Continuing with her wonderful series, “From Manhattan With Love”, Sarah Morgan extended her series to the extended family, and each book is a treasure trove of fun, emotions, romance and charm.

With Daniel finally settling down with Molly, looks like fate is pointing it’s finger towards Felicity Knight aka Fliss and her handsome and sexy vet Seth Carlyle and did I mention that he was also her ex-husband, once upon a time.

With lots of unanswered questions, a terrible past that widened the gap between these young lovers, and a love that refused to die, destiny has different plans for Seth and Fliss. Escaping to the Hamptons from New York to avoid Seth, she literally ends up in the same place has Seth…talk about karma and fate!

Seth will not let Fliss go this time, and Fliss has a bucket load of insecurities to overcome and accept the fact that she never was able to let Seth go. Filled with some witty and emotional conversations, opening herself to family and friends, overcoming the fear of love and loss, Sarah Morgan created Fliss to perfection. With immense patience and love, tenacity and understanding, Seth is one of those book boyfriends, you wish was in your life.

Sarah Morgan’s “From Manhattan With Love” series is utterly charming, whimsical and enchanting as the magic of New York spreads to the extended family. And looks like Cupid is ready to strike the second Knight twin.

Received an ARC from Harlequin via NetGalley for an honest review.

From Manhattan With Love is the one series this year that I have bought all the paperbacks for, addition to having the ebooks because I love the series so much that I wanted to have them visually present on my bookshelves, as keepsakes. I guess that is a true book-girl thing...
Why do I love the series - and Holiday in the Hamptons -so much?
The characters are real, they are like us, like the people we meet every day and spend our time with. They live in this fairytale, yet they have real problems, real issues, relationships that are challenging, and families that not only drive them mad but shaped them to be the people they are today.
The dialog is lively, it is sassy, and borderline bantering even when talking to and with their grandmom. And the dialog is refreshing, it is fun, and it is built such way that it keeps the plot flowing forward and the moment alive and vibrant, keeping the energy elevated in every scene.
Each story in the series has had me completely lost in the tale, right there with the characters, feeling and experiencing life with them. I love the closeness of the friends they have, the love and support for their siblings are admirable.
Felicity 'Fliss' Knight is a bit of a drama queen, she is a woman with big emotions. Fliss is the most loyal, protective, and loving to those she cares about, yet she is the master of hiding her feelings and running from the emotions that tumble inside of her heart and mind. Coming from a dysfunctional family, she is used to protecting her twin sister, she is used to standing in front of any threat towards her, might that be bullying, hurtful words, or painful emotions. At the same way, she has learned to protect herself and her feelings, hiding from the possible pain a rejection and dismissal might bring.
Seth Carlyle is the golden boy, the successful, friendly, kind, considerate, handsome vet of the town, that everyone admires. He is open, honest, and a loving man and recent loss had made him realize letting Fliss go ten years ago was the biggest mistake of his life. Determination and patience are Seth's strengths, and he is going to need them to convince Fliss that trusting him, opening up to him, and learning to love him are going to be a worth the risk of pain.
As much as this is a story of second chance romance, this is a story about families, the influence the growing up years has on us, and how it shapes us as people. There is always more going on behind the closed doors than anyone outside can know, there is no such thing as a perfect family. Yet the love and caring are there, the loyalty, and protectiveness is strong. Fliss has a lot to learn from the broken family of hers and she has much more to offer to people around her that she might give herself a credit for. Holiday in the Hamptons is a story about learning to trust, to be open, to share the deep, dark, scary thoughts and emotions that most would rather run away from. It is a story about learning to be vulnerable and exposed to loved ones to make the relationship work and last a lifetime.
While this was a fun, entertaining, and witty story of love, trust, and families, it also has life lessons embedded in it that made me take a notice. A cleaver, smoothly flowing, humorous, and delightful tale to continue the brilliant series
~ Four Spoons with a teaspoon on the side

This was my first book by Sarah Morgan and as such, the first in this series. I had no trouble following along and actually I didn't even remember that it was a series until I started to review the book. In reading the book, I had no idea! Yay!

This was a great beach read, escape story and every entertaining. I loved the bit about the twin sisters, Fliss and Harriet, and how it was hard, if you didn't know them real well, to tell them apart. It reminded me of that "Parent Trap" movie, only a lot more grownup.

