Heat Factor: The perfect amount of spice - that sweet spot where there’s enough sex so it’s sexy, but not so much sex that it’s erotic romance
Character Chemistry: I absolutely believe that Jake and Nora are best friends.
Plot: Big City Doctor moves to Small Town, Befriends Local Hermit. With Benefits. But also, this is a story about grief and finding love where you least expect it and letting yourself feel.
Overall: I am an emotional mess and I loved every minute of it.

Question for the audience: what makes a comedy a comedy? How much humor is the baseline amount? And how many serious moments can you have until it tips over into something else? Holiday’s books are consistently marketed as comedies, but I cried my way through Paradise Cove - in the most, satisfying, cathartic way. On the other hand, the dialogue is sharp and there is some situational humor and a bit with a dog and a Spry Romancelandia Granny (h/t Superwendy), all makings of a romantic comedy. When I brought this dynamic up to Erin and Ingrid, Erin correctly pointed out that many comedies have cry moments when things pull together, so I’ll go ahead and call this a comedy. But if you’re reading this expecting 100% hilarious slapstick humor, please reset your expectations.

Here’s the basic premise. Nora has just gotten out of a long term relationship, and has decided that she needs a reset - so she leaves her job as an ER doctor in Toronto to take over a family practice in a small town in Ontario. She sees this as a temporary measure; she’ll stay in Moonflower Bay for two years while she finds herself (turns out that long term relationship was sort of toxic in retrospect) and saves some money, and then she’ll head back to the big city. On her first day in town, she meets Jake Ramsay, aka Aquaman.

Jake is a beefy sea god who is silent 95% of the time and fixes everything in town. He is also seriously in need of grief counseling. His infant son died four years ago, and he is frequently overwhelmed by waves of grief. He is therefore the town hermit not only because of inclination (he is not impressed by the whole cell phone / being accessible all the time thing in general) but because he separates himself from others since he doesn’t deserve happiness.

Right after Jake and Nora’s first meeting, Nora delivers a baby on the town square, and since Jake is right there, he helps with crowd control. An emergency birth bouncer, if you will. So they forge this instant connection over a pretty wild shared experience, and they start spending time together. The development of their friendship is particularly well done. In the interest of showing, not telling, here’s a bit from an early scene where Jake unexpectedly confides in Nora about his son:

He waited for waves— the bad ones— to crash over him. They did not. They just kept rhythmically but not punishingly lapping against his insides, seeking a way out. So he opened his mouth and said it.
“Jude died of the flu.”
She did not react with over-the-top dismay as most people did. She nodded grimly and took a sip of her drink. Then she hit him with another of those questions that were apparently peeling him back like the lid of a sardine tin. “Did you name him after the song ‘Hey Jude’?”

On the one hand, Jake and Nora do that tropey thing where they are basically strangers but have a magical connection that allows them to easily tell each other things they can’t tell other people. On the other hand, Holiday does the work to show us how this connection actually comes about.

So Jake and Nora become best friends. Jake and Nora are also both horny and wildly attracted to each other. And neither Jake nor Nora is interested in a serious relationship - Nora because she sees Moonflower Bay as a temporary pause from her real life, and Jake because he is still emotionally attached to his old family. Obviously, the best way to deal with all of these things is to become friends with benefits. And just as obviously, they catch feelings.

As Nora and Jake work towards their resolution, we don’t have the standard angst and repetition of “Oh no! I’ve got feelings but he hasn’t? What shall I dooooooooo?!?” I mean, there’s a little bit of that, but a lot more of Jake and Nora hanging out and watching zombie movies and being supportive of each other and having excellent sex and just being happy spending time together. Of course, there is a Big Dramatic Moment where Terrible Things are said, but it doesn’t come out of the blue - I was absolutely gutted and also not unpleasantly surprised, because Holiday had laid all the groundwork for the characters to react the way they do.

In short: I loved every minute of their relationship, even when I was crying ugly tears.

Addendum on the setting: Ok, so normally I don’t love small town romances because they are just too twee. And I must admit that Moonflower Bay is pretty twee: nobody makes Nora pay for anything ever and there’s a Mermaid Festival and a special flower-wishing tradition. On the other hand, all of the festivals are presented through the lens of Nora running mobile vaccination clinics. (Measles are coming back with a vengeance! Did you know that if you’re an adult in your 30s you might need to get an MMR booster?) So while Holiday might elide the economic hardship that might accompany living in a small town, she does acknowledge the public health challenges facing a town that has been bumping along without local healthcare infrastructure.


I voluntarily read and reviewed a complimentary copy of this book. All thoughts and opinions are my own. We disclose this in accordance with 16 CFR §255.

This review is also available at The Smut Report (8/2/2020)

Included as a top pick in bimonthly July New Releases post, which highlights and promotes upcoming releases of the month (link attached).

