“Fox knows what women want in a contemporary romance.” —Publishers Weekly Christmas is coming to Blue Moon Harbor, a cozy dot in the Pacific Northwest where love shines bright . . . Bookseller Iris Yakimura grew up on Destiny Island and it’s the only place where her painful shyness doesn’t cripple her. An avid romance reader, she believes that one day the right man will come along—one who loves … believes that one day the right man will come along—one who loves her just the way she is. She never imagines that man will arrive in time for the holidays, like a gift. Or that he’ll be a celebrity musician with a bad boy vibe—and a warm heart . . .
Julian Blake spent most of his teens on Destiny Island, before fleeing a mentor turned abuser. Music saved him. He has avoided the island, but now his injured father needs him. Plagued by unsettling memories, Julian’s solace comes from surprising places—and from smart, stunning Iris. When he feels compelled to expose his abuser, will Iris find the courage to stand by his side in the spotlight that will ensue—much less embrace a love that might take her far from home? . . .
Praise for Fly Away with Me
“A slow, sexy build to a pretty great happy ending.”
—Kirkus, Starred Review
“A satisfying small-town contemporary romance with a lot of flavor.”
—RT Book Reviews
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Sail Away with Me is the latest, hopefully not last, installment in Susan Fox’s lovely Destiny Island series. We met Julian and Iris in earlier books and their story couldn’t be more perfect. Fox gracefully tackles serious subjects for both characters, even as she shows us how perfect they are together. In some cases this is not an easy book to read. Both Julian and Iris are locked into a reality that they have to move past to become their best selves; however, that’s hard, even for fictional people. I have loved this quiet series from the beginning and this is no exception. If you haven’t taken a trip to Destiny, you really should.
I voluntarily reviewed an ARC of this novel.
Fox’s latest Blue Moon Harbor book definitely deals with a difficult topic. A good portion of it addresses what happened to Julian, how it affected him (then & now), and how it has caused problems for him in his relationships throughout his life. It’s ugly and painful but I felt like Fox handles it very well. Julian needs to come to terms with it in order to have a healthy future and it’s an emotional journey for him & those who love him.
Even though I’m not the most outgoing person, as introverted as I can be I still had a little trouble connecting to Iris. I know that the Japanese have certain characteristics that most (and definitely the typically brash Americans) can’t understand or really grasp. I think that Fox does her best explaining Iris and her outlook – and I really love how she describers their history in the area and its impact, even today – but I think that someone that shy/reserved can be hard to understand. She is a great complement to Julian, but it isn’t easy making her a relatable character.
Full of traumatic issues and a wide range of emotions, Sail Away with Me isn’t the most peaceful read but it is definitely one worth doing. The end makes up for any pain that the journey causes.
**Review given honestly and freely after receipt of a reader copy. This opinion is completely my own and was not influenced in any way.**
I’m a huge fan of Susan Fox and her lovely, softly romantic yet oh, so emotional stories. If you read and enjoy Robyn Carr’s beautifully written books, you’ll know exactly what I mean when I compare Susan’s storytelling to Robyn’s. The same powerful author’s voice, the sense of family, and friends who are as much family as those related by blood, and the deep connection the authors build between the hero and heroine of the story.
Sail Away With Me, the latest, and unfortunately for now, the last in Susan Fox’s Blue Moon Harbor series, is by far my favorite of the three novels and one novella set in the beautiful Pacific Northwest. The main characters couldn’t be more different. Julian Blake is an up and coming rock star, Iris Yakimura a terribly shy bookseller who can barely look a stranger in the eye.
But when she and Julian meet, there’s a connection that somehow breaks through Iris’s fear of change, of strangers, of speaking with someone she has long admired. Her shyness has kept her from dating and she finds her romantic heroes in the romances books she sells at her parents’ bookstore. Julian is much too important, too handsome, too everything to want anyone like her.
Except that Julian finds an unexpected peace in Iris’s presence, and that peace leads to a relationship that neither of them expect. It’s also pivotal in helping Julian face a nightmare he’s lived with since his early teens. Watching these two find love while dealing with forces outside their control—and watching them take control of those forces—kept me glued to the pages. I finished the book last week, but I couldn’t put it away. I’ve read it three times now, and I’ve enjoyed it more each time.
I’m going to miss the people I’ve met in Blue Moon Harbor. I hope that at some point Ms. Fox will once again bring this lovely community back to life. In the meantime, I think I’ve got everything she’s written, which means plenty of reading when I need something that I know will make me sigh with pleasure. I definitely recommend this book. You don’t need to have read the other stories in the series to enjoy Sail Away With Me, though they are all absolutely terrific.