I sped through this book and while the main character, Fliss was going on and on about whether she should give Seth a chance and did she really have any feelings for him, yada yada yada. While some books can drive you crazy with this issue, I think the author handled it beautifully. I did not tire of the story or characters and sped right through.

Thanks to Harlequin, HQN Books and Net Galley for providing me with a free e-galley in exchange for an honest, unbiased review.

Fliss Knight is moving onwards and upwards. She and her twin sister, Harriet, have followed their passions for animals and are the Bark Rangers; a dog-walking service in New York City. Their business has taken off since working with Urban Genie (shout out to Eva, Frankie, and Paige from the previous books in the series). Fliss is looking to expand the business, hire more people, looking forward. She was so determined to move forward that she is thrown off course when her past comes back for her.
Seth Carlyle has followed his passion of animal welfare and has become a veterinarian. He has tried to move on in the last ten years since he let the love of his life, his ex-wife Fliss, walk out of his life. He has dated other women but no one has held a candle to her. When tragedy strikes, he realizes life is too short to not follow your passions. He followed his passion in his career, now he is determined to follow the biggest passion of his life: Fliss.
I was so excited to have received the next book in the From Manhattan With Love Series for review! I have read the previous 4 books and I am pleased to state that this book was just as great! It has the grit of miscommunication, insecurity, and surviving rough childhoods mixed with humor, wisdom from supporting characters, and the cleansing purity of true love. It has the character development that is gripping and showcases that just because love is not about only the highs but how you go through the lows together.
This is the fifth book in the series, however, all of these books can read as standalones. I started this series with the third book, loved it so much that I immediately dug into the first two books, and am now caught up and can't wait for the next book! The stories in the series zero in on each couple and how they develop their relationship rather than other series where the books must be read in succession in order to make any sense. In fact, Eva has a strong presence in the first few books, especially in the book all about her love story in Miracle on 5th Avenue (From Manhattan With Love #3), and I was delighted that she is mentioned a time or two in this book. Furthermore, Chase and Matilda were supporting characters in this book and I loved their romance. After finishing this book, I was hoping a book later in the series would be about how they came together. But GUESS WHAT? It turns out their love story started off this great romance series in the prequel book Midnight at Tiffany’s (From Manhattan With Love #0.5)! I was not aware of this but I am so excited to dive into that book! I am also excited to read the next book in the series which I hope will be about Harriet, Fliss’ twin sister. The readers get to know Fliss and Harriet as supporting characters in the last book as they are the twin sisters of Daniel, one of the two main characters, in the book New York, Actually (From Manhattan With Love #4). Although their rough childhood with an emotionally and verbally abusive father was described in New York, Actually, it is described in Fliss’ perspective in this book and is therefore able to be read as a standalone.
My favorite character is Fliss and Harriet’s grandmother. My sister and I used to go to my grandmother’s cabin every summer and spent a lot of time together perfecting her perfect Chocolate Chip Cookie recipe. We also spent a lot of time in the water, although my grandmother’s cabin was on a lake and not by the ocean. I felt that I could relate a lot to Fliss and her childhood memories in that sense.
I would highly recommend this book for all romance lovers as well as for readers who enjoy reading about overcoming the pain of the past.
I would not recommend this book for those who may be offended by mild foul language, divorce, mental abuse, miscarriage, and sexual scenarios.

One of the reasons I like reading romances is because of how they focus on problem solving. Characters may run away in the short term, but ultimately they have to knuckle down and do the hard work. People talk about the romancing and courting in these novels, but that’s not what’s important to me. Whether it’s a billionaire who never had to fight for anything or a single mom trying to do right by everyone but herself, or any number of other traditional romance plots, most romances look at what tears us apart, and what we need to do to pull together and stay that way. It’s never simple, and it could be internal and/or external forces opposing, but it’s always worth the effort.

Why is that important? Well, Holiday in the Hamptons might have an innocuous title, but it’s knee deep in the big problems. The book description barely hints at what’s going on, but you learn Felicity, or Fliss as she’s called, is a mental abuse survivor from the prologue (which you really should not skip over). Maybe half her side of the problems between her and Seth are a result of survival training in childhood. This is a second chances story, and both of them had to grow up a bit from their first whirlwind relationship and quick marriage with even quicker divorce. Fliss is not there at the beginning, but Seth has realized what he lost all those years ago and is willing to stick it out until she is ready. Even so, he doesn’t understand the depths of how this has affected her, or how much his own childhood is coloring his perceptions about what she’s doing and feeling.

