Happy Harbor
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4.0 • 8 Ratings
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- $11.99
Publisher Description
From USA Today bestselling author Rachel Hanna, Happy Harbor is a heartfelt hometown romance perfect for fans of Debbie Macomber and Susan Mallery.
Josie Campbell has spent her entire adult life distancing herself from her childhood in the small Southern town of Happy Harbor. Growing up with an alcoholic mother who was either absent or scandalizing the town with her antics, all Josie ever wanted was to escape to somewhere no one knew her as Diane’s daughter. Now, she finally has it all—a great job, a condo in one of Atlanta’s most desirable areas, a successful fiancé, and her teenage daughter, Kendra, enrolled at a top-rated school.
But when that life falls apart, and her beloved nana dies, Josie is forced to return to the one place she never wanted to visit again. Soon, she finds herself stepping into Nana’s shoes in Happy Harbor: running her quaint restaurant, living in their family’s historic home, and bumping into Walker Jackson—the disturbingly handsome man who lives in the guest house—on a near daily basis. All of which sounds idyllic, if it weren’t for the painful memories lurking around every corner. Still, the place seems to be good for Kendra, who begs to stay, and Josie is inclined to at least make an attempt at a new life in this old town.
That is, until her mother turns up. Diane insists she’s truly sober now and wants just one more chance. Nana’s last wish was for the two of them to reconcile, and she’s even arranged things to help make that happen. But with a lifetime of painful experiences that have taught her not to trust this woman, can Josie truly bring herself to forgive Diane?
PUBLISHERS WEEKLY
In this familiar contemporary from Hanna (Chasing Sunsets), an acerbic single mother and her rebellious teenage daughter find they can go home again. In quick succession, Josie Campbell gets fired from her Atlanta, Ga., marketing job for refusing to be a team player, dumped by her condescending fiancé, and told that her daughter, Kendra, has been expelled from school. Then she learns that her beloved grandmother has died, leaving Josie her house and restaurant back home in Happy Harbor, S.C. Josie does not intend to stay in Happy Harbor, especially after she finds her mother—whose alcoholism made her childhood miserable—working at the restaurant. But her grandmother's will requires her to stay in town for six months without firing any staff. Josie must learn to moderate her impatient and distrustful nature if she's going to manage the restaurant, reconnect with her mother, and build a relationship with her grandmother's handsome tenant. Unfortunately, her bad attitude makes her an unsympathetic protagonist and hampers the book's intended feel-good vibe. The love interest is too perfect to be believable, and though the setting is quaint, it's not enough to carry the story. This is nothing special.
