I love Jenny Holiday's books, and I enjoyed Mermaid Inn, the first book in the series. I was very excited to read Paradise Cove.

The book, while a romance, delves into some heavy topics. I think there should be trigger warnings at the beginning of the book. As a mom of a stillborn daughter, I think she did a great job of describing all the feelings parents feel when they lose a child.

I enjoyed the chemistry between Jake and Nora. The book is definitely steamier than the Mermaid Inn, which was a definite plus for me. I also like all the minor characters that give the town its flavor.

I felt the last third of the book was a bit contrived. I know it's a romance and I am not a doctor like Nora, but even I knew there was more she could do to prevent the major conflict. I also felt Jake got over his reservations and feelings rather quickly.

As an advanced reader copy, there were a few missing words here and there. Sawyer tells Nora that Eve is his wife and then introduces Eve as his girlfriend at the bar.

All this aside, did I stay up until 2 am reading Paradise Cove? Yes, I did. I also can't believe I have to wait a year to read about Maya and Law!

Being a female doctor is tough. It's a hard world to break into and then there are all of the hours you have to work. That doesn't really make it conducive to having a relationship. Even if you're dating another doctor. Especially if you walk in the door and find said other doctor screwing a resident on your couch. Even more disheartening is realizing that the past few years of your life have been directed by your ex.
Dr. Nora Walsh is dealing with ALL of that. She sees a notice that there is an opening for a small town doctor in Paradise Cove and she decides to take the position but her plan is just to stay for two years, pay off her student debt and save for a house that she can share with her sister. She's not looking for a forever home or a forever love.
For his part, Jake Ramsey is barely even looking for someone to grunt in the general of. He lost his infant son to the flu and his marriage imploded soon after. He barely even wants to talk to the friends he's had since childhood. His life is all about helping out around town and that's what leads him to be one of the first people to meet Nora. They share a pretty intense experience and then... start hanging out. Nora gives him sympathy but not too much and not too little. She's the Baby Bear of sympathy.
From the beginning, I was really hoping that a particular plot line wouldn't pop up. But it did. While Holiday is an entertaining writer and I am very much looking forward to Maya and Law's story, the end of this book was just a little to fraught to feel like there was a concrete resolution.

This book comes out July 28th
Follows Mermaid Inn
ARC kindly provided by Forever (Grand Central Publishing) and NetGalley
Opinions are my own

Big city doctor Nora Walsh relocates to Paradise Cove after discovering her boyfriend is cheating on her, with a much younger resident. Thinking a couple years break from the massively busy ER AND dating will refresh her, Nora isn't counting on stoic, size of a mountain local Jake Ramsay to become both her best friend and eventually her lover. But they both agree, it will never be anything more.

A deeply poignant romance with a current of extreme grief running underneath it all, Paradise Cove is much more than a light beach read.

CW death of a child (in the past), pregnancy issues, on page medical descriptions

I really enjoyed this second installment of Jenny Holiday's Matchmaker Bay series. I liked the first book but this one was better on my opinion. Jake is still grieving the loss of his young son and Nora is the new town doctor from Toronto, fresh off a breakup from her cheating ex boyfriend. Their relationship was cute and it had some good steamy scenes. The small town backdrop is fun, very Stars Hollow. Also, there's a dog! I can't wait for Law and Maya's story.