Jenna and Jude seemingly come from very different backgrounds, and yet something pulls them together. Jenna is on a search for information, and Jude is trying to save his cultural history. They come together in a small town that is filled with secrets. Can they find a way to battle through the secrets and the scars to be together?

A new Hope Ramsay series is always a welcome source of excitement to me, but the setting and situation of the characters as described in the blurb had me really sitting up and taking notice. I was happy to sail away with Jenna and Jude around his small town South Carolina island home, learn about the Gullah Islander culture, and the usual lovely small town cast of characters that this author writes so well.
Review

The Cottage on Rose Lane, from the beginning was such a surprise in more ways than one. Foremost was the heavier tone it struck. The author dug deep for this one and it showed. She also tackled a hero from a unique culture, the Gullahs, descendants of the freed slaves who were given their land and slowly their culture is dying off or pushed aside for development along the coast. There are other elements of the island culture from a local pirate who may or may not haunt the old home of his unrequited love, sailing club, slower life and close-knit community that were introduced. But, beyond the deeply rich culture and the hero’s identity to it, there is the heroine’s search for family and acceptance, discovering the truth about a father she didn’t know a thing about and learned he died before she was even born.

The hero, Jude St. Pierre is a preservationist and is fighting to protect his family’s home and heritage, while trying to keep the family fishing charter boat business afloat when his drunk daddy wants to wallow in the past and refuses to change anything that might help. Jude’s prodigal brother, Micah, is back home and Jude doesn’t want to forgive him. And, now he has a woman tourist wanting sailing lessons who may be a corporate spy for a big resort company who wants the family land to develop for a resort and golf course. Jude knows Jenna is lying to him about something and it stirs up his abandonment issues when his mother breezed into the community, stayed a little while, and then breezed right back out again without a backward glance.

Jenna Fosse is the sole inheritor of the Bauman fortune when her grandfather dies. She wants nothing to do with the money and wanted nothing to do with the family who never came looking for her. She loses her job because her grandfather’s company was a competitor of the one she was working for so she feels her life is coming apart. With her new wealth, she takes a year to travel in the East and find herself through Buddhism. She thought she had found some semblance of peace and balance and was ready to approach her long lost family, but the truth is not the same as her mother painted it. Nothing she knew was true and now she must start again. She takes on a false identity so she can approach her aunt and uncle who likely resent having some unknown niece receiving the entire family fortune and the will won’t allow her to share it with them. This one lie leads to further complications when she meets Jude and wants the handsome sailing man to teach her to sail so she can feel closer to the father who loved to sail on those very waters when he was alive. She slowly starts to involve herself in the place and the lives, but what happens when she reveals the truth?

This gently-paced story is simply beautiful from cover to cover. Jenna’s story and Jude’s the story of the island and their families, the other people in the story… and that rascally pirate’s ghost that may or may not be real. I don’t normally enjoy a story where a character is lying to everyone including the hero and even starts to form relationships while still involved in a lie, but this time I could see that the truth wouldn’t have served. As soon as she saw what her lie was doing to Jude, she told him the truth so he wouldn’t fret about corporate spies and she was the most kind and giving woman who was so lonely and wanted to be a part of something, but was afraid she would be rejected. And, she soon learned that she had reason to fear because her family hated her mother and blamed her for Jamie Bauman’s death. I found it interesting having a heroine who was Buddhist and didn’t just do a few yoga moves and gave lip service, but she really buys into the teachings and they are part of who she is and how she acts.

The romance is as slow and steady as the rest of the book. Both have reason to hesitate on taking a chance on love. Their different races do play a roll, but also their vast differences in economic status and her being from out of town. Throw in Jude’s abandonment issues and her own lack of trust in relationship commitment her mother instilled in her and they had an uphill battle. I loved seeing them hesitantly opening up to love even while circumstances were happening to make it difficult.

This was a great set up book and I am hoping that Jude’s brothers, Colton and Micah, are next for a romance. I saw a little hint now and then about Micah that has me curious. Oh, and I definitely want more of the St. Pierre’s Gullah culture, island life, and that rascally Captain Bill. Those who enjoy a gently-paced, slightly spice contemporary romance should take a peek.

