Going back to the place you ran away from.

Synopsis

Welcome to Heritage Cove, the little village by the sea brimming with character, community and friendship, and the perfect place to fall in love this summer…

Melissa rushes back to Heritage Cove when Barney, the man who’s been like a father figure to her since she was a little girl, ends up in hospital. After an absence of five years, her return isn’t going to be easy, especially when she bumps into Harvey, the love of her life and the man she’s never been able to forget.

For reasons he couldn’t explain at the time, Harvey changed his mind about going with Melissa to start afresh as they’d planned, and life moved on for the both of them. But with Melissa back in the village and determined to stick around to help Barney, they can’t avoid each other forever. Melissa knows she let so many people down by staying away for so long, but she and Harvey blame each other for what happened and neither of them is willing to admit to being in the wrong.

When Barney insists on cancelling the Wedding Dress Ball, the charity fundraiser he holds every year in the stunning barn on his property, Melissa and Harvey realise they’re going to have to pull together. Otherwise the man they once knew might be gone forever. And when they unearth a secret Barney has never shared with anyone, they go in search of answers to not only ensure the ball runs this summer, but to bring back the Barney they know and love.

Back in the cove after all this time, Melissa gets to see the life she left behind and it’s time to deal with what it was that drove her away in the first place.

Beneath the summer sunshine in Heritage Cove, the sea sparkles, the heat rises and new love, reconciliations and the answers to an old love story could bring changes for everyone.

My review

Melissa left Heritage Cove five years ago. But when the man who was more a father to her is in the hospital, she rushes back.
Her return is not an easy one, especially when she meets Harvey again. They were a thing all those years ago, but when the moment was there to go away from Heritage Cove, he changed his mind.

When Barney, the father figure, announces he wants to cancel his famous Wedding Dress Ball, both Melissa and Harvey are shocked, as the Ball is a real institution!
They realize they have to work together to make the Ball take place anyway. During the preparations, secrets come out of the closet (literally and figuratively). Will Melissa and Harvey be able to put closure over the past? And will the Ball be a success?

This book made me long for a place like Heritage Cove to live in.
The place is a real community, everybody knows each other and everybody tries to help out in time of need.
I really loved how each person was looking after Barney after his injuries…
It is a place with people everyone should need in their lives, from their neighbours.
Also how the people reacted towards Melissa was proof of the involvement.

Not everybody was happy when Melissa returned, as they felt that she abandoned everyone and everything without looking back.
But of course Melissa had her reasons to go away. The pain she was feeling was just too big and she had to get out to have the opportunity to get the life she wanted.
When I learned her story, I felt so sorry for her. I could understand her motivation of wanting to go away. And having her heart broken by Harvey, it made sense for not ever looking back.

But Harvey is not as cold – hearted as I initially thought… the way he acts towards Barney, the lengths he would go for him, is so sweet.
Harvey did not have the easiest of childhoods, so I assumed he would jump at the opportunity of getting away with Melissa those years ago.
And when it was clear he didn’t do it, I couldn’t match it with the Harvey we got to know. It seemed so out of character.
But when the truth came out, my heart felt his pain…

This story made me feel sad some moments, but my general feeling was one of contentment. The way both Melissa and Harvey do their utterly best for Barney, who is so stubborn it made me laugh, was so sweet. Despite their feelings, they want to have the old barney back, even if it means spending time together. And spending time together means also growing back closer to each other and having an opportunity to come clean about the past.

A beautiful story in a dream place, with amazing people, perfect to sit back and read page after page!