This novel, number three in the Mermaids Point series, is the story of two lonely friends. Ivy Fisher has recently lost her mother after becoming her carer during her fatal illness. Her father had walked out on them years ago, and they are not in contact, so now Ivy feels like she needs to earn her living and to make new beginnings in her life as a singleton. She is very artistic, a talented seamstress, crafter and upcycler, but sadly her small cottage is not a suitable place for that sort of work. She needs more spacious premises. As usual in Mermaids Point, her friends have rallied around her and she has good support from them all.
On the day of her mother’s funeral there is a knock on her front door. When she opens it she finds Alex Nelson standing there. He tells her he would like to dedicate his day to looking after her and to being her escort at the church. Ivy always knew Alex was a lovely person and she is immediately touched and grateful. She knows his brother Tom and his family are part of the local community. She accepts his offer with grateful thanks and from the small acorn of friendship their relationship based on trust and knowing their boundaries flourishes.
Alex is at a point in his life where he too wants to make changes in his life. He plans to move from London to Mermaids Point after the trauma of breaking up with his wife Jo. He has a keen eye on the local bookshop which is for sale. The upstairs could be his home and the bookshop his workplace. Unknown to the community, Alex is a bestselling author. He is due to submit another novel to his publishing house soon and the peace of a bookshop would be bliss. That and being self-employed could be the answer to all of his needs. At last he is feeling optimistic, if only his offer for the bookshop is accepted. This is Ivy and Alex’s story.
I really enjoyed reading this uplifting novel. The storytelling was lovely, not only is it beautifully written but it’s overflowing with love, warmth, supportiveness and friendship. I loved the beautiful seaside setting as it was idyllic and restful. The storyboard was packed full of love, a fledgling romance and heartfelt emotion. I loved the characters in this story, as they were familiar from the first and second novels in this series and it was great to watch their further development. My favourite character in this book was Alex. I enjoyed Lucifer’s antics and was pleased that he eventually accepted Alex, even if he did prefer Ivy. Alex was compassionate, kind, thoughtful, loyal and giving. I loved the community spirit and the joy of heart-warming friendship, love and support.
I received a complimentary copy of this novel from publisher Boldwood Books through my membership of NetGalley. Thank you for my copy sent in return for an honest and unbiased review. This novel is a good escapist read that will keep you turning the pages, wondering what will happen next. It’s a very well deserved and solid 4* review from me.

3.5 but rounding up to 4. It was great to venture back to Mermaids Point to catch up with the characters. The story focusing on Ivy and Alex this time. I admired Ivy's independence and feistiness, I love how she stood up to Bev. The close community of Mermaids Point is so lovely, I can't help but smile when I read about them all helping one another out. I would like to see things work out for Wendy and shall look forward to the next instalment of this lovely series of books.

This is book #3 in the Mermaids Point series, and whilst part of a series it can easily be read as a standalone book. This book focuses on Ivy Fisher's story. We've met Ivy before in the previous books, but this begins particularly sadly for her as her mother has died. We also get to meet again Alex Nelson, who is the brother of the Village's GP, Tom. Alex has his own life crisis going on, but when he returns to the village after buying the local bookshop, it's clear he has taken a shine to Ivy!

I love this series and enjoyed returning to the Point. Ivy is a lovely character and I have to admit to shedding a tear or two over her storyline. She is so lucky to have such good friends in the village who look after her as it's clear that her family aren't as caring. Alex is also a very likeable character and I enjoyed both their storylines in finding not just happiness, but also in finding themselves. Most of the other villagers make an appearance again in this book, and whilst they are mainly in the background, I did find myself warming to them all over again. The community spirit in looking after one of their own was certainly heart warming and touching.

