She owns The Heartwood Inn. He needs the land the inn sits on to impress his boss. Neither one of them will give an inch. But will they give each other their hearts?Alissa Heartwood captains a fishing boat and is the pastry chef for her family owned and operated empire on the island of Carter’s Cove. With the arrival of summer and all the festivities on the island, she feels lonely and left out. If only she had a boyfriend to waste her afternoons with…Shawn Newman used to be exactly that boyfriend. Sure, they were together in high school eighteen years ago, and he’s only going to be on his hometown island for a few weeks anyway. He just needs to get the Heartwoods to sell their land…and maybe he needs to kiss Lissa under the bright South Carolina moon.But the Heartwoods aren’t interested in selling, and Alissa is resistant to his reappearance in her life. As Shawn rediscovers the beauty of the island where he grew up, Lissa confesses that she isn’t looking for long-term, and he agrees to a few weeks of “fun.” Nothing serious.As they spend more time together, Alissa thinks she might have made a mistake… Can Shawn and Alissa take their relationship out of the fun zone and into something more serious?

My Review

Alissa is the pastry chef and fisherman at her family’s inn in Carters Cove, South Carolina. She takes her job seriously, so seriously that she struggles to find time for dating, relationships, or much of anything outside of work. Even in such a beautiful beach setting, work always comes first. Of course, right when she is least expecting it, an old flame walks back into her life.

Shawn is in town on business, specifically the kind of business that could threaten a long-standing family tradition. However, he also has ties to the island, and his growing attraction to Alissa begins to clash with the job he was sent there to do.

I loved that both characters are a little older, and the beach vibes start immediately. This story is filled with sun, sand, and a slower pace of life. The second chance romance, forced proximity, friends-to-lovers elements, and other fun tropes appear early on, while the author keeps the romance clean.

As the story progresses, the tension between Alissa and Shawn begins to thaw. Shawn finds himself torn between his island roots and his life in the city. The complication, of course, is that he is supposed to be helping his boss acquire the inn that means so much to Alissa and her family. The story blends past history, present-day drama, and uncertain feelings into a slow-burn romance. While I appreciated the restrained romance, I never felt like I got to know the characters deeply enough to become fully invested in them.

Miscommunication, or perhaps simply a lack of communication, plays a significant role in the story. While it adds tension, it also keeps the reader waiting for the characters to finally have the conversations they need to have.

Along with the small-town summer atmosphere, there is also a touch of holiday charm woven throughout the story, which I secretly adored. The book captures everything I enjoy about summer romances: beach days, small-town charm, community, and family traditions.

This book is set in the Heartwood Sea, which was helpful for my reading challenge and logging purposes. While I found it to be an enjoyable, uncomplicated read that moved quickly, it never fully connected with me on an emotional level. I enjoyed the journey, but I never became deeply invested in how everything would ultimately work out.

The dogs in the story were a sweet bonus and definitely added to the charm.

This book is being sold directly form the author and retitled from its originally publication name of Boyfriend by Mistake( Carter’s Cove Beach Romance) you can find this on her website as The Last Resort and The Shore Thing, Beach Reads Double. Two book sin one with some special edition extras in the story.

If you like this story you may also enjoy books with these tags and categories: Summer, Small Town and Second Chance Romance.