Review: A Seaside Wonder by Melissa Tagg

 A Seaside Wonder

by Melissa Tagg

About the Book

In one evening, Indi's world falls apart. Enter the shy professor her family mistakes for her fiancé...make that ex-fiancé.

Professor Philip West never wanted to return to Maine . . . or his grandfather’s miserable old house. But after his mother’s death, he’s now the guardian of a teenage half sister he barely knows—one who doesn’t want anything to do with him. He longs to help her heal, but he’s exhausted and numb, desperate for relief of his own. Maybe that’s why he’s so easily distracted when he happens upon the little shop with a name on its storefront window that sounds familiar, a hint of a mystery nudging him inside.

More than a decade has passed since Indi Muir made the heartbreaking decision she’s never recovered from—though she’s certainly tried. She has a full life running her shop and creating the artsy pieces that fill its shelves. If she can just stay busy, she’ll keep her hurt and regret at bay. But when her ex-fiancé returns to Muir Harbor, he brings news that shatters her carefully built walls. Things only get worse when lurking danger comes calling at her childhood home.

The one bright spot amid Indi’s turmoil is the shy stranger who wandered into her shop months ago and his moody but lovable sister. As she confronts her past and the mysterious threat facing her family, she’s intent on helping Philip win over his sister. He just might win over Indi, too, if they can overcome old secrets and wounds, outrun rising peril . . . and take a chance on love.

Breathtaking romance, a captivating mystery, and an enchanting wintry seaside . . . return to Muir Harbor in bestselling author Melissa Tagg’s latest.

My Thoughts

An Emotional Contemporary Romance with a Thread of Suspense

I’ve been drawn to Melissa Tagg’s books for their small-town settings and witty banter. Not to mention her quirky heroines and swoony heroes. We get that and more in her latest offering, A Seaside Wonder.

Indi is an endearing heroine. Her personality leaps off the page, with her artistic ways and her love of snow. Yet it is her heartache that truly resonates with the reader, as well as the hope she finds in the midst of her pain. A consistent theme throughout the book is that we may not fully recover from the devastation of the heartbreak we face in our lives, but we can find hope, happiness, and beauty despite the pain. Philip is a charming hero with some scars of his own. His struggles with regrets from the past as well as his verve to make things better in the future will charm readers, as will his love of books and admiration of Indi.

Muir Harbor is an enchanting fictional town that readers will wish were real so they can travel there for their own adventure. Tagg’s attention to detail paints a vivid picture of the town in the reader’s mind that is cozy and endearing. Combined with soul-nourishing messages, moments of humor, and a bit of suspense make this a truly lovely read.

Heartrending yet hopeful, A Seaside Wonder is a tenderly told tale that fans of Christian contemporary romance will not want to miss.

I received a complimentary copy of this book from Larkspur Press through NetGalley. All opinions expressed are my own.