The Summer Retreat, while the thrid book to take place in Moonlight Harbor, can be read as a standalone book. I jumped in not knowing it was a series, and I had no problem following the characters and story. This book is the definition of summer fluff read, great for the beach bag! Some parts seemed like they could have been shortened, and there were lots of sections that didn't seem relevant, but it all came together as a fun stay at the beach!

What's summer without a good beach romance... The Summer Retreat is the perfect book to take with you on vacation. a story about two sisters looking for love, a gorgeous Inn near the coast, and the hunt for love that will leave you smiling... this is a perfect series for those looking for a easy going romance with sisterhood and the love of the beach. Beautiful!!!

**thanks to MIRA for the ARC***

This is the 3rd book in the Moonlight Harbor series. I enjoyed this one as much as the first two. This book concentrates on Celeste Jones. She's just broken up with her cheating cop boyfriend and decides to spend the summer in Moonlight Harbor. Here she's comfortable with her sister, niece and great aunt. She starts dating the new pastor who just maybe isn't quite right for her. There was a happy ending of course.

When I received the widget for this title all I could think at first was romance -- that's not in my wheelhouse. But I have learned not to be dismissive. Over this last year and a half of reviewing ARCs I have found that some of the most soul stirring books were in genres that I would typically ignore. So with an open mind I cracked open my Kindle and journeyed with Sheila Roberts and Celeste Jones to her sister Jenna's summer retreat. Although it was a bit predictable, it was rather charming and sweet. A clean romance and perfect getaway for readers who gravitate towards lighter fare. <i>Special thanks to Justine Sha at Mira Books and NetGalley for access to this book.</i>

A great summer read of small town contemporary romance. Celeste has just ended her relationship with her long time boyfriend after finding he has cheated on her. She decides to visit her sister in a small town and re-evaluate her life.
The supporting characters were very entertaining and sometimes annoying, which for me makes great characters. The story was charming and a little predictable, but that didn't take away from my enjoyment. I found myself completely invested in the story.
This is a great read!

#TheSummerRetreat was a mixed bag for me. It felt a little too busy. Celeste is recovering from a bad breakup. The girl loves to run head first into a relationship planning the wedding 👰 before she’s really gotten to know the guy. She retreats to her sisters place to heal a wounded heart only to jump headfirst into another relationship.

What I’d hoped would be a beautiful telling of sisterly love and bonding was in actual fact was harsh and bossy. Jenna the big sister seemed hell bent on finding the “perfect” man for her sister. While she herself had unresolved love issues. Hard to sit on that high horse when you’ve got two guys on the go 🤦‍♀️

Henry the hero of the story was likeable, witty and sarcastic. And you asked yourself why he wanted to be with Celeste. There wasn’t a great build up or an on slaughter of passion whilst reading about them. It was all very bland and a little lacklustre.

<b>**Thanks to the author and #netgalley for the advanced copy of this book. I voluntarily read and reviewed an advanced copy of this book. All thoughts and opinions are my own.** </b>

This is the third book in the Moonlight Harbor series. I hadn't read the first two books when I started reading this one, and I quickly realized I needed to read those to fully understand the backstories of the characters. Once I'd read the previous two books, I got into this one and really enjoyed it. The characters are great and are very engaging, and the plot kept me interested. I think you could read this book as a standalone but I enjoyed it much more as part of a series.

Thanks to Harlequin - MIRA for the ARC of this book in exchange for an honest review.

I really wanted to love this book but I just couldn’t. It seems this town is full of eligible bachelors and the two sisters cannot make up their mind on who they will choose. I was disappointed that the entire book was based on getting a man and didn’t really focus on any growth of the main character after her breakup.

My apologies, but I really did not like this book and do not feel I can leave a legitimate review for The Summer Retreat.

A fun, sweet, flirty story. I really enjoyed this one. Perfect to curl up with in your beach chair.

Many thanks to NetGalley, the author, and the publisher for my ARC. All opinions are my own.

The Summer Retreat is an enjoyable summer read, great for the beach or the pool. Sheila Roberts weaves the story of Celeste, a young teacher who flees the city in the summer after breaking up with her boyfriend, to spend it working at the motel that her sister runs. Wanting to leave her broken heart behind, new possiblities are threaded through her summer in Moonlight Harbor, where she begins to heal and entertain the thought that maybe there can be love in her future. A lovely and satisfying story. Thank you to NetGalley and Harlequin-MIRA for an ARC in exchange for my honest review.

If you want a fun summer read, this is the book for you. It is not overly emotional. It is about a family that comes together over a summer and makes things work for them.



** I received a copy of this book from NetGalley in exchange for a honest review**

Celeste has been burned her boyfriend, a man she thought would propose only to find he’s been cheating on her. In response, she ventures out to Moonlight Harbor, the seaside town her sister has settled into after purchasing an inn. Celeste, a teacher, takes the summer off to help at the inn while trying to figure out where she’s gone wrong in her love life. She had sparks and chemistry with her last beau, but that just ended in heartache so she decides to go for the safer bet, the town’s pastor, Paul. He’s good-looking and even if he doesn’t make her heart race, he’s a steady and sure bet, not someone likely to cheat on her. Not like Henry, the guest in cabin twelve, an annoying man, poking and prodding at every turn, but one that heats her up!

