I received an arc of this title from NetGalley for an honest review. I really enjoyed this book about love and getting a second chance. Feels like a town you would see on Hallmark Channel.

Taylor needs help running the family bakery in small town Teaberry island but isn’t sure hiring Cody is a good idea. He has returned home from the military and is suffering from PTSD. He’s also raising his nephew and niece. But he’s available nights and they give it a try. The old sparks are back and the town thinks this romance is a good thing for keeping Taylor on the Island. Her dream is a bakery on the beach. Can she have both love and her own shop? This is book 2 in the Hometown Brothers and it looks like there is one more on the way.

This is a good book. The two main characters are Taylor and Cody. They have known each all their lives. Taylor owns a bakery. Cody is an ex-military and has come home to the island. He needs a job and sees Taylor’s help wanted sign. He applies and Taylor hires him. There is an instant attraction. They both have issues but together they fall in love.

THE BLUEBIRD BAKERY – Lee Tobin McClain
Hometown Brothers, Book 2
HQN
ISBN: 978-1-335-42743-4
January 10, 2023
Contemporary Romance

Teaberry Island, Maryland – Present Day

Taylor Harp opened Bluebird Bakery on Teaberry Island because of her love for the small island in the Chesapeake Bay. It’s hard work and she’s currently looking to hire a night baker to help ease her load. However, because the population is small, finding the right person is hard. That is, until Cody Cunningham applies for the job. Taylor knew Cody from her teen years on the island when she visited. At one point, she thought she had a chance at dating Cody, but he turned his attention to her beautiful younger sister, Savannah. Shortly after that, the girls’ mother died, leaving them separated. Seeing Cody again, Taylor isn’t sure that she can get past the hurt of his rejecting her.

Cody is a former military vet with PTSD. He and his two foster brothers were brought together by their foster mother, Betty, to Teaberry Island, where they prospered. But after his military stint, he feels like a damaged man and returned to the island. In need of a job and having some baking experience, he applies for the job at the Blueberry Bakery. Taylor agrees to take him on for a trial period. One day, however, his life is changed when two little children are dumped in the bakery. They are Cody’s half-siblings, and his mother has taken off to parts unknown. Cody being the good guy he is takes them in with help from Taylor. Of course, it only brings them closer together. But then Savannah returns to the island looking for a fresh start. The old wounds are reopened as Savannah is beautiful and Taylor just knows Cody is still attracted to her sister.

THE BLUEBIRD BAKERY is the second book in the Hometown Brothers series about the three guys who became foster brothers together in Betty’s home. Cody thought he would leave the island behind for good (except for an occasional visit to Betty and her late husband) once he joined the military. But after being wounded in combat, he came back to the island an emotionally wounded man. Cody is still a good person but fears his PTSD will affect any relationship he starts. The entrance of his previously unknown half-siblings into his life disrupts any plans he may have. When he got the job at the Bluebird Bakery, he’d moved into the vacant apartment above the bakery next to Taylor. She helps him adjust to having young children around, which means that he mingles more with the townspeople. It also allows him to get to know Taylor.

Savannah ends up on Taylor’s doorstep but there isn’t any room for her. However, there is a vacant job—a live-in nanny—that she can apply for. Just like the bakery, it is hard to find help, so Hank, the single father of a teenage girl, agrees to hire her on a trial basis. Savannah thought it would be easy to do the job, but the only work she has ever done is that of modeling—and being taken care of by wealthy men. She will have to reinvent herself on Teaberry Island. Of course, there are missteps along the way. Unknown to Savannah is the deep resentment by Taylor about her having “taken away” the boy she wanted. Can the sisters reconnect after years apart?

THE BLUEBIRD BAKERY is what is considered a “clean romance.” There are no sex scenes and most of the drama in the book is emotional and heartfelt longing. A lot is going on, but by the end of THE BLUEBIRD BAKERY things are sorted out and we get to see at least one happily-ever-after. Don’t miss this enjoyable tale.

Patti Fischer
Romance Reviews Today

A nice solid comfortable read.
I love the location, an island in the Chesapeake.
Both Taylor and Cody have deep scars and are too quick to jump to conclusions and walk away.
Savannah is used to using her looks and wiles to get what she wants.
The character development was excellent in the book and the situations were very believable.
I liked the Teaberry Island world.

A story told with great heart, depth of character and creativity. Utterly absorbing and uplifting. I'm so glad I was given an ARC to preview before publication. Well done.