Another well researched and fulfilling story by Tracy Ewens, Stay introduces the reader to Clara and Dylan, new co-partner innkeepers in Bodega Bay, a town introduced in earlier books in the series. Ewens deftly integrates characters from other books in a way that allows this book to be successful as both a continuation or spin-off from another book, as well as a stand alone. She also consistently presents viewpoints from both of the main characters avoiding making the story one sided or limiting either’s character growth.

Clara finds herself in Bodega Bay after inheriting half ownership of an inn owned by her paternal grandfather, Cedric Levinson, a man she hadn’t been allowed to meet. Dylan, inheritance recipient of the other half, grew up in the town and was close to Levinson, who mentored Dylan like a son. Clara and Dylan each have considerable baggage to unpack, stemming from both unusual childhoods, unreliable parents, and unmet expectations. Though Clara is a world renowned cellist, her personal life is in tatters; Dylan has strong community and extended family support, but just discovered a work-related injury will force him to change careers. These two lost and wary individuals discover that helping one another may just be what they both need, for some peace and stability, leading to a future where they want to Stay.

I loved this story. I read several books from this series, but it's been years, so I read the 2 right before this one to refresh myself. I got myself so wrapped up in this community and these people, I'm going back to the beginning with book one again next. I loved seeing Clara transform as she found her own voice, her true self. I couldn't bkieve how many times I teared up, whether it was hearing about Dylan's past, Clara's grandfather, several things I didn't expect. This was well written and it felt realistic and not over the top, its all about the relationships.

I just love Tracy Ewens' writing style. It flows and reads so easily. I was into the story from the first page. Stay is one in a series of love stories. This book was a stand-alone with characters appearing from previous books, but you absolutely do not have to read any of the other books to enjoy Stay. As stated, Stay is a Love Story and a true romance. While the main characters Clara and Dylan have some things to work through, they do have a bona fide HEA. Both were strong characters in their own rights. Clara is a cellist who has been groomed to perform, which she loves, but her parents are only supportive of her when she is doing what they want. One would think she would be more of a meek character, but she is not, and I loved her. Dylan had a tough time growing up with alcoholic father. He doesn't know what to do with the feelings he is having about Clara and in my opinion is written very realistically even though we always want the characters to do what we want them to do right away. Clara and Dylan are brought together when they each inherit half of and inn. They are to live together at the inn and complete a list of improvements in order for the inn to re-open in 6 months. Forced proximity at its finest! I have been wanting to read more from this author since I read her previous book when it came out. I am more encouraged than ever to do so after reading Stay.

My sincere thanks to the author and NetGalley for giving me the opportunity to read this book and give my unbiased opinion of it.

Thank you NetGalley and publisher for this ARC publication for an honest review.

This is my first Tracy Ewens book and I really enjoyed her writing. The book "Stay" was apparently number 14 in a series. While I got the feeling a couple of the side characters may have had their own book in the past, it did not detract from the current one.

This book centers around Clara who is a brilliant cellist. Her whole life has been controlled/manipulated by her emotionally abusive parents. Clara has recently been cheated on and publicly dumped by her fiancé (basically an arranged relationship...) To add to this major life disruption, she also discovers her father is not her biological dad and she has been lied to her entire life. She finds out the truth through her grandfather's lawyer and the reading of his will. This is where her path crosses with the hero of our book, Dylan. He was a friend of Clara's grandfather and the two of them have each inherited half of an inn with a list of instructions.

While on paper it would appear that Clara and Dylan are from different worlds they just seem to fit together. I adored this couple, watching them work together as their relationship changed day by day. They were so sweet together! Little by little each of their walls started to crumble even though they had justified reasons for a shield around their hearts. I applaud Clara and her bravery to take a chance on a new life with Dylan. And while I understand why Dylan couldn't trust that anyone would stay due to past hurt, I still wanted to smack him in the head to listen to Clara and his heart...

There were so many little gems scattered throughout the book as Clara discovered a family history she was cruelly denied. She still managed to become a part of that past thanks to her grandfather and the legacy he left her and Dylan. It was like he had a plan for the two of them all along... and a well-deserved happily ever after!

I look forward to new (and old) books by this author!

4 stars

Love Tracy Ewens! This one does not disappoint. Her characters are lovely, the dialogue is great and the love scenes are so beautifully written. Tracy Ewens is the queen of well written, sensual, spicy scenes. It’s why I keep coming back for more.

Everyone has already said all the good things about this book, and I totally agree with them. There was not one thing that I didn't love about it.
Life can be tricky at times as Clare and Dylan are about to find out. That's what made this a fun book for me to read. These characters have become unforgettable, and my friends. I love them because they are flawed and have to learn to work together bc of a certain agreement. I found this rather amusing.
I loved that Clare and I connected instantly. We're both musicians. I play Viola in an orchestra so I definitely understand music. Music soothes the soul.
5 stars for a job well done! I highly recommend.
My thanks for a copy of this book. I was NOT required to write a positive review. All opinions expressed are my own.

The story of Clara and Dylan who meet when the jointly inherit her grandfather's inn together. Forced to spend time together due to the terms of the will, these opposites attract. I loved both main characters and wanted everything to work out for them.

