This is a good book. The two main characters are Emma and Luke. Emma is a recently divorced, substitute teacher, and dog biscuit entrepreneur. Luke has recently moved from Chicago, a widow, and a dad. They meet when Emma’s dog gets lost and winds up at Luke’s house. They keep unexpectedly meet up at different parts of town. They start dating. They each have trust issues but resolve those issues and fall in love

This is book 1 in the Hadley Cove Sweet Romance series. Emma is devastated when her husband demands a divorce and marries a much younger woman. She decides to move to Hadley Cove and start over with her dog Riley. All is going smoothly when Riley goes missing and is found at her neighbor's house. Luke is new to Hadley Cove and is trying to fix his relationship with his teen son, Jeremiah. With some help from Riley, the couple are constantly thrown together and love follows. Very sweet and I can't wait for book 2.

Since the Day We Danced
Kerk Murray
Published 14 November 2023, Read 2024
4 Stars


Thank you NetGalley and Publisher BooksGoSocial for my copy of Since the Day We Danced by Kerk Murray. I have not received any rewards or compensation for this review and therefore all views and opinions are of my own, the reviewer. I have purchased a physical copy of this book.

In summary: Second chance romance, life change over 40.

This my first book by Kerk Murray.

Interesting story with the main characters within their forties given a second chance at love. I think the story is uncomplicated (in a good way), it’s clean storytelling with a low level of heat to it. The plot is believable and plausible. I enjoyed the romance unfolding set against the backdrop of a beach town.

Luke was trying to save his relationship with his son and Emma was trying to heal from a bitter divorce. Both have a hard battle ahead, with their inner turmoil, pain, and despair. Together, they can charter a new course for a new beginning. This is a heartwarming, touching story, of the heartbreaking loss of first love, healing, and new beginnings.

This was the first book I've read by Kerk Murray, but it will not be my last! I really enjoyed the romance between Emma and Luke, and I love that they were a bit older in their 40's. Riley, the pup, added so much to the story line. I am eagerly waiting to read the next 4 books in this series!

Thank you NetGalley for the opportunity to read and review. All opinions are my own.

Publication date: 14 November 2023

The story begins with Emma, whose marriage is over and her family's home sold. But Emma got to keep Riley, her precious rescue dog.

Emma moves, but her dog returns to her old home. The new home owner adores Riley, but knows his owner needs to be reignited with him. Luke then meets Emma. A friendship is formed. But not without issues popping up from ex's to son's and other life problems.

A touching story, where you feel welcomed into Hadley Cove and the people in it.

This is a nice easy romance with a feel good factor.

The characters are likeable and the story goes along at a good pace.

I would recommend this for a nice cosy evening.

Very sweet story, and I liked the premise and location. I did feel like there could have been deeper character development however.

I had really high hopes for this one but something just did not do it for me. I felt it lacked depth and it did not keep me intrigued enough to keep going. I had to DNF.

This was a cute cozy beach town romance. I enjoyed the romance between Emma and Luke, especially after her toxic marriage to Chad, which unfortunately was too relatable. Emma deserved the sweet and understanding temperament that Luke was. Luke is a single dad after the death of his wife, and he and his son, Jeremiah, are still learning how to cope and be each others support. His wife was the glue before since Luke was always so busy working.
Luke and Jeremiah move from Chicago to Hadley Cove for a different pace of life, and there Luke meets Emma. He lives in her old house, and her dog Riley ran away to the house. He didn’t think he could love again after the death of his wife, but Emma brings out a happiness in him, and later, Jeremiah, that is good for them all.

Read this one if you want a sweet, clean romance to settle and snuggle into the couch with!

Thank you Kerk for the copy!!

𝙎𝙞𝙣𝙘𝙚 𝙩𝙝𝙚 𝘿𝙖𝙮 𝙒𝙚 𝘿𝙖𝙣𝙘𝙚𝙙 by Kerk Murray is book 1 in the Hadley Cove Sweet Romance series and is chock-full of your favorite romance tropes:

🐚 Second chances
🐚 Small town
🐚 Later in life romance
🐚 Rescue dog
🐚 Beach setting

Y’all this book is the epitome of a Hallmark movie! Big city guy meets small town girl, they take long walks on the beach, sprinkle in some lighthouse kisses, throw a rescue dog in the mix, and voilà! The perfect makings of all things Hallmark, and I’m here for it!