The storyline flows along at a steady pace with Ivy and Alex's storylines developing as they went. Personally, I did find Alex's storyline a little slower, but still enjoyed them both. The location of the book is stunning, and who wouldn't want to escape to Mermaids Point for the duration of the story! I hope there will be another book in the series to carry on the villagers stories, hopefully with Nick's storyline, as there seems to be more to tell with him! I'd definitely recommend, not just this book, but the whole series! Delightful, heart-warming and a joy to read!!

2.5 stars

I've thoroughly enjoyed the previous books in this series and was really looking forward to Alex & Ivy's story. Maybe my expectations were too high but I struggled with this book. It took me a couple of weeks to read it and the previous books I read in a day. I can't quite put my finger on why it didn't work for me but it didn't.

That being said, I will definitely read future books in this series.

I received a complimentary copy of this book from Boldwood Books through NetGalley. Opinions expressed in this review are completely my own. Thank you, Boldwood Books!

I received an ARC of, Love Blooms at Mermaids Point, by Sarah Bennett. This is part of the Mermaids Point series. I love Ivy, Alex not so much. It was nice to revisit old friends in Mermaids Point.

Cozy, heartwarming story of loss, love and friendship.
This book highlights Alex and Ivy, and I was so glad they got their own story. Loved the story. Bit sad in the beginning, but will touch your heart.
Highly recommend.
I received an advance copy of this book in exchange for my honest review.

A fan of this series, I couldn’t wait to get stuck into Love Blooms at Mermaids Point by Sarah Bennett. I needed a cosy, fun contemporary romance and knew that this would be just that. It’s that is the third book in the amazing Mermaids Point series, but you could read it as a standalone, although I really do recommend the other books too.

This is a series that is uplifting and this visit did leave me feeling happy and content. I love a book that has a strong sense of community like this, where characters support each other and are there for one another when things go wrong.
Crafty and creative Ivy is carefully dealing with the grief of losing her Mum. Although they knew it was coming, it has left Ivy feeling sensitive. When her world changes even more, she needs to find security so she can move forwards.
Alex, brother of local doctor Tom, is in need of a fresh start; he wants to go in a new direction, and he wants to settle in Mermaids Point. When he finds an exciting new venture, he jumps straight in, but is he thinking with his head or his heart?
When Alex provides Ivy with everything she needs, even if temporarily, will she accept? It will mean letting down the walls she has built and putting her trust in someone other than herself.
Such great chemistry between these two characters, it jumps off the page. I really like both characters, so this pairing is perfect in my eyes. I like how independent Ivy is, but I do see how a great guy like Alex will be a reliable and caring source of support for her.
Wonderful dialogue, fun characters and brilliant writing by Sarah Bennett, as always.
A romance filled with tension, drama and a naughty cat called Lucifer!
Highly recommended.

Absolutely loved Alex from day one and his book didn't disappoint. Though i felt sorry for Ivy it took me a while to warm to her, and when everything hit the fan she did exactly what i thought she'd do which made me want to scream. Still a very enjoyable book though, can't wait for the next one

The third book in the series and once again one that I absolutely loved! Sarah Bennet is such a great writer and she really makes you feel warm and fuzzy inside while reading this series. Mermaids Point completely has my heart by now. This one is about Alex and Ivy, who we both have already met in previous books, and I'm so glad that they got their own book because I love these characters so much! I do recommend reading the other books first. If you're looking for a fun, cozy, heartwarming book set against a stunning backdrop, this one is for you!

It’s lovely to visit Mermaids Point again and catch up with the local community! This time we get to follow Alex and Ivy’s story as they recover from past hurt, embark on a joint venture in the old bookshop and find out if their new relationship can overcome the past! Beautifully written, gorgeously romantic and heartwarming, the perfect beach read. I’m hoping that we get to visit Mermaids Point again in the future……..

This is the fourth book I have read from
the mermaid point series. I was so happy to read love blooms. I have really enjoyed all the books. This story is about Ivy who has just lost her mum from cancer and about Alex moving to the point to buy a book shop. This is lovely romance feel good book and I really hope there is fifth book. If you have not read the series I strongly recommend it. Thank you netgalley for letting me read this book.

