The Sweet Life by Suzanne Woods Fisher

Series: Cape Cod Creamery #1
Genre: Contemporary Romance
Publisher: Revell
Released: May 3, 2022
283 pages

About the Book:

Dawn Dixon can hardly believe she's on a groomless honeymoon on beautiful Cape Cod . . . with her mother. Sure, Marnie Dixon is good company, but Dawn was supposed to be here with Kevin, the love of her life (or so she thought).

Marnie Dixon needs some time away from the absolute realness of life as much as her jilted daughter does, and she's not about to let her only child suffer alone--even if Marnie herself had been doing precisely that for the past month.

Given the circumstances, maybe it was inevitable that Marnie would do something as rash as buy a run-down ice-cream shop in the town's tightly regulated historic district. After all, everything's better with ice cream.

Her exasperated daughter knows that she's the one who will have to clean up this mess. Even when her mother's impulsive real estate purchase brings Kevin back into her life, Dawn doesn't get her hopes up. Everyone knows that broken romances stay broken . . . don't they?

Welcome to a summer of sweet surprises on Cape Cod--a place where dreams just might come true.

My Rating & Thoughts:    ⭐⭐⭐⭐

A Mother-Daughter story filled with characters I wanted to root for. If you love ice cream this will definitely have you craving some. Dawn and her mother are completely different personalities and approach life differently, but they are family and support one another. I related to Dawn so much. When Dawn's fiancé breaks up with her but gives her the honeymoon vacation she takes her mom to Cape Cod. This trip changes the direction of both of their lives. Dawn's mom, Marnie, decides to stay at the Cape and buys an ice cream shop. We follow the process of fixing up the shop and preparing to open for the season and the struggles faced along the way. The story deals with touches on various life challenges - the loss of a family member, cancer, and unexpected changes in life's direction. There was a character I didn't like at the beginning, but as the story progressed my opinion began to change and by the end I was okay with them. There was one character that really intrigued me and I am looking forward to the next in the series in hopes that we get to know more about them. Also there are some fun quotes shared at the beginning of each chapter.

(I purchased my copy of this book; opinions expressed 

in this review are my honest opinion and completely my own.)

Other books from this author that I have reviewed:   

   

On a Summer Tide - Three Sisters Island #1 

On a Coastal Breeze - Three Sisters Island #2 

At Lighthouse Point - Three Sisters Island #3 

The Letters - Inn at Eagle Hill #1 

 

Review: The Letters by Suzanne Woods Fisher

Series: Inn at Eagle Hill #1
Genre: Amish Fiction 
Publisher: Revell 
Released: August 1, 2013
316 pages

About the Book:

Rose Schrock is a plain woman with a simple plan. Determined to find a way to support her family and pay off her late husband's debts, she sets to work to convert the basement of her Amish farmhouse into an inn. While her family, especially her cranky mother-in-law, is unhappy with Rose's big idea, her friend and neighbor, Galen King, supports the decision and he helps with the conversion. As Rose finalizes preparations for visitors, she prays. She asks God to bless each guest who stays at the Inn at Eagle Hill. As the first guest arrives and settles in, Rose is surprised to discover that her entire family is the one who receives the blessings, in the most unexpected ways. And she's even more surprised when that guest decides to play matchmaker for Galen King.

My Rating & Thoughts:    ⭐⭐⭐

The beginning started out with quite a few different points of view that it was difficult to keep track of who was who, I felt like I had missed an intro to these characters. There was one particular character that I was drawn to and wanted to spend more time with them and expected them to play a bigger role in the story than they did. I feel like there were too many storylines being dealt with that each felt like it with competing with the others for attention. I think I would have enjoyed this more if there was more focus given to one or two storylines instead. This story wasn't what I expected after reading the summary. I don't recall much match-making happening and it was easy to forget that they were trying to run an B&B as we saw very little interaction with that. I did enjoy following the various viewpoints once I figured out who was who. I was pleased with the way the book ended and felt like the various threads were tied up.

(I purchased my copy of this book; opinions expressed 

in this review are my honest opinion and completely my own.)

Other books from this author that I have reviewed:   

   

On a Summer Tide - Three Sisters Island #1 

On a Coastal Breeze - Three Sisters Island #2 

At Lighthouse Point - Three Sisters Island #3 

Review: At Lighthouse Point by Suzanne Woods Fisher

Series: Three Sisters Island #3
Genre: Contemporary Romance
Publisher: Revell
Released: May 4, 2021
291 pages

About the Book:

Blaine Grayson returns to Three Sisters Island with a grand plan--to take Camp Kicking Moose to the next level. Her dream starts to unravel when she discovers Moose Manor's kitchen has been badly remodeled by her sister, Cam, who doesn't know how to cook. Added to that blow is the cold shoulder given by her best friend, Artie Lotosky, now a doctor to the unbridged Maine islands.

As old wounds are opened, Blaine starts to wonder if she made a mistake by coming home. Little by little, she must let go of one dream to discover a new one, opening her heart to a purpose and a future she had never imagined.