Sail Away With Me by Susan Fox
Blue Moon Harbor #3
Friendship – that is what shy Iris Yakimura offers famous musician Julian Blake when they meet and spend time at an abandoned hippie commune. She knows they are too disparate to be more than friends and he is unwilling or unable to be more than a friend or lover. So, they embark on a friendship that will change both of their lives.
Julian is home to help care for his injured father. Home to him is a place that he has avoided since his teens because it has more bad memories than good ones. Panic attacks still threaten when he thinks about what happened to him long ago. His music reflects emotions that speak to many who hear them.
Iris is shy and on her own bath to spiritual enlightenment. She is an interesting if rather solitary person who sells books in the family bookstore. When she meets Julian she feels his emotional turmoil and does what she can to bring him some peace.
This is a story of abuse that speaks of the trauma abuse has on the abused and as such it was not always easy to read. The feelings were raw and real. The decision to expose those emotions publicly could not have been easy just as it was not easy for shy Iris to stand by Julian when he did so.
Even knowing that this would have a happily ever after ending – eventually – it wasn’t easy watching Iris and Julian deal with the “how” of doing so. I think that Iris’s aunt may be up next for a story and I do hope she will get her happily ever after, too. This book speaks of things I have heard about but also about an issue I had not heard of before. I knew Japanese internment happened in the USA but did not know that it happened in Canada, too. Anyway, this book left me happy and also wanting to seek my own personal enlightenment, too.
Thank you to NetGalley and Kensington-Zebra for the ARC – This is my honest review.
5 Stars
In Sail Away With Me, we have a return to Blue Moon Harbor. Julian is dealing with serious issues from his past. Iris had learned to live with her extreme shyness. Together they find a connection that helps them both move forward and discover love. Susan Fox has done a nice job of dealing with sensitive issues while creating a moving story of love.
Sail Away with Me is the most recent book in Susan Fox’s Blue Moon Bay series. Julian Blake, song writer and performer, has returned to Destiny Island near Vancouver BC after a drunk driver left his father, Forbes Blake, in dire shape. He will be there to help until New Years, when he and his band have a big engagement.
Julian spent as little time on Destiny Island as possible. As a teen, he had left school, home, and gone off on his own with dark thoughts plaguing him, never expecting to return. But his music and the kindness of a lonely widow saved him from himself. His music brought him success. And now he is back where he had hoped never to be. He left for a reason that made him feel less than alive.
To relieve the stress of being back and the worry over his dad’s recovery Julian retreats to the ruins of a 70s commune on the island to play and write his music. He never expected to come in contact with the shy, sweet Iris Yakimura as she does her yoga routine in the quiet of the old site. Interestingly, they strike up a conversation and find common ground. Iris is pleased that they can be friends. Being friends is more comfortable for shy Iris. Besides, what would a rock star want with a wall flower?
As their friendship, and relationship, grows, Julian finally opens up about his reasons, and guilt, for having left the island. But it is through shy Iris that Julian learns to let go and fight back for what he has suffered.
In this lovely holiday story about the meaning of love and how forgiveness, especially of one’s self, family, and following through on the courage of your convictions, can bring a person out of the dark and ready for new beginnings. I very much enjoyed this book and do recommend it!
The first thing you should know about this book is that it is an AMAZING story. While some of the topics are difficult, to say the least, the author (Ms. Fox) dealt with them honestly, openly, and truthfully. Having said that, reading this story brought back some uncomfortable memories for me however I only wish that the support for the characters in this book could exist out here, for us readers. Life isn’t always fair and I think the Ms. Fox wove these difficult topics and how her characters dealt with them in a truly “real” way.
I won’t give away too many plot details however the book opens with Iris Yakimura. She is painfully shy – to the point of almost being a loner – and her life on Destiny Island. We also meet Julian Blake, as he returns to Destiny Island to help his father and stepmother thru a family health crisis. He has crippling memories to deal with, and I’ll let the author handle his story, but suffice to say these two have lots to work thru in order to be together.
They were such a funny and cute couple. The cross-cultural differences, and norms, come into play, as does each of their back stories. I found it fascinating how they gelled as a couple – but no! They aren’t really a “couple”; they are “just” friends! – and they seemingly navigated both Julian’s bohemian upbringing and Iris’s traditional Japanese values.
Their friends and families are great; their actions and responses and advice (for lack of a better term!) are often spot on, if not hilarious. Add in some children and pets and nosy friends and you have a terrific story. Very heartwarming, very heart wrenching (at least for me), and a wonderful return trip to Destiny Island. I highly recommend this read.