Return to Magnolia Harbor by Hope Ramsay

The ending made this book worth it for me. I did enjoy how everything ended, but I struggled with the characters for the bulk of the book. I just didn't feel anything for either of them for a while. I did appreciate that this a milder enemies to lovers, as I don't love a book where the characters are at each other's throats for the whole story. So phew on that front! All in all, I enjoyed this enough to finish but it's not one of Hope's stronger novels and I don't see myself remembering it for too long.

I loooove a Beauty and the Beast based romance. However this one didn’t work for me with too much small town gossip and side plots. Thank you to the publisher and Netgalley for the free ebook.

One thing that I love about romance novels? You can just drop right into a series without having read the previous books! Return To Magnolia Harbor is the third book in Hope Ramsay’s Moonlight Bay series. It also happens to be both the first book from the series and the first book by Ramsay that I’ve read. What really rocks is that I enjoyed this book SO MUCH! I am really looking forward to reading more books by Ramsay and also diving into the two previous Moonlight Bay books.

Return To Magnolia Harbor has all the Beauty and the Beast vibes, which I guess is intentional based on the acknowledgments. Jessica Blackwood is an architect who is amazing at her job. She’s returned to living in Magnolia Harbor, even though the town has not treated her all that well. You see, she was the subject of the local rumor mill when she was in high school and had a terrible time of it.

One of the rumor mongers, Topher Martin has hired Jessica to design a house for him on an island that he owns. You see, he has been in a car accident. Topher is all scarred and no longer as handsome as he used to be. Topher is also quite angry at life – a proverbial beast. As the two work together, sparks fly, so does the local rumor mill. Jess must make a decision about staying in Magnolia Harbor or leaving for greener pastures.

I love that I was able to pick up on the parallels between Return To Magnolia Harbor and Beauty And The Beast. Usually I am somewhat terrible at that kind of thing — oblivious if you will. This book was really fast to get through. I found myself wanting to see spinoffs for two characters. But, it looks like that isn’t happening based on the summaries of the other books in this series. There are diverse characters included as well which is awesome. I do wish Jessica had stood her ground a little bit sooner. Additionally, I also was a bit weirded out by the whole rumor mill. You see, I am originally from a small town. But yeah, this was a good summer read and definitely something I would recommend reading while poolside.

Another Great book by Hope Ramsey! I love how she makes you part of the book by getting me emotionally involved with her characters. Reason why she is one of my favorite authors! One of my favorite series.

I didn't realize this was part of a series, but I truly enjoyed it, even though some of it seemed far fetched, but perhaps if I had read previous books in the series, it would all have fallen into place. However, it was a most enjoyable book.

So fun and nostalgic- loved this book. I felt as if I were in a vacation. More of this author please

This is the third book in the Moonlight Bay series, but it can be read as a standalone. I loved the idea of the Beaty and the Beast retelling in this book. I also loved the ghost and the treasure hunt storyline in this book. I feel like Jessica wasn’t my favorite character at times. But overall I thought it was a good book. I would recommend checking it out!

This is book 3 in the Moonlight Bay series. It's about having courage to be true to yourself no matter what others think or say. Jessica is an architect who is running her small office in her hometown of Magnolia Harbor. She is hired by Christopher Martin who returns rich and bitter after an accident has left him scarred and reclusive. When the town tries to stop him building on his small island there is more than just esthetics at stake. Someone is trying to bring a major resort to the area. Half the town thinks it's great and many are against the change. Christopher and Jessica work together to find out who's behind the plot. I received a copy of this ARC in exchange for a fair and honest review.

Heartwarming, emotionally thrilling roller coaster of a journey filled with engaging charters, witty banter, heart racing twists and exciting turns. Really enjoyed this highly entertaining read from beginning to end.

Jessica had a rough upbringing and a miserable time in high school but she’s back in her hometown and is a respectable architect who owns her own business. Christoper had everything, money, looks and a bright future until he wrapped his car around a tree and was left scared. Now he wants Jessica to build him an escape. She is prejudice from her high school memories and he is proud. Despite all the things against them, they become friends and Christopher wants more but can Jessica forgive him?

This book is well written and a very quick read. #returntomagnoliaharbor is a play on the beauty and the beast trope. It was very enjoyable but too short in my opinion. I liked this book and will be reading again and hopefully more of the #moonlightbaynovel series!

I received a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review. All opinions are my own.

#bookstagram #netgalleyreads #bookrecommendations #hoperamsay #moonlightbaynovelseries #returntomagnoliaharbor

This is the third book in the series. I have read them all and enjoyed them. This was no exception. This was an wasy read, perfect for a quiet summer day.

