Serenity Harbor is a very sweet and heartwarming book that I found to be quite touching at times. I truly appreciated the autism rep, and felt like RaeAnne did a really good job tackling that in a way that felt realistic and respectful.

Serenity Harbor is pure sweetness and heart shared in an amazingly loving story. The location is perfect for the story of Bowie, Milo, and Katrina. There is so much need, love, hurt, and fear within the relationship of these three. Each character, even little Milo, have their own history to work through. Bowie and Milo have to deal with the loss of their mother and the rough starts on life she gave each of them. Katrina is dealing with her bad boyfriend choices and the hopes of adopting her daughter.

Katrina is my hero. She takes it upon herself to reach out to a little boy who is obviously struggling with life and make his life so much better. She has the patience and understanding to know what Milo needs and how to reach out to him. Katrina could take a breakdown and turn it around with just a few words. The best part of the story for me is seeing Milo come out of his shell and become more involved in life.

Serenity Harbor is an easy book to read. I fell into the story and didn’t want to come back out. I could feel the love of the town, the townspeople, the families, and Bowie and Katrina. I recommend picking up your own copy.

Raeanne Thayne is really good at writing nice, feel-good stories.
And this one absolutely was. Not one of her best though.
The romance lacked a little intensity, passion.
As romance go it was rather meh (albeit well written).

I really enjoyed this book. I love this series and it never gets old. I love visiting with old friends and meeting new.
Katrina thinks that Bowie is cold and unfeeling towards his little brother. He really is not he never met his little brother before he gained custody. Bowie did not know he existed. Bowie hires Katrina to help with child care.

i highly recommend this title

Thank you Netgalley and Harlequin for allowing me to read this title for an honest review

Serenity Harbor is the sixth book in the Haven Point series, but only the second one I've read, and it's another touching, sweet, heartwarming and charming novel that addresses some very serious issues, and it gets 5 stars from this reader.

We first meet Katrina Bailey and her friend Samantha at the market, where man-crazy Samantha has just spotted the new hunk in town, Bowie Callahan, wealthy part-owner and new director of R&D at the Caine Tech company that's recently moved into town. Katrina, who's been living and working as teacher in Colombia, is only back in town for several weeks to act as maid of honor in her sister's upcoming wedding. She isn't terribly interested in Bowie, considering herself a terrible judge of men in general since the last man in her life left her stranded in Colombia without a dime, ID or her passport, and she refuses Sam's offer to introduce her to Bowie. That all changes when she bumps into him again in the produce aisle, where the child she assumes is his son is having a meltdown and pitching a fit. She recognizes immediately that the child, Milo, has autism, and, as an elementary school teacher, she recognizes the signs and manages to talk him down. As it turns out, Milo isn't Bowie's son, Milo is his 6-year-old half-brother, one he didn't even know existed until a couple of weeks ago, when his estranged, addicted and dysfunctional mother, Stella, died, and left the care and custody of Milo to him.

While living and working in a Colombian orphanage, teaching English to the children, Katrina (Kat) met and fell in love with Gabi, a 3-year-old little girl with Down Syndrome, and she's been trying to adopt her and bring her back to the U.S. ever since. As someone with both an adopted niece and nephew from Colombia, I'm well aware of just how difficult, convoluted and corrupt the adoption process is in that country, and the many hoops one must jump through to be successful. I'm also well acquainted with autism, and how difficult is can be to raise someone on the autism spectrum, especially for someone with zero experience with autism or with parenting in general.

When Bowie and Kat keep running into one another in the small town of Haven Point, and he sees how quickly her relationship with Milo develops and how quickly Milo has become attached to her, he tells her that the third nanny he'd hired for Milo has quit and he offers her a staggering amount of money to work as Milo's nanny for the few weeks she's in town for her sister's wedding, which is when the new specialist he's hired to work with Milo will arrive. While Kat resists at first, that huge payday means she'll have a better chance and more resources to help her complete the complicated adoption process and adopt Gabi, and so she accepts, eventually moving into Bowie's home, since Bowie often works long hours well into the night.

