Sarah and Wes were the couple that could be, if only they have each other a chance. Thanks to a meddling nine year old (who is brilliant!), and an inheritance that raised several eyebrows (but she sure knew what she was doing, even beyond the grave!), they may just get the chance neither is expecting.

It was my first time reading this author's work, so I didn't know what to expect, but I liked the cover and the synopsis, so I was ready for a new adventure. What I got... was that and more! It was a sweet story filled with the much adulting, heartache, and humor, and it kept my attention the whole way through. I loved Sarah's continued attempts at resisting, while focusing on all that needed doing... even when it meant trying to keep a promise to a little girl. I loved Wes in all his handy man glory, giving advice where his expertise allowed, and always looking out for the customer, sometimes to the detriment of his own pocket. His heart was broken but oh so large, and just needed the right adjustments to see all that was before him. The ending was just right, even if it looked like it was going all wrong, and it's certainly one that Contemporary Romance fans won't want to miss!


*ecopy received for review; opinions are my own ( )

Sarah’s grandmother has recently passed away and left her a run down B&B on the beach of Half Moon Bay. Sarah wants to sell it as is and get back to LA. But Wes, her childhood crush, talks her into fixing it up first. The more time these two spend together, the more sparks fly!

I love a book with great characters and this one is full of them. I love Sarah. She is introverted but adorable. Wes is heartbroken but strong. Then there is Marissa. She is Wes’ 9 year old daughter and she is super smart. She and Sarah connect over computers and code. Yes…you heard me correctly. She is a computer nerd and so is Sarah.

Sarah and Wes take a little while to realize they need each other…isn’t this true for most romances. The author did a fabulous job intertwining their shared love of the B&B and Marissa. When these two finally get together, you can’t help but grin!

Need an all around good romance with a great cheaters and a wonderful setting…THIS IS IT!

I received this novel from the publisher for a honest review. ( )

A Lot Like Love by Jennifer Snow
Blue Moon Bay #1

Sweet simple story about two high school friends that meet again when Sarah returns home for her grandmother’s funeral. This time both are “free” but is it the right time for them to find a HEA together?

What I liked:
* The setting and small town vibe
* The meet-cute and reaction when Sarah and Wes realize they are face to face again fifteen years after Sarah left town.
* Marissa: 9 year old daughter of Wes although she seemed much older than the nine years she was supposed to be.
* Wes’s love of his deceased wife Kelly
* That Wes was able to move on after his football career was kaput
* Wes’s generous nature
* Sarah’s relationship with Marissa – they were two peas in a pod in many ways
* The B&B – it almost had a personality of its own
* The introduction of other characters that will play a part in the series
* That there was a happy ending

What I didn’t like:
* I didn’t feel as invested in Sarah and Wes as I would have liked to so it was hard to care about their relationship growing.
* The feeling that Sarah’s grandmother’s story was unnecessary to the contemporary romance…and it was a bit of a downer.
* Trying to figure out the purpose of Lia in the story – the frenemy.

Did I like this book? It was okay
Would I read more in this series? Maybe

Thank you to NetGalley and Entangled Publishing for the ARC – This is my honest review.

3 Stars ( )

A Lot Going On - And Yet It All Works. This turned out to be one of two romance novels I was reading at the same time, that release about a week apart, that both featured single dads and their only children. So that was interesting as far as my own reading went, but not overly relevant to what you, the reader of my review, want to know about. :D

Here, Snow packs quite a bit into a fairly Hallmarkie romance. Which as I've noted before, there is a *massive* market for, so I totally get why she went this particular route. (Particularly when given her other creative outlets such as her satirical Housewife Chronicles books and her *dark* alter-ego JM Winchester.) We get a female coder - more common than some might have you believe, but still accurately portrayed both in real life and in this text as a male dominated field. We get an overbearing boss - which happens at all levels of coding, from the small companies our female lead works for here to the biggest companies on the planet. (I happen to currently work for a Forbes 50 company in the tech field, though to be honest my bosses are quite awesome here. :D) We get a tween girl whose dad doesn't fully understand her, who wants to do one thing - in this case, write code - and yet whose dad is pushing her to more "typical" activities. We get the small town businessman dad whose business is struggling and who has many issues of his own, both from being a former NFL star and from having his wife die several years prior to the events here. We even get a hint of a long-ago romance and long-lost love via another side story. And we get the classic Hallmarkie former high school frenemy who shows up again... and may not be all that is remembered or presented. So like I said, a LOT going on, particularly for a 300 ish page book.

And yet, in classic Hallmarkie/ Snow style, it really does all work. It is (mostly) pretty damn realistic, despite what a few other reviewers claim, including several messy moments. It hits all the notes that any romance reader will want to see, yes, including a few sex scenes - oral (both ways) and full penetration - and the requisite-for-the-genre happy ending.

A truly excellent tale and a fine way to pass some time sitting in the shade or on a lounger whiling the summer away. Very much recommended. ( )