Tittle           : Forever Mine (Hazel Island #1)

Author        : Iris Morland

Pub Date    : October 12, 2021

Pages          : 197

My Rating   : ★★★

The Summary

Gwen Parker relocates to picturesque Hazel Island to begin a new life following a contentious divorce. Relationships are not something she has time for right now because she runs a bed and breakfast.

It doesn't matter that her pal Jack Benson, who is tough and ruggedly attractive, makes her want more.

But Gwen is aware that she is too damaged from her past marriage to put herself in further danger of tragedy.

Jack Benson favors leading a lonely existence. He knows from his experience as a fisherman that relationships ebb and flow like the tides.

Gwen, though, is unique. She inspires him to desire a life he never thought he would want.

However, Jack is unable to pursue his feelings for Gwen without endangering their friendship.

Jack and Gwen are unable to deny their attraction to one another until temptation proves to be too great.

Can these two friends let go of previous heartbreaks to accept a newfound love when the past rears its ugly head?

My Review

The new novel in the small-town romance series introduces us to Gwen, the owner of the bed and breakfast on the island, which is located south of Seattle. This show has quirky characters and charming small-town appeal.

Gwen is a good woman in business, but she guards her private life like the doors to the Federal Reserve's vault. Jack's upbringing is the only reason he is an introvert. Their bond is unique and reliable, slowly growing over time. Although progress is challenging, emotions are more powerful. Moving on is made more challenging by a fear of past remarks and family judgment. Since they each had so many hurdles and fences in place, it was magnificent to see as they gradually removed them.

It was really entertaining to see Gwen and Jack interact. I found it sweet how they changed from being friends to friends with benefits, but they also just appeared to find so much peace and tranquility in one another's embraces. I admired their dedication to one another and the affection that did develop between them despite the fact that their previous relationships may not have been the best. Both their friendship and how everything ended seemed appealing to me.

The plot was intriguing and the writing was great, so I kept turning the pages. There are many powerful characters and powerful emotions in it. Although the plot moved along without any problems, the ending regrettably gave the sense that the author was hurriedly wrapping things up.

Ultimately, the novel is a good, enjoyable small-town romance comedy. Not your typical story of friends becoming lovers. Certainly not in the way I had hoped, but not negatively either. Even so, I enjoyed it.

My ratings score:

★★★★★ Fantastic! Made me go through a lot of emotions & the entire book is incredibly beautifully done! 

★★★★ Memorable! Despite its shortcomings, this book was incredible and taught us a lot. 

★★★ Good work! Nothing particularly remarkable, but still nice.

★★ Meh... Mediocre with great room for improvement.

★ Extremely Poor.