When I think of romance, I think of books just like this one, that gives all the feels and satisfies every romance junkies' heart. This is a perfect books to snuggle up with on any day.

Therese Beharrie’s books always melt me into a pile of heart-eyed goo. They bring the feels, the humor, and the tenderness, and always leave me with a smile on my face!

All Morgan wants to do is help her grandmother host her wedding on Penguin Island, where she’s lived for most of her life. If only that pesky rich developer who’s bought the community would listen to her compromise! While Elliott barely gets along with his family, when his brother asked him to take over the Penguin Island project after their father ended up in the hospital, he couldn’t say no, even though it’ll mean running his furniture business remotely. But Morgan’s ideas for how to renovate the cabins rather than tearing them down and starting over would save time and money and, more importantly for her, be ready in time for the wedding. Accepting her proposal also means working closely together on the renovations. Can Morgan and Elliott keep their attraction at bay long enough to finish the project?

‘Morgan,’ he said on a sigh. ‘Why does it feel like we’re navigating a minefield every time we talk?’
‘Do you want the real answer to that? Or the one that’s going to keep everything the way it is?’ His heart began to pound, but he said, ‘The real answer.’
‘Because of the attraction we’re ignoring.’


Both of them have family Issues (that capital I is on purpose, because, whoooo, issues). Morgan’s parents had her when they were teenagers and from a young age she’s prided herself on not being a bother for her parents. In fact, she’s the one who pretty much keeps the family together, constantly dropping everything to help her parents or her siblings out. She’s the problem-solver, the one who keeps reminding her siblings that ignoring their issues won’t make them go away, but she’s not great at taking that advice for herself. It’s the first time her grandmother has asked for her help, however, but it does mean being unable to keep an eye on her family members in person.

For Morgan, he’s never felt like he’s been able to live up to his genius older brother. He’s always longed for his father’s approval, but nothing he did was ever enough, so he decided to strike out on his own rather than working for the family business. It’s turned out well for him, however, as his furniture company is highly successful, though it’s left him little time for a personal life. Meeting Morgan is the first time he wishes things could be different, especially seeing how well she interacts with the islanders she knows from summers spent with her grandmother. She also compliments him, as well as criticizes him, without making him feel compared to anyone else, and he appreciates her problem-solving nature without expecting her to solve all his problems. They’re two complicated and messy people who slowly open up and learn to be vulnerable with each other, and see each other’s value where they can’t see their own. Basically, it’s everything I expect from this author, and it was lovely!

Overall, a wonderful book full of complicated family relationships and two people learning to be vulnerable with each other. Heartwarming and a wonderfully quick read!

I received an advance review copy of this book from NetGalley. This does not affect my opinion of the book or the content of my review.

Finding Forever on Their Island Paradise is a tender and sweet love story between two characters who are emotionally broken. Therese Beharrie knows how to write well-layered damaged characters and give them the love stories they deserve.

Everytime I go into a new book from her, I know I should expect to not only relate to the flawed characters, but have my heart stomped a million times (in a good way). In this book, Elliott and Morgan are both dealing with feeling like outsiders in their own family - Morgan believes she ruined her parents life as she was the product of a teen pregnancy and Elliott feels like the second best in his family next to his literal genius of a brother. As a result they don't exactly have the best opinion of themselves, which is heartbreaking because they are both successful and lovely in so many ways. They deserved to feel loved and appreciated.

Falling for each other while they work on a renovation project helps them find solace, but also maybe begin understand how important they are. The story was very emotionally rewarding and was peppered with the best of kisses. The journey to that HEA is I would also personally like to thank Therese Beharrie for never failing to deliver on a scene with the hero sporting only a towel. I like to think she writes them just for me. :)

If you like soothing love stories with beautifully crafted characters packed in about 250 pages, you want to give Finding Forever on Their Island Paradise a try.

