The Ocean City Boardwalk Series, Books 1-3

The Ocean City Boardwalk series is comprised of three beautiful stories about three very different women and the men who love them. In Following His Heart, a man and a woman, who both need healing for their hearts, meet under hilarious circumstances. Sara is a loveable, lively character, who is only just coping with the loss of her husband. Her two closest friends are also single for reasons of their own, but together they make a formidable force. When Landon overhears that there is a crisis in the making, he volunteers to step into the breach and in doing so, realises that there is meaning behind the strange dreams he has been having. Sara is firmly entrenched in her home with her handicapped mother, sweet shop and close friends. Landon knows where he's coming from, but is not too sure about the future as he is on a quest to find new meaning to his life. However, he is a lovable person and one who is willing to make up for lost time. Life goes on in Ocean City in a gentle rhythm and Landon has to decide whether he wants to take hold of his dreams, but in doing so has to tell Sara why his search brought him into her life, at the risk of losing her. In Two Hearts in Winter, Heather receives a request to rent our her B&B to a single guest for the winter with onerous demands. She is not overly impressed, but seeing as he has rented all the rooms in her B&B, she can't complain as she is receiving her full rent. No matter how much privacy Daniel requires, it is inevitable that their lives will clash and when they do, there is a connection. Daniel is carrying heart-breaking grief and tension, while Heather is denying her right to a relationship based on past issues. Together, they experience the relief that comes from talking about their pain. I kept my box of tissues handy throughout the reading of this book, and I used them liberally. I was happy that it ended on a positive note. Wild Hearts of Summer does not disappoint. Cathy's life is in disarray as her prickly shell and brash behaviour have antagonised the people who are most important to her. She has hurt her best friend with her carelessness and the one man who seems to get her, is keeping secrets and his distance. As so often happens in life, things get worse before they get better, and truths have to be exposed before healing can take place. Brad has been there for Cathy ever since she returned home with a broken marriage behind her, not really understanding what she has been through. Nevertheless, his patience is wearing thin and when his fortunes change overnight, he has to plan his next move carefully, knowing full well that if he doesn't play his hand correctly, he could lose Cathy forever. Cathy is forced into a situation where she has to take a good look at herself and acknowledge the truth about what she wants from life. Cathy's behaviour is very typical of a survivor with her carefully guarded heart. Not many people manage to make that journey from survivor to victor over abuse and Ms Fasano brings out the difference between the two. All three of the books that make up this box set are well written, evoking deep emotion, but with plenty of wit and humour along the way. Sara, Heather and Cathy are so different, and yet so very good for each other. I enjoyed each individual character as well as the men who loved them. I received a copy of this book as a gift and this is my honest and voluntary review.