New York Times bestselling author Sherryl Woods reveals that the most delightful surprises may await right in your own backyard!
Falling for a handsome stranger on the very morning they meet is hardly what recently divorced Abby Miller planned for her return to Seaview Key. Hoping to mend an old friendship and to give back to the community she loves, Abby's definitely not looking for love.
For ex-soldier Seth Landry, Seaview Key seems like the perfect place to heal a broken heart...eventually. And when he rescues a beautiful woman on the beach, his nightmares about the past are eclipsed by daydreams about the future.
Neither Abby nor Seth are looking for forever, but powerful love has its own timetable. And taking a chance on the future will test their courage in ways neither of them could possibly have anticipated.
With two other careers to her credit before becoming a novelist and four states in which she's lived for extended periods of time, Sherryl Woods has collected friends and memories, along with way too much unnecessary junk.
"The friends are the only things I've brought with me through the years that really matter," she says. "I could probably live without one more chintz teacup, another tin-litho sandpail or another snowglobe, but I need those friends."
The theme of enduring friendships and families is always central to Sherryl's books, including her latest Chesapeake Shores series — THE INN AT EAGLE POINT, FLOWERS ON MAIN and HARBOR LIGHTS.
Author of more than 100 romance and mystery novels, Sherryl Woods grew up in Virginia. Over the years she had lived in Ohio and Florida, as well as California. Currently she divides her time between Key Biscayne, Florida and Colonial Beach, Virginia, the small, river-front town where she spent her childhood summers.
A graduate of Ohio State University School of Journalism, Sherryl spent more than ten years as a journalist, most of them as a television critic for newspapers in Ohio and Florida. For several years she also coordinated a motivational program for the more than 8,000 employees at the University of Miami-Jackson Memorial Medical Center.
Her first book, RESTORING LOVE, was published in 1982 by Dell Candlelight Ecstasy under the pseudonym of Suzanne Sherrill. Her second book, SAND CASTLES, under the pseudonym of Alexandra Kirk, was published later that same year by Bantam. She began using her own name when she moved to the Second Chance at Love line at Berkley Publishing. In 1986, she began writing full-time and also began her long career at Silhouette Books with the Desire title NOT AT EIGHT, DARLING, set in the world of television which she covered for so many years.
In addition to her more than 75 romances for Silhouette Desire and Special Edition, she has written thirteen mysteries — nine in the Amanda Roberts series and four in the Molly DeWitt series.
When she's not writing or reading, Sherryl loves to garden, though she's not at her best on a riding lawn mower. She also loves tennis, theater, and ballet, even though her top spin has long since vanished, she's never set foot on a stage, and she's way too uncoordinated to dance. She also loves baseball and claims anyone who's ever seen Kevin Costner in "Bull Durham" can understand why.
This one would have been better had everyone in the book not been so insecure. The main couple seemed to have issues that kept flaring up, even once it seemed they dealt with them and laid them to rest. Luke and Hannah, from the last book has some of the same issues, but for me Hannah's were understandable. By the end of the book I was glad that Abby and Seth got their HEA because I wanted to be done reading about them.
Home to Seaview Key by Sherryl Woods is a 2014 Harlequin Mira publication.
Sherryl Woods is one of those authors I have heard so many wonderful things about and kept meaning to put aside the time to read some of her work, but never seemed to get around to it. When I recently discovered my small local library finally had overdrive available, I immediately renewed my library card and was so happy to see a wonderful selection of novels by Sherryl Woods available. Yay! So, I just picked one out at random and this was the one I chose.
Abby, Luke and Hannah were young residents on Seaview Key, filled with the hopes and dreams of youth. Luke and Abby were a hot item back then and Hannah was Abby's best friend. Now years later, the three find themselves back at Seaview Key at the same time. But, things are very different now. Hannah and Luke are married with a family, and Abby has returned after a painful divorce to get her life back on track. Abby knew she and Luke were not destined for happy ever after, but seeing Luke and Hannah happily married with everything she had ever wanted for herself does cause her to avoid them. But, fate intervenes when Abby nearly drowns and is saved by Luke's friend Seth. Sparks fly right way, but Seth is quick to back away. In the meantime, Abby tries to reassure Hannah she has no designs on Luke and would really love to see their friendship grow strong once more.
