Have you ever worked hard for a worthy cause?

This is a delightful secular title. I believe that most Christian fiction readers can read this title without being easily offended. There is sex, but no sex scenes, and there is a tiny amount of mild profanity. This is the sequel to The Beach House. It was nice seeing some of the characters again.

When twenty-something Linnea returns home to the beachy shore of South Carolina, she’s upset. Her life is not going as planned and she doesn’t know what to do about it. She solicits her Aunt Cara – a business woman – for advice.

While Linnea and Cara work together for a worthy cause, so much happens in their lives. Cara is engaged, but, is it the right choice for her? Widowed, and single mom to an adopted child, she wonders if she’d be happier remaining an independent business woman. She does wonder if she should be spending more time with her adopted daughter instead of working so many hours. Her relationship with her fiancé and daughter is somewhat complex. The complexity of her relationships with them stem in part from Cara’s troubled upbringing and her workaholic attitude.

Linnea is finding it hard to fit in with her old friends, so, she makes a couple of new friends. The new people who are introduced into her life bring about drastic changes in her career and her love life.

I think environmentalists would find this book profoundly interesting. Both Linnea and Cara are passionate about the well-being of the sea turtles. There’s an emotional scene where we actually see the sea turtles hatching in the middle of the night. It sounded so amazing that I wanted to be there to see it myself.

There is a vignette at the beginning of each chapter. These vignettes highlight the beauty and plight of the sea turtles, the oceans and the environment. Reading this book will make you think about recycling, and doing things to help preserve the earth’s wildlife.

This was such a cozy, wonderful read. The characters and the situations they face may make you laugh and cry. For me, this was an emotional book. 00 I highly recommend it.

So, have you ever campaigned for a worthy cause? If so, what was the cause and what did you do to support it?

A Proposal Worth Millions

Have you ever lost your spouse?

Sadie’s husband, Adem, died a few years ago and now she’s determined to make his Turkish hotel a success. She appeals to Dylan, Adem’s best friend, for help. Sadie has always been attracted to Dylan, but, she never acted on those feelings since she was married to Adem. Now that Adem is gone, could a romance can sprout between them?

Dylan has always been attracted to Sadie, but, since she was a married woman, he knew that he had to keep his emotions in check. When she solicits his help to save the Azure, her Turkish hotel, he wonders if he can keep their meetings strictly business. Adem suffers from past pain. Abandoned by his father, he feels that he’s just like his dad. He highly doubts he’d be able to make a good stable commitment to Sadie – or any woman for that matter.

It’s been ages since I’ve read a Mills and Boon Harlequin Romance. I loved the scenery in this book. Makes me want to go swimming in the Aegean sea! One thing this romance that was out of the ordinary – it was strictly romance. What I mean is, interactions with secondary character were minimal. The entire book was just interactions between Sadie and Dylan.

So, have you ever lost your spouse? If so, how did you cope?