Its 1837 setting in Toronto, Canada, appealed to me. James Kinney tries his best to take care of his daughter after the death of his wife. There was a lot to learn, though, about his daughter becoming a lady. This was beyond his capabilities. He has enrolled Evie in this finishing school, where she meets Sara Oconner, the laundress at the school. Evie requests her assistance in studying French. Not only does she learn French from Sara, but she also gains the confidence and courage she needs to continue going to that school.

After learning of his daughter's mistreatment at school, Mr. Kinny searches for different ways to teach her. Evie urges her father to appoint Sara O'Connor to be her governess. When her father has to travel out of town for work, he agrees.

Everything goes well until he discovers that there will be a crisis in his household. What should he do? Make Sarah his ceremonial wife. Will she agree to be his wife in name only? He hoped so. He was unable to contain his own excitement. He had to remind himself that it was important to have Sara O'Connor educate his daughter.

Sara would love to enter a marriage of convenience so she’d still be able to tutor Evie and continue her friendship with James. But once James finds out her secret, he’ll hate her. What to do?

This is a fun marriage-of-convenience historical novel with the right mix of love, faith, and adventure. If you are a fan of Julie Klassen, Laura Frantz, and Tamara Alexandra, you’ll love this novel.

Disclosure of Material Connection: I requested and received a copy of this book from the publisher. I was not required to write a positive review. The opinions I have expressed are my own. I am disclosing this in accordance with the Federal Trade Commission’s 16 CFR, Part 255 “Guides Concerning the Use of Endorsements and Testimonials in Advertising.”

Nora St. Laurent
TBCN Where Book Fun Begins!
The Book Club Network blog https://psalm516.blogspot.com/

This book had a great story line and characters you could relate to. There is a mystery a love story and family.. the book is set in the Outer Banks and the author draws a picture for you that makes you feel like you are there. Thank you to net galley for an advanced readers copy.

Davis Bunn’s newest book Fortunate Harbor takes place on the Outer Banks in North Carolina. The novel follows Curtis Gage as he returns home after a many year absence. He has come to open a new five star hotel and calm the locals who have been disgruntled by the current manager.

Rae Alden had a chance to leave her hometown and move into a larger, more prestigious law firm, but she stayed. Now her old boyfriend is back, and she is left wondering about the direction of her life.

Adding to the drama is the hotel itself - really the company that owns it. They are presently going through a corporate fight for control that is set up to take out Curtis and his present bosses and change the landscape forever.

Rae and Curtis are both determined to find a path to allow the hotel to be part of the landscape, stay relevant in good hands, and save the corporation. Curtis and Rae also need to let go of the past to move to the future.

I loved this novel. I loved the characters (even when I didn’t like them) and the storyline was superb. I didn’t want the book to end. According to what I read, this novel might be the first of many from the Outer Banks. I am so happy. Fortunate Harbor by Davis Bunn was a fantastic read that I whole-heartedly recommend.

Curtis discovers that while you can go home again but not everything will be the same, not even your one time love Rae, in this atmospheric novel set at a resort in North Carolina. Curtis is managing the resort, Rae is now an attorney. They are coming at things from different angles but then discover that, once again, they are a good team. There's real estate, there's pirate lore, and there's romance. Thanks to Netgalley for the ARC. A good read.

I did not anticipate the ending here. Curtis Gage returns to the Outer Banks and works with his high school sweetheart, now an attorney. Gage is trying to fix the reputation of the exclusive hotel he represents, but someone wants to ruin the effort. A lot of introspection bogged me down, but I keep coming back to Davis Bunn books.

Fortunate Harbor is another good story from one of my favorite authors, Davis Bunn. Strong, vibrant characters and an intriguing plot make for a poignant story that does not disappoint. The vivid setting details enable the reader to be 'right there' in the story. It was interesting to see the legal and community machinations that building a resort in a beloved community requires. The romance elements in the story are engaging, yet surprising. I have enjoyed other books by this author, and this one met my high expectations. It's a book not to be missed.
I received a complimentary copy of the book from Kensington Publishing through NetGalley and was not required to write a review. The opinions expressed here are my own.

