The Sands of Sea Blue Beach by Rachel Hauck: Book Review

 **ARC received for consideration. All opinions are my own. 

The Book

Can anything rekindle the summer love between former sweethearts facing old wounds and a divided town?

Emery Quinn finds herself at a crossroads between her career and complex family dynamics. Struggling to connect with her blended family and ready for a fresh start, Emery accepts the position of editor-in-chief at the Sea Blue Beach Gazette. Upon her return to the Sands Motor Motel, she is flooded with bittersweet memories of her late mother and past regrets from a long-ago summer.

Architect Caleb Ransom has returned home to Sea Blue Beach, a place filled with cherished memories and potential opportunities. He means to make a difference for his family and his hometown by caring for his troubled sister's son and preserving the history of the town as the leader of the new Main Street initiative. He certainly never expected to run into Emery Quinn, the girl who captured his heart sixteen summers ago.

As Emery and Caleb revive their friendship, they find themselves facing a bitterly divided town. Together, they navigate family challenges, professional setbacks, and a high-stakes royal visit to discover how forgiveness and love can reshape their hearts and their destiny.

"This book is truly a breath of fresh air, all wrapped within a sweet and swoony love story!"--Liz Isaacson, USA Today bestselling author

A poignant tale of second chances and the enduring power of love, perfect for your book club. This faith-based contemporary fiction makes for a delightful summer beach read and includes themes of small-town romance, dual-time storytelling, and complex family dynamics.

The Author

Rachel Hauck is a New York Times, USA Today and Wall Street Journal Bestselling author.

She is a Christy Award Winner and a double RITA finalist. Her book The Wedding Dress was named Inspirational Novel of the Year by Romantic Times Book Club. She is the recipient of RT's Career Achievement Award.

Her book, Once Upon A Prince, was filmed for an original Hallmark movie.

Hauck has been acclaimed for her split time novels and royal romances. 

A graduate of Ohio State University with a degree in Journalism, and a former sorority girl, Rachel and her husband live in central Florida. She is a huge Buckeyes football fan.

In other news, she's recently learned how to hard boil an egg. She's quite proud.

Visit her at www.rachelhauck.com or www.facebook.com/rachelhauck

Book Review

The Sands of Sea Blue Beach, while not part of a series, is connected to the author's previous book Meet Me at the Starlight, both taking place in this same town. While this could certainly be enjoyed as a standalone, you might have a bit more understanding of the history of the town (and the Starlight, of course) if you have read that previous book. (It's also a great read, and one I'd highly recommend anyway.)

Having enjoyed the previous book, I loved the chance to go back to the charming town of Sea Blue Beach for this sweet second chance romance. Emery and Caleb first fell in love when she visited the small town as a teenager with her family... the last family trip before her mother passed away. She vowed never to go back to the place that help so many hurts, until she's offered a job as editor in chief at the local newspaper. Caleb has also returned to his hometown with plans to help revive it. The last thing either expected was to run into their past love... or to rekindle that flame. I love a good second chance romance, and really thought this one was done very well. I loved that we got to see these characters as teenagers falling in love for the first time, and then falling in love again after so much time and heartache. Their story was emotional and at times heartbreaking, but absolutely beautiful. If you enjoy Christian small-town romance that will pull at your heartstrings, this is certainly one you'll want to check out. 


You can purchase your copy here: https://amzn.to/4jHRTnP