Reviews by the Wicked Reads Review Team

Ruthie – ☆☆☆☆
I really enjoyed this book. It contains many tropes which I gravitate towards, although at times I felt maybe too many, as the story became ever more involved with almost bluff and double bluff feel to the outcomes of certain plans and plots. The underlying story between Hadley and Tony was fun and sweet and undoubtedly destined for success, but getting there was certainly complicated!

Tony is a retired-too-soon-injured NFL player come home with plans to set up a restaurant chain and capitalise on his name. Whilst he has a love of cooking instilled by his Italian family, it is to provide his sister with an opportunity that he wants this to be his future. That his first love, Hadley, is now back in town and has an interest in the site he has earmarked for his new project is beyond annoying.

Hadley is keen to escape the media after a bad break-up with a movie star, so when her grandma needs help after a fall, she is delighted of the excuse to go home. Not so delighted to find Tony is in town and wants to buy her gran's pooch parlour shop.

Cue an adventure with plenty of cute, and not so cute, dogs, good food, reservations about the future, and a very meddling granny!


Mary Jo – ☆☆☆☆
3.5 stars rounded up to 4 stars

This second-chance romance is filled with anger and misunderstandings that take a while to resolve but makes the book so much better. Both Cam and Hadley have been hurt publicly but in different ways. Cam's career-ending injury has forced him back home to reevaluate his life and priorities. Hadley's love affair with an A-list movie star was torn apart when he publicly began dating his co-star and left her in the dust. With the paparazzi never letting up and unable to do her job as a PR whiz, she had no choice but to return home to lick her wounds in private.

Neither Hadley or Cam expected to find each other in Seashell Harbor nor fighting over the building her grandmother owned. Unable to deal with the way Cam had left her so many years ago, Hadley confronted him about everything from the sticky note to how he was dog-sitting her grandmother's dog. Cam knew what he did was wrong, but Hadley, then and now, deserved so much better than him.

This book allowed the characters to resolve their past hurts and to learn how each of them had grown during their years apart. Each are stubborn in their own way but in the end, love conquers all.

What a fun start to this new series. Two people both in the midst of trying to rejigger their lives after what they both thought would be is no longer. Hadley has suffered a humiliating very public breakup and the end of the life she thought was forever. She goes back home and thinks she will regroup and run her grandmothers store, Pooch Palace for the summer. Some family time and dogs...just what she needs to help move forward. Tony, the town golden boy has suffered a career ending injury and poof, his football career and all that went with it..gone in a flash. He broke her heart into a million pieces years ago without ever looking back by leaving her a breakup note on a Post-it. How very “Sex and the City” of him. Now, though he wants to apologize for obliterating her heart, he is also trying to take away what matters most to her, her grandmothers store for his own purposes and to stay in the spotlight because the world really needs yet another chain restaurant with a celebrity using his name as currency. His idea of a franchise and “saving the town” does not sit well with her and the literal fur flies. Some way to apologize. The entire small town sits back watching the duke it out like it’s a reality TV show only actual reality. It’s a sweet fun second chance romance if you get beyond the fact that the two main characters are supposed to be in the thirties and act like children and a town filled with even bigger babies is adorable. Seriously, not a single person in this book has the maturity level beyond their shoe size. I would never want to live in that town or one like it, but it’s a riot.. That aside, it’s well written and funny watching them on opposing sides. May the best one win! It’s a great set up for the series and whatever comes next.

Another great novel by a talented author! I can't get enough of her small town romances. This one didn't disappoint either. I had a great time in Seashell Harbor.

REVIEW • Coming Home to Seashell Harbor • thanks to @readforeverpub for the #gifted copy

Fresh off a high-profile break-up, Hadley returns to her hometown where she ends up coming face-to-face with her first love, and first heartbreak, Tony, who is trying to figure out his next steps after the end of his football career.

Liasson is one of my favorite small town romance authors, and I'm excited for this new series of hers; I think it's going to have a fun cast of characters and I'm looking forward to more HEAs. I love a good second-chance romance and Hadley and Cam were both really likeable characters. I found the middle to drag on a bit, and the conflict was drawn out longer than it needed to be, but it was a really charming romance, and just the light-hearted, enjoyable read I was looking for.