The Summer Retreat was an entertaining read, kind of a Hallmark movie type of romance, where lots of things go wrong and are a bit whacky. I quickly flipped (listened) through the pages, but this is one of those stories where I had mixed feelings. I felt bad for Celeste because she was duped by a cheating loser at the beginning, but I was also annoyed with her. She ignores her instincts that tell her she’s not a good match for the Pastor Paul but goes along with the “romance” because he’s the safe bet, a man who’ll never cheat. I don’t like reading a romance where the heroine is all tied up with one man while she’s meant to be with another. It was clear to me and should’ve been clear to Celeste that Pastor Paul wasn’t the guy for her, and yet the situation plays out for almost the entire book.

I was also irritated with her sister, Jenna, who kept pushing her toward Paul when Celeste didn’t seem all that hot on him. I have to say Jenna’s romantic situation is another frustration: a love triangle, that wasn’t resolved in this story. Maybe it will be in the next book?

It does sound like I didn’t really like the story after writing all of my complaints, but I did. I’m happy for how things turned out for Celeste, and I did have some laughs along the way. I switched back and forth from my e-copy to the audio book and found Ann Gideon’s voice pleasant and upbeat.

Celeste thinks she has found THE ONE! Then she discovers he is cheating on her. She needs a new outlook on life. So what is better than the beach?! She heads off to help her sister at The Driftwood Inn. Celeste is cleaning rooms and doing chores in exchange for a summer retreat.

I found Celeste to be a little sullen and whiny. All she studies is finding a man. This gets a little old. I wanted her to have more self confidence and more vigor. But, the setting makes up for her lack of assurance. I mean…who doesn’t love a story set at a wonderful, little inn right on the beach.

This is part of a series. I have not read the others in this series and had no trouble keeping up. This is a good, clean, fun story. It can be predictable in places but I found it very entertaining. If you are looking for a lite, sweet read…this is it!

I received this novel from Mira Books for a honest review.

The Summer Retreat by Shelia Roberts is the 3rd book in the Moonlight Harbor series, and my first book by this author. Celeste Jones has her summer all planned out with her boyfriend, hoping to become his fiance, until she catches him with another women. So she is off to the beach for the summer, working for her sister at the Driftwood Inn. I really enjoyed this cute fun romance, especially as I watch it snow outside my window. I recommend this sweet romance, and am looking forward to reading more books by this author.

I reviewed a digital arc provided by NetGalley and the Publisher. Thank you

Third in a series but I did not not feel as though I needed to read the first two to catch up here. A nice easy summer read perfect for the beach (hence the title!). Celeste has just arrived at her sister's resort Moonlight Harbor, for the summer to help out and nurse her broken heart. Her sister wants her to jump right back into the dating scene, but Celeste isn't so sure even though there are a few prospects available. This was a fun book to read, relaxing and light. I read it in one sitting as well! Great summer romance! Thanks to NG for the ARC!!!

In exchange for an honest review, I was provided a free eARC of The Summer Retreat by Sheila Roberts.

Official Description (courtesy of NetGalley)

Celeste Jones has plans for a perfect summer with her boyfriend (and hopefully soon-to-be fiancé)—until he dumps her to be with the woman he’s had on the side for months. Heartbroken and furious, Celeste resolves to move on. When the going gets tough, the tough…okay, the not-so-tough go to the beach.

As soon as school lets out for the summer, she waves goodbye to her first-graders, packs up her bikini and heads for Moonlight Harbor, where she knows her big sister, Jenna, will receive her with open arms. Jenna could probably use some help at the Driftwood Inn, and Celeste is happy to do chores around the place in exchange for a relaxing summer escape. She just needs something—or someone—to distract her from her troubles.

Finding The One can be tricky, and Jenna is determined to make sure Celeste gets it right this time around. Not that Jenna’s an expert. She’s still trying to sort out her own love life. But if both sisters listen to their hearts, eventually they’re bound to discover that life—and love—is good at the beach.

My Thoughts

The Summer Retreat is your basic romance story, but while I enjoy romances, I didn’t particularly care for this one.

Here are the reasons I didn’t like this story:

1) There were too many unnecessary points of view and they were not separated very clearly. The book is told from 5 points of view, when in my opinion, it would have been less cluttered with 2 or 3 points of view – Celeste, Henry, and maybe Paul.

2) What is the appeal of a love triangle? How often are women actually in a love triangle? And this story has both sisters, Celeste and Jenna, in love triangles! I feel that the story would have been better with the only love interest being Henry and the point of conflict could have come from Celeste’s ex, Emerson (who kept texting her in the book).

3) What woman in her right mind would choose to be in a relationship where a guy only accepts your dog because you two are a package deal? Big red flag!

Things I liked:

1) I really enjoyed Henry as a character and wished that the story would have focused more on Celeste and him individually and together versus the whole Paul and Celeste, Jenna and Brody, Hyacinth and her drama…Henry was probably the best part of the book.

…okay, that’s all I can really think of that I enjoyed about the book.

In Conclusion

I wasn’t thoroughly impressed with The Summer Retreat. The whole story just didn’t sit well with me and actually made me not want to read the whole month of April and most of May, which put me behind on my reading.

But, there were some really good characters that were written and the story of Celeste and Henry has a lot of potential. Just because I didn’t enjoy it, doesn’t mean someone else won’t. For my rating, I give this one 2 stars.

⭐️⭐️

Book three in a series. And you should definitely Read the other two before you start this one. Guess I’ll know for next time.

Quite a good read, kept me engaged, really enjoyed the plot and the characters and i would read more from this author.

This book was just so good. I just had the time of my life reading it and I'm really looking forward to seeing what's next from this author.