It is only a few months since I was in Sandcastle Bay catching up with Tori who had arrived to see her friends Melody and Isla and nurse a broken heart. Little did she know she would be staying and as we obviously catch up with all that is happening to her this story is very much focused on Melody.
Melody is a jewellery maker with her own little shop. She loves being in Sandcastle Bay near her friend Tori and of course her sister Isla but it also has lovely but sad memories of their brother Matthew who was killed.
Opposite Melody’s shop is that of Jamie Jackson, a local artist and sculptor. Everyday he meets Melody and the both walk to their respective shops with their new bouncing puppies in tow.
As their friendship deepens, they start to date – well try. Trouble is Melody is a bit clumsy and accident prone, so knocking drinks over, ruining sand castles and giving your potential new beau food poisoning. Perhaps not the auspicious start that either of them wanted.
Carrying demons from the past means they seem to be treading on eggshells round each other. Whilst the dates are a bit of a disaster when the romance hots up Melody knows she has found the man she wants to spend the rest of her life with. But has Jamie found that in Melody?
Of course being in a small town and a close-knit community means that everyone wants to know what is going on and has an opinion which doesn’t always help. After a few misunderstandings…..
Well if you want to know you are going to have to read the book of course!
I loved Melody and her endearing clumsiness and I could relate to that feeling of not being good enough because you were not what everyone expected. Jamie’s tenderness was lovely and left you with a warm fuzzy feeling that there is hope.
It was of course lovely to catch up with Isla and Tori and they played in some cases starring roles within the plot! I hope there will be a book three because Isla needs to settle down and realise what she has is not going anywhere. If she doesn’t then I am off to pack my bags to Sandcastle Bay and will happily step into her shoes – in fact Melody better watch out too!
Thank you to the publisher and netgalley for the opportunity to read this book.
The Cottage on Sunshine Beach is out now.
The Book Jotter 