Both of these well-drawn characters haven't had it easy. Bowie grew up an outsider, often homeless and hungry with his hippie/junkie/free-spirited and careless mother and not a clue as to his father's identity. He ran from her in his early teens, got his GED and hacked his way into MIT, being a brilliant software designer. Katrina had her own troubles as a child who also was an outsider due to her epileptic seizures. She was bullied, and laughed at school and overprotected by her mother. Although her seizures dwindled away during puberty, she's been looking for acceptance ever since, going from man to man, or more accurately from loser to loser, and has decided that since she's such a bad judge of men, that she'd rather avoid them altogether, and simply be a mother to Gabi.

Because this is a romance after all, familiarity between Kat and Bowie breeds both interest and affection, but as the relationships between Kat, Bowie and Milo develop, and as Milo begins to improve, accept and adore her, what will happen when Kat is ready to leave and return to Colombia? How will Milo react to the new specialist, and what will these two troubled relationship-shy yet deeply driven individuals do about their mutual attraction? You'll just have to read this excellent, multi-layered and emotional novel yourself.

If you've not read any of the books in the Haven Point series before, they all work as standalones, but you will meet a large cast of characters in this one as the wedding plans progress. While I'm usually bothered by a bunch of unknowns interspersed into a later installment in a series, this novel held so much interest for me, that it seemed like a mere inconvenience.

This is not your average romance, as it deals with both troubled childhoods, bullying, and special needs children. If you're expecting hot sex scenes, this is not the novel for you. However, if you're looking for a sweet, deeply moving and serious story with depth, do not miss this one. It's a gem!

I voluntarily read an advance reader copy of this novel. The opinions expressed are my own.

A story about a young teacher who is in the process of re-evaluating her life and in the middle of adopting a special needs girl from Columbia when she meets Bowie Callahan – a computer-tech millionaire and his special needs brother.

Reading a Thayne book is like coming home to a sweet cup of warm chocolate. The story is lovely, warm and sweet. I found myself drawn to the two people who were trying hard to find a way to deal with the new developments in their lives.

Katrina had sworn off men due to her boyfriend dumping her on their trip to Columbia and all she wants to do is adopt a little girl she met on her trip and become her mother. Bowie just found out about Milo his young brother who has a possible case of Autism and hopes that Katrina could help him while he awaited the Autism specialist. The attraction between the two had a rocky start, but I loved watching it grow between them through the story and enjoyed seeing these two develop as characters.

The ending was super sweet and heart touching.

DNF @48%

I've never read RaeAnne Thayne before but I don't think this book was a good choice as a start for me.

I’m not in the mood for a “romance” where they just push each other away because they have too much going on in their lives or previously made plans. Don’t most people have a lot going on? Somehow when you find the right one you can’t help but fit them in and then tackle life together.

When a publicist reached out to me about reading Serenity Harbor by RaeAnne Thayne for review, I was over the moon. Y'all, I discovered this series at the end of last year and quickly became obsessed with it! Here's how it all started: in December, I'd been chatting with Kelly from Belle of the Literati about her love for holiday romances. That conversation and the fact that I couldn't stop watching Hallmark holiday movies put me in the mood for that type of book. But I didn't know where to start because I typically avoid the romance genre!

However, as luck would have it, I was browsing Amazon's Kindle Daily Deals page around that time and spotted Snow Angel Cove, Redemption Bay and Evergreen Springs for $0.99 each. I won't lie: I primarily wanted to read the books because of their covers. They're so pretty! Instead of just starting out with the first book, I fully committed and bought all three. Although this bookish habit has backfired on me in the past, it was the right call with this series. I started the first book on December 19, and I finished the fifth on December 25.