I rec’d this book from NetGalley to read in exchange for an honest review.

YES!!! This book was awesome!! This book grabs you from the very first page. I could not put down! I think everyone should read this book.

This is my first book by Hope Ramsay and for me, it was a hit. Not only did the author take me to a place I have never been, she made me feel like I was there.
This book has everything that I love, a conflict, a beautiful setting, characters that are relatable and likeable, but also a great love story. It was so fun sailing away with Jenna and Jude. I found myself intrigued with not only the characters, but the setting as well. A great, enjoyable read that I would highly recommend. Fantastic!

Moonlight Bay #1, I was not expecting to love this as much as I did. I didn't know what to expect but what I found was a young woman trying to find herself after a life altering inheritance and a young man trying to save his family's history and culture. I also found a town on the coast where the locals are treated like family and everyone else is a tourist. It's deeper that I would have expected the emotions run hot you're not just dealing with Jude and Jenny's emotions with each other but with their relationship with the other townspeople and family.

Jenny Fosse is alone in the world she never knew her father and her mother lost her battle with cancer a few years earlier. Out of the blue she receives notice that she is the sole heir of a multi billionaire legacy from the grandfather she never knew she had. But soon after she lost her dream job and with no idea what to do she went on a journey of self discovery all over Asia and India. After a year and she still didn't know what to do the lawyer she inherited suggest trying to connect to her great-uncle and aunt her only living relatives and find out more about her father but the bad blood between the brothers leaves Jenny with no clue how to go forward so she first decides to test the waters first go in incognito and see how she will be received.

Jude St. Pierre is on a mission to save his ancestral lands and the slowly disappearing culture with it. With this battle he's fighting land developers who want to turn into a resort and half the townspeople who don't see the cultural importance. He's also fighting his drunk father who is slowly ruining their fishing charter business who won't let Jude expand or even get a bank loan to help with some costs. When Jude meets Jenny it's an instant attraction, but he's to scared of making the same mistake his father did with his mother that Jude is hesitant to get involved with her especially since he thinks she's working with the land developers and is a corporate spy. Jenny wants sailing lessons, she learned her father loved to sail and feels like it will bring her closer to him and she is willing to pay for them. Jude needs the money or otherwise he'd say, no, and despite being ten times harder on her than he needs to be she still wants to learn from him. The longer Jenny stays in town the more she falls in love with it, the more she wants to help them especially Jude. But Jenny is lying about who she is and why she's there and she knows it's only a matter of time before they find out.

Overall, it was a very emotional story and the characters are so well written you get emotionally attached to the whole town. I can't wait for the next one.

Brought to you by OBS Reviewer Jeanie

This delightful novel includes elements that women love most about women’s literature: drama, conflicts, incredible attraction between a man and a woman, secrets held for decades, humor, wisdom, unique occupations, all wrapped up in the kindness of small town folks. Sailing is a big part of the novel, and when my eyes nearly crossed from all the types of sails and …uh…ropes, I wondered how the author was able to sound so proficient when writing about proper use of them. Hope Ramsay is an expert sailor and author and knows what she is writing about. This novel is extremely well-written with characters a reader can have empathy for and in some cases, identify with.

Thirty-year-old Jenna Fossey is now known as the Sunglass Heiress. Sadly, she never knew the grandfather who left her his entire fortune, including his stock in the company he founded, the largest retailer and manufacturer of optics in the world. She never knew her father as her mom never talked about him. Never saw a picture of him. Never knew his name.

Jenna goes on a world tour, focused mostly in the Near and Far East in a desire to learn more about Buddhism and meditation with respect to what to do with her life now that she has the responsibility for the enormous inheritance. She returned to Boston, spoke with her grandfather’s attorney, Milo Stracham, and decided to go to Magnolia Harbor. Jenna has a great uncle and aunt there, and it is where her father, Jamie, had died when out sailing alone on a calm, sunny day.