I loved the many themes mixed into the story. The strongest were tied between perceptions versus reality, and how perfect is subjective and involves much more than looks.

The first theme opened up all sorts of amusing moments because Fliss is a twin, but the two of them have very different personalities. At the same time, underlying Fliss’s attempts to pretend to be her sister are complicated fears and deep-seated beliefs hammered into her through a lifetime of shielding her sister from harm. I can’t speak to Seth’s side without spoiling some stuff, but I’ll say at least that his feelings are based on more than just outward appearance, and always had been.

Seth being a veterinarian and Fliss working with dogs offers opportunities to open up, and many lessons in how to help someone suffering from PTSD. Usually PTSD stories are of soldiers, so I appreciated the look at how abuse victims are impacted even long after the abuse has stopped.

The delayed reveal of the details of their past relationship only annoyed me up to the point where we start to get Seth’s opinion. It becomes clear what happened then is both very tied to the present and part of what Fliss has to come to a new understanding about. This is also true of the time jumps and summaries throughout the story that allow it to take place over an extended period with enough time for Fliss to begin to heal realistically.

There were many wonderful supporting characters, including a romance author and a bunch of dogs, that were fully fleshed and not always supportive. There was one disappointing moment for me with a secondary character, but it was well within that person’s nature. I just hope she grows out of it. That disappointment is a big part of the theme of perfect being different for each person. No one else can recognize your perfect, so should not interfere when you’ve found it.

This is a complex story, and I could go on about it longer, but I’ll stop here with the following: Fliss and Seth are on a difficult journey. The characters, lead and supporting, are very real, and because of that, they can be frustrating. There are on-screen sex scenes, but both necessary to the plot and not described in significant detail. True to the romance promise, the book ends in a happily ever after, but it’s a hard road to get there with a lot to think about on the way. A strong tale well worth the read.

P.S. I received this title from the publisher through NetGalley in return for an honest review.

Felicity 'Fliss' Knight never thought she'd come face-to-face with her ex-husband again, but when he starts working at her local vet clinic, Felicity is determined to avoid crossing paths with him. So, when an opportunity presents itself for Felicity to get out of town, she takes it. Yet, when Fliss's plan comes unstuck and she finds herself face-to-face with Seth Carlyle for the first time in ten years, she doesn't know what to do, except stay away from him. However, Seth doesn't make things easy and Fliss finds herself falling for him all over again. Will they get their second chance at happy ever after or will their past demons keep Fliss from taking a chance?

Ms. Morgan is a new-to-me author and I've got to say that I really enjoyed this book because of the hero and his determination to win the heroine back; the intense dialogue that made me sympathize with the main characters because of what happened that tore them apart; the entertaining secondary characters that had me laughing with their teasing banter because they want Fliss to be happy; and the tough obstacles that had me wondering if this pair would be able to overcome them. The way this story started with the prologue had me hooked, as it reveals how difficult Fliss's life was with her father and how her relationship with Seth made it better. However, it was from the moment where the hero and heroine met for the first time in the present that made this story fast-paced for me, as I wanted to know whether Seth would be able to win the heroine over, especially since she's lying to him to protect herself. Will Seth discover the truth or does he already know?

As for the dialogue, it was intense due to the main characters back stories, especially that of the heroine, as her upbringing was so different to his. Where the hero had a loving family, Fliss did everything she could to keep herself safe from the one person that should have done everything to protect her. Moreover, the heroine is strong and brave, yet I found her a tad frustrating when it came to her denying her and Seth's second chance at happy ever after. Just because she had a horrible upbringing and that things didn't work out with the hero the first time around, it didn't mean that the second time couldn't be different. Didn't Fliss realize she could trust Seth? Yet, in saying that, I liked the moment where she began to give the hero a chance, because she did still have feelings for Seth. I also liked how Fliss did everything she could to prove her father wrong by building a successful business that she's determined to make even successful.

While Seth, he's done well for himself, yet I couldn't help but sympathize with him when it came to his sister meddling in his love life and trying to push him into something he didn't want. I also liked how kind and caring he is towards his patients and that he would do anything for the animals he treats. Yet, what I liked most of all about the hero was his determination to win the heroine back and that he didn't push her to open up to him about the past until she was absolutely ready. I also liked that the hero had the secondary characters on his side and that they all sang his praises to Fliss, because he's the most open and honest person that does right by those he loves and cares about.