Clara Mar has been a sought-after soloist since childhood. Her life has been controlled by a team of professionals but with the very public breakup with a fiancé she never loved and the fallout from an explosive family lie, Clara arrives in Bodega Bay as the unexpected recipient of her grandfather’s historic inn. The twist is that she shares ownership with Dylan Pace. He is Bodega Bay’s own hometown hero, working in search and rescue as a paramedic. However, when an injury forces him to consider his future, the inheritance of Dylan Pace, he is shocked. Together, Clara and Dylan must work together so that they can open the inn in record time. Along the way, they find themselves fighting their attraction to each other.
I enjoyed the connection between these two very different characters. The gradual reveal of their pasts was cleverly interwoven into the storyline, bringing to light their painful past. Dylan has had a troubled childhood but has risen above this with the help of some wonderful people. In contrast, Clara has lived a very sterile life and it was a delight to see her expand her horizons and to take risks. An entertaining read.
I voluntarily read and reviewed an advanced copy of this book from NetGalley. All thoughts and opinions are my own.

I love the way this author writes! It is rare to find an author who has yet to write a story I do not love! Oh, her stories give me all the feels!!

This is the story of Clara and Dylan who on paper might look like they are not similar at all, but underneath they have a lot in common. They are both so sweet and kind and I loved them! They both have not so great families, not so great pasts, lots of issues to deal with, but they also have a lot of room to grow and become even more amazing! Really I loved them both so so much and wanted nothing but the best for them.

Clara is a world-renowned cellist who never had much of a childhood. She has been touring and playing her music and that is about it. Until she inherits half an inn which gives her the perfect opportunity to take a break and really think about what she wants out of her life. To get to know the family she never knew she had, to figure herself out. She was so wonderful and I really loved reading her story.

Dylan had a rough upbringing too with seemingly everyone he ever cared for leaving him...so he is not going to let someone in again. He can't. He won't. Only when he inherits half the inn as well and must work together with Clara well...things get interesting.

This was such a fun read, I loved everything about it and it makes me want to go back and re-read some of the prior books just to feel the magic a little bit longer. I love this author and this was another great read.

Thanks to NetGalley, the author and the publisher for an advanced copy of this book

Bodega Bay is home to tourists, fishing and matchmaking. Unbeknownst to Clara she has another family, her birth father grew up in the small town and her grandfather called her back. He was pretty sneaky about it, giving her an inn to fix and revitalize with a partner, only after he’d passed away. I loved learning with Clara, about herself, her family and the town. Dylan was a big part of her growth and she for him. I’m in love with this entire series as it connects a small town and many relationships with love and family, and not always blood related. Beautifully written to be romantic and soulful. My copy cam through NetGalley and I wrote my review voluntarily.

This is such a lovely small town romance. Clara has recently inherited half of an inn from a grandfather that she had no idea existed. She feels so lonely in her world so she agrees to stay at the inn for six months because what does she have to lose. She doesn’t actually care about the inheritance, Clara just wants to learn about her newfound family. Dylan has inherited the other half of the inn and sees it as a new career path. Will the two of them be able to work together to get the inn ready for the summer?

Some of my favorite books are two of the loneliest people somehow finding each other and that’s exactly what this book is. Clara loves playing music but is so unsatisfied with everything around it and she needs a new path. Getting the inn back up and running with Dylan becomes the best thing for her.

Dylan had a rough upbringing and he really struggles to voice his love. He and Clara become such good friends while having an attraction to each other the whole time. They try to resist so that they can run the inn together but they obviously give in.

Clara and Dylan are just so perfect together and I love them so much. They fit seamlessly into each others lives and into the town. He is able to tell her all the things she wants to know about her grandpa and it’s so sweet.

You need to have a little patience with Dylan because he does not take the love confession well. He has a lot of things he has to work through but trust that he comes through in the end.

I received an arc through netgalley.

I liked this, but didn't love it. The romance was sweet and had some good tropes: opposites attract, small town, forced proximity. I liked the characters, each dealing with their own demons whilst being forced to come together to resurrect the inn that was left to them upon the death of Clara's grandfather. Overall an easy, fairly light romance read.

I loved this story. The wonderful small town and the imperfect characters…it was just perfect. The storytelling is great and I really felt like I got to know Clara and Dylan. I read this in just two days and didn’t want the story to end. So Good!

3.5 stars.
A compelling story of biological and affective families, secrets and new beginnings, “Stay, A Love Story”, by Tracy Ewens, features a heroine rediscovering herself and a hero with a heart of gold unsure of his worth.
I liked how Dylan and Clara, two very different people, work together in the Inn by the Bay project and are able to find common ground and a lot more.
Their worlds and backstories congregate in the inn and Clara’s paternal family. I enjoyed the slow revealing of past secrets and the influence deceased but still so dear people still have.
Dylan has emotional scars and a troubled past, but was lucky to have such wonderful people supporting him since childhood.
Clara’s arid and solitary childhood and life contrast with her passion and talent for music. I liked that she was able to heal and find a safe harbor at Bodega Bay.
It was engaging to watch Clara’s relationship with music and her cello and the role this dimension played in the story.
The secondary characters are great, and I enjoyed meeting them again. The setting of Bodega Bay is beautiful.
There’s nostalgia in the story when we learn about Clara’s grandparents and father, and the generous, heartwarming nature of their actions and dispositions.
I felt a sort of detachment in both leads about their previous occupations (Dylan) and lives (Clara) that made the characters seem sometimes a bit flat.
Given the importance of Dylan’s job in his life, I was expecting he would grieve the loss more. The injury mentioned in the beginning quickly gets forgotten.

Tracy Ewens has been and always will be a one-click for me. I absolutely love everything about her writing. When I read her books, I feel like I'm there in person. She has such a descriptive way of writing.

Stay is no exception. Clara and Dylan have both inherited an Inn and it starts of rather rocky for them. In the end, they are a strong team, both personally and in running the Inn.

They are both dealing with abandonment issues and the way the author navigates their issues and the healing process doesn’t take you down the overly written drama path which I appreciate.

I received an ARC from the author and NetGalley in exhange for my unbiased opinion.