5 stars!

An emotional, small-town, fake-relationship romance with the most beautiful love story for two damaged souls. Though it has some drama, this is an angst-free read with all the feels, and I absolutely loved it!

This is book #5 in the By the Bay series. It's been a while since I read the earlier books of the series, and had no recollection of the hero, Macon, going into this book. While reading, I learned that he has been a bad guy in the series, and this is a redemption story for him as we get to know and understand him better as he finally gets his very own HEA. Which goes to show that you can read this book as a standalone, and enjoy it just as much as if you’d read (and actually remember) the earlier books.

Marin and her husband moved to Ocracoke to fulfill her dream of living by the ocean. She was just getting settled when her husband was killed in a tragic ferry accident and she left the island and never returned. It’s now five years later and she’s been trying to move on with her life, but a proposal from her lacklustre boyfriend sends her running back to the island for some alone time to think, and to deal with her grief and figure out what she really wants.

Macon is the local Captain of Police, and he’s a quiet and broody grump with a secret heart of gold. He’s been so hurt by events in his life, and carries a huge burden of guilt on his shoulders for his past actions, and he’s also dealing with his ex-wife now being married to his boss, and them rubbing their happiness in his face every chance they get. It’s not a happy life.

When Marin jumps to Macon’s defence against his ex, they suddenly find themselves in a fake relationship. Marin agrees to keep up the charade, and in exchange Macon will do some much-needed work on her neglected home. It’s a situation that suits them both, and that puts them all up in each other’s lives, and sparks are flying from the very beginning. And though Marin is going through a hard time, she’s a ray of sunshine, and she comes bursting into Macon’s life. He has no idea what’s about to hit him.

Every time I tried walking away from this woman, I found myself right back at her damn door.
Every interaction between Macon and Marin is brimming with chemistry, every touch ramps up the anticipation, and I was madly flipping pages, desperate to see more of them together. And as they get to know each other, they find an easy friendship and they open up in a way they haven’t with anybody else, and their attraction effortlessly becomes more. They are falling hard, and I loved every moment of it!

“I can’t pretend with you, Marin … I don’t know how.”
I loved the romance between these two. They’ve both been through so much, and they find something special together, bringing each other back to life, and it’s so beautiful watching them give in to it all. Marin finds her peace and rediscovers herself, and Macon becomes this cheeky, flirty, smitten sweetheart and it’s so gorgeous to see! And when the true Macon is unleashed, holy hot damn, the man is so damn sexy!

They have issues external to the relationship that they need to deal with, and it’s handled functionally, every step bringing them closer to together. There is no OW/OM drama, very little angst, just lots of feels, and a beautiful happy ending which left me smiling.

“It was never fake … Not for me. Not for a second.”
We get to see characters from the previous books (those ones, I remembered), and it was lovely to see Macon and Marin bought into the fold.

This is such a sweet read, I loved it.

5 stars!

An Advanced Review Copy was generously provided by the author for an honest review.

arc fake-relationship feeeeels ...more4 s3 comments BookAddict1,778 148

Once again, I’ve taken a chance on a chance on a new-to-me author and it's paid off brilliantly! I loved this one so much I immediately dove into the other books in this series. I wanted to spend more time in Ocracoke with these amazing characters.

Marin Mendez thought island living was her happy place, and her husband did everything to make that dream possible. Then came a terrible tragedy, thirteen souls post, and years of grieving. Marin tried to move on, but when her boyfriend proposed, she knew she needed something different. So she returned to her house on Ocracoke Island. To say goodbye, to lay the past to rest, to move on. What she didn’t expect was Macon Green.

Macon hasn’t had an easy life. He had a lousy childhood, he blames himself for a tragedy his community suffered, and his boss basically stole his wife and gives him grief at every opportunity. Yet Macon gives his all every day to protect and serve the people of Ocracoke. When Marin returns to the island, he feels an old, familiar pull, but he knows he needs to keep his distance because his secrets could destroy her as well as anything building between them.

This one has so many things I love in an exceptional small-town romance. I loved the setting and the colorful locals characters, and felt the loss the community had suffered. I loved the inexplicable draw between Marin and Macon and the push and pull between them. And the best part, for me, is the healing and grace they both find as they work through their past and fight for their forever. Humorous and charming, but profound and heart-wrenching, this phenomenal read goes to the top of my list of small-town romances, so you definitely won’t want to pass it by.2 s xxejwxx50

The secrets we keep
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