Summer on Moonlight Bay by Hope Ramsay

Author:  Hope Ramsay
Release Date: August 6, 2019

I am really touched by the hard work and the emotional journey that the author has gone through to complete this book. And for that I am proud to have read this story because I am a fan of Hope Ramsay.  With that being said, it is going to be a pain to write a honest review because I really wanted this to be a 5 Star, but unfortunately, this story did not quite meet that rating and I will tell you why.

Summer on Moonlight Bay is a love story between a vet and a veterinarian.  Lia is a veteran from the Navy and she is a rolling stone looking for a place to call home.  She goes to the lovely town of Magnolia Harbor in hopes of experiencing the small town in all its glory, that's according to the charming tales that her former Navy Chaplain, Micah St. Pierre, has told her about.  On the other hand, there is Noah who can't get away from his small town fast enough.  They bond over a sweet puppy in need of help and the guilt of their past.  Will love prevail in this small, charming town after it is almost torn apart? 

Now let's get into the good and the bad of this story.  The good is the writing and the dialogue. Hope Ramsay has a great way of bringing characters to life and building this awesome world that makes you want to move to a small town. The characters were grounded and I absolutely loved how they connected.  The family dynamic was great as well with a dash of normal family drama.  Both Lia and Noah were realistic and they were just normal people who crossed paths in the best way possible.

Now let's get to the bad. Sigh!!.  The romance was not very well developed and I was disappointed.  The book takes place in a week's time and it shows.  Though the characters had a nice character arc, their relationship had no time to develop and by the time the "I Love You"s came flying, it had no strong effect on the story.  The couple in this story shares a strong connection with animals in their past and I thought that it just fell flat.  I know the author was going for tug at the heart strings when Lia spoke to her brother and when Noah spoke with his father, but the moment did not have that emotion that the author was going for.  The reasoning behind it was not powerful enough to carry the story or the character arc. They carried this conflict throughout their lives and if I am not mistaken, they are in their 30s now. Move on already!! 

Honestly, I love Hope Ramsay as an author, but this story fell flat for me and the romance aspect of the story was placed on the back burner for a little "town gossip" so to say.  Three stars is all I have to give and it breaks my heart, but I have to be genuine in my reviews.  Do I recommend this book?  I do recommend it for a quick beach read and that's about it.

Rating: ⭐⭐⭐