate since she moved to Cambria and took over her mother’s bookstore. Now he’s got a chance to act on it but will he follow through?
The characters are fun, the one-liners are hilarious, and watching the transformation of Kate and Jackson is entertaining. For the most part, the book is engaging; the ending felt super rushed, though. In fact, I had to go back and read the last couple of pages again because I couldn’t believe that was truly the ending. It’s a good book for a quick filler or an afternoon of escape.
**2.5 STARS**
I tried to like this book but I just couldn’t get into it. I found myself skimming the pages just to finish.
I was confused by how Kate didn’t really care or want anything to do with Jackson one minute and the next she is frustrated after not even one date that he didn’t take her to bed.
Kate’s parents (father/step mother) who never treated Kate well, move in and take over her place. So Kate just moves in and takes over a friends small place not really big enough for one. Sorry I don’t understand why. They didn’t really care about Kate, she despised her step mother, and she knew her dad had little feeling or respect for her. Frustrated me.
Jackson and his male friends had a fun relationship and banter back and forth. I enjoyed reading the type of relationship advice they would give Jackson. And Jackson has slept with pretty much every single female in town so when Jackson and Kate go on dates they keep running into his sex buddies. I understand people have other partners but really now. It’s like he is the spokesman for TINDER. No thanks.
Interesting premise, just didn’t really grab me. I sort of liked the characters, but they also annoyed me.
Enjoyed the story. I’m not always happy when there is a weak heroine who lets everyone push her around.
This is a very charming romance. I really enjoyed it. Made me smile. Made my heart warm. Made me care about the characters and the town. I look forward to more stories about the other women falling in love. Got all the way to 77% before the romantic pair have sex … and the description was romantic not biologically explicit – although it was hot. I does end abruptly; but says there is a longer ending on her site. Would rather have had it in the book.
I so enjoyed this story because I wasn’t sure how it was going to end. The character were complex human beings.
I read this mainly because I am from Moonstone Beach. This story took names from this sleepy little town and inserted a completely different town. It wasn’t boring, but I probably shouldn’t be reviewing this either. I would have liked better if it were set somewhere else. I hope tourists don’t visit hoping to find anything from the story.
When I found out that the setting of Moonstone Beach was the Central Coast of CA (a place I visit often), I wanted to give it a try. Yes, as others have said, this is “light” reading, but that’s what made it fun! This would be a perfect summer beach/vacation read — I read it over two days during two 5-hour airline trips. The characters are likable, the dialog and the action flowed, and it was a lovely escape. I will definitely read the other two books in the series.
Really enjoyed Kate and Jackson’s story , opposites do attract , he’s a chef with a temper , she’s a bookstore owner who needs to stand up for herself. When they realize that there’s more than a spark between them after years of knowing and passing each other , they form a bond that will take them beyond their past issues and forward to the future .
Another book to put on your reading list. Some funny moments and with a good story line.
I found this book, “Moonstone Beach”,
by Linda Seed, to be very entertaining.
It also has a lot to say about how people handle their day to day
adventures in life as well. This
contemporary romance is set in the
beautiful seaside town of Cambria, CA.
This lovely town plays a big part in
this love story of Kate(bookstore owner) and Jackson(chef extraordinaire). These characters are
so well developed and the plot so well
planned that it makes for an extremely
enjoyable reading experience. Now I
must plan a trip, driving up the
California coast to visit Cambria!!
– Jan Farrell Repath
New Beginnings
Kate came back when her mom got sick and took over her bookstore when she died. She ius now divorced and happy. Jackson is the chef at the local restaurant and has dated a lot. But the cares for Kate. Can they get together. Can she be strong enough to deal with her dad a d step mom.
I really enjoyed this book and the shotty characters. Love the bond between the friends.
Loved this book! Characters were fun. My kind of happy ever after!
I loved the character growth of this book.
Fun the way a small town supports each other even when they get it wrong. Realistic behavior of adult children with difficult devoted parents and ex spouse. Good character development.
I did not like this book and only read enough to discover it wasn’t getting better, about three chapters. Every single time the author wrote from a male perspective, the language deteriorated significantly into cuss words. While I know that men and women think and talk differently from one another, I had no idea men’s discourse is so negative and foul. Badly done.
It was ok but it is not sure what was the point of it I did not like the ending it left me hanging
Sometimes it was hard to follow