I absolutely loved the first book in this companion series so I had pretty high hopes for book two... and I loved it even more! I need to get moving on Holiday's other books because damn. She knows how to write a low-drama romance!

Nora moves to Moonflower Bay to lease a family practice after a bad breakup in Toronto. She sets herself up there for two years as a way to escape and then move back home to buy a home with her sister. Meanwhile, Jake has been the strong, silent type around town for years, and the two hit it off right away. Everyone is surprised at how open he is with Nora - it's like something just clicks for them.

Jake and Nora had great chemistry throughout this story. It's a classic "I don't want a relationship, let's just be friends-with-benefits" that turns into more. I also enjoyed that this took place over a longer period of time so it felt like a really nice, slow progression of their relationship. Like I said, this is another book with a lower drama "black moment" that doesn't drag out due to miscommunication or something equally silly. Both of Holiday's books I've read so far have included logical "breakup moments" and conclusions, which is so appreciated. It also works so well when the characters choose to stay because it's what they've ALWAYS wanted in one way or another, instead of just sticking around for the man they fell in love with. 

This book has a trope that many people don't like but I don't want to spoil anything. I didn't mind it because it actually made sense given some other things that happened throughout the story.

I continue to love Moonflower Bay from a setting perspective. I've needed more books set in quirky small towns with meddling neighbors and friends! I saw who the next book is about and I am HERE FOR IT.

Paradise Cove by Jenny Holiday is the second novel in her Matchmaker Bay series. The novel is a charmingly written combination of romance, heartbreak, and new beginnings. The slow-built relationship between Nora and Jake from strangers to best friends is meaningful and emotional. Readers will laugh, cry, and fall in love with this novel. Jenny Holiday delivers another heartbreakingly beautiful love story that readers will not want to put down.

This story was freaking beautiful. The hero is grieving the loss of his child, and the book begins several years after that incident. The author does a fabulous job of portraying the healing process of grief and choosing to embrace good things after a tremendous loss. Not gonna lie, I cried multiple times. The main characters take you on a journey and it's 100% worth the ride. Their banter is perfect, their friendship is real, and the chemistry is off the charts. If I could give it more than 5 stars, I would.

So cute! Totally adorable! Love it!!! It’s like a Hallmark movie in book form! Am now going back and reading book 1!

Escaping to a small lakeside town after heartbreak, Toronto emergency room doctor Nora Walsh embarks on what she thinks is a two year break from the bustle of big city medicine. Her time in Matchmaker Bay, running the local family practice, however leads her to discovery, friendship and love. Paradise Cove by Jenny Holiday is an enjoyable trip to small town Canada and the characters who inhabit it. Tackling complex subjects such as grief, love and betrayal, Holiday has created complex characters that make you feel with and for them. That being said this is an easy and enjoyable read for your porch or the beach. I was very happy to learn this was the second book in a series. I can’t wait to learn more about the other characters who inhibit Matchmaker Bay This book will be published July 28, 2020. ARC kindly provided by Forever (Grand Central Publishing) and NetGalley #ParadiseCove #NetGalley

I really enjoyed Mermaid Inn, but I LOVED Paradise Cove. I forgot when I started that Jake has long hair and that Nora compares him constantly to Aquaman. It just added so much fun to the story. Jake and Nora both have their own struggles with grief and insecurities and watching them learn about themselves through each other was so good. I loved going back to Moonflower Bay and hanging out with Eve and Maya. It was the perfect way to spend a Sunday afternoon and I am so sad that its going to be a YEAR until we get Maya and Law's book.

This series is the perfect mix of Hallmark/small town story and the steam we want in a good romance novel. Jenny Holiday, you are the best.

A doctor moves to a small town after a breakup where she makes new friends, learns about herself and falls in love. Loved this book - even got a little teary at the end!

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!

I absolutely loved Jake and Nora's story. It was so heartbreakingly beautiful. The one thing that I will point out is the consistency. At the beginning, Sawyer asks Nora to meet up with friends, including his wife at the bar. That first Friday night when they all start arriving at the bar, Sawyer introduces Evie as his girlfriend. Then later on, Evie is referred to as Sawyer's girlfriend again. Aside from that, I had no other feedback, except that the story was a beautiful picture of two people coming together and understanding each other's pain.

I love Jenny Holiday. I love how unapologetically Canadian she is. I love how she writes fully realized characters beyond the main 2, and how she builds worlds. I loved the shout out to my undergrad Alma Mater. Normally I’m not a fan of one particular trope used in this book, but I really felt that it was not only appropriate for the romance and the story, but also for the character development. I loved how this book dealt with grief, and all in all everything about it. Can’t wait until book 3!

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.