Overall, Ms. Morgan has penned a really good read in this story where the chemistry between this couple was as strong now as it was in the past, where the romance showed how good these two are together, and the ending had me smiling because Fliss and her twin sister would do anything for each other, which is proven by what her her sister does for Fliss because she doesn't want the heroine to miss out on her second chance at love. Yet, what I liked most about the way this story ended is what Seth was willing to do to be with Fliss and vice versa. Will they stay in the Hamptons or go back to New York? Will Seth give up everything he's worked so hard for, or will Fliss make the sacrifice and do her best to expand her and her sister's dog walking business in a new location? I would recommend Holiday in the Hamptons by Sarah Morgan, if you enjoy second chance romances or books by authors Roxanne St. Claire, Jill Shalvis, Susan Mallery and Julie James.

This is one of the best books I have read in awhile! It was simply magic! Fliss and Seth are some of the best written characters I have encountered in a long time! The chemistry between them was great and so was their story.

I also loved the setting, for me The Hamptons is a magical place. I loved the summer setting, the dogs, the fact that Seth is a vet. All of it. The love scenes were spicy and satisfying and I loved the ending. It was all good! Well done!

Surely the summer of 2017 isn’t already coming to a close? Say it ain’t so and grab Sarah Morgan’s Holiday in the Hamptons to eke out the last few weeks of read and relax (a booklovers’ version of Netflix and chill). Seth Carlyle and Felicity Knight ran into each other in New York, Actually, the fourth in Morgan’s From Manhattan with Love series. To say Felicity aka Fliss was uncomfortable, is to vastly underplay her feelings at seeing her ex-husband 10 years after the end of their brief marriage.

But she’s not going to be able to avoid him. Their professional lives match up like two peas in a pod. Fliss, with her twin Harriet, is one half of the successful dog-walking company Bark Rangers, and Seth is a vet. Manhattan can shrink to the size of a village in circumstances like that. Fliss may be the queen of canines on Manhattan’s East Side, but her run-in with her ex disturbs her equilibrium. She can’t hide her feelings from her twin who is also her business partner and housemate.

“Oh. What’s that for?” She felt her sister’s arms tighten around her.

“I hate seeing you hurt.”

Which is why she never let her twin see the true extent of her hurt. “Of course you do. You’re the good twin. I’m the bad twin.”

“I hate it when you call yourself that. I would love to have your qualities.”

“You don’t have room for any more qualities. You’re already loaded with them.”

“I hate it when you call me ‘good,’ and one of these days I’m going to do something really bad to prove it.”

“You couldn’t be bad if you tried, although if you ever decide to give it a try I hope you’ll call me. I’d like to see it. You’re strangling me, Harry. I can’t handle affection before I’ve had at least two cups of coffee.” And because she didn’t trust herself not to say more than she wanted to say. Harriet’s affection was like a key, unlocking a part of herself she preferred to keep secured.

“You’re not bad, Fliss.”

“Try telling that to Seth and the rest of the Carlyle family.”

Confronted by Seth’s sudden reappearance in her life, Fliss’s options are flight or fight and she opts for skedaddle. Stat. Fortuitously, Fliss’s grandmother needs help getting on her feet. Ordinarily, Fliss’s more domestic twin, Harriet, would be the one running out to the Hamptons to help. It’s a measure of Fliss’s distress that she actually falls back on her old childhood ploy of switching places with her twin (needless to say, fooling no one, particularly not her wise grandmother).

And especially not Seth Carlyle who may have a toehold in a veterinary practice in Manhattan but he mostly lives in and works out of his office in, guess where, the Hamptons. Heroes who know what they want and aren’t about to take no for an answer can be stalkery or stellar and Seth falls under the really-good-guy heading. He loved Fliss years ago, he loves her still and that’s that.

Their relationship might only have lasted a few scorching months, but vet Seth knows Fliss–if she’s run away to The Hamptons, it’s because she still feels their connection and it terrifies her. He let her go once before, when he didn’t know any better, but not this summer!

Seth has an accomplice in his quest to rekindle his relationship with Fliss, a Deus Ex Machina, if you will. It’s his delightful dog Lulu. Sarah Morgan has a delightful way of portraying canine cupids. While Fliss is driving about the roads near her grandmother’s cottage, mulling over the past, she momentarily loses concentration, “and in that moment a dog shot into the road. He appeared without warning, a blur of golden brown.” Fliss is distraught: “Along with her other crimes she was now a destroyer of innocent creatures.” Could life get any worse?

