Love on the scottish summer coast by Beatrice Bradshaw

He never moved on. She never looked back. Until this summer.

Fourteen years ago, Kirsty Munro left her small Scottish hometown – and her first love – behind. But when she’s called back to run her family’s seaside café, she runs straight into him.

Connor Bannerman. Burly, broody, off-the-charts hot. Also the man who broke her heart. He’s back from offshore. He’s single. And their chemistry is hotter than ever.

Forced to work together at the small town’s food festival, their old spark reignites fast. But will their second chance survive secrets, small-town gossip, and the once-in-a-lifetime offer waiting for Kirsty back in London?

My Review

Kirsty is originally from Scotland. She has been living in London for the last fourteen years, working as a journalist but not really with big career aspirations. She likes the stories, but not the greasing of elbows and backstabbing part of it. She is single, midlife, and quite funny. She gets called home because of a family emergency and must come home to run the family café in Scotland.

“She was a tough, big-city girl, she could handle a quick trip down memory lane.”- Kirsty

Connor works on an oil rig in the North Sea.  The author is quite hedonistic with her words upon describing what takes place on this oil rig. Apparently, home holds bad memories for him, and he uses his job to escape them.

Of course, Kirsty and Connor, teenage exs,  run into each on the small town of Cairnhaven in the grocery store and cause a ruckus. But we do get the flashback to the breakup that sent them both running. Her parents’ cafe is struggling, but they are stuck in the past. They have a lot of realistic history to unfold and work past, and there is a lot of miscommunication.

Her dad is diagnosed with a chronic illness( Parkinson’s Disease). Of course, Connor seems to have a hero complex and wants to make up for his regrets, which means he gets roped into assisting her family’s cafe and her in village festival stuff, which he isn’t exactly comfortable with, but it gets him in very close proximity to Kirsty.

The banter is feisty and under-toned with attraction. Oh, the attraction finally heats up as they discuss the secrets of the past, and I’m surprised she initiated it first. I love his nickname for her and the fact that she is fierce but also fragile.  Connor is protective but loving. This may be a second-chance romance with midlife fiction, but it is like they are fixing what broke at eighteen and starting back where they left off after they fixed the damage.

“Her orgasm was the most scrumptious thing he’d ever had for breakfast.”- Connor

Well, this book gets steamy and a little wild. It seems these two have reignited their hormones and are rediscovering adult passion. Her life feels pulled in different directions: her job and home in London, her parents and their dreams in Scotland, and her heart with Connor. What will she choose?

I know what I would decide, but Kirsty is a bit of a firecracker and does have her own dreams, so no idea what her decision will be.  The choice is small town or big city? What will she decide, and will her decision break hearts, even her own?

In the meantime, Connor goes back to being hopeless, back to the rig soon, and thinking he doesn’t matter as much as the big city job, but really, the decision is in Kirsty’s hands. So she makes her decision, and he becomes a martyr instead of the backbone she needs. I guess the second time is the charm, and Connor screws it up again.

So she lost herself yet again until the traumatic wake-up and clunked her on the head moment, but she was coming to the realization. But maybe this time she’ll stay. Oh, they finally make a mature decision for themselves, not because of someone else, but it sets them on the course to each other for the third time.

‘I know what you mean. As forgotten as this corner is, there’s something about Cairnhaven. It’s like the land itself has a way of calling you home, no matter how far away you’ve wandered. And I must know, I’ve wandered as far away as possible.’ – Kirsty

This book ends with a lovely woman in charge, happily ever after.

This story is enjoyable, with a great setting, a charming small town, the café, and a strong second-chance storyline. However, the contrast between her fiery personality and his passivity felt off to me, and the ending, while satisfying with her in charge, seemed unusual. The characters eventually make the right choices for themselves, though it takes time and some setbacks. The relationship and steamy scenes are mostly mature, but at times feel adolescent again. Overall, there is vivid scenery and a nice flow to the storyline.

If you would like to read Love on the Scottish Summer Coast by Beatrice Bradshaw, 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: Second Chance Romance, Summer, and Midlife.