When Jenna arrives in Magnolia Harbor she uses an assumed name, for which Milo had obtained ID and credit cards for her. She is now Jenna Fairchild and has rented the beautiful Rose Cottage in a rose garden on Rose Garden Lane for a month. She hopes to meet and spend time with her great uncle and aunt but heard they wanted nothing to do with the upstart young niece who took the inheritance they should have had. They also seem to believe it was her mother’s fault he died.

Jenna was outdoors at Rafferty’s Raw Bar when the Buccaneer 18 fleet returns from their practice races. The “Bucc” in the lead had two men aboard. One looks like she would have pictured a pirate with a mixture of cultural and racial backgrounds. Jenna felt she already knew him or perhaps met him in a previous life, then wondered if her father had resembled a pirate from historic Jonquil Island.

Jude St. Pierre. That is his name, and she went to the dock to meet him. She asks if he could teach her how to sail and is not put off by his initial refusal. His sailing is for fishing charters and he does not teach. When he finally agrees, he quotes $250 per hour cash for a two-hour session. Thinking that would get rid of her…he was wrong! But he has a meeting to attend and hopes she won’t make it the next day.

Jude is a man on a mission, trying to obtain rezoning for land north of town that is a collection of old farms dating back to the years immediately after the Civil War, built and owned by freed slaves. Getting them on the historic register will protect them from being bought up by developers such as the one who wants to build a resort. The town council meeting is coming up and Professor Rushford will speak at the meeting on behalf of Jude, his family members, and similar farm or home owners. When seeing Jenna at the meeting, he assumes she is a representative of Santee Resorts trying to get insinuated with his family. It couldn’t be further then the truth. She learned Uncle Harry is on the town council and wants to see him in action, if there is a way she can get to know him before revealing who she is.

The people of Magnolia Harbor are very well-defined and easy to become invested in. Jenna is easy to get to know except for the secret of who she really is. Watching her try to find a cause, a passion, is fascinating, especially as she becomes invested in the island. I find it interesting how people respond to her anonymous donations, and her response to some of the hard things that occurred because of her attempts to help others out. I think she mostly sees the inheritance as a burden, especially when it keeps her from knowing her aunt and uncle. The sparks between Jenna and Jude are obvious to everyone, and the harder they try to deny it, the more their interest is fanned into flame.

One thing we want from women’s fiction is a good, upbeat end, but we’re not always sure what that would look like. There are several situations that beg for resolution, including if Jude can keep the inherited lands intact and other family challenges, if Jenna will get to be part of her great uncle and aunt’s lives, and especially to our women’s hearts, if there is a future for Jude and Jenna. The author is more than capable of juggling the numerous challenges and one way or another resolving them. Even though some solutions are not what I would consider, the ending is more than satisfactory. I am glad that this is first in a new series, as I would like to visit Magnolia Harbor and its residents again. I highly recommend The Cottage on Rose Lane; it is in some ways as idyllic as the name suggests. Even when fraught with storms, there is innate beauty and peace, the perfect escape for readers.

(Note: A Wedding on Lavender Hill was not included with this e-ARC copy)

*OBS would like to thank the publisher for supplying a free copy of this title in exchange for an honest review*

This is going to be a great series if book one is any indication. I enjoyed it very much and look forward to the next one

Every time I get my hands on Hope Ramsay's books they never disappoint. I always love the small town feel of her books and the fun places she take you. In this book you're in the south and the characters are on an adventure to find something in themself in hopes for a better future. I loved Jackie, he did appear much in the book but he played a huge part. I really enjoyed following the journey of Jenna she has this huge heart and I just loved her selflessness yet she had this fight in her that nothing would stop her. I found Jude annoying a little bit however it fit in the end. This book really was a fun read and you really can't go wrong I am hoping to read more about Ashley's story. Grab this book you won't regret it.