This was a lovely feel-good book where you get to revisit Mermaid’s Point and soak in the well written story. It’s a hard thing to start with a funeral, but Ms Bennett navigated the reader well to a happier tone. The addition of Lucifer was a joy to read, Thank you for such a great book!

Thanks to Boldwood Books and Netgalley for an advance copy of this in exchange for a review.

Having enjoyed the other books in the Mermaids Point series I was delighted to be accepted to read this one too. Another great book in the series and I thoroughly enjoyed my time in Mermaid's Point. Really hoping there will be more!

The story
Ivy’s mother has just passed away, and when she gets a knock on the door just before leaving for the funeral, it’s Alex Nelson. He is the brother of the town’s doctor Tom, and he is there is make sure she is cared for on this sad day. Alex is divorced from Jo, and then wrote a bestseller book about the experience. Alex is keen on buying the local bookstore and revamping it. He ropes in Ivy to help him, but they end up helping each other move on from the sadness of their respective lives.

My thoughts
I have just adored the other books in this series, and this instalment was no exception. I can just picture this cute series being made into a charming BBC-type series. Alex is a total sweetie, although he isn’t proud of his divorce and tell-all and really wants to move on. Ivy has lived with sadness for so long, and things are hard when her mother dies. But the sweet relationship between the two is heartwarming and gave me the all the warm and fuzzy feelings. A definite recommend although I would suggest reading the books in the series in order to get the full effect. ❤️

I probably should’ve done my research and figured out this book was part of a series, but overall this book wasn’t for me. I didn’t really connect with the characters and was overall pretty bored and didn’t particularly care for what happened.

It took a couple of chapters to get into. Ivy was a complicated character. The bookshop sounded amazing. I loved how they did it up. Liucifer was one amazing cat. Made you laugh at times. You do need to have read the others but I have and I loved it. Looking forward to the next one. A jolly good relaxing read

I couldn’t wait to read the next book from Mermaids point and it didn’t disappoint. I loved how Alex even though he had only briefly met Ivy was their to support her when she needed it most. How their friendship grew by a weekly FaceTime movie night and a chance to talk., laugh and just chill. Both of them experiencing emotional highs and lows Mermaid point is a closed close knit village where everyone knows everyone and everything but will always rally together for one of their own as they do for Ivy. I loved it and read it in one sitting as I couldn’t bear to put it down.

I have absolutely adored this series and I was so excited for the next instalment of at mermaids point it is such an escapism and feel good series where good things happen with the help of friends and community spirit. I loved that this book focused on ivy and Alex story and the events which led up to them becoming friends. This book is so much more than just a romance story as it covers a lot of relatable life changing events and also clearly demonstrates how the love from friends and community spirit of the other residents of mermaids point can make everything seem so much brighter and how pulling together can help problems to be solved and bring about change.

Once I had started reading I was hooked and couldn’t put it down and found it heartwarming and heartbreaking in equal measure.

I am already excited for the next instalment to see where ivy and Alex’s journey goes abs to meet new faces to mermaids point. This book could be read as a standalone if you haven’t read the series although if you haven’t read the other books then I highly recommend them.

I really enjoyed this catch up at Mermaid's Point and a chance to get to know Ivy and Alex better after their introductions in previous books (it's not absolutely vital but I would recommend reading the previous books to get the full back story so far)
There's plenty of chemistry, community spirit, oh and I absolutely detested Ivy's dad (a very familiar story!) so that was therapy in itself! Lovely to see the plot coming together and how people are drawn to the Point to keep some more books coming!

Another great instalment in the mermaids point saga.
This one entailed Ivy and Alex. Their story was very good well written and kept us guessing with a few twists and turns. Can’t wait for my next visit to mermaids point and revisit the characters old and new.
Highly recommended read