I was really looking forward to this one based on the blurb and the cover, but it missed the mark for me. The writing wasn't bad, but I wasn't a fan of Molly or Max. Molly came across as very immature, and acted more like a teenager than an adult. Max was the opposite of what I like my heroes to be, alpha he was not. The whole thing with Max firing Molly didn't really bother me. I know the main draw for Molly was supposed to be that everyone loved her, but I agreed with Max. There's no such thing as a "support human" and unless you own the business, a boss is not letting you bring your dog to work. In terms of heat, this falls on the Hallmark movie end of things. They kiss towards the end of the story, but that's it. I found the dogs to be a little much at times. I have dogs, and I love them, but my whole universe is not my pets. This was a first for me from this author, but I would be willing to giver her another read.
I voluntarily reviewed an advanced readers copy of this book.

This was such a fun story to read, perfect for summer! I really liked it being set in a beach town full of hilarious seniors and adorable dogs. The concept of marine biologist meets aquarium mermaid is new to me and I consider that a breath of fresh air.

I wasn’t really thrilled about the romance. I thought it was alright, nothing special. I feel like the romcom is underbaked. It definitely lacked execution. While I think Max and Molly are fun and quirky, I also do think they are underdeveloped. The only reason that kept my attention was the fact that they were saving turtle nests 🐢

Overall, A Line In The Sand is a cute story if you want something light.

All my thanks to Netgalley and SOURCEBOOKS Casablanca for the ARC in exchange for my honest review. A Line In The Sand by Teri Wilson comes out August 2nd!

A LINE IN THE SAND – Teri Wilson
Turtle Beach, Book 2
Sourcebooks Casablanca
ISBN: 978—7282-1482-5
August 2, 2022
Romantic Comedy

Turtle Beach, North Carolina – Present Day

Molly Prince loves her job being a mermaid at Turtle Beach Aquarium. But the elderly man who owns it has turned the aquarium over to his nephew, marine biologist Max Miller, who immediately fires Molly and her dog, who was her sidekick dressed as a lobster. Max doesn’t see how a mermaid fits into an aquarium that features turtles and sea horses. Molly is not only angry at being fired but she is also devastated because it would mean her father will pester her again about going back to college for a “real career.” But Molly loves working with turtles and even has some ideas to help create income for the aquarium—if only Max would listen to her.

The finances at the aquarium are dire and Max needs to generate some income and cut corners. Firing Molly was the first step in his plan, but he’s aware that he’s ruffled some feathers in Turtle Beach. Molly is beloved by everyone, but he can’t let sentimental feelings get in the way. He can’t stop thinking about Molly because not only are people in town trying to push them together, but she also lives next door to him! And her dog loves Max! Molly soon proves to Max that he might need her more than he thinks.

A LINE IN THE SAND has a motley cast of characters who help provide the charm and comedy, but it is Max and Molly who make this tale an enjoyable one. He hasn’t been in Turtle Beach in years but decided to make it his home and take over the aquarium. The area is home to turtles and the aquarium helps nurse any sick or injured ones back to health. But Max arrives to find out that they need to generate more income to survive. He figures having a cartoon-type character greeting people in the middle of it isn’t a good idea, so Molly gets fired. Max tries to sit down with his uncle to discuss finances, but Uncle Henry keeps having excuses or ropes Max into joining him in his activities at the senior place where he now lives.

Molly’s parents used to live in Turtle Beach, but they moved away when her father got a job in the Northeast. Her father has been hounding her to go back to school. Now that she has no job, Molly must figure out what to do. It doesn’t help that her parents will be in town soon for the annual SandFest. How can she hide the fact that she has no job from her parents? Molly keeps running into Max, but it turns out that the three old ladies from the Senior Place are coming up with reasons to bring them together. Will it lead to an attraction? Will Molly get her job back?

The romance between Molly and Max starts off slowly, as A LINE IN THE SAND goes about introducing the characters to readers to show why they are hesitant to get involved in a relationship right now. Max complains a lot, but deep down, readers will sense that Molly is winning him over. Can he save the aquarium, with the help of Molly? A feel-good and enjoyable tale right from the start, readers should not miss the fun in A LINE IN THE SAND.

