Two years after
her husband's death, Amanda Whittier has two children to raise alone, an
abandoned dream of starting a business, and a fixer-upper cottage by the sea.
She has no room in her life for anything else and little interest in moving on
after losing the man she loved.
Paul Grant is a relative newcomer to the area, and his
work with former military dogs needing rehabilitation has been good for the
town. Though he loved once before, he's convinced he's not suited for romance
and is determined to find meaning—alone—through his work and role in the
community.
Widowed Maeve Lindsay was born and raised on Whelk's
Island. Spirited, kind, and a little mischievous, she pours her life into the
town. But she carries a secret that shapes her every move.
Together, these three souls find encouragement in the
most mysterious places and discover a love that's bigger than their pain,
healing their wounded hearts in ways none of them could have hoped for or
expected.
Excellent story of love, loss, friendship, and second chances.
The story opens with an emotional scene as Amanda bids farewell to her Marine
husband, Jack, as he leaves on another deployment. Fast forward two years and
Amanda still struggles with the grief of losing her husband. Tired of being the
object of pity, Amanda takes her children and moves to Whelk's Island in North
Carolina, looking for a chance to start fresh. She buys a fixer-upper cottage
on the beach, puts aside her home-based business dreams for a teaching
position, and concentrates on her children Hailey and Jesse. Then a chance
encounter with long-time resident Maeve changes her life.
Born and raised on Whelk's Island, octogenarian Maeve is
like the matriarch of the island. She loves her community and is actively
involved in all aspects of it, including attending town council meetings. She carefully
considers supporting new businesses such as Paws Town Square, looking for ones
that will serve the community best. Maeve spends hours each day walking the
beach and collecting unique shells. There she meets Amanda and her children,
and their connection fills a hole she didn't know she had.
Owner of Paws Town Square, Paul is one of the many people
Maeve helped. After leaving the Marines, Paul searched for a purpose in his
life and found it helping military working dogs and veterans suffering from
PTSD. Having lost the woman he loved to his best friend, he is content to focus
on his business instead.
I ached for Amanda as the story opened. Though her grief
is better than it had been, Hailey and Jesse are still her reasons for getting
up in the mornings. Constantly missing Jack makes it impossible to feel joy in
her life; she survives each day instead of living it. From the moment Amanda
and the kids met Maeve, that grief began to lift. Because Maeve had experienced
a similar loss, she was able to help Amanda by sharing her own story. She
didn't lecture; she simply led by example. Amanda slowly regained her desire to
live life fully again.
Through Maeve, an old friend comes back into Amanda's
life. Paul's appearance, jogging on the beach, stunned Amanda. Paul had been
Jack's best friend, whose friendship had spilled over onto Amanda and the
children. Jack's death hit Paul hard also, sending him into a spiral of grief
that ended when he found a purpose in helping the dogs and veterans. After her
grief-stricken breakdown and screaming accusations at him, Amanda never thought
she'd see Paul again. Amanda never knew that Paul had fallen in love with her
the first time he met her, as he refused to come between her and Jack. Paul
sees their reunion as a second chance to win the woman he still loves. I loved
watching the development of their relationship as Amanda works past the guilty
feelings of loving again. I enjoyed seeing Paul become part of their lives.
There were sweet scenes with the children and emotional ones as Paul and Amanda
dealt with their memories of Jack and their growing feelings for each other.
As the summer turned to fall, the secret Maeve has hidden
all summer becomes painfully apparent. I hurt for Amanda and the kids, who face
the loss of the woman who means so much to them. I loved watching Maeve face
what's coming with the serenity she demonstrated throughout the book. The depth
of the bond between Maeve and Amanda is beautifully illustrated in the trip
they took together. I loved the ending and how the connection between the women
lived on.
I loved the use of seashells in the story, both as a way
to connect people and as inspirations. The seashells with the inspirational
quotes made significant impressions on those who found them. I loved the one
that Paul found and how it ended up having double meaning to him. Amanda's
discovery was the catalyst that started her moving forward. Eventually, the
story behind them was revealed, and I loved how they came to be and that they
continued to live on.
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