Review: Love in Catalina Cove by Brenda Jackson
Love in Catalina Cove by Brenda Jackson Published by HQN Books on November 1st 2018
Genres: African American, Contemporary, Contemporary Women, Fiction, Romance
Pages: 384
Format: eBook
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In her brand-new series, Brenda Jackson welcomes you to Catalina Cove, where even the biggest heartbreaks can be healed…In the wake of a devastating teen pregnancy that left her childless and heartbroken, Vashti Alcindor left Catalina Cove, Louisiana, with no plans to return. Now, over a decade later, Vashti reluctantly finds herself back in her hometown after inheriting her aunt’s B and B. Her homecoming gets off to a rocky start when the new sheriff, Sawyer Grisham, pulls her over for speeding, and things go downhill from there.The B and B, a place she’d always found refuge in when it seemed like the whole world was against her, has fallen into disrepair. When a surprising benefactor encourages Vashti to reopen the B and B, Vashti embraces a fresh start, and soon old hurts begin to fade as she makes new memories with the town—and its handsome sheriff…But some pasts are too big to escape, and when a bombshell of a secret changes everything she thought was true, Vashti is left reeling. With Sawyer and his teenage daughter determined to see her through the storm, though, she’s learning family isn’t always a matter of blood—sometimes it’s a matter of heart.
Let’s take a visit to Catalina Cove, Louisiana, a fictional seaside town an hour away from New Orleans, and apparently the blueberry capital of the USA.
This is where Brenda Jackson’s latest novel takes place, out on October 30th. When I requested a copy of this novel, the description wasn’t available so I turned the pages not knowing what to expect, which initially attracted me to the book.
Vashti Alcindor reluctantly returns to her hometown of Catalina Cove after the death of her aunt. She’s hoping to sell her aunt’s bed and breakfast but must return home to convince the townspeople it would be a good decision. On her way, she is pulled over by Sawyer Grisham; the town’s newish sheriff and recent widower. There is an attraction there but their romance is quite the slow burn. Amidst the budding romance are secrets; his, hers, and the towns’.
The main mystery in this novel turns out to be the details surrounding Vashti’s pregnancy. She thinks she knows everything but returning home gives her quite the surprise as she begins to uncover a web of deceit that leaves her wondering who she can trust, and whose version of the truth she should believe.
There are quite a few plot twists in this novel that, honestly, I saw coming. The writing was on the wall pretty early on in the novel and I was simply waiting for the drama to be amped up a notch. I was more invested in the secrets than the couple though as Vashti and Sawyer were quite the slow burn. While I don’t mind a slow burn if there’s enough chemistry and angst involved in the novel to keep me interested, these two were lacking a little bit in the chemistry department for me.
Love in Catalina Cove is a small town romance about deceitful family members, loss, and finding your way to love again. I must say that this novel set the stage for its secondary characters quite well and I’m interested to see where their stories will lead them.
Natalya is the author of All The Things I Never Said, a soul-stirring collection of short stories, prose and love letters for the soulful wanderers, the brokenhearted and the hopeless romantics.
You can follow her rantings and occasional sparks of brilliance on Twitter @NatalyaMuncuff.
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