Sherryl Woods' latest release is another warm and inviting novel of love, family and friendship. Home to Seaview Key is the long-awaited follow up to Seaview Inn and it is another delightfully appealing story that old and new fans are sure to enjoy.

Abby Miller has kept a low profile since her return to Seaview Key, but word of her homecoming quickly spreads after medic Seth Landry saves her from a near drowning. Abby is hoping to find herself while renewing old friendships and pursuing a new venture in the close-knit coastal community. Seth moved to the small town following a tragic loss and he is close friends with Abby's childhood pals Hannah and Luke. Seth and Abby are thrown together on a fundraising project and their friendship soon takes a romantic turn.

Abby's past with Hannah is complicated by Abby's childhood romance with Luke, Hannah's new husband. Abby has zero interest in Luke but her reappearance in their life rouses Hannah's insecurities and regaining their friendship is going to take time and patience. Recently divorced, Abby is also not interested in a romance either but she is instantly attracted to Seth. When their passion becomes too strong to resist, they agree to a no strings fling, but love sneaks in when neither of them are looking.

Seth has a lot more emotional baggage than Abby. His previous relationship tragically ended and he is dealing with unresolved family issues as well. In a refreshing change of pace, he is the one who is not ready for a relationship and his hang ups keep him from getting involved with Abby. The slow change from friends to lovers builds a strong foundation for their budding romance but Seth's doubts keep them from taking their relationship further.

I really like that Seth and Abby do not rush into a relationship. It is lovely watching them form a friendship built on mutual respect and trust before they act on their desire. While Seth's first instinct is to pull away when he is uncomfortable, they do eventually discuss the things that are bothering him. This cautious approach gives them the chance to really get to know one another and their resulting romance is quite sweet.

Sherryl Woods is a longtime favorite author of mine and her characters always fall in love with plenty of support from close friends, a loving family and a close-knit community. While all of these elements can be found in Home to Seaview Key, the plot feels fresh, the characters are distinct and the storyline is unique. It is comfort read that is sure to delight longtime fans and charm new ones. ( )

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. ( )

Recently divorced Abby Miller has moved home to Seaview Key and is rescued from drowning by ex-soldier Seth Landry. Both have issues from their past; Abby's marriage robbed her of her self-esteem and Seth's last romance ended in tragedy. ( )

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.
( )

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. ( )