3.5 stars. Thank you to NetGalley and Forever publishing for allowing me to read this book early! This book had so many tropes I love and it should've been great, but something was just missing for me. This book is about Hadley and Cam. Hadley worked in Hollywood but got broken up with very publicly, so retreated back to her hometown of Seashell Harbor. Cam was an NFL football player but had a career ending injury that also brought him back to their home town. Now Hadley's grandma is considering selling the building that houses her business- the Pooch Palace, a boarding type facility for dogs- to Cam to open a restaurant. His family is full of foodies and this feels like the next best thing to channel his energy into. Hadley loves the Pooch Palace and wants to revive it and keep it alive. If that wasn't enough to cause some tension between the two of them, they were also each other's first loves until Cam broke up with her on a post it note. The rest of the story is their 2nd chance romance and maybe I just wasn't in the mood or something but I really didn't feel the connection between them and I thought Hadley was a doormat. She supposedly harbored 12 years (ish) of hurt and yet she got over it really quickly. Then when the very predictable climax happened, you'll be shocked to know it got resolved pretty easily. I LOVE books with first loves getting a 2nd chance, but I think it works better for me when its something extraneous that pulls them apart instead of one of them making a choice to end the relationship. Maybe I would like this more on reread, but as of now it felt like a very standard small town romance with nothing exceptional.

Hadley returns home from her high powered LA public relations job to Seashell Harbor in hopes of hiding from the media while recovering from a bad and very public break-up with her celebrity boyfriend. Looking to find the nurturing hometown from her youth, Hadley must quickly adapt to some changes. After a bad fall her grandmother has decided to retire and sell her business the Pooch Palace to none other than Hadley’s high school boyfriend. Hadley has always loved helping her grandmother at the Pooch Palace and doesn’t want to lose it to her ex.

Anthony Cammareri, Tony to Hadley and Cam to the rest of the world, is a famous NFL player and beloved hero of the town. He’s come back to Seashell Harbor after a career ending knee injury and must reinvent himself. Cam thinks the Pooch Palace has the perfect location for his first restaurant of a sports themed chain and is determined to succeed in this new career. Hadley and Cam must compete for the rights to the Pooch Palace and neither wants to give up on their dreams.

The heartwarming interaction between the characters reinforces the importance of family and community and provides a welcome escape from reality. With beaches scenes, likeable friend and family characters and plenty of dogs, this first book in the series leaves this reader wanting more!

Thank you to NetGalley and William Morrow publishing for the opportunity to review this book before the release on May 4.

When celebrity publicist Hayley Wells finds herself the victim of a very public breakup, she flees Hollywood for her cozy hometown, Seashell Harbor. Thinking she will spend the summer spoiled by her grandmother, and quietly recuperating, she receives a rude awakening upon her return. Her grandmother is in the hospital and she’s planning to sell their family business, The Pooch Palace to the boy who broke her heart. After sustaining a career-ending football injury, Tony Cammareri returned home to Seashell Harbor to open a family restaurant. The last thing he expected was to run into his high school girlfriend Hayley. Now with the fate of the Pooch Palace at stake, Hayley and Tony are pitted against each other for the fate of the space: a dog rescue or a restaurant.

I loved this book. It’s such a sweet vacation in a novel! I loved the competition between the two characters and how it blended so many tropes so seamlessly: second chance, small town, and enemies to lovers.

One of my favorite parts of the story is watching Hayley as she starts her dog rescue. Coming Home to Seashell Harbor also has the most adorable fluffy characters. There’s Bowie, a basset hound owned by Hadley’s grandmother Maddy. There’s Jagger, a scruffy doodle mix who pops up at the Pooch Palace one night as a stray and never leaves. And there are many others who come through Hadley’s rescue.

Thank you to Forever and Netgalley for the gifted copy. All opinions are my own.

I have read all of Miranda Liasson's published books, and I have always said in my reviews that Ms. Liasson is the kind of author who could write books without sex scenes and they would still be just as amazing because her stories are so strongly written, and this book proves my theory correct. There are no on-screen sex scenes, but this book doesn't need them – the story and writing style are both so well done that sex scenes aren't needed. While other authors are writing copious amounts of sex scenes and calling it love, Ms. Liasson's characters develop beautiful, real relationships. I am so excited that I can recommend this book to my friends who only read “sweet and clean” stories.

