Fans of both Haven Point as well as the Hope’s Crossing series will appreciate THE COTTAGES ON SILVER BEACH, the latest contemporary small-town romance novel by the gifted RaeAnne Thayne. It’s no secret that I love RaeAnne’s style. That doesn’t mean that I love all her books equally, but I appreciate the talent she has for making relationships work, no matter the obstacles. This gift illustrates hope, dreams coming true, and working together to make life’s moments as precious as possible. As a fan, I can’t help but glean some type of positive message from each of her books.

Megan Hamilton appealed to me because of her photography hobby that rolls along like a freight train when she least expects it. Every artist wishes for this type of opportunity. Watching her deal with the onslaught of terrifying emotions that fear does to a person in this situation made her seem real. I loved how that hobby made her realize that her dream-come-true was right where she was at that moment – completely opposite of where she imagined her career would take her. Isn’t that so true of life? How sometimes the perfect place to be is where you are right now?

Megan’s real job is running her family’s vacation rentals. The quaint inn and cottages are how she makes a living. It’s not a job she wanted, but someone had to do it after her grandmother passed, so Megan is making it work.

Elliot Bailey rents one of Megan’s cottages when he’s on leave from the FBI. Moonlighting as a true crime writer, he needs the peace and quiet the vacation rental offers. Also, it’s right next door to Megan – the woman he cannot forget. The truth is that Elliot is in more trouble than he wants to admit to his family. It’s easier to hide out at Megan’s rentals than to stay with family awaiting his sister’s upcoming wedding reception.

Elliot has always been secretly infatuated with Megan. Something he never followed through on because Megan was dating his brother. When his brother was murdered, it seemed even more inappropriate. To make matters worse, his former best friend is Megan’s brother, Luke. The man was accused of murdering his wife and Elliot’s police force family can’t prove it either way. Things couldn’t be more complicated between them.

I became immediately immersed in this couple’s story. Even though I missed reading book seven, I was able to catch up with what is currently happening with the characters. I especially like that we return to Hope’s Crossing for a visit. I like this couple together, and I get a real sense of the settings through their love of the outdoors. An unsolved police case adds to the plot.

I’ve said this before, but it bears repeating. RaeAnne Thayne uses words I must look up. Loving words as much as I do, it tickles me that I learn something new in every book. That’s extremely important to me. She doesn’t follow what I’ve heard rumored, to “dumb it down” for the romance reader. It’s true – I like a fast read, and if the words are simple, then I can fly through. But an author who takes the time to teach me her love of words in an excellent story is someone I’ll keep reading. That doesn’t happen without a thorough respect of a thesaurus and a keen understanding of the English language. I appreciate the effort because I learned three new words in this novel alone.

As much as I loved Megan and Elliott’s story, I can’t help but feel a strong sense of anticipation for what promises to be a very unusual love story in book nine. I’m not telling you why as it’s a spoiler – just trust me and read this book soon, so you can anticipate right along with me. THE COTTAGES ON SILVER BEACH mixes great characterization with interesting settings, adding an unsolved missing person case that rattles everyone’s theories.

Review by Dorine, courtesy of Romance Junkies.

The Cottages on Silver Beach by RaeAnne Thayne

My rating: 4 of 5 stars

#FirstLine~ Someone was trying to bust into the cottage next door.

A great read that was quite engaging. I loved the characters and the setting. I know when I read Thayne, I am going to read a book that keeps me engaged and makes me happy. Thayne is a safe, go-t0 author to read when you want to be guaranteed a great read. Her books invoke emotions and make one feel like anything is possible. They are perfect reads for anyone who wants to believe in miracles and see the good in the world!

I absolutely adore my visits to this idyllic community of Haven Point! Despite being the eighth book in the series, this one can be read completely on its own. You do get some brief moments with previous characters; however, there was never a feeling that something was missing.

This installment follows the budding relationship between Megan and Elliot. I thoroughly enjoyed the slow-burning romance that developed between them as past miscommunications and events become understood. The charm of this series is discovering how two seemingly incompatible people ultimately bring out the best in each other. Over the course of the story, a friendship is forged through a willingness to be open and trusting, which gradually forms into a passionate, yet incredibly adorable romance.

Thayne's characterizations are remarkably realistic and create a world that I highly anticipate returning to. Again, the children featured in the story, are written with just as much care and consideration as the adult characters, which continues to bring an inspiring and endearing quality to an already heartwarming book.

The unsolved case was unexpected and brought in an added layer of mystery and intrigue, as was discovering that Elliot was a true crime author! I'm a huge fan of that genre and found myself wanting to learn more about his books. I also couldn't help thinking that it would be awesome if the author wrote those books herself, but published them as though he was the writer, taking fan fiction to a whole new level!