“She’s fine, It’s a trick of hers.”

The voice punched the air from her lungs. She wanted it to be a mistake, but the recognition was visceral, and she wondered dimly how it was that a voice could be so individual, like a fingerprint. It could have belonged to only one person. She’d known that voice measured, teasing, commanding, amused. She’d known it hard with anger and soft with love. She’d been hearing that voice in her dreams for the past ten years, and she knew there was no mistake even though it made no sense.

What on earth is Seth doing in the Hamptons? Fliss is looking to avoid him, not run over his dog Lulu. Luckily, Seth loves every strange, singular aspect of Fliss’s personality. As he confides in a friend, “She puts the imp in impulsive.” With “a sprinkling of beachside magic,” Seth and Fliss rekindle their youthful love—greatly aided by the fact that neither has ever stopped loving the other. Holiday in the Hamptons is the perfect coda to the summer season…and come Christmas time, Sarah Morgan will be sharing Harriet Knight’s story in Moonlight Over Manhattan.

Comical, sweet, and delightfully charming!

Holiday in the Hamptons is a second-chance romance set in the idyllic seaside community that features Fliss, the energetic, scarred business owner and Seth, the handsome, generous, veterinarian in a story that emphasizes that sometimes even when you’ve found the one when it comes to love timing is everything.

The prose is light and fluid. The characters are adorably warm and funny, including the saucy grandmother and all the four-legged furry friends. And the plot is a rollercoaster ride full of life, love, heartbreak, loss, friendship, family, trust, chemistry, and of course some delicious heat.

I have to say that once again, Holiday in the Hamptons has proven that when in comes to writing emotional, heartfelt stories with loveable characters and irresistible happy-ever-after endings Morgan is one of the best.

Thank you to Harlequin Books for providing me with a copy in exchange for an honest review.

This is the first time I’ve read Sarah Morgan, but I love Holiday in the Hamptons so much that I am currently devouring her backlist. Seth Carlyle and Felicity Knight were childhood friends, who spent summers on the beach together in Sag Harbor, New York. As they grew older, romantic feelings developed, and they eloped when they were just 18-years old, but their marriage only lasted three months. They went their separate ways and never discussed their breakup, leaving both were wounded from the experience. They have not seen each other in ten years until both find themselves back in Sag Harbor.

Seth never stopped loving Felicity, and he wants to reconcile with her but knows they’ll need to go through the painful process of confronting what went wrong between them. Felicity is still profoundly affected by Seth, but she’s scared and reluctant to revisit the past. She resists his overtures at every turn, but he’s irresistible and determined and slowly regains her trust, which allows her to drop her defenses and open her heart. Their second-chance love story is emotional and authentic and left me smiling and fulfilled. There’s nothing not to love about Holiday in the Hamptons.
-USA Today's Happy Ever After

This is the fifth book in the From Manhattan with Love series that you should be reading. We are in our second set of three that you know you love about romance series: the first three are in BFFs that start a business together and fall in love one-by-one, now we are on three siblings that are business associates of the first set of lovers. I love when previous couples make cameos and update us on everyone’s lives.

Holiday in the Hamptons has us hightailing it to, you guessed it, the Hamptons with “bad twin” Fliss with the excuse to help her ailing grandma but really to escape her hunky vet ex-husband who has moved to NYC. Before she even gets all the way into town she runs into--literally, with her car--Seth outside of his home. Surprise!--he was just in the city to help a friend vet out (and to secretly try to get back with Fliss after ten years). Fliss does what any sane person does when encountering the man she never got over: pretends to be her identical twin sister, Harriet. What could possibly go wrong?! Of course, like any quality dream man, Seth sees right through this, but plays along, figuring that it may be the only way to get Fliss to talk about her feelings.

I really love this series, it is guaranteed to make you smile reading it. I started at the beginning and suggest you read it that way (of course), but you can read them in any order. Also, sixth book is set to be out on November and I can’t wait!

A delightful read perfect for a lazy day on the beach!  A short-lived whirlwind of a marriage when they were young left Felicity Knight and Seth Carlyle guarding their wounded hearts as they each went on with their own lives. Lack of communication doomed them before they even began. This is a sweet, yet somewhat frustrating reunion. Seth was easy to love, and Fliss was easy to sympathize with, but I still found myself wanting to shake some sense into her a couple of times. :)

A decade has passed since Fliss and Seth were married. They barely had time to blink before it was all over and they were living separate lives. Now she's a professional dog walker, and he's a veterinarian who is crossing her path again. Will they finally be able say the things they left unsaid and have a little peace from the end of their relationship? And when old feelings flare up, will they decide they were worth a second chance?