My Rating & Thoughts:    ⭐⭐⭐⭐

Book Three picks up two years later from book two and focuses primarily on Blaine, the youngest sister. When Blaine first arrived on the island she just wanted to leave, but now she has dreams to make the island her home. The family thinks they are helping, but in reality they have made things tougher for her. Blaine has grown up quite a bit since we first met her in the first book. Blaine quickly became one of my favourite characters as I progressed through this series. She tended to be overshadowed by her older sisters and gets ignored making her feel like her opinions don’t really count. She has been through some hard situations and it was uplifting to see her rise above the challenges and try to make her dreams come true. There is a side character that we know has romantic feelings for Blaine and I was cheering for them to get together, but when it happened it fell a little flat for me as all of a sudden it is there, I would have liked to see it develop a little more. I never fully connected with Cam and some of her actions in this book annoyed me and had me not feeling the sympathy for her that maybe I should have due to her situation. I loved watching Blaine’s interactions with Miss Peg

I really enjoyed that each book was told in multiple perspectives and allowed us to follow what was going on with each family member while still following one primary character. As their storylines continue throughout the series, I highly recommending this series back to back. 

(I purchased my copy of this book; opinions expressed 

in this review are my honest opinion and completely my own.)

Other books from this author that I have reviewed:   

   

On a Summer Tide - Three Sisters Island #1 

On a Coastal Breeze - Three Sisters Island #2  

Review: On a Coastal Breeze by Suzanne Woods Fisher

Series: Three Sisters Island #2
Genre: Contemporary Romance
Publisher: Revell
Released: May 5, 2020
288 pages

About the Book:

For Madison Grayson, life is good. Newly licensed as a marriage and family therapist, she can't wait to start her practice. Despite the unfortunate shortage of eligible bachelors on the island--they're all too young, too old, or too weird--Maddie feels like she's finally found her sweet spot. Not even one panic attack in the last year. Not one.

And then Ricky O'Shea drops in. Literally. Floating down from the pure blue sky, the one man in the world she hoped never to see again--the one who'd been her archnemesis from kindergarten through her senior dance--parachutes into town, landing on Boon Dock, canopy draping behind him like a superhero. Ricky O'Shea. Now Pastor Rick, the new minister on Three Sisters Island.

Time to panic.

My Rating & Thoughts:    ⭐⭐⭐⭐

Book Two picks up a year after book one finished, again it is early spring and the family is getting the camp open for the season. Maddie and a second change romance is the primarily focus of this book, but we still got quite a bit of the other family members storylines as well, which I truly enjoyed. I’m not a big fan of second chance romances, but I liked the guy in this one and it was funny how Maddie’s memories of their younger years was so different from how he thought he came across at the time. The church scenes were entertaining with the island residents piping up in the middle of the sermons. The Jonah and the whale story truly fit the environment. The sisters continually bursting into Maddie’s office was entertaining. Maddie would get so frustrated with them, but she still handled it well and was able to get them to realize for themselves what was truly frustrating them. 

(I purchased my copy of this book; opinions expressed 

in this review are my honest opinion and completely my own.)

Other books from this author that I have reviewed:   

   

On a Summer Tide - Three Sisters Island #1 

Review: On a Summer Tide by Suzanne Woods Fisher

Series: Three Sisters Island #1
Genre: Contemporary Romance
Publisher: Revell
Released: April 30, 2019
308 pages

About the Book:

Sometimes love hurts—and sometimes it can heal in the most unexpected way.

Camden Grayson loves her challenging career, but the rest of her life could use some improvement. “Moving on” is Cam’s mantra. But there’s a difference, her two sisters insist, between one who moves on . . . and one who keeps moving.

Cam’s full-throttle life skids to a stop when her father buys a remote island off the coast of Maine. Paul Grayson has a dream to breathe new life into the island—a dream that includes reuniting his estranged daughters. Certain Dad has lost his mind, the three sisters rush to the island. To Cam’s surprise, the slow pace of island life appeals to her, along with the locals—and one in particular. Seth Walker, the scruffy island schoolteacher harbors more than a few surprises.

My Rating & Thoughts:    ⭐⭐⭐⭐

This is book number one of the Three Sisters Island series and in book one we are following the Grayson family. Their dad has bought a run-down camp on Three Sisters Island after retiring from his radio job. He moves to the island to fix up the camp and then all 3 daughters come to help him. The girls are between the ages of 19 and 28. When they arrive on the island we meet the residents that live there. I felt like I had been transported to Maine alongside the Grayson family. The story is told through multiple points of view from various family members, but really focuses on Cam who is the oldest sister. But due to multiple perspectives we really get to know the other sisters and the dad pretty well. Each character felt unique, the sisters each have stuff going on in their lives and issues to work through but they are forced to work together to help their father restore this property. They were reluctant to come to the island at first but discover more than they could have imagined. One of my favourite parts of this book was the fight between the sisters that turned into an honest and heartfelt discussion. This moment helped them understand one another and made their relationship stronger in the end. The romance for Cam was subtle but I enjoyed watching it build and found myself cheering for them to get together. I immediately picked up book 2 after finishing this one.

(I purchased my copy of this book; opinions expressed 

in this review are my honest opinion and completely my own.)