It was the best kind of series binge, and I made a mental note to talk about them on my blog. But, of course, I never got around to it. Thankfully, being invited to participate in the blog tour for the release of Serenity Harbor on June 27 ended up being the perfect motivation! I didn't want to just talk about the new book, so I'm gushing about the series overall. Don't worry, there aren't any spoilers! Here are six reasons y'all need to visit Haven Point (each is loosely matched with a specific book, but the reasons apply to the series overall):

1. The charming characters.
Your introduction to the town of Haven Point is through the eyes of Eliza Hayward in Snow Angel Cove. She arrives in the little mountain town to find that the job she was counting on has gone up in flames... literally. Aidan Caine thinks he has the solution to her problems, even though she's skeptical. But she's desperate, too, and will do whatever it takes to provide for her sick daughter. As soon as I started the first book, I knew I was in for a treat. Thayne writes such lovely, charming characters. It's easy to reduce them to quick descriptors (like the downtrodden single mom or the workaholic tech genius), but the books let you see their hopes and fears in ways that make them feel realistic. While I could relate to some characters in the series more than others, I enjoyed spending time with all of them. They each have their charms, and I was rooting for them to find love and a place to belong in Haven Point.

2. The romantic relationships.
Of course, I have to talk about the romance with Redemption Bay because it has one of my favorite tropes: hate to love. McKenzie Shaw is the mayor of Haven Point, and she will do anything to save her struggling town... including play nice with Ben Kilpatrick. When he closed down his family's factory years ago, it left the town's economy in shambles. Now he's back to figure out if his tech firm can open a local facility there, and a lot of old animosity is resurfacing. Needless to say, I was all in! Since I don't typically read this genre, I wasn't sure what to expect from the romances in this series. They ended up being exactly what I wanted but wouldn't quite have known how to articulate. They're sweet, pretty chaste, often slow burn, and always leave you with a smile on your face. You know when you start these books that they are headed towards a happily ever after, but Thayne makes each minute of the journey there count.

3. The seasonal spirit.
Christmas is the last thing on Cole Barrett's mind in Evergreen Springs. Ever since his ex-wife died in a tragic accident, he's barely keeping things afloat for his two kids. When physician Devin Shaw waltzes into his life, she makes him an offer he can't refuse: she'll help him make Christmas special for his kids if he'll allow her patients access to the hot springs on his property. And a little holiday magic is just what their hearts all need! Since my desire for a holiday/winter-y read is what first drew me to this series, I'd be remiss not to mention it on my list. The first, third, fifth and seventh (coming in September) books in this series are all set during the holidays - and I loved that about them! If you want to read something the captures that cheery feeling you get during the holidays, you'll want to pick up these books. But don't worry: there's lots to love about the season in the second, fourth and sixth books, too! It has its own charms.

4. The dose of drama.
Wynona Bailey is a police officer in Riverbend Road, so her job has always involved a certain amount of drama. But lately her personal life does, too. She wants more from her career and from handsome Cade Emmett. The only problem? He's her boss and her brother's best friend. She's convinced that he just sees her as a little sister, but Cade is keeping his distance for different reasons. When Wyn is injured in the line of duty, it forces both of them to face what they've been hiding. For me, these books just have the right amount of conflict in them. I like the different internal conflicts throughout the series - all the ways the characters avoid and/or make peace with their feelings. But I like the external conflicts too: the overprotective brothers, the natural disasters, the threatening people from the past, the life-threatening accidents, the struggling economy, etc. It helps shake up the predictability and make each book an adventure!

5. The sweet setting.
It seems fitting to talk about the setting with this book since Snowfall on Haven Point has the town's name in the title. Andrea Montgomery is hoping that she's finally found a place that she and her kids can call home after the death of her husband two years ago. She's already agreed to keep an eye on her neighbor, Sheriff Marshall Bailey, as he recovers from a hit and run. Neither one of them is thrilled about the arrangement, but it's hard to say no to the people in this town. And y'all, I wish this place really existed! I really like the way Thayne describes this adorable small town and how each book reveals more reasons that I wish I could vacation there. But even more, I love this community! I love picking up a book, often already knowing a little bit about the main characters, and waiting patiently for references to characters from previous books. The connectedness of each book in this series gives them a familiarity that's comforting.