Favorite Quotes:

With her father, there was no cause for the anger. It was as if he rose in the morning and bathed in it.

Nothing to tell. And don’t worry, he didn’t see me. Because I dropped to the ground like a Navy SEAL on a secret mission. I didn’t move until I was sure he’d gone. I had to stop a passerby calling 911, which was both annoying and reassuring because usually New Yorkers are too busy doing their own thing to pay much attention to a body on the ground.

We’re not populating Noah’s Ark, Vanessa. We don’t all have to be in twos.

It’s classic Fliss. She puts the imp in impulsive.

There was a hot ball of fire lodged in her throat, and she realized with a lurch of horror that she was going to cry.

“We are the Poker Princesses, didn’t you know? … Why so surprised?” Her grandmother studied her over the rim of her glasses. “You think poker is something played by men throbbing with testosterone in a smoke-filled room, is that it?”

“Live while you’re young,” Dora urged and Jane nodded. “Before your hips creak.”


My Review:

Sarah Morgan exported her lovely Manhattan Bark Rangers magic to the Hamptons for an engaging yet complicated second chance romance. Ms. Morgan sent along her own special blend of endearingly flawed characters and amusing storytelling with heaping helpings of heart-squeezing angst. There were lots of humorous observations and cute animals to love and enjoy, and along with several clever dogs I was also panting and drooling over the handsome, thoughtful, swoon-worthy and model-sexy veterinarian named Seth. Fliss and Seth had experienced a hot and heavy summer fling that ended rather traumatically when Fliss was all of eighteen, and ten years later and they were both still stinging from the fall-out. Fliss was a closed off, stubborn, and frustrating character, prone to frostiness and mistruths; I wanted to give her a few good pops with my Kindle. Although when Fliss had a grip on her anxiety, she had sass, and I like sassy gals. I also adore Sarah Morgan’s clever humor, witty word-craft, and insightful writing style. I cannot wait to see what she does with Harriet’s story.

Fliss and Seth share a history that was left in the past ten years ago. He broke her heart, she broke his, and they walked away from their brief but passionate love. However, now Seth is in Manhattan, working at the vet office Fliss and her twin/business partner, Harriet, frequent with the animals they care for. Since talking to Seth would be too difficult for Fliss, she flees the city only to end up in Seth’s arms.

Right from the start, Holiday in the Hamptons sets the stage perfectly for the emotional journey that is Fliss and Seth, and I fell in love with the idea of Fliss and Seth. Teenage crushes, first loves, broke up for all the wrong reasons. This second-chance romance brings together two people who have always been in love, but lack of communication and some other external issues tore them apart. The opening prologue set the stage for what I knew would be both a heart-wrenching and heart-warming story. I love that their relationship brought readers some of both. This is probably the slowest slow-burn romance I’ve read, but it’s just marvelous. The emotional connections are worth it.

I was concerned with Fliss’s idea of pretending to be her twin, Harriet, as I am not a fan of the mistaken-identity trope. But my worries were for naught, because the author has fun with the situation, yet never lets it get out of hand. I mean… if you are related to someone, can you really fool them by pretending to be another? There are several silly moments, but there is a larger benefit to Fliss’s efforts. When pretending to be Harriet, Fliss doesn’t have to have her walls up, and she can talk to Seth. While they don’t share anything earth-shattering, it creates the foundation for their new friendship, something that wouldn’t have happened without the protection of pretending to be Harriet.

Fliss had a rough childhood, and many of her issues with personal connections stem from her upbringing. I admire that the author demonstrates how tough it was through flashbacks and ties it into her difficulties as an adult. I also love that Fliss is a work in progress - committing to changing, and that there is no pretty bow put around her issues. We know there is still work ahead. Which is also why I had a big issue with a very small scene at the end of the book when Seth says something to Fliss that is intended to be sweet and funny; however, with her history, and the care Seth has for her feelings, was the exact wrong thing to say. Most readers will probably gloss over it and never have an issue, but it pulled me right out of the happy moment. It wasn’t a game changer in this otherwise amazing romance, but it did give me pause right near the end of the book.