Well, I have to say this might not have been the best book for me start getting reacquainted with this author's work. I had to keep asking myself what age these people were because all of them behaved like characters in a new adult novel... you know, those books where the protagonist are still in college, filled with doubts and angst and can't seem to make up their minds what they want in life?
I didn't really understand Hannah's coolness toward Abby since Abby and Luke broke up amicably enough and she was the one who married the guy. If anyone had a reason to feel wounded it was Abby, who actually wore her big girl panties and behaved like an adult about the whole awkward mess.
Now before you get mad, I know Hannah has good reasons to feel insecure and feel less than beautiful at this time in her life, but treating Abby as though she returned to Seaview Key to steal her husband away was not only insulting to Abby, but to Luke too, the person she is supposed to trust most in this world.
But, this storyline soon takes a backseat to the chemistry between Seth and Abby. Everyone wants the couple to get together because it will keep Abby from digging her nails into Luke, someone she has no designs on in the first place. But, Seth is having none of the relationship game and makes that abundantly clear from the beginning and continues to harp on it over and over and over ….. and over and over. Abby does ALL the work in ALL of the relationships and it's not until the very end she actually gets a dividend for all her trouble.
So, it goes without saying I was disappointed in this one. That is not to say I will toss in the towel on the author and refuse to read past or future novels. I fully intend to continue looking for the stories that gave this author such a stellar reputation, with such loyal fans.
Much of the dialog & conversations between characters is so stilted & unnatural - perhaps if that portion of her books were read out loud during the editing process, changes could be made to make it sound as if a real person were speaking. As it is, it took me a long time to get into this story. Better luck next time.
Terrific story of love, family and friendship. Abby has come back to Seaview Key, looking for a fresh start. She is recently divorced from a marriage that ended up being emotionally barren. She has come home to see if she can find the woman she used to be. She also has a plan to build some homes on her family's land as a way to give back to the community. She would also like to renew her friendship with her high school best friend Hannah. She has enough on her plate and has no plan to get involved with a man.
Seth came to Seaview Key with his own need to heal. As a former military medic he's haunted by the memories of those he couldn't save, including the woman he loved. He's happy working with his old friend Luke, the island's doctor, and serving the community as its paramedic. When he rescues Abby one morning on the beach he's surprised by the attraction he feels for her.
I really liked the romance between Seth and Abby. It started out as attraction, but one that they didn't give in to right away. Each is self aware enough to know that they may not be ready for a serious relationship. They begin by working together on a fundraiser to buy a rescue boat for the island and use the time to get to know each other. Abby is cautious about getting too serious as she tries to overcome the damage her ex-husband did to her self esteem. But there is something about Seth that she just can't resist. Seth's issues are a bit harder for him to overcome. He is extra cautious about risking his heart again, having barely survived the death of his girlfriend and the guilt he feels for not being there. He also has trouble dealing with the fact that Abby has significantly more money than he does. His parents spent a lot of time pursuing wealth and after their deaths it has caused major problems between his two sisters. All he can focus on is the trouble it can cause. In spite of these negatives, being with Abby makes him happy. I liked the fact that both Seth and Abby are interested in pursuing the possibilities, but that they are determined to take things slowly. I loved the banter between them, the teasing and the way they liked to push the envelope a little. I also liked the fact that when they ran into something that bothered them they would talk it out like the adults they are. They developed enough closeness that they could see when something was bothering the other one and tried to help, whether it was just listening or actually doing something. It did get to the point where they were being almost too cautious, and it was fun to see some of the other islanders get involved in pushing them along. I loved the ending, and the happy little twist that came with it.