I loved so many things about this book! Hope Ramsay took on a challenge in writing a book about a biracial couple. The character of Jenna is looking for a connection to her past after discovering that a grandfather she knew nothing about named her as his heir on his passing. Jude is fighting to preserve the past and the continuation of his Gullah heritage. The two have an immediate connection despite the wide differences in their backgrounds.
Jenna tries so hard to do good with the money she has inherited, but it always seems to backfire and cause more pain and mess things up more. Jude is a very prideful man and certainly doesn't want Jenna's interference in his business. If the world can accept them together, can Jude be strong enough to accept Jenna and all that comes with her--especially love?
This book was even more special in that Ms. Ramsay was writing their love story and their love for sailing while listening to her terminally ill husband reminisce about their own stories of love and their love for sailing. My heart goes out to her, but I do thank her for writing this special book.
I was given a copy of this book via Netgalley. All thoughts are my own.

The Cottage on Rose Lane is the first story in Ms. Ramsay’s new series, Moonlight Bay. It’s rich in details, with engaging characters, lovely yet soft world building and more than one mystery to be solved… and some may take a while since I’m not convinced we’ve seen the last of one mysterious “person”.

Normally the heroine’s keeping her true identity a secret from those people in the town, and the man she’s falling for would be a huge red check mark in the “nope” column for me. Yet… I ‘got’ why Jenna kept that information to herself, for the moment, as she got the lay of the land concerning a family that she never knew and they never, ever came looking for her when she was younger. And throughout this story we’ll feel Jenna’s sense of unease, believing that her plan is backfiring on her and worried how others will treat her once they discover her truth. To be fair, when an important moment came for her relationship with Jude, she did speak up. In many ways I was always waiting for “the other shoe to fall” as her lie is threatened to be revealed before she’s ready.

There is world building in The Cottage on Rose Lane, and I expect that in a first story of a new series. I never felt that the introduction to this new world was overpowering or an information dump (which I cannot stand) but more of a gentle revealing as the story unfolded. There are secrets being kept by a lot of people so I really feel that my immersion into the culture, the history of families and the area was well worth it.

Jude and Jenna have a realistic chemistry between them. Watching their reluctance to trust each other give way to the emotions they were feeling was an enjoyable journey. I enjoyed my time in this world, and I don’t want to give more away than is in the cover description. I’m intrigued by the situations and the people that I met in The Cottage on Rose Lane so I’m definitely going to be looking for the next title in this series.

*I received an e-ARC of this novel from the publisher via NetGalley. That does not change what I think of this story. It is my choice to leave a review giving my personal opinion about this book.*

Jenna finds out after her mother dies of breast cancer that her father died before she was born.Jenna went to college and has a job in business development . Jenna finds herself in a whole new world when she travels from Boston to her father's hometown in SC. Jenna is hoping her uncle Harry can help with information about her father.She lost her job when she inherited money from her grandfather and stock in a competitors business . Jude instantly tells himself he wants nothing to do with Jenna when he sees her . A white woman with blondish hair not going there after his mother . I likes jenna and Jude but felt the pacing was slow in the beginning . The ending made up for slow start.Jude never pictured himself with a blonde he thought he would marry a good gullah girl. I thoughthink Jenna and Jude had good chemistry and made a good couple . I liked the fact that Jude being mixed wasn't a problem for Jenna. I loved the epilogue .

The Cottage on Rose Lane is a wonderful small town romance that kicks off a brand new series. It was a pleasure to read such a sweet slow build romance and really getting to know these characters along the way. Jenna has come to Magnolia Harbor to learn more about her father and his family. She never had the opportunity to know him so she's hungry for information. She doesn't tell the townspeople who she really is which turns out to be a good thing. It gives everyone a chance to really get to know her before the truth comes out. Especially Jude St. Pierre. Jenna and Jude have a special connection. Will they let their differences keep them apart?

This book was very well done and one I think everyone will enjoy. I recommend it.

Something about the way she threw her money around and manipulated Jude into giving her sailing lessons for ridiculous amounts of money really rubbed me the wrong way. Other than that, the way she learned and tried to fit into the culture of the island, and all of the different characters, were a great read. Jude was a good and dedicated son and brother.

