Love at the Beach Shop by Kyra Jacobs #Review #Romance #Contemporary #Series #funny #readztule

Series: Paradise Key #2

Title: Love at the Beach Shop

Author: Kyra Jacobs

Publisher: Tule Publishing

Pages: 207

Published: May 8th, 2018

Rating: 4/5

This is a delightful, sweet friends to more romance that is a pleasure to escape into. It is the second in the Paradise Key series but works well as a standalone, though I have to admit I have now obtained copies of the other three books in the series and am looking forward to reading them all!

Jenna Davis has grown up in this lovely island community and, unlike her four best girlfriends, has never wanted to leave. After the untimely death or one of these friends, the others return for the funeral and decide to stay there for a while to give them all time to catch up. This poses an unanticipated problem for Jenna as she told them months ago about her fantastic boyfriend who is everyone’s dream come true. Why’s that a problem? Well, he doesn’t really exist and now doesn’t seem to be the time to tell them she’d lied. That’s when she gets the idea to ask her younger brother’s best friend to play the role of her boyfriend in exchange for which she’ll help him out by giving him space for his shop.

That’s a dilemma for Zach as he’s secretly had a crush on Jenna for most of his life! Pretending to be her boyfriend whilst wishing it is true will be made even harder when she also agrees he can stay in the guest room in her apartment! Will familiarity breed contempt or give their love a chance to grow and develop? Will their charade help or cause even more problems? However, in their small community there’s someone out to make mischief for his own ends – and he’s out to manipulate Jenna and Zach….. Will he succeed?

This is a laugh out loud romantic comedy and friends to more stories are always fun reads. The characters in this story are easy to relate to and telling the story from dual POV makes it easier for the reader to understand the motivations and actions of the two main characters. There are other great characters, including Jenna’s grandmother, brother and friends, the lady from the shop next door and Flipper, Zach’s mischievous kitten! I really enjoyed the author’s writing style which took me into the scenarios. It proved to be a lovely read on a beautiful, relaxing day and I have no hesitation in highly recommending it!

I requested and was given a copy of this novel, via NetGalley, with no obligation. This is my honest review of the book after choosing to read it.

Synopsis:

The last thing Jenna Davis wants right now is more drama. Still reeling from the untimely loss of one of her four closest friends, she intends to bury herself in work and forget the hurt. But when her other friends announce they’re planning an extended stay on the island, Jenna needs to come up with a plan–and fast–to cover up the little white lie she’s been telling them.

Zach Taylor is dealing with a mess of his own. A sinkhole in front of his shop is keeping customers away and putting his livelihood in jeopardy. So when his best friend’s older sister—the one he’s been secretly crushing on since the day they met—offers to loan Zach some shop space if he’ll do her favor, he’s all ears. The request? Pretend to be her boyfriend until her friends head back home.

The stage is set, the charade about to begin. Can these two long time friends keep things purely platonic while they fool the others? Or will Zach and Jenna stop fooling themselves and finally let love in?

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