Patti Fischer

For the longest time I’ve wanted a Cavalier King Charles pup but only if a shelter dog presents itself, so needless to say this cover jumped out at me! Really any dog will do it though to be honest!

Max is taking over his grandfathers aquarium and he doesn’t find a need for a woman who dresses up as a mermaid, even if she saved his life yesterday from a riptide. The aquarium is struggling and he needs to cut costs.

Fuming at this outsider coming in and not seeing Molly’s value and her pup Ursula dressed as a lobster. Molly is Ursula’s emotional support human so who is he to say she’s not welcome!

Such begins the enemies to lovers rom com. It doesn’t help that the octogenarian community of dog lovers sees their potential as a couple and finds fun ways to bring them together.

Can a truce help them bring in money and save the aquarium and the turtles?

This was a cute fun easy breezy beach romcom. While the romance was a little light and not enough time together on page it was a cute read.

I received an arc via NetGalley for review, all opinions are my own and given freely.

Molly works at the aquarium as a mermaid and her dog Ursula is always with her. The new director of the aquarium fires her. Molly is peeved and that starts the beginning of the enemies to lovers trope.

This was a fun quick read. I enjoyed the characters and the small town setting. The senior citizens were my favorite part of the story. Ursula the puppy is also a treat.

A line in the Sand by TerI Wilson is a quick, fun romantic comedy perfect for a day at the beach. A meet cute for a workaholic marine biologist and a turtle loving mermaid.

This was a super fun, easy read. With likable characters, low drama, low angst and sadly very low steam . Pretty much exactly what I think of when I think of a beach read. The story itself isn't very exciting, but still an enjoyable small town romance. Filled with quirky elderly folks, friendly pups around ever corner , a small fake relationship situation, a brilliant and lovable Spaniel, baby turtles , a sand sculpture competition, cupcakes, and bingo.

I didn't know this was part of a series when I picked it up, but luckily this one is a standalone. The cover and blurb are top tier and the story matches both. I loved the meet cute and the banter between the characters, but I wish I'd known this was more of a Women's Lit than a Romance. I wanted more romantic scenes between the two mains. But even then, this is a super cute beach read!

I enjoyed A Line in the Sand!!
I found it to be fun, fast paced, set in a cute town and with adorable pups!! The cover is so pretty and it was the main reason I requested this one!

I guess what I would change is that I would’ve liked for it to focus more on the love story instead of saving the aquarium, but maybe that’s just me!!

I wasn’t aware this was part of a series, but it can def be read as a stand-alone. I would like to read book 1 - A Spot of Trouble - someday!

Thank you Netgalley and Sourcebooks Casablanca for providing an eARC of this book in exchange of an honest review. All opinions are my own.

This review will be posted on pub day (8/2) on my IG account: @bm.bookish.girl

A simple, feel-good summer romance set in a quirky beach town filled with dogs and yoga-loving senior citizens. If none of that interests you, then go find a book with love triangle angst or deadly diseases or terrorists out to destroy the planet. This is what it is.

DNF

I was really interested in this story when I read the blurb. Sadly it did not live up to my expectations. I found it very hard to get interested in the story and the characters were very childish in their interactions.

I received an ARC from the publisher via NetGalley and am voluntarily posting a review. All opinions are my own.
A Line in the Sand is the second book in Teri Wilson’s Turtle Beach series. It can be read as a stand-alone. And while that first book had little to no redeeming qualities, I found this one to be a pretty light, fun read…even if I still found it a bit wanting.
The cover and blurb promised quirkiness, and it definitely delivered there. I like that Molly’s a pretend mermaid, and the story took advantage of that, even having her save Max from drowning in homage to The Little Mermaid. And I love a cute dog, and if nothing else, Teri Wilson has definitely delivered in this series in providing lots of cute dog stuff to melt over.
And on surface level, her characters are better too. Molly still has an air of naïveté and immaturity at times, but it’s somehow a bit more endearing. She and Max have decent banter, although I wish their dynamic wasn’t a retread of the last book’s. And there just isn’t much in the way of substance to make me feel like this is a relationship worth investing my time in.
On the whole, I like that this one delivered what it promised, but I don't know if this book was for me in other respects. If you enjoy lighthearted beachy romances, this book might work for you better than it did for me.