I very much enjoyed this book. I loved following Nora and Jake as they morphed from friends to lovers and slowly fell in love. The theme of grief was throughout the book but I thought it was portrayed in a heartbreakingly realistic way. When I say I love small town romances, this is the kind of book I'm talking about. I didn't know it was the second book in a series, but I have to say it was written in a way that I didn't feel lost. I will definitely go back and read Mermaid Inn.

I loved this romance. It was a sweet, easy read about a sweet, easy love.

There are some heavier topics covered, but they don’t weigh you down. Until the end; then it’s a little heavy. Like any good romance though, the ending lifts you up and leaves you happy and hopeful.

When I requested this on NetGalley, I did not realize it’s set in Canada. It’s in my backyard actually, which made me picky about the facts. Really they don’t matter much though and they weren’t inaccurate. It was kind of fun reading about a fictional town within driving distance of Toronto. I don’t normally enjoy books set in Toronto. This wasn’t actually set in Toronto though.

The characters were well written and interesting. The town is very cute. I will have to read the first novel set in this town, Mermaid Inn. I haven’t read that yet.

This was just such a fun summer, beach read. I highly recommend!

I loved Mermaid Inn, but Paradise Cove was even better. There was so much to love in this story. Jake is a gorgeous, taciturn mountain man, a close friend of Sawyer, the hero from book 1. He tragically lost his young son, got divorced, and has been pretty much silent and withdrawn ever since. Nora caught her boyfriend cheating and decided to reboot her life by resigning from her Toronto hospital (she's an ER doc) and taking a 2 yr contract to reopen the local family practice clinic in Moonflower Bay. They meet cute at the local beauty shop, then connect again when Jake fetches her on her second day in town to help with a woman unexpectedly in labor at the town square. From there, a lovely friendship grows based on mutual respect and a whole lot of heat. Jake finds that Nora is the one person he's able to open up to about his grief while Nora finds that Jake is a sweet, caring man, always quick to help out everyone in town even though he rarely talks and seems pretty untouchable.

Initially, neither of them thinks they want anything more than sex, Nora, because she wants to take a time out from relationships, Jake, because he doesn't think he deserves to be happy. However, as their friendship grows, they both start wanting more. There was plenty of fun in this lovely romance, but also a strong, poignant undercurrent, as Jake slowly starts to move past his grief, accept that life moves on and he's allowed to be happy in spite of his loss. Meanwhile, Nora finds a new community and friends that accept her with open arms. I love romances that can make you feel all the intense feelings while at the same time balancing it out with fun and smiles and this book found that perfect balance. I can't wait for the next book. I voluntarily read and reviewed an advance copy of this book. All thoughts and opinions are my own.

(Review is cross-posted on my personal Netgalley account)

Is it too late to pack my bags and move to Moonflower Bay?? Because I would do it in a second!

Mermaid Inn was one of my favorite quarantine reads, being in Moonflower Bay totally helped me escape some of the real world stress going on this Spring. I adored everything about that story and because of it I went into Paradise Cove with reallllly high expectations. Holy wow, did Jenny Holiday exceed all the expectations I had!!!

I've loved every book I've read from JH, but this one might be my favorite?? Friends-to-lovers is one of my favorite tropes and this one is just a phenomenal reminder of why I love this trope so much. Nora is the new doctor in town following a rough break-up and decision to change up her life a bit. I LOVED the meet-cute between her and Jake. It was delightful and funny, just one of the best scenes.

If you read Mermaid Inn you get a little glimpse of Jake and how the town treats him following the death of his young son and subsequent divorce. My heart broke for him during Mermaid Inn, but his story in Paradise Cove borderline destroyed me. There's a LOT of discussions on grief and the reader has a front row seat as Jake explores his feelings following the loss of his son four years earlier. Some of these scenes were very heavy, but JH does realistic and heavy topics so well.

I adored how Nora and Jake went from sort of friends to best friends to lovers. It made the book impossible to put down and I love love loved both of their characters, the chemistry between the two was excellent. And yes, there's steam!!

There's a twist in this one and it ended up being one of my other favorite tropes. It gets a bit messy during this part, but it felt so true to life especially considering the characters reactions.

So yes, I absolutely adored every second of Paradise Cove! It was a five star read for me and immediately went on my 2020 Favorites list. Highly, highly recommend this series!


CW: lots of grief discussion, death of an infant (off page), death of a grandparent (on page)

Is it too late to pack my bags and move to Moonflower Bay?? Because I would do it in a second!

Mermaid Inn was one of my favorite quarantine reads, being in Moonflower Bay totally helped me escape some of the real world stress going on this Spring. I adored everything about that story and because of it I went into Paradise Cove with reallllly high expectations. Holy wow, did Jenny Holiday exceed all the expectations I had!!!