Besides the romance between Seth and Abby, there were some other things that arrived on the island with her. Abby had been friends with Luke and Hannah in high school, and their senior year she was Luke's girlfriend. This was hard on Hannah because she loved him too. They all went their separate ways when they went off to college. Now Luke and Hannah are married, but Hannah still suffers from some significant insecurities. Thanks to her bout with breast cancer, she has problems believing in her own beauty. She is afraid that Abby's return will cause Luke to regret marrying her. These fears aren't helped at the beginning by her grandmother's vocal fears about the same thing, and her own daughter's similar interference. I gave Abby full credit for working very hard to show Hannah that her fears are unneeded and all she wants is to be friends again. Luke also does his best to show his wife that she is the only one for him.
The other thing that brought Abby back is her desire to develop her family's land. I loved her reasoning that she wants to give back to the community. I also loved the plans that she had to make them environmentally friendly. She came in with such confidence it was so hard to see her run up against the opposition that came from the mayor. I loved the fact that she didn't give up. It was great to see her get Grandma Jenny and some of the others on her side and then work to find a way to win over the mayor. I loved seeing the way that Seth helped and supported her.
I didn't care for the characters.. Hannah was whiny and the whole "I'm not whole" since her mastectomy. I never understood who Kelsey,s father was or where Luke's kids were or who his ex-wife was...and yet Hannah is concerned about a girl from high school?? HUH???
Home to Seaview Key is the perfect sequel to Seaview Inn: a delightful, straightforward romance, heartwarming in its simplicity. There are no major conflicts or disasters here, just two people growing together in friendship and learning to take a chance on unexpected love. Abby and Seth are perfect for each other, despite some obvious differences and past experiences that make them both a bit cautious when it comes to getting serious. What I really loved is that they talk about their issues like the reasonable adults they are. That's all too rare in romance novels, which too often rely on misunderstandings that could easily have been prevented by talking or asking questions. Woods is good at this, and at making the romance compelling without relying on many of the usual romance tropes.
Abby has come back to Seaview Key for two reasons: to rediscover the woman she was before her marriage sucked the life out of her, and to develop the land left to her by her parents. Her plans are complicated by mayor's determined opposition to the project. I hesitate to call this last a subplot, because Woods effortlessly braids the development story with Abby's growing and complicated relationship with Seth.
Seth, a paramedic and friend of the town's doctor (Luke, the hero from Seaview Inn), has some emotional baggage of his own to deal with, not only from his tours of duty in Iraq and Afghanistan but also with his feuding sisters. But on the whole, he's handling it with same the maturity and good sense that Abby shows in dealing with her own past. I found them and their relationship really refreshing, to be honest (and I was just wishing for a romance with a heroine in her 40s or older. Serendipity!) In terms of heat, there's plenty of chemistry between Seth and Abby, but no really explicit scenes.
Friendships between women are one of Wood's biggest strengths (along with believable romances you can really invest in) and I have to applaud her handling of the relationship between Abby and Hannah, the heroine of Seaview Inn. Once best friends back in high school, the women's friendship is complicated by pain, time and distance, and Hannah's understandable insecurities -- her husband Luke and Abby were quite an item back in high school, and now Abby is newly-divorced and back in Seaview Key. Again, there's no major drama, just two women working to rebuild a friendship they both want.
Seaview Key is a small Florida fishing village-cum-tourist destination. Like many seaside towns, its laid-back atmosphere is part of its charm. The main and major secondary characters from Seaview Inn form an integral part of the narrative, but don't worry if you haven't read the first book; Woods gets you up to speed pretty quickly and seamlessly - no annoying info dumps. She also gives the reader just enough description and a variety of minor characters, mostly fellow residents/business owners, to make Seaview Key feel like a very real place. I'd certainly love to stay in the Seaside Inn sometime!
