After the death of their mother, Beatriz (Bea) and Daisy spent some time in foster care before being raised by their Aunt Stella. Raising her two nieces at a young age, inspired Stella to go on and be a foster parent and start an organization to raise money for children and families in the foster care system.

Each woman has her own issues in this book. Stella walked away from the man she loved to raise her nieces. She has a fulfilling job as a teacher but wants more. She has a secret and it's a big one. Bea became a young wife and mother. She is divorced after a rocky marriage, but her ex-husband is back and wants to reunite. But Bea doesn't want to reunite as she has her heart set on another man. Daisy is an accountant who is guarded and likes to play by the rules. She also has a secret. But when she meets a man by chance, she realizes that maybe taking a chance or two would be good for her.

There are three romances going on in this book and I was invested in each of them. Typically, with more than one romance, I prefer one over the other but not in this book. I was rooting for all of them. I found their stories to be heartwarming and sweet. The romances and feelings felt real and believable. This was a sweet and rewarding story. Of course, it was a little predictable but the journey to get there was an enjoyable one. I was also happy that nothing in this book felt rushed. My biggest complaint with romance books is that the entire book is filled with longing, angst, witty dialogue, etc. to have the book end abruptly when the couple in question declares their love and they run off to happily ever land. Thankfully, this book, as I mentioned, did not feel rushed. Plus, there was an epilogue when made me a very happy reader.

I also enjoyed the themes in this book - family, relationships, best friends, trust, starting over, motherhood, creativity and hope. I also like how the women are dedicated to the foster care system and giving back. For me this was a feel-good book that did touch on some difficult subjects as well.

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

Great story! This novel seemed a little different than her other books but it was very enjoyable. Great heartwarming story of two sisters and their aunt. Highly recommended!

This was an excellent story with three strong women characters. I loved the way Stella was reunited with her one true love. I loved the way Beatriz stood up to her annoying egotistical first husband to find some independence and then finally giving into her growing feelings. I loved the way Daisy the shyest and most reserved finally let herself go back to her true self and found her true love. It was a great love story for three members of a family. I also enjoyed the highlight of the need for foster families and how wonderful and rewarding it can be to become a foster family. It was an extremely enjoyable read!!!!

RaeAnne Thayne's new stand-alone novel is about three women on the precipice of change. The events that transpired years earlier will determine their futures unless and until they find the courage to go after the future they desire.

When sisters Daisy and Beatriz were young girls, orphaned after their mother overdosed, they were taken in and cared for by their young aunt, Stella. Stella hadn't even graduated from college at this point. Daisy and Beatriz were 11 and 9 years old. They all grew up together while their new family unit became strong.

Beatriz became a wife and mother while still in her teens. Her marriage may not have succeeded but she now had a lovely and smart daughter as well as an ex-husband who maintained a presence in his daughter's life. Lately he seems interested in rekindling their relationship. She's been there, done that and doesn't want to move backward. She'd like to explore her feelings for her best friend since fifth grade!

As the novel opens Daisy meets a stranger in the toothpaste aisle of the grocery store and he's convinced they've met before. She's certain they haven't. She'd remember meeting him. Daisy is the serious sister and has always taken on responsibility well beyond her years. That habit has proven hard to break - much to her detriment. It's made her closed-off to expressing her emotions and that has made her life quite lackluster until her unexpected second meeting with 'the stranger'. Will she open herself up to the possibility of experiencing more in her life?

Stella receives news on her 40th birthday that, while not a surprise, will definitely be life-changing. She also finds out that the only man she ever loved has moved to her town. Their lives become entwined from day one and give her hope for what she once thought an impossibility - a second chance. 

I loved every minute I spent with the women in the gorgeous coastal setting of Cape Sanctuary, California. It's a story of learning to trust and being open to new and second chances. Recommended to fans of Women's Fiction and RaeAnne Thayne.

What a great ready by RaeAnne Thayne! I was not sure what to expect from this book, but I got so much more than I ever thought could be in one books! We not only get one, but three love stories that we get to see unfold as we follow Stella, Daisy and Bea in this lovely read. I love how RaeAnne Thayne makes you feel like you fit right in with the everyday lives of the characters. I fell in love with all the characters in their own special way.

