Season for Love

Spoiler Disclaimer

Synopsis

As a musician traveling from one gig to the next, Owen Lawry has always lived life footloose and fancy free, never feeling a burning need to settle down anywhere. He plays a summer gig on Gansett Island and throughout the past summer, he's also been helping to fix up his grandparents' old Victorian hotel, The Sand & Surf, one of the few places he has fond memories of from childhood. He hired Laura McCarthy to manage the place and they've both been living there while making the renovations. Being in such close proximity to one another, they've struck up a deep friendship that has blossomed into loving feelings that just might give Owen a compelling reason to stay in one place for a while. But when his mom shows up, revealing things about his past that Owen has been reluctant to share, he worries how these revelations might affect his relationship with Laura and her quest for a divorce from her philandering husband.

Newlywed Laura McCarthy came to Gansett Island to nurse her emotional wounds after discovering that her new husband never stopped dating. She's done with that chapter of her life and has filed for a divorce, but recently discovered that she's pregnant. Owen has been there for her, picking her up off the bathroom floor every day when the morning sickness hits her hard and being the best friend a girl could ask for. He's everything she's always wanted in a man, but she fears that the restless musician might grow tired of staying in one place, which makes her a little slow to admit her feelings for him. She's no sooner gotten over her trepidation, when her husband hits them with the bombshell that he's refusing to give her the divorce. Laura reluctantly asks for the help of her judge father, but even then her husband's demands in exchange for his signature on the divorce papers are more than either she or Owen are willing to give, leaving them with an uncertain future.

Review

Season for Love is the sixth book in Marie Force's Gansett Island series. This one focuses on an HEA for Evan McCarthy's best friend, Owen, and the McCarthy's cousin, Laura. The pair met a couple of books ago when Owen started renovating his grandparents' old Victorian hotel, The Sand & Surf, and hired Laura to manage the place. Laura was nursing a broken heart after finding out her brand new husband hadn't been faithful, while trying to figure out what to do after discovering that she was pregnant with his child. At the point where this story begins, Owen and Laura have been living at the hotel for the past few months while working on it, and during that time, Owen has been there for Laura every day, through her bouts of morning sickness. At the end of the previous book, Owen, a formerly itinerate musician, had just decided to give up his winter gig on the mainland to stay with Laura. They're both longing to deepen their relationship, but her husband has refused to give her a divorce and is making life difficult for them. She also has yet to tell him about the baby, and Owen feels it's important for her to at least do that before they take things any further between them. Unfortunately her husband doesn't react well, insulting Laura and letting her know that he hired a private investigator who's been following her around. Laura reluctantly gets her father, a respected judge, involved to try to put pressure on him, but it leads to him making an ultimatum that neither Owen nor Laura have any intention of giving in to. About that time, Owen's mom makes a surprise visit, revealing more of the childhood Owen has been hesitant to talk about and it isn't pretty. Worrying about how the events unfolding with his mom might affect Laura's divorce, he suggests that it might be better to temporarily separate, but Laura is determined to stand by the man who has always stood by her. Meanwhile, we get lots of updates and romance from the other residents of Gansett Island.

No one except his best friend, Evan, has ever known about the terrible struggles of Owen's growing up years. The only respite he got from those times were the summer visits to his grandparents on Gansett Island, where he has wonderful memories of the Sand & Surf hotel. Because of his Air Force general dad, the family moved around a lot, and that nomadic lifestyle continued into his adult years. For most of the past decade, he's spent his life on the road, living out of a VW van and playing gigs as a musician at various venues that included summers at the Tiki Bar on Gansett. When his grandparents retired, they gave stewardship of the Sand & Surf to Owen who has decided to renovate it to its former glory. He hired Laura to help out and run the place once it's ready to serve guests again, and has been enamored of her since the moment they met. Since he found out that she's pregnant, he's barely left her side and even canceled his winter gig to stay on the island with her. He never thought he'd find a reason to settle down, but Laura inspires him to want to stay in one place for the first time in his life. The only thing standing in the way of Owen taking his relationship with Laura to the next level is her loathsome husband who refuses to sign the divorce papers. Or at least he thought so until his mom unexpectedly shows up, leaving him having to explain his horrible childhood to the woman he loves and worrying how it might affect them moving forward. Owen is the sweetest guy, a giver and a caretaker, who has definitely become one of my favorite Gansett heroes. I started to fall for him from the moment he tenderly cared for Laura through her first bouts of morning sickness, and he's still there by her side every step of the way, holding her up through all the difficulties they face. There aren't many men who would stick by a woman who's pregnant by another man and wholeheartedly want to be a father to her baby. Owen, without a doubt, has Golden Retriever energy, loyal and kind to a fault when it comes to those he loves.