6. The sense of support.
I read the first five books within a week in December, so I was worried when I picked up Serenity Harbor that the charm might have worn off. Thankfully, it felt like coming home! The last thing Katrina Bailey wants to do is work for Bowie Callahan, but she knows she's the right person to care for his young half brother, Milo. Plus, she needs the money and it's just for two weeks. But a lot can happen in that time... I love all the friendships and families throughout the series. Thayne gives you so many different and unique relationships. For example, in this book alone there's Katrine's tense relationship with her mother, her love for her siblings (Wynona and Marshall, from previous books), her longing for the girl she hopes will become her daughter and her changing friendship with Samantha. I love the sense of community that exists by getting to see the characters' support systems (or lack of one). These books aren't just about the romance!

Do I need to say more? The Haven Point series is worth checking out, especially if you're a fan of sweet contemporary romances. Although I generally know how they'll end, I enjoy every second I spend in this town! I have my favorites and least favorites, of course, but the series is really consistent overall. From the lovable characters to the heartwarming setting, these books never fail to leave me with a smile on my face. They're just so fun to read, and there's something to be said for books that bring you joy. I have a feeling I'll be revisiting this town again and again in future re-reads when I need some chemistry with a dash of comfort.

Review: This book is a contemporary romance, and is part of the Haven Point Series. The other books don’t need to be read in order to understand the plot of this book.

I was happy and surprised that the brother of the main character, Bowie, was diagnosed on the Autism spectrum. I don’t see many romance novels bring this subject into their books, so this was something that really made my day. I liked the interactions between the two brothers when you first meet them, because I feel that the reader gets a good basic understanding of the child, Milo, as well as the man, Bowie. The frustrations that each of them are feeling in that particular moment are well written and truly allows the reader into a real world scenario that they have either scene or have lived through. Milo represents all children with autism. He was this sweet, funny, different little boy that has a totally different aspect on life than most people do, and that’s ok.

The only negative thing I have to say is that I had a hard time liking Kat. I found her to be condescending and a bit too in your face about things. I think what really left a bad taste in my mouth was the scene after the altercation at the grocery store. Bowie was introducing himself to Kat and was trying to explain Milo’s autism diagnosis, and Kat corrected Bowie that Milo was a person first and his diagnosis second. I didn’t like that scene because it was after a very highly stressful situation and the last thing a caregiver needs is to be reprimanded by a stranger. It just really bugged me.

I also liked Bowie because he was charming and endearing to me. He’s this computer whiz that totally forgets about time and commitments not because he doesn’t care, but because he gets so focused on what he’s doing that everything else goes by the way side.

That being said, I enjoyed the small town feeling of Haven Point, and all of the secondary characters were fun to read about and I would love to get to know them better. If the reader enjoys small town romance, I say this book could be for you.

I loved this one! Bowie has recently moved to Serenity Harbor with his little brother Milo. Milo had a rough start in live, one Bowie is familiar with. Wanting to help Bowie overcome his obstacles and have a better life he is determined to do the best he can. Kat is back in town for a wedding, and agrees to help Bowie with his brother. Of course, sparks start flying right away. I loved watching Bowie and Kat overcome their obstacles and learn how to be in a relationship. For me though it was just as satisfying to watch Bowie's relationship with his brother form and for him to find balance in his life he didn't have before taking Bowie. I loved all all the stories intermingled.

There's too much drama here and not enough self confidence from the heroin.
I liked the hero just fine and he kind of saved the book for me, especially at the end, when taking the lead.
I think it won't be my preferred RaeAnne Thayne, but I appreciate the ability of this author to relate serious subjects and bring them to our knowledge.

The next in the Haven Point series and with each read in this series I love it more and more. This episode centers around Bowie Callahan who has moved to Haven Point to work for Caine Tech a company that he has worked for since its founding and he has a big reason - his half brother Milo to live there in a small quiet town. Katrina Bailey is from a prominent family in Haven Point and has come home for a wedding, but is determined to return to Columbia.

