Sea, Salt & HIM  by Harper Reynolds

He left for ambition. She stayed for legacy. Now they’re stuck together with one café, one storm, and a heat that never cooled

Talulah:
I came back to Starlight Cay to rescue my grandmother’s café, not to get wrecked all over again by the man who left me behind. But Raleigh Draycott isn’t just scouting locations anymore. He’s in my kitchen. In my business. In my bed. And when a hurricane forces us under the same roof, all that history we tried to bury comes roaring back to life. He still knows how to push my buttons and every limit I thought I set.

Raleigh:
Talulah Everhart was never part of the plan. I came here to open the next flagship for my restaurant group: polished, scalable, investor-approved. But one look inside Everhart’s Café, and I knew we were about to destroy the one thing worth saving. Now I’m risking everything—my name, my company, my future—for the woman I never stopped wanting. We have one shot to prove this town, this café, and what we’ve found again are worth the fight.

My Review

Talulah recently lost her grandmother and is trying to save her cafe. But of course, in this small town, she runs into her ex-boyfriend from college, Raleigh. He seems to stimulate her just like he used to, even though he is a man she knows. But he left to chase his dreams and broke her heart.  Now she is grieving and trying to keep her grandmother’s heart and soul in her beloved cafe. 

Raleigh is a hotshot restaurant owner/Chef scouting for new properties along the coastal beachfront, looking to expand. But it’s complicated now with her right next door. What will he do? 

They can’t seem to figure out if they are enemies, neighbors, or maybe ancient history, but with every encounter, the banter and angst kick up to simmering a little higher.  The time jumps back to the relationships when they were an item, intimate, and emotionally charged. But it shed a lot of light on the history they share.

From business to storm, now the author has my attention. I mean, they are on the North Carolina coast, so why not have a hurricane as well? Of course, they would get stranded together in her deceased grandmother’s cottage.  This book is quotable, but I can’t as I’m arc reading, but omg I love the build-up in the intimacy as they battle each other, their desires, and history. The steamy scenes are fueled by fire itself, totally combustible and so stinking sizzling hot. But will he pull the same stuff he did years ago? Can he be trusted? 

When it all starts to look sunny again, his life calls him back from his little paradise vacation, and he must go exactly at the wrong time. Now she has to trust him blindly, and well, I don’t blame her for having her doubts and second-guessing. 

Omg, so many moments of this book have me kicking my feet and squealing quietly, of course. Because they do something that, of course, has me giddy. Reading this book makes me hungry with all the talk of food, coffee, and yummy desserts. 

This is still a knock-down, drag-out fight for the cafe, but their relationship seems to be coming along nicely. But everything is still kinda dangling in the air. Well, at least their intimacy is memorable and adventurous. I mean, if you want to live vicariously through a couple while dreaming of a beach vacation in a small town, this book has all the vibes. 

This story has some great morals about second chances, finding yourself, trying new things, as well as learning and growing. I love that the author incorporated subtle life lessons into the romance story. I would probably have like sixteen book quotes highlighted if I could. The story is great. I love that they are midlife and found each other again, but also didn’t give up on their dreams to have each other.  The book ends with a sweet note of happiness for now and leads off to the epilogue. 

The epilogue is perfect, a wonderful ending for this lovely second-chance couple and a nice family moment. 

This book was more inspiring, definitely more steamy but not sizzling, and I adored that Talulah has so much spirit in the story. She is all sass, stubborn, and still soft, very relatable. I love that the characters are midlife and still finding their way. The life lessons and the way they are interwoven in the fabric of the narrative are perfect. I’m reading this book as an arc, and I am leaving an honest review voluntarily.

The overall storyline is an easy read with an interesting concept, but I love all the food, family, and, of course, small-town beach vibes.  Overall, this story was a great read. It didn’t get me emotionally, but I did love the practicality of the storm bringing them back together and the collaboration after the fact. It did have some memorable moments, mostly in some of the steamy scenes. Not gonna lie, if you’re looking for inspiration in that department, this might be a sweet but hot romance to add to your TBR.

If you would like to read Sea, Salt & Him by Harper Reynolds, you can find this book on Amazon. As an Amazon Assocaite, I earn on qualifying purchases.

If you like this book, you may also enjoy books with these tags and categories: Beach, Second Chance Romance, and Midlife Fiction.