I rarely dive into a series mid-stream, because I usually can't feel the connections to the characters that were forged in the previous books, since I haven't read them. However, I was fairly confident, given my experience reading books by Hope Ramsay, that I could start anywhere in the series and be perfectly fine. This book could absolutely be read as a standalone, although I do have the feeling there are parts of the book I could appreciate more had I started from Book 1. While the underlying trope with this book is Beauty and the Beast, there are a lot more elements at play than just a love story. The author touches on racial tensions, parental emotional abuse, and the idea of forgiveness even when the other person has never apologized. It can be a difficult book to read if you have even remotely experienced any of the above, because it will definitely dig deep into your emotions. While the cover seems bright and cheerful, the story within is best characterized as dark and emotional.

Jessica Blackwood never intended to return to Magnolia Harbor, after she was essentially banished from her hometown by her father sixteen years ago. Sent away to a school for troubled girls, for a "crime" she did not commit, she has never forgiven her family for not believing her. However, when her mother was ill two years ago, she returned, and now that her mother has passed, she is left with a grandmother who disdains her and an aunt who tries to keep the peace. Christopher Martin, or Topher to his friends, remembers Jessica as brave, but she got involved with the wrong person as a teen and paid for that decision, He has returned to Magnolia Harbor a broken and scarred man after a terrible car accident, and all he wants is for Jessica to build him a house on a neighboring island, where he can live his life away from people. However, all Jessica remembers is that he was a member of the football team who spread nasty rumors about her in high school, and she has never forgiven him. It's just a job to her, but as they spend more time together, the truth comes to light and soon a decision must be made about how much they're willing to fight for what they want.

This was a really engaging story, though one that took me a few days to get through due to the heavy themes. It was interesting how racial tension was apparent without being obvious, which I think is how things often work. There was only one moment in the book where it was written out plainly, when one of the secondary characters comments how it was annoying that "the most eligible bachelor of color" was interested in a white woman. That put me off a bit, since it was fairly early on in the story and this character is getting their own book later, but I forged on hoping that such thinking wouldn't be so overtly apparent throughout the book. Thankfully it wasn't, though it was definitely implied by several other characters. I enjoyed the character development between Jessica and Topher, especially as they uncovered secrets about each other and learned to forgive. It was a story of forgiveness, for sure, and healing, and without the two of them together, it would have been harder, if not impossible, for them to move forward in their lives. They stuck up for each other, even when it wasn't easy, and I appreciated that. I was so proud of Jessica when she became more confident in herself and spoke out against the people who had been looking down on her for so many years.

Hope Ramsay always writes an engaging story, and I'm now motivated to read the other books in the series! I can't wait to learn more about Magnolia Harbor and all the people living there.

**I received a free copy via NetGalley and this is my honest review.**

A prodigal returns and the past still has her in its clutches when a scarred and bitter version of her old high school nemesis hires her to design him a house. Can a new understanding lead to something more? Hope Ramsay’s heartwarming, coastal small town romance delighted me and left me wanting more.
Review

Return to Magnolia Harbor is the third book in a gently-paced, character driven series that introduces standalone romances, but with a series arc involving a pirate, a little boy, a grieving woman, and a Gullah family that need to be taken in order to see it all play out.

Jessica Blackwood was driven out of town and out of her family by a domineering parent who refused to believe the truth when rumors about her and Colton St. Pierre started to fly. Nothing happened, but teenage Jessica got stamped as a fast girl anyway. She came back to take care of her dying mother and ended up opening her own architectural design office. A few solid commissions will really establish her. Meanwhile, the rumors about Colton and her continue though they are still just friends. Jessica still finds herself hurt deeply and works hard to give people no reason to talk. Taking the commission to design wealthy businessman, Topher Martin’s reclusive island home only stirs the gossip embers into flames and she has hated him since high school, but money is money and a building clientele make it worth it.

Topher’s car wreck disfigured him and ruined his leg. It took even more when the once popular, confident man only wants to hide and lick his wounds. Fiery, angry Jessica agrees to design and contract for his dream to happen. His family loves him, but they fight him on this and it is only his reluctant architect who stands by him. He is intrigued by her and finally gets her to tell him why she hates him and then the truth of the past can start to heal them both.

Meanwhile, Ashley runs her B&B, tries to get past her grief, avoid uncomfortable feelings for Micah St. Pierre, do her best to scotch Topher’s unsafe plans to move to a remote island, and most of all staunch her son’s belief and fixation on the ghost of a local pirate legend. He is so certain as is Topher, her cousin, but she refuses to by into this crutch to grief.