Laura is a cousin to the main McCarthy clan, with her father, Judge Frank McCarthy, being a brother to Big Mac. After her mother died, she, too, often spent time on Gansett with her uncle and aunt while growing up. She recently married a lawyer who she discovered right after the wedding was cheating on her. She immediately ended things with him and filed for a divorce, then went to Gansett to nurse her wounded heart. There she found a friend in Owen who hired her to manage the Sand & Surf and help him get it ship shape. When Laura realized she was pregnant with her ex's baby, Owen was there to scoop her up off the bathroom floor every morning and gently care for her through the worst part of her pregnancy. Now he's given up his winter gig just for her, and she wants nothing more than to deepen their relationship, but her ex won't sign the divorce papers. He also doesn't yet know about the baby and Owen thinks it's important to clear the air with him about that before they take things further. He accompanies her to the meeting with her ex and stands by her side through more nastiness. Laura hopes that her father can put enough pressure on her ex to convince him to let her go, but only time will tell. Meanwhile, when Owen's mom shows up out of the blue, she learns the terrible truth about his childhood that he's always been reluctant to talk about. Owen worries how that might affect the divorce proceedings, but Laura isn't about to leave the man who's given her so much. Laura is a kind, big-hearted person who's been through a lot. In the face of her ex's shenanigans, she shows a lot of grace and fortitude. He does manage to get to her when they meet, but Owen is there to help pull her out of her funk. I love that when Owen is the one who has to face his past, Laura is there for him in the same way he's been there for her.

Because Owen and Laura's story has already been unfolding throughout the last couple of books, their part in Season for Love only accounts for a fraction of the narrative. The rest is populated by the continuing stories of past and future heroes and heroines. We get updates on all the former characters, including Mac and Maddie (Maid for Love), Joe and Janey (Fool for Love), Luke and Sydney (Ready for Love), Grant and Stephanie (Falling for Love), and Evan and Grace (Hoping for Love). Without getting too spoilery, I'll say that two of these couples take the next steps in their relationships, one hits a rough patch and must find their way through it to the other side, and one receives a very unexpected surprise. While waiting for news on his recording contract, Evan gets a tempting business proposal from Ned. Tiffany and Blaine haven't seen each other alone since their passionate encounter in the previous book. Tiffany is still working through her own painful divorce, but Blaine makes it abundantly clear that he expects her to let him know when it's finally over. Theirs is the next book, Longing for Love, and I can't wait to see more of them together. David puts in a couple of appearances when a doctor is needed. He'll be the hero of the ninth book, Time for Love. We're introduced to Jenny, the new lighthouse keeper who has a tragic backstory, but she'll get her own HEA in the tenth book, Meant for Love. We get a quick visit with Slim when he flies Owen's mom to the island. He'll be the hero of book #15, Desire After Dark. Although they aren't really seen in this book, Laura's brother, Shane, and Owen's sister, Katie are mentioned, and they'll become the focus couple of book #12, Kisses After Dark. We were also introduced to Kara and Dan who just got a new spin-off book. Additionally there's a steamy, age-gap romance that begins between Joe's mom, Carolina, and Seamus, the charming Irishman Joe hired to run the ferry service while he's with Janey in Ohio. Once they get going, these two can't seem to keep their hands off each other, but Carolina is reluctant to take things beyond a one-night stand because of their age difference. I'm looking forward to seeing what happens next for them, as I'm sure their story will play out as a secondary romance in future books.

I really don't know how Marie Force does it, but somehow she's made me love every book in the Gansett Island series so far. Season for Love is certainly no exception. It's just the latest of her books to land on my keeper shelf. I adore Owen and Laura and think they're perfect for each other. They make a great team, both in their work on the hotel and in their personal lives. They share a heartwarming bond and are so giving and loving toward one another. Their chemistry is also off the charts, making their love scenes equal parts emotional and sexy. I loved the secondary romance for Seamus and Carolina. I instantly fell for Seamus when he was first introduced. I was hoping he'd get a book of his own and was a little disappointed when I didn't see his name attached to any of the other books of the series. I'm glad that he's finally getting some page time. He's a dream lover who's tied poor Carolina in knots over their age difference. However, since he doesn't seem inclined to take no for an answer, I have a feeling he's eventually going to wear her down. I adored all the updates on our past couples and where things are in their lives now. There's lots and lots of romance and loving going on, on Gansett. There must be something in the water.:-D I also enjoyed meeting new characters, as well as the updates that will propel characters we already know into the spotlight. I can't express how much I enjoyed Season for Love and the series in general. Gansett is such a warm and welcoming place that seems to provide healing and hope for all who come there. Not to mention there are so many hot, sexy men who know how to treat a lady right. It all makes me wish it was real place so I could visit. (Yes, I know it's based on a real island and maybe someday I'll make it there, but Gansett will always just be a place that only lives in the hearts and minds of the author and her readers.) In any case, I've loved the journey so far and can't wait to continue, because there's a great deal of story left to explore.

A Gansett Island Wedding - Bonus short story. "A Gansett Island Wedding" is included at the end of Season for Love and it walks readers through Luke and Sydney's wedding day, which also happens to be Christmas Eve. High school sweethearts separated when she went to college, they were reunited years later after Sydney went through an extreme tragedy in which she lost her entire family to a drunk driver and Luke was there to help her pick up the pieces. These two have waited so long for their happy ending, so this bonus story was very welcome. It's obvious how perfect they are for each other. Neither feels much trepidation on their big day, only a sense of calm and rightness that they're finally together. It was a beautiful moment with all their closest friends and family present, followed by a joyful party and some red hot lovin'. I look forward to seeing a lot more of this core couple in future books of the series.

Visit

Marie Force

Themes

Beta Heroes
Pregnancy Stories