Returning home to Jersey, finding what was thought to never see again

Synopsis

Gabriel has returned to the island of Jersey after ten years abroad to help his aging showbiz parents revive their failing Art Deco hotel, The Encore. This proves to be something of a challenge, especially as his singer father and actress mother are more concerned with staying in the limelight than keeping track of the cash-flow. It looks like Gabriel isn’t going anywhere fast. Meanwhile, he’s stunned to find that the hotel’s new receptionist is Daisy, the girl he fell in love with years earlier in Vietnam, and falling in love with someone who is tied to Jersey is the last thing she wants.

Previously published as A Jersey Bombshell

My review

After losing her mother, Daisy decided to start over again at the island of Jersey. Not only is this a place dear to someone she met years ago in Vietnam and it sounded like paradise, but it’s also a place to hide from her past.
She enjoys the peace and the sense of community in Jersey, and loves her job as a hotel receptionist at the Art Deco hotel, The Encore, run by a showbiz couple.
Her shock couldn’t be bigger when she learns that the son who just returned is Gabriel, the same man she fell in love with in Vietnam, and talked about the island.
Even if there was a promise of keeping in touch, and that promise has been broken, a lot has happened in the years apart. Yet the attraction is still there, despite Daisy’s elusiveness and Gabriel’s own past he is tied to…

What… a… delight… to… return… to… Jersey! With each book I read from this author, with this wonderful island as a setting, my eagerness to visit the place only increases!

My heart broke reading about Daisy and her past… it’s clear she is a lovely character, but life hasn’t been really fair to her, hasn’t it?
While I loved it to read how she enjoyed her time in Vietnam and meeting Gabe, it was so sad to learn about why she had to cut her travels short. And it’s also clear that even if she likes staying in Jersey, there is also something she is hiding from. But what it is?

But even is there is something haunting her, it was great to see how at ease she feels in Jersey, how slowly she is getting accustomed to the place and the whole sense of community. It’s so obvious that she feels at home on the island, and it’s also something she truly deserves, after everything she has been through.

Daisy is also the kind of person that hold on to her values. We see this when Gabriel admits something to her. Even if it would be very easy for Daisy to just ignore that snippet of important information, she wants to do what’s right, even if it’s very difficult.

Talking about Gabriel… I have to admit I don’t know very much about the work and life of a marine biologist. But without knowing the exact details, I know their research is a very important one. And I also understand it takes one to all different places in the world, where marine biologists are needed.
His passion for his job is very palpable and I cannot not admire him for what he is doing.

But there is so much more to Gabriel… He is kind, gentle and patient. He is not this flawless character, as he has made mistakes in the past, but he is also the kind of person that is man enough to face the consequences and do what’s right, even if his heart isn’t in it. But he knows that sometimes things must be done to be the righteous kind of person.

Obviously them meeting again in Jersey put a big smile on my face, as I wanted to see the mutual shock on their faces. But I also wanted to see how much of that attraction that they once had, would be still present.
It’s clear that during those years apart, they have both been through a lot, but that didn’t take away that the person they fell for, was still there.
Seeing how Daisy and Gabriel obviously still feel something for each other, and are trying to find how to cope with those feelings, but also sticking to their own values, and respecting each other’s values was sweet to read.

Now, with Daisy clearly hiding away on the island, it’s stating the obvious that some drama will be happening in this book. And it angered me to read about how nasty people can be, how devious and just putting it bluntly, how ugly people can be.
And there is also the issue that Gabriel is facing. The restrictions he has to overcome made me frown my eyebrows, but who am I to comment on the laws? Even if I didn’t agree with that specific law, I had my fingers crossed for some kind of loophole, to facilitate a thing or two in the tale!

But that drama, that ugliness couldn’t take away the loveliness, the heart of the island and its inhabitants, firm presences, new inhabitants and returned ones. Because each character in this book, is a great persona, fitting perfectly in the island that emanates so much warmth. Even the most excentric character (and yes, I am talking about Gabriel’s family here 😊) is such a great addition on the island, a needed trait for Jersey.

I truly, absolutely loved returning to Jersey, I was delighted in getting to know Daisy and Gabriel, and I loved seeing some old friends once again!
This book made me fall in love even more with Jersey, as this was a warm, hopeful story about lost loves given another chance.