I was expecting to love this book a lot because I was really intrigued with the characters and the storyline from the first book. Our heroine is a bit of a wild child and now that she’s pregnant she’s reconnected with her birth mother and moved to Sanctuary Island looking for a more stable life for her and her child. She then meets the stiff and stern veterinarian, Ben, and the sparks were flying from their first meeting.

But then when I got to their book I thought my expectations might’ve been a bit too high. That’s not to say I didn’t enjoy their story. The trope here is a marriage of convenience and I was ok with that setup, but I also think the approach slowed down the building of their relationship a bit too much for my liking. However, the pace was true to character for both Ben and Merry, especially Ben! I guess what I was expecting was to see Merry shake him up more with her lively ways and instead we get to see Merry’s issues and the things she’s looking for herself, which reflected in how she approached this relationship. Where I thought there would be crazy sparks flying, there was just a slow, steady simmer that never got to boil over. If that all doesn’t make sense, sorry, trying not to give much in the way of spoilers.

The conflict towards the end was a bit predictable and maybe, after, easily resolved. But I was still happy to see them standing on solid ground as a couple and it definitely left me believing in the longevity of their HEA.

As with the first book, I’m really liking the town and the overall vibe of this series. It does mix well women’s fiction and romance and gives us a good feel for other characters around the main couple as well. I loved the side storyline in this one and hope we get to see more of that in the next book.