In this book, Ms. Liasson's sense humor shines through, and that, coupled with the wonderful setting and the incredible characters kept me wanting to read more and dreading the inevitable end of the story. I loved Hadley from the start, the way she took so many proverbial punches and kept pushing forward was something I appreciated more than I expected. Tony/Cam was a great hero – he wanted to do the right thing by everyone in his life, but circumstances made it difficult for him to please everyone, including himself. Of course the romantic relationship is a huge part of this book and it's absolutely fabulous, Cam's relationships with his family was one of my favorite non-Hadley/Cam things about this story. His devotion to his sister, his niece, and his brother and father made me fall in love with him in a way I wasn't expecting. Instead of being the usual romance novel alphahole, he was just a really, really good guy dealing with difficult circumstances.

There are also so many wonderful side characters that add to this story and give it the exact kind of small town flavor that I just love. They never overwhelm the story, just add to it and make it so much stronger. In many ways, this book is about friendship as much as the love story. I found myself wishing that this book wouldn't end so that we could keep learning about Kit and Darla and Lucy and Nick. I am already looking forward to the next book, and this one was just released.

I highly recommend this book to anyone who loves a good second chance romance that is written with giggle-worthy humor, amazing characters, tons of heart, and all the feels because Miranda Liasson never fails to deliver on all of those.

I enjoyed Hadley and Cam's sweet second chance romance. I loved the small town setting, Cam's family, Hadley's Gran and all of the rescue animals at the Pooch Palace. I'm looking forward my next visit to Seashell Harbor. I can't wait to read Kit and Alex's story!

This is a beautiful beginning to a new series by Miranda Liasson and I have a feeling it's going to blow up the charts! Written magnificently about love, forgiven, home, and what do you really want in life. I love the characters and can not wait to get to know them even better. Get yourself an ice tea and sit on the porch swing and enjoy every page.

I received an ebook from Netgalley and this is my voluntary, honest review.

Liasson is a master at small town romances, and I was thrilled to read an Advanced Copy of her new series. In the beginning Hadley seemed selfish, but the way she opened her heart to Cam, completely one me over. There was an excellent set of secondary characters, along with glimpses of future couples. In addition to lovable characters, the setting of Seashell Harbor had me longing for more. This was a delightful read and a perfect book for summertime.

Thank you to Forever Publishing and NetGalley for my review copy.

I love a second chance at love and what better place to find love than at Seashell Harbor.
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High school sweethearts left their home and their hearts behind after they broke up. Hadley finds success in Hollywood and Tony Cammareri becomes one of the best players in the NFL, but when an injury abruptly ends his successful career he heads home. Hadley’s dreams were coming true until she was broken up with in an extremely public breakup that is all over the gossip news. She heads home with a broken heart but what she doesn’t expect to find is her ex.
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Her grandmother is her anchor, but her grandmother has other plans about what it means for her to heal. Locked in a battle over her grandmother’s business Hadley wants it to stay a haven for animals and Cam wants to turn it into a chain restaurant.
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Her grandmother set the wheels in motion to battle and find peace and maybe find each other along the way. This reads like a delightful Hallmark movie with second chance at love, a cast of characters I was invested in and all.the.puppies!
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Also, the best side story about Darla’s great great grandmother who wore a Seashell Harbor diamond ring to pretend to be a married woman so she could buy property. With her property she made a home for unwed mothers. Can we please get this backstory novel?!
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With a sweetly satisfying epilogue this will be a sweet summer read. This book is out today!
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Thank you to #NetGalley and #readforeverpub

Book 1 . New series
Coming Home to seashell Harbor.


Hadley is returning home after a Break up. Some what of a scandal.
But most Importantly wanting to see her grandmother, who has taken a fall.

Not only has grandmother taken a fall. Her Business or her Building is in the process of possibly be sold. To no one other than Hadley Ex. From High School a Ex is a Ex.

Hadley wants to do what she can for her grandmother.
But can't seem to Avoid Cam. The Ex.

This Small Town. Romance
Is there a second chance for them.

Well grab your copy today.
Find out. Its a sweet story.
Thank you Miranda Liaison 💓

Welcome to the lovely small-town beachfront setting of Seashell Harbor and the friendliest population of characters you will ever meet. I loved the small-town setting, the extended family of both main characters, and the rescue animals that provided a comical and heartwarming addition to the story. But most of all I loved Hadley and Tony’s numerous confrontations because all of that angst lead to a satisfying happily ever after thanks to the author’s lyrical writing and the machinations of Hadley’s we'll meaning grandmother. I read an early copy of this book provided by the publisher and all opinions expressed in my voluntary review are completely my own.