I cannot stress enough how graceful and effortless Thayne's writing style truly is. Each story crafts a solid picture of everyday people encouraging others to make a difference in the world around them. As Elliot reflects: "No matter what sort of muck he waded through, he had figured out early in his career at the FBI that he could keep that ugliness from touching the core of him with thoughts of Haven Point and the people he loved who called this place home." Regardless of the negativity circling close by, these books are wonderful escapes that provide powerful images reminding us to seek out goodness and light.

One of my very favorite things about RaeAnne Thayne's books is the sense of community in Haven Point so how would I like a book that doesn't spend much time there? Turns out - quite a bit! I do love a good road trip romance. I don't think there's any better way to get to know anyone than in a road trip situation.

I like that Elliot and Megan have a history. It isn't the usual second chance kind or even the friends forever turned more kind of relationship. I liked the complexity that that history added to the story as well as how their preconceptions (mostly Megan's) changed as they got to know each other better. They're both complicated people but aren't prickly and there is a lot going on below the surface.

I loved the way the relationship developed even when it had its setbacks. The setbacks didn't feel contrived and I could definitely see both sides of the argument. I really enjoyed the way Thayne wrapped everything up. My only complaint is that the next book isn't Luke's! This was a lovely sweet slow burn romance with enjoyable characters. Can't wait to read more by Thayne!

This is my first book by this author. I had just come off of a couple back to back heavy books and wanted something lighter to perk me back up. The descriptions of the cottage setting made me remember many summers when I was young where we would rent cabins during the summer. There is nothing quite like waking up on an early summer morning in a cabin by a lake. But I digress! Megan and Elliot - along with their romance - felt realistically paced. I’m sure the author’s steadfast fans will enjoy this installment!

In RaeAnne Thayne's The Cottages of Silver Beach, the 8th installment in the Haven Point contemporary romance series, this sweet love story would enchant you with a heart-warming plot line. For Megan Hamilton, she had been the innkeeper of her family's inn in Haven Point, Idaho, and had put her dreams on hold twice. First she had to help take care of her grandmother before she had died, and then with her sister-in-law's disappearance seven years ago, she gave her brother a lending hand. She had lost a lot in her life and had given up a lot too, especially when her boyfriend Wyatt died a few years ago. Then Elliott Bailey re-entered her life and rented one of her cottages for some down time. As a FBI agent and true crime writer, he had nursed an injured shoulder and needed quiet. But for Megan, her brother Luke had been under a cloud of suspicion for her sister-in-law's disappearance for seven years and lived a hard life. When she caught Elliott digging into the case, she became suspicious and later got to know him better. Later, they took a road trip to Denver for her first photo exhibit at a gallery, when they got to know each other better and the chemistry was red-hot as a burning flame. The closer they get to the truth of what happened, the more they question their feelings for each other and a possible future of new beginnings of second chances.

I always know I’m in for a well-written, enjoyable, romantic read when I reach for the latest RaeAnne Thayne book. She is a must-read author for me. I love her talent for creating homey, small-town communities populated with endearing and lovable characters. The Cottages on Silver Beach features Elliot Bailey and Megan Hamilton who are thrown together after years of not seeing each other. Sparks fly as Elliot involves himself in a mystery surrounding Megan’s brother Luke. This book is a delectable combination of intrigue and romance sure to delight those who enjoy clean and wholesome stories. It is part of a series but can easily be read as a stand-alone book. Characters from previous books in the series make appearances in this one, which adds to the fun and enjoyment.

I voluntarily reviewed a complimentary copy from the publisher/author/NetGalley. I was not required to post a review. All opinions are my own.

RaeAnne Thayne and the Haven Point series is a series to start at the beginning, but as with all romance series you can hope in and out of this one. There have been books in this series that I completely joined and ones that were just so so. I loved this one!

Megan Hamilton owns a small inn in town that has recently overcome a fire and is back up and running. Elliott Bailey who is from a prominent family in town has returned and Megan is not quite excited for him to return, but of course if you are a romance reader you know that this will only fuel the flame!

I can't completely pinpoint what exactly it is about this book that I completely adored, but I just did. I think it could have been the characters. Megan was just a joy to read about and it was easy to root for her and hope for her journey to end on a positive note. I also liked reading about Elliott Bailey. I am married a detective, former police officer and I always like reading a book with a LEO at the center and watching their brains work on the job and off the job!

Again, this is a series that you can dip in and out of, but the control freak in me likes to start at the beginning and read it in order!

The eighth book in the Haven’s point series delights like all of the others. Megan is reunited with Elliot when he rents one of the cabins she owns to recover from a work related injury and to work on his book. Megan once dated Elliot’s brother before he passed away and is good friends with his sisters but she never felt as if he liked having her around. While he is trying to help find out what happened to her sister-in-law , who disappeared years ago , Elliot realizes that he is falling for Megan. The Cottages of Silver Beach has a wonderful mix of mystery and romance.
Thank you Netgalley & HQN Books for the ARC of this book.