I had only one minor quibble with the entire book. Toward the end, Woods throws in a scene which resolves the subplot involving Seth's sisters in a way that felt a little too facile and glib. The situation didn't need to be tied up in a neat bow for the main romance to work well, and in real life, things don't always go quite that perfectly. (Not to mention that Woods might have been able to get another good book out of it, involving one of the sisters.) In every other way, Home to Seaview Key is a thoroughly satisfying read.
FTC disclosure:I received an electronic review copy from the publisher. All opinions are entirely my own.
Sherryl Woods is an amazing author who knows how to create such intriguing yet heartfelt stories that readers can not help but fall in love with her books. The writing is tight, story flows smoothly and the characters are delightfully enjoyable and quite life-like. I loved the matchmaking between Grandma Jenny, Kelsey and others in the book that it had me smiling and giggling as they gave Seth and Abby the third degree and threatened to step up their matchmaking between them. Seth in particular made me giggle whenever he got tossed in their crosshairs and got that panicky look on his face. It was priceless. I really loved the dynamics between the townspeople as well as the main characters. The readers got to meet some new faces as well as some old friends from the first book, Seaview Inn. I loved seeing how Hannah, Luke and their family and friends from the first book were doing after that last page was read in Seaview Inn. Add in Abby, the old girlfriend of Luke’s coming back to town and man, you had some serious sparks flying fast and furious.
Meet Abby and Seth- two people with a past that has left them gun-shy and wary of falling in love. Seth Landry is hiding from the world in Seaview Key. Nursing the loss of his girlfriend, who died while both were facing combat overseas in the military, he hasn’t opened up to another woman since. Meeting Abby threw him as she made him yearn for a family, love and more. She swept the darkness he has nursed for so long away and showed him what lightness she would bring to him…that is if he took a chance on them. Abby is in hiding as well. From old friends, from the town, from everyone in Seaview Key. But with ambitious plans to develop her land she inherited and grow Seaview Key, she is determined to find the girl she once was and mend the fences she has broken. She just never anticipated meeting Seth and falling in love. I loved the sparks between Abby and Seth right from the beginning. They complimented each other and both gave to the other what they needed, even if they fought it tooth and nail until they gave in gracefully. The dynamics between the two were enjoyable to see and the reader was right there alongside them as they went from casual friends to lovers to something more. The ending was a delight as the author through in a twist that had me smiling from ear to ear. The secondary characters (new and old) kept the story moving nicely and left me giggling at times. Who doesn’t love a nosy matchmaking grandma or friend? I know I did as they kept the story light at times to balance out the heaviness of Seth and Abby’s demons they had to fight.
HOME TO SEAVIEW KEY is one of those charming easy reads that will leave you breathless in the end and a smile on your face. Ms. Woods delightful, emotional and funny and you just can’t help falling in love with Ms. Woods books after you read one. Now I am hoping we don’t have to wait long for her next book. If you enjoy a lively, emotional and enjoyable read, then take a chance on HOME TO SEAVIEW KEY though it is best to read the first book, Seaview Inn, first to get the back story behind Luke, Hannah and all the residents of Seaview Key.
This is an objective review and not an endorsement
I received a copy of this book through a Goodreads giveaway in exchange for an honest review.
For anyone who has read any of Sherryl Woods other work you will find that this book follows the same formula. You have a man and a woman with an attraction to each other but pasts and complications that interfere with the progress of a relationship.
First I have to say that I enjoyed reading about Seaview Key. There is something to be said about a small town atmosphere and the sense of community within it. I could picture myself being right at home sitting on Abby's porch, baking at the inn and eating fish sandwiches at the restaurant.
I enjoyed how Abby and Seth's relationship developed but at times I wished that it would speed along a little. It was understandable that there were doubts and insecurities because of their pasts but at times I felt like they analysed a little too much. It was a little frustrating at times. I also didn't understand Hannah's insecurities when it came to Abby being back in town. Yes she dated her husband but it was back when they were teenagers. There were marriages and children after that so her insecurities seemed a little extreme. It would have been nice to read a little bit more about their re-connection.
