Having read Ellyn Oaksmith’s Summer At Orchard House (Blue Hills Book 1), I was looking forward to reading Promises At Indigo Bay, Book 2 of the Blue Hills series.
Promises At Indigo Bay
Our life together meant more to me than he could possibly imagine. I just wanted another night. I thought I knew what was coming. A proposal. If only it had been that simple.
Things are finally working out for Stella Gallagher. Unlucky in love and faced with limited options in her small town, she was beginning to give up on romance altogether, until mysterious Italian Paolo Gentillo moved to Chelan…
Paolo is smart, kind, gorgeous and, most importantly, they’re completely obsessed with each other: Stella has finally found her match. Everything would be perfect, except there are things she hasn’t told Paolo—she doesn’t know how he’s going to feel about her when he finds out about her past…
So when Paolo proposes, Stella panics: it’s way too soon. She wants to be with him, but suddenly they’re talking about forever. He doesn’t even know the real her, she’s scared to face up to her secret, and she’s never felt so alone. Is the damage from her past going to threaten her chance at a perfect future?
A heart-warming story about learning to trust in yourself and the people you love, Promises at Indigo Bay will show you that it’s never too late to try for your happy ending. For fans of Robyn Carr, Carolyn Brown and Debbie Macomber.
My review
It was nice to travel back to Washington’s Wine country and meet the characters from the first book again and see how their stories progress. (This book can still be read as a standalone though).
This is a heartwarming story of love conquering fears and preconceived notions. Stella and Paolo make a lovely couple despite their cultural differences. Paolo makes Stella feel loved and cared for and safe for the first time in a long while. Stella loves him too deeply and he’s thrilled to have the strong and independent woman by his side. But change comes in the form of Paolo’s proposal and Stella’s world seems to have turned on its head. She does not want to lose Paolo. But making a commitment of this kind scares her. It brings up a lot of unresolved memories and also challenges her about her lack of relationship with her parents. However, she’s not going to give in to Paolo’s strong, manipulative, Italian mother! How she works her way through resolving this ‘problem’ makes for a great read.
Stella’s friend, Carmen and her lovely family, the Alvarezes, are always there for her. However, Carmen initially is standoffish about Stella’s forthcoming wedding, but comes around eventually and stands by Stella.
I love the great, loveable characters including Paola’s mother in the book!
The conversations are fantastic especially those between Stella and her mother-in-law to be and Paola’s incorrect English phrases really made me smile!
A lovely, easy to read and sweet romance.
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Meet The Author
Ellyn Oaksmith is the USA Today and Kindle bestselling author of the Blue Hills Series, featuring the Alvarez family.
After graduating from Smith College and attaining her MFA from The American Film Institute, Ellyn began her writing career as an award-winning screenwriter in Hollywood. Her books explore the same themes as her screenplays: grit, humor, family and love.
Ellyn lives on one of Seattle’s many hills with her husband and spends as much time as possible on the water as part of a competitive rowing team.
Connect with the author: Website | Facebook | Instagram | Twitter
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I received an ARC of the book from the publisher, Bookouture, through NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.