There is so much going on with this latest series installment. New characters, Topher and Jessica are introduced and get their story in the forefront, but there is also the ongoing story of Ashley and Micah, the pirate, and now Colton’s romance beginning. The quilting group was background as was the Gullah culture for this one. It was sailing and architecture, old town rumors, a scheming rep who was a bully and sexual predator, and the secret history of the town come to light.

I suppose this was an enemies to lovers story, but I felt it was too one-sided for that. The author was going for Beauty and the Beast as a theme and that I could see. Though, here’s the thing, Topher was disfigured on the outside and could get cranky and reclusive as a result, but at her core, Jessica was pretty beastly herself at first for good reason.

I sympathized with her pain in being shuffled out of town by her own family and thought to be a liar and a girl who lost her virginity to one of the school bad boys by everyone else when none of the gossip was true. It really was damaging and she was assaulted by another kid at the school and couldn’t even go to her dad about it because she knew he would take the guy’s side since he was a football player. She really had it hard and had no support. She was sent off to boarding school and then only got her architectural degree because she earned a scholarship. Her family had washed their hands of her. And, the town was happy to believe the worst because her family did. Coming back, she had the wrong end of the stick about Topher and really gave him a hard time, but she soon started learning the truth about many people including herself. She went from cringing, don’t-rock-the-boat-and-cause-more-rumors to a woman who stood for herself. Jessica was such a powerful heroine.

Topher had a relatively easy early life when it came to family support though he grieved the loss of closest family and endured his early rep as a nerd. He became a ruthless businessman and seem to have it all until his looks were gone and his fiance left him. Because of his disfigurement and disability, he was well aware of what it was like to be stared at and talked about so he was in a unique position to support and understand Jessica when he got past her prickles and old assumptions about him. He had a tender heart and he was so good with a young boy who just needed to be believed.

Ashley and Micah’s story has been building to a crisis point. Micah is being so patient with her. In this book, she turned down right ugly (another Beast) to Micah and to her own son in her effort to squelch an imaginary pirate fixation and any feelings that she felt was a betrayal to her dead husband. I couldn’t believe to what lengths she went to to block Topher’s dream (NOT HER BUSINESS) and her son’s. What she did was so wrong and yet it was barely noted. Does it come up in the next book? I really don’t know what to think of her. I guess I pity her and hope she can get things untangled inside her head before she drives off everyone she loves the most. Need her story Stat!

I enjoyed it all and this was an amazing read until the very end- when it just ended leaving me with more than one unanswered question about the main couple and more like I mentioned about Ashley. The side stuff being left open was no big deal as it will carry over into the next book. But, for me not to know how some things resolved that were part of the main conflict was disappointing. The romance itself resolved, but things in their lives did not.

I can’t recommend this series enough if contemporary romance fans want deep and thoughtful characterization, descriptive and engaging setting and plot, well-developed and a little spicy romance.

My thanks to Forever for the opportunity to read this book in exchange for an honest review.

Jessica Blackwell wants to make a success of her architectural firm. She is on her way when she gets an assignment from a reclusive bachelor in town, but there is one problem. Years before, Christopher Martin, Topher, and Jessica had a history—and not a good one. However, things have changed since then. Topher, physically damaged by an accident, is no longer the cocky, tormenting boy he once was. Jessica is also intrigued by Topher, despite her bad memories. Topher wants nothing more than to make amends for his shameful behavior years ago, but he is struggling to figure out how and if that is possible. As the pair work together on the house she is designing, he begins to realize he wants the house and the woman he tormented so many years ago. However, as I said, is that even possible with their history?

This is the third installment in a series. I have not read any of the other books, but I read this one as a stand-alone. The relationship between Topher and Jessica is a nice vanilla one. However, I was not so sure about the chemistry or intensity between them. Jessica came across as naïve and weak at times. Though good as a couple, I did find Jessica and Topher rather too vanilla for my taste. There was conflict, but no internal conflict. For me, it was not easy to get into and stay with the book. Still, there is a lot of small town in this book, including gossip, townsfolk intrigue, and romance. It may be because I have not read the other books in the series that I found this one flat, though I have read lots of the author’s works and have concluded this one is different. This just will never be my favorite. However, it may be yours. I received this from NetGalley to read and review.

Review featured at www.books-n-kisses.com

What if you ended up having to work with your childhood bully? Could you do it? Well that is what Jessica has to figure out. Christopher was terrible to Jessica as kids but now they are adults and he has returned to Magnolia Harbor and wants to build a perfect home there. Jessica is an architect and it is hard for her to trust anything he says. Old feelings of being teased and tricked come up to haunt her.

But as Christopher and Jessica work together their adult feelings start to override their childhood feelings. But there is so much more to their relationship than just working together they have to deal with the city and the people inside it.