Thank you Kensington Publishing, Netgalley, and to the author for the ARC of this novel!

This novel was really good, and kept me entertained throughout. I have always loved this authors writing style and definitely felt the same way about this one! I really enjoyed Rae and Curtis? This is a former childhood lovers novel. It is great and I cannot wait to see what else this author has in store for us!

Meet Rae Alden, a lawyer and proud resident of her hometown in North Carolina’s Outer Banks. Enter = no re-enter Curtis Gage her childhood sweetheart, whose mother moved him a way 19 years before. Now back as the Assistant Manager of an ocean front resort not really loved by the locals. Mix together the two former sweethearts, a town proud of its heritage and land, and a business expanding into their territory and tension exists. Rae is handling the legal business of a missing resident whose home is about to be sold for back taxes. Add talks of maps, treasure along with the agenda of the resort owners and you have a very engaging romantic story that is the first of a series by Davis Bunn. This is the first novel I’ve read by the author, and I'll be seeking more. I thoroughly enjoyed Fortunate Harbor, its characters (though many) and will be looking for the next installment. Thank you NetGalley and Kensington for the ARC

Fortunate Harbor by Davis Bunn ⭐⭐⭐⭐

What's not to love...The Outer Banks and second chances. Two of my favorite things. Lol

An intense fast paced with many characters to keep up with novel that ends with a cliffhanger so hopefully the author releases another book.
Bunn tells a good story but not a favorite of mine.

The setting was what I loved about this book. I could picture it. His writing style is very descriptive. Loved the characters and I had a connection with them.

I liked this story . It took me a while to get into the story . It is about Gage , who comes home to the Outer Banks to be the asst. manager of a new 5 star resort. He needs to start a new life and come to terms with his old one. His lawyer, Rae Alden is a girl he use to date as a teen and is a force to be reckoned with as far as the land goes. See what happens aa Gage goes around buying up property for a company he can't mention. See what happens. A GOOD READ

I had read Nothing by Davis Bunn before, so I jumped on this one when I saw the book jacket description. As a family, Outer Banks was a vacation destination I loved. I could get into the settings the author portrayed well throughout the story. The trouble I had was that the tale was such a slow burn, with so many characters, that it was difficult to follow.

Davis Bunn portrayed Curtis as a secretive, brooding ex-boyfriend, and I found Rae too rigid because he presented her as a fractured ex-lover as the details of their old love affair came to light.

I enjoyed the book because of the setting. However, I thought the plot and twists dragged on too long. I wanted a quick beach story that would help me wipe away the cold doldrums of a winter weekend. I wanted a vacation filled with intrigue, a story reminding me of the summers I spent in my youth in one of the most beautiful beach settings I have ever seen. Although the setting got me there, the story didn’t meet my expectations.

The slew of characters made it difficult to get overly invested in any of them, and the absentee owner failed to grab me and keep me going for more than an hour at a time.

I found the story intriguing; it was just delivered as a plot one had to track instead of getting swallowed up by twists and turns.

I gave it four stars because I finished the book. Because the ending left me wanting more, I’m hoping for a sequel from this author and would read it.

I want to thank the author, publisher, and Net Galley for the opportunity to read this as a free ARC. This review is voluntary and is mine alone.

Fortunate Harbor is a well written book. Great plot, setting and character dynamics. I especially loved The Outer Banks setting. I received an arc from the publisher and Netgalley. This is my unbiased review.

I'm gonna start off by saying that this is a beautiful cover. It was what drew me to read it.
Wonderful characters and the storyline is one that will draw you into it along the way.
I finished this book in one evening because I had to see what Rae and Curtis will do.
I love the setting of The Outerbanks. It's one of my favorite places to visit in a novel. It makes me want to go and visit in person
I didn't want it to end. It was a very good story. I was sad when it came to an end.
I felt like Rae and Curtis were my friends by the time it ended. I hate saying goodbye.
5 stars for keeping me engaged. I highly recommend.
My thanks for a copy of this book. I was NOT required to write a positive review. All opinions expressed are mine.