📚Publication Day Review📚

Title: Coming Home to Seashell Harbor
Author: Miranda Liasson
Publication: Today! 5/4/21
Genre: Contemporary Romance
My Rating: ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

In short: Hadley returns home for the summer after a high profile breakup with a Hollywood actor to retreat from the media and help her grandmother who is planning to sell her building to Tony. Tony is back home himself after an injury ended his NFL career and just happens to be Hadley’s ex.

What I loved:
💕A football star and puppies. Lots of puppies.
💕The small town setting on the ocean.
💕 Hadley & Tony’s 2nd chance romance. I loved Tony immediately and enjoyed their progression from ex sweethearts seeing each other again to friends battling each other to honoring your true feelings.

My thoughts: Go get this book! There was very little I didn’t love with this book. I love light romance books like this that focus on the town, characters and relationship and not so much on steam. I am so excited to see where this series goes next.

Review:

This was such a fun start to a new series! I loved Hadley, Kit, and Darla’s friendship. They balanced each other out so well! The small town feel (and gossip) were a perfect setting. I love when big city adults comeback to their roots and fall back in love with the town that raised them. You know the whole, “it takes a village?” It applies to small towns because the entire community has a part in raising them all.

I loved that it was almost enemies to lovers and second chance lovers rolled into one. Enemies to second chance lovers? It took me a minute to get into the book as we got a lot of backstory and character development from Hadley, Tony (AKA Cam, yes I got confused), Pooch Palace and the rest of Seashell Harbor. I would consider this a slow burn as it does take some time to get into when I’m out here screaming, “JUST KISS AND MAKEUP ALREADY!!” But, it was a definite satisfying slow burn that I really got to enjoy!

For fans of You Got Mail, dog lovers, and those loving small town USA Coming Home to Seashell Harbor is a wonderful start to a series that has me excited to see what comes next! Thank you so much Forever for the gifted copy! Coming Home to Seashell Harbor is out today!

A sweet second chance romance set in a small beach side town.

Hadley and Cam were each other's first loves, but then he broke up with her via post it note. Now they are both back in their hometown. Hadley is fresh off a bad break up and Cam is figuring out what to do after an injury ended his football career.

It was a bit of a slow start but i enjoyed the story more and more as I read. I really liked Miranda Liasson's writing, the relatable characters, and the sweet romance. There is a great cast of secondary characters, too, and I am looking forward to their books.

What a delightful beginning of a new series! Ms. Liasson is a talented writer with the gift of developing characters and plots that immediately grab and hold your attention until the very last page of the book and this book is an excellent example of those skills. Hadley and Cam - one-time high school sweethearts, the scheming the grandmother and all the wonderful people who inhabit the charming town of Seashell Harbor all combine to make this second chance at love story come alive. I was given an ARC of the book via StoryOrigin and have voluntarily chosen to write this review. I can honestly say that I thoroughly enjoyed the book and can heartily recommend it.

When Hadley returns home after a very public heartbreak looking for some time to relax and reassess her future all while in the comforting arms of her grandmother, that is the last thing she will find. What she does find is her grandmother in the hospital, thinking of retiring and selling Pooch Palace, her dog business to none other than Hadley’s high school crush, Tony aka Cam so he can close the business and build a restaurant. Hadley refuses to let that happen and is ready to battle Tony when her grandmother has an idea that will either bring them closer to together or tear the town apart.

What a fabulous start to a new series by Miranda Liasson. I loved the characters, especially Hadley’s feisty grandmother. The story was about family, second chances, small towns, and rescue animals, all my favourite things wrapped up into one amazing story. The story flowed well, all the main and supporting characters were well written, and I can not wait for the next book in the series. Thank you so much to Forever Publishing and Miranda Liasson for an advanced copy of the book to read and review for my unbiased opinion.

I so enjoyed this sweet, second chance, romantic story full of fun characters, old friends, puppies, the ocean, Seashell Harbor, family, and love.  I really liked Hadley Wells, who had just returned home to Seashell Harbor only to find her Gran had fallen and broken her hip.  I enjoyed how close Hadley was to her Gran and how she helped her out at her Pooch Palace until she figured out what she wanted to do with her life.  I also liked that Hadley and her high school boyfriend, Cam kept crossing paths partly due to her Gram's matchmaking.  This was a fun book to read with wonderful characters and cute dogs and puppies too.  I received an advance copy of this book and I willingly chose to write an honest review.