All in all it was a cute story about two people who discover that it is never too late to get the things in life that they desire. This was the third book by Woods that I have read and I'm sure it will not be the last.
This is the first Sherryl Woods book I've read, so I had nothing to compare it to, besides the other romance fiction I've read. It is a good story. I enjoyed Seth, the main guy, because even though he had a painful past, he wasn't dark and brooding and "alpha male" like so many other heroes are these days in romance books. And Abby, the main character, was a nice lead. I liked that she knew what she wanted to do concerning her family's home and land, and wasn't afraid to go after it. It was also interesting to me that Seth was the one pulling away because Abby had money - lots of it, apparently. Usually it seems to be the other way around. I did expect a little more action - Seth rescues Abby from drowning in the first scene, but you don't get to actually see it happen, and then....besides their interaction and her interacting with the rest of Seaview Key, that's about it. I thought maybe they'd get the rescue boat and have to actually use it - get to see Seth in action, but maybe that will happen in a later book? I just thought the pace was kind of slow. But overall, I enjoyed it, and would definitely read another book by her.
Dans ce premier tome, nous découvrons l'île de Seaview key à travers trois générations de femmes d'une même famille : Jenny qui tient l'auberge de la maison bleue mais qui ne peut plus s'en occuper seule, sa petite fille Hannah et la fille de celle-ci Kesley. Différents événements de la vie de chacune va les réunir tous les trois sur l'île.
Les trois femmes partage en commun certains très de caractères tels un fort caractère, une certaine détermination et un recours fréquent à la manipulation. voilà de quoi rendre les différentes situations de l'histoire explosives !
Or, l'île n'est pas uniquement le refuge de cette famille. Ainsi, Luke ayant lui aussi grandi sur l'île avec Hannah, est également de retour pour faire le point sur sa vie plus que tumultueuse.
Si Kesley et Luc parviennent relativement facilement à faire le point ur leur vie pour remettre celle-ci sur leur rails, ce n'est pas le cas de Hannah qui est enfermé dans le passé.
Sherryl Woods nous offre ici un premier tome très riche : de la romance, des secrets de famille, des secondes chances... Bref pas le temps de s'ennuyer.
Le dénouement est celui auquel s'attend le lecteur même si le récit s'arrête un peu plus tôt qu'escompté !
Abby, Luke, and Hannah were inseparable during high school. Abby and Luke were in love and Hannah was Abby's best friend, although she also loves Luke. In college, the two break up and Luke and Hannah get together and create a new life at Seaview Key.
Abby, newly divorced, returns to the island to find herself. She seems to have lost who she is and she wants to give back to her community. She wants to build 10 houses on land her parents left her. She wants them eco-friendly and wants them to add to the appeal of the island. She definitely hits a barrier with the Mayor who does not want the development to go in. Everyone also wonders if Abby has come back for Luke. Hannah is especially worried.
Seth Landry ended up on Seaview Key as leader of the rescue team due to his knowing Luke in Afghanistan. He has come to the island to begin life anew when his girlfriend was killed in Afghanistan. He couldn't save her, can he save others?
Luke throws Abby and Seth together to run the fundraising to get a rescue boat for the island. Everyone on the island watches as the sparks fly.
Entertaining story. I liked it quite a bit. Bonus points for holding my attention while I've been visiting grandkids. Hero is a military veteran paramedic on a small Florida Gulf Coast island. Heroine grew up on the island and has come back after a divorce to restart her life and recover her younger, unstifled self. She also wants to develop the land her parents left her in an eco-friendly way. Hero's best friend is the heroine's high school boyfriend who is now married to the heroine's old best friend. There's some conflict about the divorced heroine coming back to town to try to get back with the old boyfriend-- more suspicion than reality since hero & heroine meet her first day back. There's conflict about their pasts and a few other things, plus all the meddling friends. It's a good read.
