kathleenlcharles

A grieving Sheriff Macklin from a small town in Maine travels to the West coast to deliver devastating news to the the brother of his best friend. A lonely but curious Oliver follows Mac home from Seattle to Hope Cove hoping to learn what he can about Maggie, who was Mac's best friend and the sister he never knew he had.

I liked both Mac and Oliver. Mac is a rough-around-the-edges alpha, and Oliver is an unhappy, struggling chef living day by day and dreaming of owning his own restaurant someday. I liked watching Oliver slowly learn about the much-loved sister he never knew, the fact that she was a baker and owned the local bakery, her place among the locals, and to appreciate the ebb and flow of small town life. Just as he begins to make friends, think about possible futures, and recognize his growing feelings for Mac, additional tragic news surrounding Maggie's death sends Oliver into a tail spin and he runs.

Having lived in Maine for a year, I traveled up and down its coast and visited many of the small coastal towns. I would have liked more in-depth descriptions of Hope Cove, the townspeople, of and Mac & Oliver's visit to Bar Harbor. All in all, still a really nice afternoon read.