Synopsis:
When Casey Carpenter receives a call to go back to her small hometown to be with her dying father, the last thing she’s expecting is that he’s hired a contractor to work on the family marina—she handles her father’s expenses, and Nathanial Kipling doesn’t show up in them. The situation is fishy. It’s only once she’s back home, only once she meets Nate and discovers he’s struck a deal with her father to renovate and sell Jessie’s Point, that she realizes the decision has already been made without her. All that’s left to do is help them—at least then she’ll feel like she had a say in the matter.
To Nate, her helping out is about the worst outcome he could have expected. Casey—with her big, sad eyes, whiplash smile, and piss-poor attitude—is too much of a distraction. Somehow, he knows that becoming entangled with her isn’t going to work out for him, for either of them. Still, how could he say
no? If Jessie’s Point is going to sell, shouldn’t she have a chance to say goodbye?
But as Casey’s father slowly fades, and as she and Nate work together to repair Jessie’s Point, it becomes painstakingly clear that the marina isn’t the only thing she doesn’t know how to say goodbye to. Will Casey be able to let go of the past and forgive her father? Will she be able to stay in Dungeness Hollow through to the end?
And what happens after? Can new beginnings survive the worst possible endings?
[I received a digital arc for an honest review}
Jessie’s Point is the first book in a new series by Tess Shepherd called Dungeness Hollow. This is a lovely romance with a small town feel and strong characters.
Ever since Casey’s mother died when she was young her father never recovered, and she practically raised herself. Even though their relationship is strained she runs back to her hometown of Dungeness Hollow when she hears he’s dying. She arrives home to a stranger named Nate repairing both her family home and family marina and is devastated that her father has decided to sell the last part of her mother they have left. She will attempt to mend her relationship with her father in the little time he has left. Furthermore, she will have to deal with growing feelings for Nate that she tries to keep casual since her life isn’t in Dungeness Hollow anymore.
“Nathaniel Kipling made her uncomfortable. He looked at her as if he saw her.”
Casey and Nate, and all their friends, are wonderful characters. Casey is headstrong and underneath all her attitude is a sensitive little girl who lacked a nurturing childhood. Nate is just a big old softy right from the start. He was so charming and such a gentleman. While Casey decides they should have some no strings attached fun, Nate knows from the start he wants to know everything he can about her no matter how long they have together. Their relationship is lighthearted and honest and put a smile on my face. Like all of Tess Shepherds couples the intimacy between them is full of passion and steam. I also HAVE to add that the grand gesture/ declaration of Nate’s feelings at the end was quality and left me chuckling. 🙂
“She grinned, and he leaned down to wipe the smirk from her face with a kiss that drowned her in its intensity.”
As always I loved Tess Shepherd’s writing, it really flows and her characters and setting are always so easy to imagine. She tends to always include random point of views outside of the two main characters. It shows that the people around them can see their connection. However, in this, at one point there’s back and forth POV between two side characters that doesn’t add to Nate and Casey’s story. It fully set up what I’m guessing is book 2 and completely took me out of the main story line. I mean I enjoyed the characters it was focusing on, and I would have loved to see the scenes just not in this book, they didn’t feel like they belonged. The other thing that didn’t work personally for me was the climax to Casey and her father’s arc. He seems from his POV chapters to want to make amends after she finally confronts him but in the end only makes excuses for his behavior.
I really love the idea of the Dungeness Hollow series. Three best friends who are different in so many ways but have always been there for each other through thick and thin. I am really excited for the other friends’ books.
—-Written by Amanda—-
OnceUpon_A_BookDream 