Love at first sight for Abby & Seth with a forever ending? Go to Seaview Key, a small town, where everyone knows each other and everything that goes on.
Home to Seaview Key is the sequel to Seaview Inn but it can be read as a stand alone book. Both Abby and Seth have a past which has shaped them to be the people they are and form a friendship that develops into something more. The author, Sheryl Woods, has shown a flirtatious but not sexually explicit relationship between two people who were initially not ready to commit.
Visit this cozy town to see relationships mend and how the inhabitants welcome a change for the better for their town.
This delightful book was from a Goodreads first reads giveaway.
Hannah (from first book) is reunited with her old friend Abby and along comes Seth, Luke’s former military buddy. The two come from different backgrounds and an attraction grows. Of course everyone sticks their nose into their business in the small town of Seaview.
Home to Seaview Key, second in a series fell flat as the first in the series started out with a bang. I listened to the audio version and found it to be rather boring, and characters were not as interesting as the first one with no big build up or plot. I would have liked to have more substance.
This is the second in this series. I love Sherryl Woods. This read has romance with two main couples that has ties to Seaview and each other. I loved the characters and how they reconnect after all these years.
The characters were just flat to me and I never really liked Abby and Seth together. And Hannah acted like an idiot in this book. Disappointing series.
This was a very enjoyable book. I really liked that all the characters we'd met in the first book were an integral part of the plot and not just a passing mention update.
Wow, this book felt like a downer from start to finish. It was sooooo depressing. The secondary characters were so pressured and overwhelmed with their lives I could have done without them. The friends would turn on each other so fast. The protagonists were always walking a tightrope with each other. They never seemed happy with each other or life in general. Needing and insecure went through my mind constantly. Sherryl Woods normally is able to handle heady subject matter without bumming her readers out. If this was my first Woods book I probably never would’ve read another one again. Luckily, I’m a bit of a fan so I’m gonna assume this was just an anomaly. Everyone’s allowed to have one. I always hear reference to HEA opposed to HFN and this is the first time I truly felt HFN. Yikes.
A bit of a disappointment! Abby moved back to her hometown to get a fresh start - so did Seth. Good story there- she wanted to develop the land and much of the town was opposed until she changed their minds. That was a good story. The relationship between Seth and Abby was frustrating - so wishy washy! Her struggle to repair her relationship with her former best friend was very frustrating! So what if she dated Luke in high school? No blow up just drifting away but everyone in the town was out to paint Abby as a man stealer… very unwarranted and what’s wrong with Luke’s wife to be so insecure. Frustrating characters!
This is a more “mature” romance book in comparison to what I usually read since the characters are in their 40’s (though the male lead is younger) and therefore, they have issues and problematics of those ages. It was an alright book. I felt like the relationship between Seth and Abby ended up being a bit of a side plot with so many things going on and with how long it took for it to start (they weren’t together for most of the book). I must say some of the actions of these characters seemed weird to me considering their ages, they were kind of acting like teens sometimes imo.
This book is another installment set in Seaview Keys, with some familiar faces and new characters. It's a super slow-paced drama, which might be exactly what the author intended. Honestly, I didn't find anything particularly exciting or surprising. The story's mainly about two people figuring out their relationship, which felt pretty straightforward. I also didn't get a strong sense of a empowered female lead, which might have been expected.
Overall, this story kept my interest. The characters were like-able and there were actually plot points I was not expecting; nothing too surprising but fun to discover nonetheless. It doesn’t get the full five stars for being a bit rushed toward the end; the mental and emotional turn around happens too quick for me, especially given how the conflicted the main characters are through most of it.
I was so happy to be back in Seaview Key. I enjoyed seeing how all the characters from Seaview Inn. Abby was great. It was so fun for her to return to her hometown after her divorce. Luke irritated me a bit the way he was constantly giving his opinion even when it wasn’t asked for. Great book!