As all romance books go, the reader is pretty sure of what the ending may look like, but the journey is still fun! With Katrina's background as a teacher and interest in children with needs she is a perfect fit to help Bowie figure out the best care for his half brother who has come into his life.

I loved the push and pull of this relationship, it never felt fake or forced and it just worked. I completely loved both of these characters and it was so easy to read their meeting and eventual love story.

I read this book completely in one sitting at the pool and it was the perfect companion for the pool day. I will definitely be continuing this series as long as it continues.

Katrina and Bo’s story fits the Haven Point series vibe well: it’s sweet rather than spicy, with characters you can care about in a small town you’d love to be a part of. This time around, young Milo steals the show. Thayne is great at writing kids who tug at your heartstrings, and Milo is charming despite his challenges (he is autistic and initially nonverbal.) Kat is a natural with him, a primary-school teacher who has a soft spot for, and training in working with, children with special needs. I liked Kat a lot, especially her fierce love for the Columbian child she wants to adopt. To be honest, she’s such a great young woman that I had a little difficulty buying into her insecurities, even though her backstory made them plausible.

It took me several chapters to warm up to Bo, but as I saw more of his commitment to Milo and his own backstory, I came to really like him as well. He’s stuck in a difficult situation between his job and the challenges of caring for his previously unknown brother, and he hasn’t yet figured out what and how he needs to change–but you know he’ll do his best.

I’m not quite sure what it was that didn’t pull me in as deeply as some of the previous books in the series. It may simply be that I was sick (literally) when I read it. And I don’t mean that I didn’t enjoy it, because I certainly did, just not quite as much as, say, Snow Angel Cove or Riverbend Road. Call it a 3.5 instead of a 4 – enjoyable, warm, and comforting. (And bear in mind that I rarely give 5 stars to anything unless it’s truly amazing, or I’ve re-read it multiple times; 3.5 stars means I liked it very much.)

There’s another Haven Point story coming out in time for Christmas, and I’m already looking forward to it. It features town librarian Julia Winston and another of the Caine siblings, Jamie. (Brother Aidan starred in the first Haven Point book, and several other Caines are featured in the earlier Hope’s Crossing series.) RaeAnne Thayne writes wonderful Christmas romances, so I’m sure it, too, will be delightful!

As always Thayne has provided us with a book that is most satisfying. While Kat wants to adopt a small child, she is tasked with helping a neighbor with caring for his half-brother, a lad the older brother only came to know after the death of the boy's mother. Miles can be quite a handful, but then so can his big brother. Thayne has never let me down..

While I really enjoyed Kat's new found maturity and her ability to treat children with such compassion, I wasn't too excited about the relationship between her and Bowie which should really be the centerpiece of the book. Not every book in a long running series can be your favorite and for me, this one was that one.Updates and info on other Haven Pointers was fun and I believe there will be another wintertime installment to look forward to.

This was my first experience reading any of RaeAnne Thayne's books, and despite this being the sixth book in the series, there was no loss of understanding or continuity in the story. I'm always impressed when authors can provide the needed background as characters are introduced without the dreaded infodump. I was able to become acquainted to each character without feeling as though I was missing something. Each book within the series focuses on different residents living in the Haven Point community and I really enjoyed visiting this small, quiet town in Idaho. As time allows, I would definitely love to check out the other books in this series.

This was a slow burning romance between two people with very different, but difficult backgrounds who were brought together through their love for a little boy with autism. Bowie has recently obtained guardianship of his younger brother, Milo, who he never knew existed, and though he wants to provide a stable life for Milo, the boy's autism and inability to speak becomes much more than Bowie bargained for. Kat has returned for a short visit to Haven Point for her sister's wedding after spending time in Colombia teaching English. Her special connection with children causes her to intervene during one of Milo's meltdowns at the grocery store, and desperate to help Bowie, she agrees to work with Milo until she returns to Colombia, where she hopes to adopt a young girl with her own special needs.

