Seaside Harmony

 

[image error]Seaside Harmony

by Evangeline Kelley

Edition: paperback, 2013

Synopsis: When Caroline Marris joins her sisters Gracie Gold and Sam Carter for a Nantucket Island getaway, she has no idea how it will change her life. The sisters stumble upon Misty Harbor Inn, the place their late mother loved so much, and Caroline talks her sisters into buying the beautiful but dilapidated inn. But can free-spirited Caroline stay focused enough to make opening the inn a reality? Hand-drawn old postcards draw the sisters into the mystery of Hannah Montague, the young widow of the original owner. Can the sisters uncover the fate of this woman who disappeared in 1880? As Caroline and her sisters work together to make their mom’s dream a reality, they bond in ways they never expected.

Three sisters vacation together in Nantucket after their mother’s death, to reconnect with each other. When one suggests they use their inheritance to buy a rundown Inn from their childhood and start the Bed and Breakfast their mother always wanted, they may end up even farther apart than before they set out.

I loved this book because I’ve sometimes wondered myself, “Why not start a B and B? How much fun would that be?” All three characters, Caroline, Sam, and Gracie, have believable reactions to the idea: enthusiasm, a more tempered idea, and skepticism. Each has a distinct personality and their interaction as sisters was believable.

The plot was well paced, though a little fast towards the end. I also would have liked to see more description of the actual house, to have a better idea of what it looked like beyond “Victorian.” There are only a few instances of faith being discussed and mentioned, and in a general way.