𝙎𝙞𝙣𝙘𝙚 𝙩𝙝𝙚 𝘿𝙖𝙮 𝙒𝙚 𝘿𝙖𝙣𝙘𝙚𝙙 was so sweet and swoony! I had a smile on my face the entire time I was reading! You’ll love rooting for Emma and Luke as they navigate life after loss. And dog lovers, there’s a loveable ball of fluff to root for too! Riley you have heart 🐾

Will there be a happily ever after for Emma and Luke? Pick up 𝙎𝙞𝙣𝙘𝙚 𝙩𝙝𝙚 𝘿𝙖𝙮 𝙒𝙚 𝘿𝙖𝙣𝙘𝙚𝙙 to find out!

I can’t wait to go back to the small town of Hadley Cove in book 2, 𝙎𝙞𝙣𝙘𝙚 𝙩𝙝𝙚 𝘿𝙖𝙮 𝙒𝙚 𝙁𝙚𝙡𝙡.

@kerkmurray thank you again so much for the beautiful PR box and signed book! This story was beautiful.

Thank you to Netgalley and BooksGoSocial for this ARC of ‘Since the Day We Danced’ by Kerk Murray

First of all what an amazing start to a series! I am so so happy that we will get more books in Hadley Cove. I usually go for a spicy romance in all honestly but say this and couldn’t resist. The chemistry between Emma and Luke was perfect! This book was just so wholesome and I can’t wait to read more!

This was everything my romantic heart needed and then some. From true love to happy endings to the happiness dogs bring you throughout the middle. I would recommend this feel good love story over and over again!

Readers looking for a sweet romance will adore SINCE THE DAY WE DANCED. I love the coastal Georgia setting and the Hallmark-style plot. This is a second chance, later-in=life story that kept me turning the pages. And did I mention there's a sweet rescue dog who steals the show? Emma is a relatable main character and I like how the author shows her journey and leaves the reader with a message of hope.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for an advance e-galley; all opinion expressed in this review are completely my own.

This is a new-to-me author and I wasn't sure what to expect. What I got was a beautifully written story that hooked me on the first page and didn't let go. It's a sweet second chance romance that was a joy to read. I look forward to reading more books by this author.
I received a complimentary copy from BooksGoSocial via NetGalley and was not required to write a review. All opinions expressed are my own.

"Since the Day We Danced" is a very light read, with very little character development and a definite point the author wants to make. Vegan is good, Animal rescue is good. All else is not so good.

The two love interests don't even meet until a quarter of the way through the book, and while their romance is sweet, there's little to make their falling in love believable.

There was also a problem with the ebook version I was reading. For some reason, it showed up as black text on a dark grey background in the Kindle app on my iPhone. This led to a user error (mine!) early on where I accidentally started the book 70% of the way through (having jumped there while paging through the table of contents) and then realized later that I'd missed the beginning, so started it all over again. Honestly, though, the book could have just been a short story, starting just a bit earlier than that 70% mark and it would have worked almost as well...

I didn't dislike the book, but I didn't especially like it either. So this one was a miss for me.

Thank you to Kerk Murray, BooksGoSocial, and NetGalley for an advance review copy.

This is a clean, second chance, later-in-life romance set in a cozy Georgia coastal town. The storyline is Hallmark-sweet. I would have liked more depth, but if you’re looking for a light read, this is a good choice. I loved Riley, the rescue dog, and although he’s in the background, Riley is a blessing to Emma and many people in the story. My only critique would be that the past relationships Emma had with her dad and ex create conflict at the end that would have been lots more effective with more build up throughout the story- harassment from Carl, an out of the blue attempt at contact from dad…. That said, overall, I found this to be sweet, redemptive & hopeful.

absolutely loved this story, kept my interest right to the end.

Just love Kerk's style of writjng.

Can wait to read the next story

3.5 stars
A sweet read, Since the Day We Danced relays the love story of Emma and Luke. Emma, coming off a nasty divorce, and Luke, grieving the wife he lost two years earlier, find their way to one another thanks to Riley, Emma’s dog, and his helpful intervention! Facing some difficult challenges, primarily from Luke’s son and Emma’s ex husband, the two need to overcome these obstacles to achieve their happily ever after. I liked the characters and wanted them to succeed. Easy to read, with some elements not explored enough or summed up too easily, it is not a book with depth despite the potential for that to happen.. First in a series, I would read others when I want a lighter option.

I received a copy of this book from NetGalley and have written an objective review.

I really enjoyed this sweet romance, the main characters were very likeable and I felt drawn to seeing them succeed in there relationship, beautifully written felt myself rooting for there engagement and would love to read more.