Good story about two people whose family issues affect how they see themselves and look at relationships. Morgan blames herself for messing up her parents' lives - they were teen parents. Even as a child, she would do anything to make their lives easier. That carried over into looking after her younger brother and sister. She still puts their needs over her own. When she traveled to Penguin Island to help her grandmother, she worried about how they'd do without her.

Elliott's brother and father own the development company that purchased the area where Morgan's grandmother lives. Though he has nothing to do with the company, he agreed when his brother Gio asked him to check on the progress. Elliott always feels second best in his family, as his parents always paid more attention to his certified genius older brother. Elliott is willing to put his own business on hold and help but doesn't count on one little old lady.

I liked the first meeting between Morgan and Elliott. Both of them realize that they are caught in a dilemma. Elliott wants to finish and leave as quickly as possible, while Morgan wants her grandmother's wedding to be everything Edna wants. I enjoyed their negotiation, as Morgan points out that, as a local, she wields a fair amount of influence. Her cooperation will make his job more manageable. In return, she's willing to help him make things better than his brother had envisioned.

As the two work together on the renovations, neither expects the closeness that develops between them. Elliott is disturbed by how easily Morgan sees past the façade that fools everyone else. She sees how his parents' preferential treatment of his brother has made him doubt their love and his lovability. He holds himself back from relationships, preferring not to risk rejection. For her part, Morgan also holds back on relationships, unwilling to risk making the same mistakes her parents made.

Both Morgan and Elliott fight the attraction and feelings that build between them, afraid to risk their hearts. I enjoyed their conversations and seeing them slowly open up to each other. Interestingly, each one so clearly saw the other's problem but couldn't apply the same logic to themselves. I enjoyed the sudden appearance of Elliott's brother Gio and the eye-opening conversation they had. It gave Elliott a different perspective and a willingness to look at his future differently. I loved that seeing Elliott's changed outlook helped Morgan look at her relationship with her family in a new light and make some important decisions about her future. A little shove from Edna helped bring Elliott and Morgan together.

I enjoyed the descriptions of Penguin Island, from the houses to the town to Morgan's hidden waterfall. I could almost smell the flowers and feel the ocean breezes. I was sad that the penguin sanctuary was gone, but by the end had a glimmer of hope that it might come back.

Trip to Penguin Island anyone? This sounds like the cutest place ever! Love that we also got some South African vibes in this one. Loved the sneaky grandma and her friends so much! The leading couple are really cute together and also enjoyed they worked through their issues and understand their childhoods so they could be together. I really enjoyed this and can't wait to read more from this author.

4 stars

Thanks to the publisher for a copy of this book via net galley!

I received an ARC from the publisher via NetGalley and am voluntarily posting a review.
This is a sweet and heartwarming book. I loved the picturesque setting in South African island paradise, especially how important the location of Penguin Island is to Morgan and her grandmother. But she also has a lot of family baggage, a trait she has in common with the hero, Elliott, and I loved seeing them navigating those issues. And while they are both initially somewhat resistant to the idea of love, that makes it all the more rewarding for them to finally come to see each other as right for them.

Elliot's family business has bought out a block of waterfront homes. The plan is to raze them and replace them with new construction. General contractor Morgan convinces him to renovate the homes instead, saving money while preserving their character.

As the two work together, they find it more and more difficult to resist the attraction between them. But neither is looking for love. Can they find a way to open their hearts?

This is an emotional story with well-developed characters both struggling to overcome their family baggage. It's an enjoyable read.

Thanks, NetGalley, for the ARC I received. This is my honest and voluntary review.

This was a very fun romance, and I appreciated the fact that, all things considered, it was fairly low-conflict and the MCs got down to collaborating (at least job-wise) instead of being at each others throats, professionally speaking, throughout the novel. That was really refreshing. And the island setting in South Africa was of course beautiful and a character in its own right, which Beharrie's lovely introductory note primes the reader for. Overall this is a great, short read, and a really stellar new entry from Harlequin.