I've loved every book I've read from JH, but this one might be my favorite?? Friends-to-lovers is one of my favorite tropes and this one is just a phenomenal reminder of why I love this trope so much. Nora is the new doctor in town following a rough break-up and decision to change up her life a bit. I LOVED the meet-cute between her and Jake. It was delightful and funny, just one of the best scenes.

If you read Mermaid Inn you get a little glimpse of Jake and how the town treats him following the death of his young son and subsequent divorce. My heart broke for him during Mermaid Inn, but his story in Paradise Cove borderline destroyed me. There's a LOT of discussions on grief and the reader has a front row seat as Jake explores his feelings following the loss of his son four years earlier. Some of these scenes were very heavy, but JH does realistic and heavy topics so well.

I adored how Nora and Jake went from sort of friends to best friends to lovers. It made the book impossible to put down and I love love loved both of their characters, the chemistry between the two was excellent. And yes, there's steam!!

There's a twist in this one and it ended up being one of my other favorite tropes. It gets a bit messy during this part, but it felt so true to life especially considering the characters reactions.

So yes, I absolutely adored every second of Paradise Cove! It was a five star read for me and immediately went on my 2020 Favorites list. Highly, highly recommend this series!


CW: lots of grief discussion, death of an infant (off page), death of a grandparent (on page)

Premise is good. Big city doctor moves to small town and meets the quiet heroic brooder. Both have suffered loss and trauma and they ease from friends to lovers pretty easily.
If you like light feel good small town romances, this book is for you. Book two of a series.

I did not finish it.

4.25⭐️.

Tropes: friends to lovers


There are some writers who really get the emotional stuff—who open up their characters & reveal the intricacies of what makes them human: fallible & lovable—and Jenny Holiday is one of them.

Like @b.andherbooks noted, Paradise Cove is a pretty emotionally devastating romance. It’s also touching, sexy as hell, & hopeful.

Physician Nora just temporarily re-located to Moonflower Bay. Almost immediately she meets the handsome, dependable Jake Ramsey, who’s still reeling from his infant son’s death & his subsequent divorce years earlier—& who doesn’t want to get past the former event at all.

Eventually & beautifully Nora & Jake become friends & then BFFs...even if the whole town is shocked by that development. And somewhere along the way they start sleeping together, both of them asserting that it’s sex & friendship only.

Jake & Nora are truly admirable characters who give so much of themselves to others. If Fixer men is your kink then you’ll love Jake and if competence porn is your thing you’ll love both leads. The chemistry between them is hot & take no prisoners, & their friendship gives me all the warm fuzzies.

Holiday’s taken on a huge project with this book, incorporating grief on and off the page, & it feels nuanced & sincere. But I did feel like some of the big moments in Nora and Jake’s relationship—how they come together, how they break part, & reconnect—kinda feel like whimpers in some ways instead of having the full emotional effect I would like. That’s maybe because the grief they’re dealing with, that Jake in particular is so ravaged by, is so tremendous & understandably has a huge effect on any entanglements he has with others.

Paradise Cove is a stunning entry to Jenny Holiday’s Matchmaker Bay series. Maybe most of all, I’m just glad to see this couple get their HEA.



CW:

death of child (off page); death of grandparent (on page); heroine cheated on by former partner (off page)

Paradise Cove is out on 07/28. Thanks to Netgalley & Forever Publishing & Grand Central Publishing for my complimentary e-ARC & the latter two for my finished print copy; all opinions provided are my own.

Small town (new) friends to lovers. I haven't read the first book in this series, but this reads easily as a stand alone. Though I am certainly now interested in spending more time with this particular cast of characters.

Nora is a big city doctor who's moved to Moonflower Bay in order to get her life together, post break up. Jake is the strong silent type who's always fixing something, so long as it's not his deep and abiding grief.

I was enchanted by this book. I went in a little skeptical - I'm never quite sure if small town is going to speak to me - but the writing and storytelling pulled me right in. I found Jake and Nora's romance to be quite sweet - particularly the way they were almost always able to communication with each other. Nora's preference for zombie movies was cute.

Some readers may appreciate content warnings for: on-page birth, death of a child (past), death of an elder (present).

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A sweet story about a doctor with a pixie cut who recently went through a bad breakup and a hunky man-god with long hair who lost a child. They meet in a hair salon, of all places! The meet cute is pretty adorable, but I had a hard time sticking to this one. Something about the development felt a bit awkward and choppy. Jake's sudden need to "confess" his insecurities and issues to Nora didn't really make sense to me, so their growth seemed like an illusion to me as I continued.