Fortunate Harbor by Davis Bunn
What I like about this authors works are that I learn new words to use and he takes me to locations I've only seen in movies. He describes them so much better than being there. There is history, architecture, fashion, food and so much more.
Starts out with Rae and she's a local lawyer in charge of Barrett's estate. The funds in the bank were enough to tend to the property but then again there were two massive hurricanes and no repairs were ever done, waiting on insurance claims. Property taxes are overdue now and she may be forced to sell it.
Story also follows Curtis a teen love she once knew from the areal I never realized just how much paperwork, judges, lawyers have to get involved in the land matters.
Hope there is another book in the series as I don't like cliff hangers.
Received this review copy from Kensington Publishing via NetGalley and this is my honest opinion.

This is not a mediocre book despite the three stars. It’s just not what I had hoped for and what I like. He’s an excellent writer, but has resorted to using a type of language and employing storylines that do not have my preference. The book takes place over a period of a few days and reading all the adventures of the main characters already made me tired. It was much like a Dan Brown novel (but clean!). The events (which I will not disclose) are so unlikely and involve such über rich individuals that it was too far-fetched for me. They wanted things, and they wanted them fast. “Needed ninety seconds to lay it out”, “speed is crucial”, “a breath scented by the prospect of a major sale”, “the man was now beyond tense”, “and in that firelit moment Curtis felt his entire world become rearranged.” I don’t live in that world and have no desire to enter it either.

I was a huge fan of David Bunn’s writing style, but he has switched gears and to stay in Bunn speak, “His writing has been completely and utterly reshaped. He has developed in an unexpected direction”. I don’t know if Bunn’s “fate dynamited him, rendering his former world to ashes” but I’m sorry to say that this book dynamited me out of my years long love affair with Bunn’s works. “At a heart level, I felt as though there simply wasn’t room anymore for his books”.

Favorite line by Rae (whose boyfriend had made her cry that morning), “I brought these (wipes) just in case there were aftershocks.” Thank you for that gem.

It’s not my cup of tea, but give it a try and see for yourself.


Many thanks to Kensington Books and NetGalley for making an ARC available to me, I was not required to leave a positive review.

'We all assume it happened on a moonless night, when the board was hoodwinked by ghouls'
I absolutely adored this gem of a book.
It delivered vivid and romantic descriptions of gorgeous towns in North Carolina. A waterside way of life which is the stuff of bucketlists. This wonderful story also delivered a gripping tale with hints of intrigue plus a dashing but grieving Curtis Gage and the strong willed but closet romantic Rae Alden. I would have loved for the romantic connection in this story to have gone a totally different way, but from this story we learn the universe doesn't always deliver what we want.

This was the first book I’ve read by Davis Bunn. I was not real sure when I started the book, but it didn’t take long to get caught up in the story and I was hooked! The author was deliberately ambiguous in descriptions on what was happening, which only served to keep me reading to find out the details! I loved the characters - Rae, Curtis, Amiyah, Dana, Emma - they were all so down to earth and real. Hunting for possible treasure, outwitting the bad guys, winning over the locals. I loved this book and highly recommend it!

I pretty much read this In one sitting, I was hooked from the beginning. I loved that it was based around the Carolina Beaufort area, be still my heart. The writing pulled you in and gave you hope of old lost love of was it new love.. While I sat I loved the book and will recommend it to others as I finish, I was disappointed, let down, didn't get what I needed ...was I expecting to much, I don't know. This was still a pleasure to read but a loss as well.

Don’t be fooled by the cover on this book, nor by the tag line that it’s by the author of the Miramar Bay books… I thought from both those “clues” that this would be like Miramar Bay, just set on the east coast. However, this book’s setting bears no resemblance to Miramar Bay, nor is the “flavor” of this story anything like what you find in the Miramar Bay books.

Fortunate Harbor is fast paced and intense, with a large cast of characters. It took me awhile to figure out what was going on, which characters were the important ones to keep track of, and what details I needed to remember. I read the whole thing in one day. It’s not my favorite Davis Bunn book, but he does tell a good story.

I received a complimentary copy of this book. Opinions expressed in this review are completely my own. #FortunateHarbor #NetGalley