Love Finds You In Carmel-By-The-Sea by Sandra D. Bricker
Annie needs a job. She’s recently moved in with her grandmother, a retired film star, who lives in the California town of Carmel By The Sea. When she finds a job as a private investigator’s assistant, she meets Nick, who will be running the PI office since her boss, Deke, is having surgery. Nick is a cop and when he literally runs into Annie at the movie theater, he finds himself attracted to her.
Annie has a friend named Evan – Evan is kind of like an old, comfortable shoe. They’ve been dating for years, but, their relationship has not moved forward. Annie has a hard time deciding what she wants to do. She knows that Evan has always been there for her as a friend, and she enjoys his company, yet, she finds it hard to admit to herself that she’s attracted to Nick. She doesn’t have the courage to enter into a real relationship that’s based upon love. Annie’s and Nick’s feelings intensify as they work together each day. You also see Annie doing some PI work, investigating supposedly cheating spouses and boyfriends for her clients.
Annie feels somewhat intimidated by her perfect little brother. Her parents dote about her sibling because he’s done everything right – he has a high-powered job, a perfect wife, and a baby on the way. Why can’t Annie get her act together and find a perfect job and a perfect husband? Most of Annie’s friends and relatives don’t understand why she wants to be a PI assistant.
This book was light and refreshing. I’m not a huge fan of old movies, but, if you are, I’m sure you’ll enjoy the references to the old-time flicks. Annie even meets Doris Day, which proves to be a highlight for her. If you like light, sweet, funny romances, then you should give this book a try. The story proved to be charming and entertaining.
As an aside, I just wanted to point out that I visited Carmel several years ago and I enjoyed the quaint town. I have a vaguely good memory of my trip to Carmel and I felt this author did a great job with depicting the setting.