Great story! This is the 8th book in the Haven Point series. I've read most of them, they're very good. I really like the "returning back home" romances and this one was enjoyable. I would recommend.

My first thought with this book was that it was kind of a departure for Ms. Thayne. One of the main characters, Elliott, is an FBI agent. What? Wait a minute! Okay, here we go...we've got attraction between Elliott and the woman running the inn. Elliott and Megan (kind-of, sort-of) have a past together. No romantic relationship, but a past none the less. And there is definite attraction, no matter how much Megan wants to deny it. Now we're back in normal territory for a RaeAnne Thayne book. Then...she throws in the mystery of Megan's missing sister-in-law and did Megan's brother kill his wife??? Another curve.
If you're getting my drift here, it appears that Ms. Thayne is throwing in some suspense with her awesome romance story. The romance was pretty slow to develop, but the characters definitely had issues with each other, so that was totally understandable. The book was awesome as are all of Ms. Thayne's, and if you like more to your books that just romance...this will be a terrific pick for you! She did a great job of mixing the romance and mystery!

Megan Hamilton never really liked Elliot Bailey but she always got along well with the rest of his family. She is not at all happy to find out that he has returned to Haven Point for awhile and has rented one of her cottages on Silver Beach; in fact, she's ready to refund his money and send him away!

Elliot has been forced to take time off from his job as a FBI agent so he can use the time to write his next novel and investigate a cold case right here in Haven Point. The answers he finds are not going to please everyone, but Megan truly wants closure for her brother's sake, and is willing to work closely with Elliott.

I was drawn into the story and found it hard to put down and the mystery has an unusual ending.

Thanks to the publisher and to NetGalley for an ARC; all opinions are my own.

This is the eighth book in the Haven Point series, I’ve only read the last few, Serenity Harbor and Sugar Pine Trail. While they’re all set in the same world and you do get to briefly revisit characters from previous installments it’s definitely not necessary to read them in order, they stand just fine on their own. I always regret not starting at the first book though because these books are a true delight.

This book focuses on Megan and Elliot, she owns the local inn and he’s an FBI agent back in his hometown for a few weeks and staying at the inn. Megan’s sister in law vanished several years ago and her brother was close friends with Elliot and had suspicions that he was involved, so these two have a contentious history. I really liked the added bonus of an unsolved, light mystery to go along with a tender romance, it was something new and definitely helped maintain my interest.

As usual the characterization was great, when you finish a Thayne book you always feel like you have a solid sense of who these fictional people are and what they stand for. As much as I enjoyed the main characters the kids stole the show, (Megan has a niece and a nephew) they were adorable and brought some fun to the plot.

These books are the type you should pick up when you want to escape the world and shut out all the negativity. They’re light, funny and easy and they’re set in a idyllic little town that’s simple to imagine.

The Cottages on Silver Beach in three words: Comforting, Warm and Sweet.

Megan and Elliot are thrown together because of his sister's, her bff's, wedding party. Elliot has rented the cabin next door to Megan so he can work on his next book. Megan always felt Elliot never liked her but the opposite was true. He'd secretly been in love with her before she dated his younger brother. Elliot, oh man he's a tall drink of water on a hot humid day! Though he tries to avoid Megan they're thrown together left and right and their chemistry is explosive. Megan has always wanted to venture away from Haven Point but has been unable to due to taking over her family's inn. She's caring, creative, determined and independent.

This story was fun and fast paced and I enjoyed the "will they? won't they?" back and forth through the story. If you enjoy a slow burning, sweet romance that will keep you enthralled from beginning to end then I highly recommend reading The Cottages on Silver Beach!

The Cottages on Silver Beach is the latest addition to the Haven Point series and truly one of my favorites of the series. There is a little mystery mixed in with the wonderful slow building romance between Elliot and Megan. Family issues and past hurts make their relationship improbable but sometimes the heart just wants what it wants and you have to take a chance. This could be the only chance Elliot and Megan have to put the past to rest and find their future together. A future they both desperately want.

I highly recommend this one.

Although this book is number eight in a series, it worked very well as a standalone novel for me. I really did not feel as if I was missing any information or any backstory on any of the characters. This book also works as a great book for summer reading! This book is a romance but it also has a mystery in it as well!

Not only does Megan Hamilton own the Cottages on Silver beach but she also lives in one of them as well. Living on the premises is helpful when crisis arises or there is a staff shortage. Plus, it gives her lots of opportunity to engage in her passion -photography. One evening she is relaxing on her porch with her dog Curly, when a car pulls up and out walks Elliott Bailey. She knew he was renting one of her cottages but didn't know he would be staying in the cottage next to hers. Megan and Elliot are not strangers to each other. Megan dated his younger brother and Elliott used to be best friends with her brother. Megan is not too happy to see Elliot and yet she is drawn to his smoldering good looks and attitude.