In the end, Holiday in the Hamptons is another wonderful story from the talented Sarah Morgan. She creates characters that I care about - ones I can relate to in some way and I want to befriend. Such is the case of Fliss and Seth. Their second-chance is full of ups and downs, and I enjoyed taking the journey with them.

My Rating: A- Enjoyed A Lot

Holiday in the Hamptons strikes a very lighthearted almost humorous tone, especially with Fliss' shenanigans. But it definitely hides a very deep and bittersweet back story for Fliss and Seth. What I do love about it is how both Seth and Fliss, despite their backgrounds and what happened in the past realizes what is important and basically fixes whatever is wrong and acknowledges that they both made mistakes. It is heartwarming, funny, sweet, sexy and it is in essence relationship goals. Really loved this one.

Fliss was annoying and insecure but with good reason and her life with Seth didn't end on good terms. Seth the sexy good looking Vet had some problems too, but not as annoying as Fliss. The reunion in the Hamptons was also annoying because Fliss just couldn't seem to get it together and see things as they were. it took me to the end of the book to finally warm up to these two characters. Not sure I could recommend this book.These two need to be thrown together more.

Wow! A sigh worthy read because Seth is just so sigh worthy. I absolutely loved him. So patient and kind and loving. Fliss was a great heroine but man, she had a lot of insecurities. She comes off as such a strong person that I was hoping she'd be able to defeat her demons a little bit faster but I guess that's what kept the story going. Her interactions with Seth were cute. There were some fun times and some emotional moments but watching their relationship develop was really nice. A great second chance romance that will have you rooting for them to find their HEA this time around.

*I voluntarily reviewed an advanced reader copy of this book*

I always enjoy Sarah Morgan’s romances and this is no exception. This is a second chance romance featuring Fliss Knight, whom we’ve met in earlier novels and who has built up a successful dog-walking business in Manhattan with her twin sister. Now we learn that she has serious insecurity problems stemming from the vicious verbal abuse she and her siblings endured from their seemingly unhinged father. We also learn that she had had a short marriage when she was still a teenager to Seth Carlyle but that she had abandoned that marriage thinking that she wasn’t good enough for Seth.

Now they’ve met up again in the Hamptons where Fliss has fled thinking that she was avoiding Seth, but he happens to actually live exactly where she’s fled to. What follows is Seth’s very patient attempts to get to know Fliss again and get her to trust him and herself.

I found Fliss’s insecurities a bit tiresome at times. I think she needed some professional help so she could accept that she wasn’t the “bad twin” as her father called her. She wasn’t worthless. If she could understand what a vile person her father was, why would she accept his characterization of her? The fact that she had so internalized those criticisms indicated that she needed help getting over them and if she still hasn’t realized that when she was in her late 20s to realize that, she needed help. And it seems a shame that her other family members, her twin, her brother, and especially her wise grandmother hadn’t done more to help her until this book.

The other thing we’re told is that her mother didn’t divorce her father because he threatened to take the kids away from her. It’s hard to believe that an intelligent woman in the 1990s would still believe that a husband could do that especially once the kids were old enough to talk about his constant abuse of them. And that no one could explain to her that there is no way he would have gotten custody of the children whom he abused regularly. I just wanted to shake up these people and get them to see that they needed help.

Seth, however, is wonderful. He is loving, understanding, gentle, and kind. And he’s a hot, hunky veterinarian. How can anyone resist him and Fliss certainly can’t.

I was given a free ARC of this book from Netgalley in exchange for an honest review.

Sweet romance of Felicity and Seth who knew each other since they were kids and even had a short lived marriage 10 years ago. Now they come back into each other's lives and their feelings haven't changed. Can they make it work this time or are they doomed to fail? Enjoyable romance!

Loved!

Okay, so Fliss did get on my nerves a bit--her inability to see herself and her relationships as they truly were was aggravating. Her reasons for this were absolutely understandable, which is why I stuck with her, but still...aggravating. I wasn't sure if I wanted to hug her or shake her more. Her HEA, though? Totally earned.

And Seth...Seth. He cooks. He's good with animals. And especially once the fear of (not going to say who here, that would give it away) someone is put into him, he absolutely sees Fliss for who she is and gives her that one last chance that they both need.

Le sigh. Pretty sure this is my favorite of the series so far...although I somehow missed Daniel's book, something I plan to remedy ASAP ;)

Harriet's next--can't wait!

Rating: 4 1/2 stars / A-

I voluntarily reviewed an Advance Reader Copy of this book.