When Stella was in her early twenties, she took custody of her nieces Daisy and Beatriz that had become orphaned because of their mother's overdose. Neither Daisy nor Bea's father wanted to have anything to do with them so they had gone to the foster system. Not only had the girls been thrown in foster care, but they had been split up. Thank goodness for their Aunt Stella that was able to take them in.

We found out that when Stella took the girls in, she gave up a relationship that she truly wanted to work, but thought that it would be better to not drag him into having to be a father figure to the girls. Stella has always wondered what could have been with their relationship. One day when Stella is expecting for someone else to be at her door, she is faced with Ed, her long lost love, at the door. What is he doing back in town? Did he know where she lived all along? There are plenty of questions running through Stella mind when she see's Ed.

Daisy Davenport McClure is the older of the girls and has always felt it her responsibility to take care of her younger sister Bea. Daisy has a secret that she has kept from her family for a while now. Will she ever be able to come clean about her big secret? Daisy is a very quiet and reserved person. When Daisy meets the man who is responsible for saving her ex-brother-in-laws life, she knows that there is something about him, but will Daisy let herself get involved with someone she doesn't really know?

Beatriz (Bea) Romero is the youngest of the sisters and has always had a wild side to her. When she was seventeen, she married Cruz Romero and ran off with him to build a life with him and accomplish their dreams. Well, Bea gets pregnant and has their daughter Mari. When things began to fall apart for her and Cruz, Bea knew what she had to do and that was be a good mom for Mari. Cruz had moved back into town for a month or so and has decided that he wants to make amends with Bea. Bea knows that this is not a good idea and the only reason she will even consider it is for Mari. In the meantime, Shane, Bea's longtime best friend is living in her pool house and he and Cruz tend to not get along all that well. What in the world is Bea going to do?

Stella finds herself pregnant at the age of forty from a sperm donor and IVF. While everything is going on with her organization, Open Hearts, will she be able to hold everything together? This is such a great story because we get to follow these three women in their journey to find love. There is a lot of self realization that goes on in this story. I thought that everything flowed really well in the story line. I enjoyed this read so so much! Thanks to RaeAnne Thayne for sure a great read. I can't wait for more form her in the near future!

I voluntarily read and reviewed this book. All opinions are my own. Thanks to Netgalley, the author and the publisher for an advanced copy!

Stella, now 40, became guardian to her two pre-teen nieces when she was in her early twenties. Daisy, at 30, is on the surface a staid accountant with a high wall around her emotions, resulting from an unsettled childhood taking care of her younger sister Bea until her srtist mother OD'd causing the girls to be separated and sent to foster care. Beatriz, two years younger, was the 'wild child' who ran away from Stella's at 17 to marry her baby daddy, rocker Cruz Romero. Now Stella, who never married but devoted her life to teaching and fostering many children -- including Cruz -- has found herself pregnant from an IVF procedure and is on cloud nine. Daisy also has another secret, she is the real person behind a reclusive artist. Bea's settled down and is raising her 11-yr-old daughter when Cruz returns home and decides he wants to try again, only Bea doesn't want o as there's someone else in her life now.

All a bit confusing at times, but rest assured there are HEAs for all three women.. There's obviously sex going on but like the author's other books, it's not detailed.

I received an ARC in exchange for an honest review. I really enjoyed this book. I highly recommend it to everyone.

2.5 stars

This is the first book I've read by this author. There were a lot of characters, and I had to flip back and forth on occasion to keep some of them straight. I think I would've preferred fewer characters with more development (Daisy, in particular). The story was a bit predictable, but it was okay. Sweet but not super deep.

Disclaimer: I received a complimentary copy from NetGalley, but I wasn't required to leave a positive review.

I was sent invite to read right before the Holidays, read to start the new year
I have read RaeAnne before, I was excited to see her 1st hardcover

Cape Sanctuary and the Davenport girls- a special place for each of them
Three Oaks- Aunt made it a safe, supportive, safe place to grow up
Open Hearts- an organization that is important to each

3 women struggle with love and life and their decisions with both

Separate paths merge into a shared path

This is a romance novel in the best sense of the word, where the outcome is expected. However, the characters are well-drawn with real life experiences. Definitely a feel-good story.

I was provided an ARC of this book by NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

I wanted to like this story and I did, but it felt like a group of random novella type stories with a cast of thousands put together into a novel. I would have liked more detail on a fewer number of characters. Daisy was a great character, but there wasn't nearly enough development for her!