While the attraction is immediate between Bowie and Kat, I thoroughly enjoyed how the story largely centers on them building their relationship beyond any sort of physical intimacy. Each suffers from a lack of trust in other people and by gradually getting to know one another, they begin to realize that perhaps they can find love after all. However, this back and forth became quite tedious at times, as the same emotions were being repeatedly expressed. I also had a difficult time determining how I felt about Kat. On one hand, I loved her interactions with the children and her ability to create meaningful and lasting engagements with them; however, she would often come across as overly antagonistic to Bowie that really played into drawing out the hate to love aspect of their budding romance.

Overall, the author's ability to truly capture the struggles to fit in and find acceptance especially in regards to those with disabilities makes this a very heartwarming story and took this light romance to an inspiring level. It was so refreshing to read about characters living beyond themselves and trying to make a difference in the world around them.

I hope you give this one a read! I look forward to returning to Haven Point in the near future, as the next book features the town's librarian!

This is a really lovely reading experience.

RaeAnne Thayne has a wonderful writing style that creates realistic and likeable characters facing real life challenges. The reading is easy and warm making this move along at a quick pace.

Katrina struggled with illness that made her childhood difficult. She got better in her teenage years and discovered boys about the time they discovered her. She has made some poor choices in men and life since. But her last bad choice brought her to a life changing experience. Katrina discovered a special child in Columbia, Gabriela, whom she is determined to adopt and bring back to America.

Kat has returned from Columbia for three weeks to attend her sister’s wedding. Only Kat’s best friend, Samantha, supports her plan as even her mother doesn’t believe she has changed her flighty ways. Sam points out her latest interest, the newest, handsome bachelor in town, Bowie. Kat has no plans to look at any man while she is focused on adopting Gabi. But Kat realizes that Bowie is struggling with a young boy about to throw a tantrum. Kat manages to distract the boy and learns that Milo is Bo’s autistic, five-year-old half-brother.

Bo has struggled to overcome his own childhood being raised by a young, single mother who could barely care for herself. Now he has accepted guardianship of a half-brother he has just met. Bo knows nothing of handling children and being faced with one who has autism and doesn’t speak has really set his world spinning. Fortunately, Bo made a fortune as a computer tech genius so he can afford good care to help Milo. Since the specialist he has hired as a nanny won’t arrive for three more weeks, Bo offers Kat an outrageous sum to help take care of Milo during that time.

Initially Katrina wants to avoid the all too handsome man but she can really use the money to help with adoption expenses. She agrees to sit for Milo and a day or so later finds herself moving into Bo’s home so she can be there morning and evenings as Bo works late. This puts Bo and Katrina in close proximity trying to resist the chemical attraction that flares along with the growing respect for each other.

Bo has never known stability and love and he doesn’t know how to convince Katrina to stay with Milo … and him. Katrina doesn’t want to be distracted by a temporary fling when she must stay focused on her ‘daughter’. The tension expands as these two dance around their blooming feelings.

I really enjoyed the warmth and charm of this story. I was touched by Bo’s tenderness for Milo and Kat’s caring approach to Milo and Gabi. There is extra conflict added by the expectations and concerns of Kat’s mother, by Sam’s crush on Bowie and by the long-distance adoption efforts. This is part of a wonderful series but can be read as a standalone. It is delightful reading and I recommend it to readers who enjoy small town romance and the special children portrayed in this gem.

I received this through NetGalley for an honest review..

I really enjoyed my first trip to Haven Point with Riverbend Road. I liked it so much that I went back again to experience Snowfall on Haven Point. So when this one popped up at Serenity Harbor, it seemed like a great time to go back!

I haven’t managed to go back and read the first four books in the series, but I’ll probably get around to it sooner or later – this is a nice place with terrific people. It also feels like it’s right next door to Robyn Carr’s Thunder Point, even if the geography doesn’t work out. But you don’t have to read them all to get right into the action of this one.