Elliot Bailey is an FBI agent and Author who has come back into town to finish working on his book, recuperate from an injury, and attend a family event. Plus, Elliot has been secretly harboring feelings for Megan for years. He tried to avoid her when she was dating his younger brother then when his friendship with her brother went south, he accepted that he and Megan would never be a couple. He had no idea that being so close to Megan would be so difficult yet intoxicating. Being near her brings his feelings for her to the surface, plus it reminds him of his lost friendship with her brother.

While both get to know each other again, we also get to know the other characters in the book as well. There is a lot more going on in the book, but I believe Curly the pug stole the show! This was a light romance with characters dealing with real life issues. I say light because this book is not steamy, nor does it have any sex scenes. I enjoyed how the two main characters got to know each other again and worked through their "issues". With romance books, it's a no-brainer that the two main characters are going to get together, but it is the journey on how they get there. I enjoyed these two characters journey and what I enjoyed most of all was that this book did not feel rushed. My biggest complaint about romance books is the rushed endings - where the characters tip toe around each other, have angst, misunderstandings, etc.,. the entire book to suddenly declare their love and have a rushed wedding all in three paragraphs (I'm exaggerating a little here - but I hate rushed endings). This book had a natural flow to it and never felt rushed or slow. I really enjoyed this book and thought this makes a perfect beach read. It was also a nice change to read something light yet enjoyable in between all the psychological thrillers I love to read!

Thank you to Harlequin and NetGalley who provided me with a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review. All the thoughts and opinions in this review are my own.

Read more of my reviews at www.openbookpost.com

RaeAnne Thayne stories are my one go-to books that I re-read and that I buy immediately. They are heartwarming and just make a reader feel good. This is the continuation of the Haven Point series but it's important to point out that you do not need to read the previous books to enjoy each individual story.

This was such a interesting contemporary read. One thing I wasn't expecting was that mystery element in finding out the truth behind Megan's brothers wife's disappearance. It was a bit tough seeing what she was going through seeing how others were treating her brother differently as if he had something wrong. It was interesting seeing Elliot's point on what happened and how he was trying to help out and get to the truth of what happened. I loved seeing the connection between Megan and Elliot and if you love a good book with a bit of romance that is clean then you'll appreciate this book for that because I know I do. I loved that there was a bit of conflict to keep things interesting and a bit of romance to keep things going and the bit of mystery to keep the readers wanting to know what really happened? Overall a pretty enjoyable read, I really liked it.

With the the scent of pine and spruce and the picture of lake and mountains in my imagination as I read the first chapters of The Cottages on Silver Beach, I was hooked into another small town contemporary romance. I'd enjoyed the previous couple of books in the Haven Point series and so it was with anticipation I read into this story.

I liked very much Elliot Bailey the wounded FBI hero, who has carried all the expectations on his shoulders of being the eldest in the family, someone who doesn't want to disappoint his family and maybe reveal that his halo has slipped... or has it. I loved his values and totally agreed with him on many points, but none more on an important decision he took and his reasons why. He is as well as being a FBI agent - a crime writer and I really enjoyed seeing him embarrassed by the fan base he has engendered.

Megan the heroine is a talented photographer who also manages the family Inn. She has a difficult family background and many times doubts herself too often. When she is placed in close proximity to Elliot a long time attraction has time to develop between them. Mostly its a good one, with some great personal sharing, yet when the chips are down some disappointing miscommunications happen. I so hate that, but have to be honest and say in real life it happens so I can't be too hard on my bookish characters!

A mystery of what happened to Megan's brother Luke's wife threads its way through the book, she has been gone for many years. Luke has many a time been blamed for her murder, but what really happened. Well guess who can't keep out of that one. Elliot makes it his business to pursue it.

The final chapter had me looking forward in great anticipation to Luke's story and how that is going to pan out. So just lets say I am hooked into making that an auto read in my reading future! That's quite a turn around for me as some of this present book is set in Hope's Crossing and well... I just did not connect with the first book in that series and ditched the whole series. I just may have made a mistake!

I liked this story with Elliot and Megan finally getting their chance for love. Megan rents him a cottage because she need the business but she's not happy he's coming back and stirring up so many unhappy memories. Elliot needs a place to heal from a gun shot wound and think about his career with the FBI. I think I found Megan's brother's story a little more interesting than Megans is the reason I didn't love this story. This is book 8 in the Haven Point series and RaeAnne Thayne has delivered another good romance for the Bailey family. I received a copy of this ARC in exchange for a fair and honest review.