The Cottage on Rose Lane by Hope Ramsay is the first book in the new contemporary romance Moonlight Bay series. This opener focuses on a character looking into her family’s past and finding her own future.

Jenna Fossey never knew her own father and had been raised by her single mother. However, out of nowhere Jenna ends up getting a call that she had inherited all of her grandfather’s millions and would not want for money the rest of her life.

After taking some time to travel and think about the inheritance Jenna decides that she wants to go to the small town of Magnolia Harbor to find out more about her father’s side of the family. After arriving Jenna meets Jude St. Pierre and talks him into giving her sailing lessons to get to him and the rest of the town along with the secrets of her past.

The Cottage on Rose Lane is one story in which the main character is hiding her identity which normally has me screaming just tell the truth. However, this trope worked in this story in the idea that those in town had ideas about her that weren’t true and she needed time to get to know everyone so it worked well this time. The setting, diversity in the characters and the slow build romance all blended nicely together to make for one sweet romance.

I received an advance copy from the publisher via NetGalley.

Oh, my heart, what a wonderful, touching, small-town Southern romance! Ms. Ramsay certainly knows my home state and the Low Country nuances and brings them to life beautifully in this poignant, evocative romance. A place where old money talks, tradition is honored and cultures passed down for generations are in danger of dying out, but hearts are big, neighbors lend a hand and love thrives.

Jenna Fossey suddenly finds herself the only heir to the Bauman millions, but money doesn’t matter when she's all alone in the world. She heads to Magnolia Harbor to learn more about the father she never knew. Knowing about the bad blood between her grandfather and her great-uncle, she withholds her identity as she learns about the community and becomes a part of it. She feels a connection with fishing charter captain, Jude St. Pierre, and she asks him to give her sailing lessons so she can sail to the place where her father died. But Jude has his own challenges with stilted family relationships and his family's land being threatened, so he does his best not to get involved with a tourist who will be leaving soon.

Everything about this book is phenomenal. Ramsay has a way of tucking these characters away in your heart before you even realize it’s happening, and there is no choice but to eagerly devour her words to find out what happens. With family relationships that need mending, racial and cultural considerations, members of the community in dire straits, and old prejudices and fundamental beliefs being challenged, this story is vivid, rich and complex, and all the more stunning because of it. You’ll fall in love with not only the characters, but the vivid, quaint, charming backdrop of a truly special place. The Cottage on Rose Lane is such a treasure, so make sure you don’t miss this exquisite, evocative read!

*I reviewed an advance copy of this book freely and voluntarily, having made no commitment to provide a review and receiving no compensation of any kind from any source for this review.

This is the first book in a new series from this author and I already looking forward to more from it. It was a sweet love story with great characters and a terrific story line. It was very well written and I couldn't put it down. I look forward to the next one.

I had great hopes for Ramsay's The Cottage on Rose Lane, but unfortunately these hopes were dashed by the time I finished the first fifty pages. Jenna's circumstances seemed to far-fetched to relate to and while I did appreciate the tidbits of knowledge Ramsay gives readers about sailing and Gullah culture, it lacked enough substance to separate it from other contemporary romances. This would work better as a Hallmark or Lifetime movie, but as a book it falls short.

Jenna Fossey has come into a inheritance, from a grandfather that she has never met. She travels to Mongolia Harbor to see if she can connect her aunt and uncle. When she sees Jude St Pierre on his boat it makes her wonder what happened to her father? How did he die? Is there more to the story? Jude tries to discourage her, he has never taught anyone to sail and he doesn't trust her. What is she up to? Is she working with the developer that wants to take his ancestors land? This was a cute book. I have never been sailing. I felt so bad for Jenna I was rooting for her to find her home and place in life.

This is the first book in a new series called Moonlight Bay. I really enjoy Hope Ramsay's work and this one was no exception. Very charming and sweet story. I can't wait to read more.

I want to live on Magnolia Harbor. Hope Ramsay has created a heartwarming romance that you won't want to miss.
Many thanks to NetGalley, the publisher, and the author. All opinions are my own.