That being said, I’m kind of glad I had read Riverbend Road, because the wedding that all of the Baileys are back in town for is the one that is set up in Riverbend Road, the wedding between Wyn Bailey and her former boss, Haven Point Police Chief Cade Emmett. The story in Serenity Harbor is not really dependent on the previous book, but it is nice to see Wyn get all of her happy.

Serenity Harbor is Wyn’s sister Kat’s story. Katrina Bailey is back in town for her sister’s wedding. She’s spent the past year in Colombia, teaching English and helping out at a local orphanage, where she’s fallen hard for Gabi, a special needs child who has become her daughter in everything but blood. And paperwork. Endless, endless, EXPENSIVE amounts of paperwork.

And Wyn seems to be the only member of her family who really, really gets that Kat will do anything to take care of 4-year-old Gabi, even if that means moving to Colombia permanently. Kat’s overbearing mother is just certain that if the right man comes along, Kat will forget all about little Gabi.

Because that’s the way Kat used to be. She ended up in Colombia because she was following the wrong man. That’s what Kat used to do, fall for whoever was handy, without thinking. But since she found herself in Colombia, alone and broke with Gabi depending on her, Kat has been determined to become a different, better and more responsible person.

And that’s where Bowie Callahan steps into the picture, along with his little brother Milo. Milo, like Gabi, is a special needs child. But where Gabi has Down Syndrome, Milo is somewhere on the autism spectrum, and Bowie, chief technical wizard at Caine Technology, has no idea how to cope.

But then again, until about a month ago, Bowie had no idea he had a little brother. It was only upon the death of their mother that Bowie learned that she had had another child long after he cut ties – ties that he desperately needed to cut for his own survival.

That’s where Kat steps in. Literally. She’s an elementary education teacher who specializes in kids with special needs, so when she sees Milo about to have a meltdown at the grocery store, she steps in and deflects him until he calms down.

Bowie offers Kat an absolutely outrageous salary to become Milo’s live-in nanny, baby-sitter, caretaker and teacher while she’s in town for her sister’s wedding. Kat, partially against her better judgment and partially to get away from her overbearing mother, takes the job, reasoning that the outrageous salary will help fund her quest to adopt Gabi.

What she doesn’t count on is falling in love with both of the Callahans. By the time she’s ready to go back to Colombia, she breaks both Milo’s and Bowie’s hearts, and very much vice versa. But Gabi needs Kat. And Kat needs to stand on her own two feet, for the first time in her life.

No matter what it costs.

Escape Rating B: The ending of this one seriously got me in the feels. So much so that it raised the grade from the Cs to the Bs in one single pang of my heart.

I also really liked Bowie and his relationship with Milo. He loves his little brother and manages not to resent all the changes that Milo has made in his life. He’s frustrated a whole lot of the time, and with good reason, but he never resents Milo himself. But his life is completely out of control, and he has no idea how to get it back on track. Not that he hasn’t tried, but Milo defeats anyone who doesn’t know how to care for him. There’s a specialist on the way, but she’s tied up for another three weeks, and Bowie has a gap he can’t fill. He’s tried. He loves Milo, but love is not enough.

Bowie is a computer programmer, and a damn good one. Also very successful at it. But I recognized his habit of losing all track of time when he’s “in the zone” because it’s a very familiar pattern to anyone who has a programmer in their life. When they’re coding, they are just gone. So I smiled every time Bowie did this, because it was so familiar.

I liked Kat as a person. She was a great heroine for this story, and the author did an excellent job of introducing the challenges and the joys of parenting a special needs child through Kat’s and Bowie’s relationships with Milo and Gabi. This story did a great job of making me feel for this situation, in spite of my not usually enjoying stories that center around difficulties with child-raising.

But, and it turned out to be a very big but, I had a difficult time understanding why Kat refused to let Bowie in. I didn’t feel as if I got enough of Kat’s past trauma to really buy into her belief that what she felt for Bowie, and what he felt for her, was just another one of her bad decisions about men, which don’t seem all that bad in retrospect. They seemed like typical high school, college and early 20s experiments.