I loved being back in the kooky town of Turtle Beach! You've got dogs galore, sea turtles, sand sculpture contests, and meddling, lovable seniors. This story was the epitome of summer! I've got a craving for a Milky Way frozen latte from Turtle Books.

Beginning with Max nearly drowning and rescued by Molly, this was definitely a meet-cute to remember. Marine Biologist Max is back in Turtle Beach after twelve years, stepping into the position as director of the Turtle Beach Aquarium. Unexpectedly finding the aquarium struggling, his first budget cut is the on-site costumed mermaid, Molly.

I really liked the initial bickering between Molly and Max. And the storyline of saving the aquarium was so fun! But overall there weren't many scenes of them together that proved an emotional connection. I didn't quite believe their romance, aside from physical attraction. I will say, though, the grand gesture was absolutely adorable! I enjoyed book one more, but this was still a very cute read.

Ok, I have to be honest and admit that I chose this book solely based on the fact it features a Cavalier King Charles Spaniel and I have one of these! ha! I didn't have super high expectations, but I just couldn't resist. I was not disappointed. This was a cute, fun, quick read. Perfect easy summer beach read. Cute characters in a fun little beachside town. But I have to say, the animals in this book really steal the spotlight and I love it!! I highly recommend for any fans of easy Rom-Coms, but do have to warn that there is NO SPICE! ;-)

A Line in the Sand, is the second book in the Turtle Beach series by Teri Wilson. It is a simplistic, fast-reading, clean romance set in a small beach town in North Carolina. This is a quick, cute summer read with a dog, sea turtles, a humorous elderly population and a mermaid.

Molly Price plays a mermaid at the Turtle Beach Aquarium along with her dog who also plays the part of a lobster. Max, a marine biologist, has been passed up for a promotion in the city and has decided to take a break and study the local sea turtle mating habits, as well as help his grandfather run the aquarium, which he discovers upon arrival, is failing. When Max fires Molly in order to cut costs, even after she saved his life, the two become enemies, despite their attraction for one another, before working through their differences and possibly becoming something more. Another surprise is Molly’s pup Ursula’s ability to sniff out turtle eggs, which may make a difference in the survival of the beloved aquarium.

A Line in the Sand is quick and light-hearted. It’s fairly simplistic, and a bit repetitive and predictable, but has a summery setting, a cute cast of characters and animals, and overall is a feel-good story.

A Line in the Sand is a really cute, fluffy, not too deep kind of romcom perfect for summer.
It’s the second book in the Turtle Beach-series, but it’s perfectly readable on its own. It does take place after book 1, so you will get spoiled for the ending of book 1 (but with this kind of romcom the ending is pretty predictable, so that wouldn’t bother me).
It tells the story of Molly, who plays a mermaid at the Aquarium, and Max, who is the new director of the Aquarium. On his first day as new director, he fires Molly on the spot because the Aquarium has some financial troubles. The whole town/island then decides that Max is the villain. Now he has multiple problems; how is he going to save the Aquarium, get Molly ànd the town to like him.
Molly also has some problems; how is she going to find another job? How will she tell her parents? And why is the man who fired her so damn hot?

During the story we see Molly win Max over; she knows everything about the Aquarium and the turtle-hospital and he needs her to save the aquarium. They grow more and more together until their big saving-plan fails…

This was a cute story. There wasn’t much depth to the characters, but I don’t think of that as a bad thing. There was enough depth for me to care about Molly and her little doggo & to not like Max.
The setting was also very cute. Turtle Beach sounds like the perfect summer getaway and I would love to see the aquarium and the turtles!
There were some funny side characters as well.
The writing style is really fluent and the story moves at quite a fast pace, which makes it an easy and quick read.
I also liked that we get a dual POV (both from Molly and Max). Allthough their relationship is an important part of the story, they don’t spend very much time together. Don’t expect any smutty scenes, because the most that happens in this book is some kissing (which was absolutely fine by me). I would have liked an epilogue though maybe with a little timejump.

