Sand Dollar Lane: A Novel

Sand Dollar Lane by Sheila Roberts is a novel about second chances. This is a cute story. I thought Sand Dollar Lane contained good writing and the story moved along at a steady pace. The characters and situations are realistic. The author’s word imagery allowed me to visualize the lovely seaside community of Moonlight Harbor. Lucy Holmes catches her husband in flagrante delicto when she is showing a condo to potential buyers. Lucy decides a change of scenery is in order after the divorce. When she visits Moonlight Harbor with her sister, Lucy knows this is the right place for her. With only one other real estate office in town, there is room for Lucy to establish her business. Brody Green is shocked when he learns another real estate office is opening. He is unprepared for the lovely and clever Lucy Holmes. These two savvy realtors soon have a hot competition going between them. Their lives take a sudden turn when their college aged kids begin dating. Is there a chance of romance between these two opponents? I loved the town of Moonlight Harbor. It is a charming seaside community with friendly residents, quaint shops, and lovely homes. Sand Dollar Lane is the sixth A Moonlight Harbor Novel. It can be read as a standalone but reading the other books will allow you to become acquainted with the other residents and their stories. The only thing I was not a fan of was the switching point-of-view. I wish Sand Dollar Lane had been written in the third person instead of switching between four (or so) people. I laughed often while reading Sand Dollar Lane. I thoroughly enjoyed the humor sprinkled throughout the story. This is a positive book that will leave you smiling. Sand Dollar Lane is a great book to read while on vacation (relaxing at the beach or poolside). Sand Dollar Lane is an upbeat tale with a duplicitous spouse, a fixer upper, a cozy canal, friendly residents, a conniving competitor, a videographer daughter, and a second chance romance.

SAND DOLLAR LANE is the sixth instalment in Sheila Roberts’ contemporary, adult MOONLIGHT HARBOR romance series. This is real estate agents Brody Green, and Lucy Holmes’ story line. SAND DOLLAR LANE can be read as a stand alone without any difficulty. Any important information from the previous storylines is revealed where necessary. Told from third person perspective SAND DOLLAR LANE follows in the wake of forty- four year old Lucy Holmes discovering her husband is having an affair with his much younger assistant. Hoping for a fresh start, Lucy, along with her teenaged daughter Hannah, moves to the small town of Moonlight Harbor where Lucy will find she is not the only real estate agent in town. Enter single father Brody Green, and Moonlight Harbor’s only realtor. Lucy believes a little bit of competition is good for the soul but Lucy and Brody will butt heads, masking an barely veiled attraction between our leading couple. What ensues is the slow building but tempestuous relationship between Brody and Lucy, and the potential fall-out as Lucy’s ex comes back hoping for a second chance. Meanwhile, Lucy’s daughter Hannah has fallen for Brody’s son Declan, and their parents’ petulant relationship begins to take its toll, threatening the growing happiness between H & D. The slow building relationship between Lucy and Brody begins acrimoniously as Brody is all but threatened by Lucy’s success in a town that does not require another real estate agency. Pushing one another’s proverbial buttons, Lucy and Brody continue to dance around the ‘elephant in the room’, a dance that reveals Brody doesn’t do relationships, preferring to keep Lucy on the sidelines as a competitor and friend. There are no $ex scenes-any physical contact is limited to a singular, chaste kiss. The secondary and supporting characters include Lucy’s daughter Hannah and Lucy’s ex-husband Evan, and her sister and brother in law Darla and Orren ; Brody’s son Declan; Brody’s ex Jenna and her husband Seth, handyman Carl, and a large assortment of townsfolk and friends. SAND DOLLAR LANE is a well-written but slow moving story line exacerbated by the hero’s inability to commit or move forward; a relationship in which there is no discernible or palpable sexual attraction between our leading couple as Brody refuses to accept Lucy as a permanent fixture in his life. Continuously reminding our heroine that he has loved and loss, Brody refuses to go down that road, again. The premise is interesting; the romance, in my opinion, is lacking. Lucy is a true and determined heroine; Brody’s attitude and actions left me with mixed feelings about the overall story line.

I love my visits to Moonlight Harbor and this was so exception. I love catching up with old friends and making new friends. Lucy is new to Moonlight Harbor after a recent divorce and is in a need of a new start. Lucy is a realtor and opens up her own office and now needs to compete with only other realtor in town, Brody. Brody and Lucy do not hit it off at all, but soon find a friendship that develops. Especially after their children start dating each other. Brody has had his heart broken a few times and does not want it to happen again, but will friends with benefits be enough? Loved the relationship that Lucy has with her daughter, what every mother hopes for. Loved the chemistry that Brody and Lucy shared, so perfect for each other and so happy they were able to open their hearts up again. I highly recommend this book. It is part of a series but can be read as a stand alone.