Is home always where the heart is? ✨
Running a café by the sea in Halfmoon Quay should be a dream job for Issy Kernow, but the view reminds her of everything she’s lost since her parents’ death. She’s relied on no one but herself and her eccentric grandmother, Maud. But as Maud finds unexpected love, Issy begins to feel restless and lonely. Could it be time for a change?
Liam Penrose has always lived up to his family’s expectations, but after a failed relationship and a job he hates, life in London isn’t fulfilling. When a gift from his great-uncle offers the chance to take over a run-down hotel in Halfmoon Quay, Liam is torn. Returning home means a career change—and a chance to reconnect with Issy, his teenage love who slipped away years ago. Is it too late for Liam to risk everything and return to the life he once dreamed of?
In this heart-lifting story of love and second chances, will Issy and Liam discover that, when everything changes around them, some things were always meant to be?
Review: This is the second book in Sarah Bennett’s Halfmoon Quay series, with stories set in the coastal Cornish village of the same name. Halfmoon Quay is a popular destination for tourists, with its pretty bay and busy harbour. The books feature events in the lives of its residents, with a helpful cast of characters and map of the village included at the beginning of each. This, like the last book in the series, can be read as a standalone.
This story centres on cafe owner Issy Kernow and Liam Penrose, eldest son of a prominent village family. Issy has a busy life, running the cafe with its mouthwatering home baking and cooking and also hosting a summer afternoon kids’ club in the hub attached to the cafe. Liam left the village after university and has been living in London, where he has a high-powered job and a long-term girlfriend. However, when his relationship breaks up, he takes the opportunity to have a break from the job that has become more and more of a chore and return home for a while. When his great-uncle presents him with the deeds for the local hotel he no longer wishes to run, Liam has decisions to make about his future. The hotel needs quite an injection of cash to update it from its present rundown state. He is also unexpectedly presented with the chance of rekindling his once serious relationship with Issy, especially when they discover that their break up years ago was engineered by a third party.
It was great fun returning to Halfmoon Quay and catching up with the people there in this heart-warming second chance romance. This book was an easy read and I didn’t mind that it was a little predictable as it left me with a nice warm feeling. Although the story homes in on Issy and Liam, there is plenty going on around them. I loved that Issy had her three loyal friends who were always there for her at a moment’s notice, while Liam’s family were ready with help and support at all times. Issy’s grandmother, Maud, was quite a character and a favourite with me; a source of amusement but also sage advice. As with the first book in the series, I was again attracted by the setting; I would love to visit this little village, perhaps enjoy a pot of tea and some cake while taking in the view. I’m very much looking forward to the next book in the series. I wonder who will be in the spotlight next time.
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