I voluntarily read and reviewed an ARC of this book. All thoughts and opinions are my own.
Thank you NetGalley and the publisher for making this book available to read.
This is the first book by Jenny Holiday that I've read, and what a book it is. Jake and Nora are two wonderful people that need changes in their lives. Nora is the newcomer to town and is so friendly and lovely that Jake can't help but be drawn to her. Both characters have to deal with the feelings of loss during the book, but the author handles it so well, you feel like the advice given has come from a professional.
Throw in the wonderful town and side characters and you've got a great series, (despite having missed Book One.)
I think what I like most about the story, is that their love is easy. Love is like having a best friend, and these two are definitely meant for each other.
4.5 stars

The second in author Jenny Holiday's Matchmaker Bay series, Paradise Cove balances both the lighter aspects of this small-town love story with issues around grief and healing. A lovely addition to the author's catalog

With Paradise Cove Jenny Holiday has crafted a wonderful story with engaging, relatable characters.

Jake was first introduced in Mermaid Inn with little said about the loss of his son Jude and subsequent divorce. The heartbreaking experience profoundly changed his life and he rarely connects with anyone outside his two best friends. When Nora moves to town to take over the medical practice, he finds himself drawn to her.

Nora is one of my favorite heroines of this year. She is smart, caring, and real. There was a vulnerability about her and I loved seeing her grow and flourish as she spent time with Jake, made friends, and succeeded in her new family medicine practice.

The story is well paced and I found myself reading just a little at a time because I didn't want it to end. I like the author's writing style and the balance she strikes between emotional moments, humor, and romance. I cannot recommend this book enough!

I love friends to lovers stories. Dr. Nora Walsh moves to Moonflower Bay to start a new life after a five-year relationship ended in Toronto. Jake Ramsay is a quiet loner, keeping to himself a lot but who is always available to help out the people in town. He is still mourning the loss of his baby son who died from complications from the flu. Seems Nora and Jake find it easy to talk and confide in each other. They become good friends and more. Their path to a Happily Ever After has some bumps and I enjoyed reading about how they traveled this path. The matchmaking elders in town add some levity to the story and you can't beat their willingness to help those in need so their meddling is accepted.

Paradise Cove by Jenny Holiday is the second book in her Matchmaker Bay series. It can be read as a standalone but reading the first book in the series, Mermaid Inn introduces readers to so many returning characters in this book.

I thoroughly enjoyed this second entry in the Matchmaker Bay series. Nora and Jake each have issues to work through (in his case, the devastating loss of a child), but it was a joy watching them eventually come together. I look forward to the next book!

I’m a Jenny Holiday fan girl. There is no point in denying it. When I first met her writing with her Bridesmaids Behaving Badly series I knew I was going to be a fan for a while. There is something so right about the stories she tells and each book in the series got better and better. And honestly the same has happened with the Matchmaker Bay series. While I enjoyed Mermaid Inn, I have fallen completely head over heels in love with Paradise Cove. Nora and Jake’s story was beyond my expectations and I’m going to tell you why.

Paradise Cove is about Nora, the new doctor in town, and Jake, a lifer that suffered a great tragedy when his son died from the flu. Nora is looking for a new start after a terrible break-up and Jake is content in his loner life style. But when these two meet Jake finds himself opening up in a way that he hasn’t in a long time and Nora finds that this small town may not be so easy to leave behind. Slowly these two become close and start to help heal each other in ways they didn’t expect. The one thing about finding an unexpected connection is being prepared for it to change your life.

This book! This book! This book! It is hard for me to explain what I loved so much about Paradise Cove. I don’t know if it was Jake, so sad and broken and just looking for a connection after what he went though. Or if it was Nora, a fresh face in a small town that desperately needed her energy and vibe. Or if it was Jake and Nora together that made this book magical. Whatever it was, it was Jenny’s best book and I loved every turn of the page. Jake was so sad and broken and Nora helped him want to put himself back together. I loved it so much.

I know this review is kind of ramble-y and all over the place, but what you really need to take away from it that it is AWESOME and you need to read it! You will walk away so happy (even after you shed a few tears) and just want the next book in the series. Paradise Cove is one you do not want to miss!

Lovd this series. Nora is new to town. She is the new doctor. Jake is usually not very talkative when there was a death in his family several years ago. Will nora get him to open up? Read the book to find out

A very good read. I fell in love with Nora , the new resident Doctor and Jake Ramsey from page one. It was very cute how they quickly became friends to then becoming friends with benefits and then...well you’ve got to read it and see. Highly recommend.

This book took a bit of time for me to get into. Once I got past the first few chapters, the story caught my attention and I wanted to keep reading it. As the story unwinds, I love the attention to detail and the characters in the book. There are some great one on one sections in this book that work with the flow of the story. The author was really good about explaining the back story for each character and she lets the story tell itself. Thank you for the opportunity to pre-read this one. Enjoy!