Don’t expect greatness from this book, but if you want an entertaining summer read with a lot of dogs, than this is the one for you.

I thought this was a really cute read and I loved the whole town. It toed the line really well of being too overly cutesy and I think the more fantastical side of things stayed well grounded (such as Molly being a professional mermaid but also working on getting a grant for the aquarium). I loved the characters and found them to be believably flawed which, again, helped this not feel like too fluffy of a read. My one issue with the book was how Molly and Max's relationship progressed. This is a slow burn, low heat book (we only get a kiss at around the 80% mark). I really enjoyed the build up to this slow burn and Wilson has some absolutely fantastic moments of sexual tension where I was mentally screaming at the book to just let these two kiss already. However, the progression was very much a two steps forward, one step back sort of push/pull which made it feel overly repetitive. It just felt like Max and Molly would keep running into a problem, get over it, move a little forward, then have some sort of communication breakdown and be back at square one.

Thanks to NetGalley and Sourcebooks Casablanca for the ARC

Expected publication date is August 2, 2022

Welcome back to Turtle Beach aka Stars Hollow! A small dog town, ran by the sweetest ladies who everyone calls Charlie's Angels, and where if you don’t own a dog you better be a dog person at least! This time we meet Molly and Max. Molly’s puppy continues to disrupt the beachfront area where new-in-town marine biologist Max is studying sea turtles. The two are instantly attracted to each other, but both view life and work differently. When Molly’s puppy has the unique ability to sniff out sea turtle nests, she might bring these two opposites close. I definitely NEEDED more Molly and Max moments to steam up the book and just to see them connect more.

I enjoyed the first book in this series a lot and have enjoyed other books by this author but A Line in the Sand just wasn't my favorite. The conflict seemed to prevail and there was very little "romance" or even actual portions of the book where the main characters even liked each other. They just did not seem to be on the same page for a vast majority of the book and I kept waiting for some spark besides in the last chapter. I guess I just didn't love this one. I hope you have better luck!

A Line in the Sand comes out next week on August 2, 2022 and you can purchase HERE.

Ursula didn't get under his skin. Molly did. Okay, maybe her dog did too, but in a wholly different way. The puppy couldn't be blamed for Max's sleepless nights, though. It was Molly's face that Max saw when he closed his eyes and listened to the ocean's roar through his open windows. It was her voice he heard, calling out to him when he dreamed of the waves pulling him under.

Having adored "A Spot of Trouble" from this author last year, I was thrilled to return to Turtle Beach and the fun, eccentric characters that make up the island, this time focusing on local mermaid Molly and serious scientist Max and their quest to save the turtles and the aquarium!

I'm sorry to say that this book just wasn't for me. I didn't care for the characters and Turtle Beach would probably fire me for hating dogs. Well, not dogs in general, just their dogs. Especially the wunderkind Ursula. I simply can't relate to people making their lives revolve around their miniature pets.

Molly had the appeal and personality of a wet pile of sand. All I know about her is that virtually everyone loves her. Even what I did learn about her, like the tourist ex, was of no relevance to the story and, in this particular case, just a plot device for making the romance more of a slow-burn (which it wasn't, it was absolutely insta-lovey, even though they only kissed towards the end).

Max was actually marginally better in that regard since I at least found his childhood story of saving turtles adorable. However, his character seemed trapped between uber-cute love interest and brooding scientist, which resulted in none of the two coming off as convincing.

I frankly also didn't find the octogenarian population funny at all and there was lots and lots of miscommunication, so really nothing but the aquarium setting and the turtle subplots worked for me. I felt bored while reading this and would have dnf'ed it quite early on if it wasn't a review copy.

2/5 stars.