Recognizing that I received an ARC, there were quite a few editing errors where another characters name was used instead of the character in the scene, but that sort of thing gets missed all the time and gets sent to print which can be very confusing.

You get three romances for the price of one in this book. Daisy is steady, boring, responsible and has a secret life. Beatrize is her sister and in many ways, her total opposite. When they were kids they were raised by their aunt, a recent college graduate who chose the girls over her life plans--but was the choice necessary? All three of these women are looking at changes in life; they can either reach out and grab the offered good or cling to yesterday. Which will they choose?



Like all of Thayne's books, this one does not show anything beyond passionate kissing, though there are enough out-of-wedlock children to make it clear that her characters are not chaste in the traditional sense.



Mostly the book is what you'd expect; a sweet romance without much more substance. The relationship between the women does get a little more play than in the typical romance novel; but in the end, it is a romance novel and the end is hardly a surprise.



I'd like to thank the publisher for making a review copy available via NetGalley. Grade: B.

To be published 3/1/19 at 8:45 p.m.

Three related women find their lives changing and rotating in this captivating and engaging novel set on the California coast. Stella Davenport was barely in her twenties when she became guardian of her two teenage nieces. Finally, finding herself pregnant at forty, she is relishing the experience-good and bad- and simply joyous at the idea of her own child. Daisy Davenport McClure, niece number one, has an independent nature and a wall three feet thick around her emotions. Caring for her sister, Beatriz, while their mother failed repeatedly at her duties caused the wall to form and stay. Beatriz, the flighty niece, has settled down and is raising her daughter. When her ex-husband decides he wants to reconcile, Beatriz is determined to hold her ground in the “NO WAY” category. As their lives move forward, so do the challenges for Stella, Daisy and Beatriz.

Thanye has never let me down, and still hasn't. with this book. Daisy, ever practical, also has a secret she is hiding, but once it is shared - things really begin to happen. She has a sister whose daughter would like her mother to get back with her father instead of having to split her time between them. However,................this probably is not be the best course of action. Stella.a the aunt who rescued both girls from foster care when their mother could no longer care for them is a tower of strength for all of the, but while she has fostered many many children,she would like to have a baby of her own. Three women who love each other, and the people they encounter in their lives make for a very readable book.

I love that this is a stand alone book. it seems everything is a series now. I really like the story line and loved the characters. This is a story line that is being carried out in real life every day--raising children of other family members due to drugs or just bad life choices

Outstanding story about creating family in all the ways that can happen. Daisy and Bea are sisters raised by their young aunt after being orphaned when their Mother overdosed. We get the story of both of their lives and loves along with Aunt Stella, her sacrifice and love for them and now her desire to have a baby. I loved every word of this book.
Warm, sweet and touching.

I love when an author can make you forget the “real world” because you are so wrapped up in a great novel!!! RaeAnne Thayne has definitely done for me with The Cliff House!

Stella Davenport put her personal life on hold when she was younger to become the legal guardian and “mom” to her nieces, Beatrix and Daisy. Now that Bea and Daisy are grown, 40 year old Stella finds herself with new beginnings she never thought would come to fruition.

As for Bea, she’s very content raising her 11 year old daughter, but has always wanted to give her daughter the perfect family. Bea and her ex-husband were childhood friends that grew into more, but once he became mega famous as a musician, things fell apart. Divorcing her husband was for the best...right, or should she be looking in a different direction?!??

And lastly, Daisy has seemingly always been straight laced and played everything by the books. She lost her husband years ago and putting herself out there again isn’t in the cards...or so she thinks!!

I really enjoyed getting to know the Davenport family!! I feel like I flew through this novel because we got three stories in one book- loved that!! RaeAnne Thayne has a knack for writing strong and realistic women who completely ROCK!! I also found the California beach town of Cape Sanctuary so charming (I seriously wish I could visit lol). The Cliff House is a 4.5 star read that every romance novel fan needs to read!! I’m looking forward to reading more RaeAnne Thayne!!!

Stella Davenport put her own life on hold when she took in her two orphaned nieces; her dreams of marriage and motherhood seemingly over. Now the girls are adults, Daisy is cautious and determined not to make the same fatal mistakes her mother did. Beatriz dropped out of high school, had a child and got divorced, all by age twenty. Three women linked by blood and a shared history try to find a way to create a future they can all be part of. This is ultimately, a story of sacrifice and putting your own dreams on hold for those you love