I really liked Topher. He is just adorable when he deals with his nephew. And honestly he is who every childhood bully should be as an adult. Kids are mean but adults should be able to look back and realize their mistakes. Jess is a bit slow on the forgiveness but then he put her through a lot. So you can sorta see it.

Another great story from Hope Ramsay.

Disclaimer:
I received a complimentary copy of the book in exchange for an honest review.

Jessica is a architect who is doing pretty well for herself after working on an unusual house. Now shes on for her next job when she finds out he's from her home town and someone who gave her a hard time in the past. She didn't have the best time in her hometown but will take on the job if only to do the job she was given and settle her curiosity.

I really enjoyed this book. It was interesting getting to know Jessica's past and seeing her family life and how lies really ruined her life. But she refused to let that bring her down she rose up and got herself a decent job and now back in her hometown dealing with issues of the past. She had a hard time getting past the gossip and issues back then and its clearly a small town if no one forgets. Doesn't help that she'll be working with someone she knew Christopher who was one of the people who tormented her. Thing is its been years and you'd think things would chance. Just it was interesting seeing how things were handled. Then there was a bit bit of the romance, home town drama and with everything together it comes to down to having one interesting book.

Received in exchange for a honest review

What I like about this book is that Christopher grew up. He learned from his past and wanted forgiveness. He doesn’t want to be seen by Jessica as the person who tormented her in high school but as the man she is today. Do they have some missteps along the way? Yes. Especially when they are fighting for the same concept in the town and someone wants them stopped.

Christopher is successful, handsome and reclusive. He has come back to Magnolia Harbor to build a dream home. A home his grandfather dreamed of but in a different way. He doesn’t want the pretentious castle on the island but one that goes with the island. He wants to maintain what the island is about and preserve it’s beauty as well.

Jessica is a architect trying to make her way. She doesn’t quite trust Christopher but takes on the project because it can make her career. When she begins the project she doesn’t really give Christopher the chance due to their past. In fact her first blueprint shows this. Christopher doesn’t give up though and shows her his thoughts. He gets her to see what he is thinking and they begin to learn more about one another. Does she trust him? Not really but she does learn he isn’t what she thought he was.

They don’t start as friends but slowly become them. They learn to trust one another and their attraction is through the roof. Jessica does hold back and isn’t always open with Christopher which does hurt them as much as those that are trying to change the town are. I love how they work together to figure things out and begin to trust one another. How they don’t go into instalove but find love as they learn about one another, begin to trust each other and find forgiveness within and with each other. As they uncover secrets and help each other, they find themselves and where they want to be-with each other.

The characters are likeable especially Christopher. When he is with his nephew i melt. He loves that little guy and helps him with a project that uncovers so much I didn’t expect to read about. Jessica I had to warm up to because she let the past dictate her feelings a wee bit to much. She was a nice girl just a little to stubborn on the whole trust of Christopher thing. The story is fun and sweet. A story of family, friendship and love. Of forgiveness and letting go and of finding where you belong and with who you belong.

3.5 stars Return to Magnolia Harbor the story was good, it was very promising, it had the right amount of angst and characters that will keep you hooked in the story.

this is the story of Jessica character that suffered so much in the past and is trying to move on with her new life and career but her past keep trying to be present in her life she just wants to move on and forget anything that ever made her feel insecure and so alone, now a few years later she is ready to conquer and be bold but things would never be easy until she finally brokes her fears and insecurities.

Topher was a very lonely character, people around him were always trying to figure him out, at the same time they didn't want to be around him, his physical appearance was not easy for many and that made him want to always be alone and secluded in his own house.

Topher and Jessica had a hard time finally lower their walls as both of them had so much past to be afraid but life and circumstances will determine if they're finally ready to be together.

The reason I gave this book 3.5 stars was because I felt at all times like something was missing, there was never enough intensity, There was something that wasn't fully complete between the characters like the chemistry was not easy to feel, also Jessica was most of the times afraid, I know that was the intention but at some point, she felt more naive than afraid and that made her character feel weak.

The story was good, the character was promising, I recommend you to give this book a chance and get yours on conclusions.

The first book that I have read by Hope Ramsay and it will not be the last. A redemptive love story set in beautiful Magnolia Harbor S.C., the characters reveal morals and values often missing in many books.Looking forward to reading the other books in this series.Thanls to the published and Netgalley for this ARC in exchange for my honest review.

Hope Ramsay writes southern small towns and is usually a strong favorite. This one fell flat for me. I felt that both Jessica and Topher danced around each other for far too long for me to completely buy into their HEA. Fans of Beauty and the Beast: the Shrek version will find this one right in their wheel-house. Ramsay does start some threads that I am interested to see her tie up in future books.