I understood why she wanted to stand on her own two feet in regards to Gabi’s adoption, but she walled everyone out to the point of not discussing her her hopes, or her quite reasonable concerns about the process, with anyone who might help her think things through or even provide a sounding board. Every time she dithered about it, the story sagged a bit. At least for this reader.

But that ending made me tear up. Happy tears, but an intense reaction for a book that I struggled with a bit in the middle. I’ll be back to Haven Point this winter with Sugar Pine Trail. I want to see how they’re all doing! And the heroine is a librarian, which makes this one doubly irresistible!

Katrina Bailey is an English teacher living in Columbia. She wants to adopt a local child but lacks the money for all the paperwork. Kat travels to Haven Point, Idaho for her sister’s wedding. She grew up in this town and plans to stay with her family for a few weeks.

While in Idaho, Kat sees a six year old boy having a meltdown in a grocery store. She distracts and soothes the child who is named Milo. His brother Bowie observes the interaction and is impressed with Kat’s skills. Bowie has been caring for Milo since his mother’s death and he is ill equipped to deal with his autism. He has a high pressured job running a software company and knows very little about children with learning disabilities. Bowie is in a bind and hires Kat to help Milo during her stay. Kat is turned off by Bowie’s arrogance but she needs the money to cover the legal fees for her pending adoption.

This is the sixth book in the Haven Point series and it can be read as a stand alone book. The story shows people with different experiences coming together after a chance encounter. I enjoyed this well written novel by RaeAnne Thayne.

Serenity Harbor is the sixth book in the Haven Point series, yet it can be enjoyed as a standalone novel. I enjoyed it as a standalone novel and had no issues falling in love with the characters and the town. In fact, I now plan to go and read the prior books in the series, as I wish to know more about the characters and the romances that are already in existence. Moreover, I already have book seven sitting on my Kindle, ready to be read extremely soon.

The tale of Serenity Harbor is, in all honesty, quite a simple one. The simplicity of the tale, however, merely adds to the impact of the story. It gives us a realistic tale of love, the story of two people finding love when they least expect it. It’s simple and sweet, yet I can easily imagine it happening in the world. It made a nice chance from the drama filled romance novels I so often read. Whilst you’re pulled into this one, the story holds a tight grip because you’re interested in the characters, not because you’re curious as to how the drama will play out. I’m not saying this story is completely drama free – every romance story has drama to a certain degree – yet we’re not forced into life or death situations in every other chapter. As I said, realistic.

For me, the strongest part of the story was in our child character. I often find that young children can make or break stories, especially when they’re pivotal to the storyline. Sometimes it can feel as though the author has included them simply as a prop, never allowing you to develop feelings for the child. Such is not the case here. Whilst my heart was doing regular summersaults due to the romance between our lead characters, it was beating an even faster rate when we spent time watching the child develop. He truly is a wonderful character. You love him, you want the best for him, and you cannot help but connect with the story because of him. He really is a wonderful character. Add in the fact we have another child in the background, another we grow to care about, and this book pulls at your heartstrings in a large variety of ways.

Without a doubt, this is an emotion filled read. I’m not saying you’ll be sitting holding tissues to your eyes to blot away the tears nor will you be chuckling at every other sentence – it’s not the extreme ends of the emotional scale. This a more subtle emotional read, one that slowly pulls at your heartstrings. Every so often, there will be an extra dip into the emotional cocktail, one that leaves you with palpitations you cannot ignore, yet with the emotion being consistent throughout, it’s hard to notice when you’re sucked into the story just how deeply you’ve connected with each of the characters.

Without a doubt, you’ll be sucked into this one, addicted from start to end. It quickly becomes a story you cannot put down, in my case forcing me to read it in a single sitting. You need to know what happens. You need the specifics of how everything plays out. You need to see the emotions through until the end of the story.

If you’re looking for a beautiful romance, look no further than Serenity Harbor. It will leave you enchanted with the Haven Point series and wanting more.