Let freedom ring and feel the...Ocean Breeze: Wind Chime Point by Sherryl Woods

Hi guys!

Welcome back to Satisfaction for Insatiable Readers...the place that is celebrating the red, white, and blue today the best way I know how....bookishly.  ^_^

Here's hoping most of you are off enjoying the day with family and friends, perhaps having a barbecue and attending one of the many firework shows that will be popping to life as the sun goes down.  As for me, I have to work...le sigh, right?  Well, yeah of course but also no.  You see, my night crew and I are planning a little celebration of our own.  Yep.  Thanks to team spirit and dear old Mom, we're having our own barbeque affair (hot dogs, chips, the usual) and then when all the work is said and done, a few fireworks of our own.  It's gonna be good...and it's "invite only" so just those of us "stuck" at work will be partaking.  Hehe.  Sneaky but fun.  ^_^  Anywho...let's get back to the books!

Today's selection may seem like an unusual choice but it's appropriateness will become clearer as my review progresses.  I'm trying to adjust my style a smidge and cut back just a bit on the length of my posts not only as a time saver for me but in the hopes that it will allow you, my readers, a chance to stop by more frequently, snag a new read or two for your own lists and share your thoughts on the book at hand.  Sound good?  ^_^  Let's get to today's book of choice then this Fourth of July....

Ocean Breeze, Book 2:

Wind Chime Point

by

Sherryl Woods

Harlequin MIRA

ISBN: 9780778314424

About the book...

Facing a personal crisis, ambitious and driven Gabriella Castle retreats to the welcoming arms of her family. Everything she's worked for has been yanked out from under her, and she seeks the serenity of her grandmother's home on the North Carolina coast. With difficult decisions to make about her future, the last thing she wants is an unexpected love.
Wade Johnson fell for Gabi the first time he saw her. It's not the only time he's found himself in the role of knight in shining armor, but Gabi isn't looking for a rescuer. To get her to stay, Wade will need a whole lot of patience and gentle persuasion…and maybe the soothing sound of wind chimes on a summer breeze.

The tie in with today's holiday is all about FREEDOM.  Freedom to choose what we do with our lives no matter what circumstances we are presented with or how situations change.  Freedom to change our mind if the initial decision made no longer fits our needs.  Freedom to help others out of the kindness of our hearts in lieu of what it will net us in the end.  Freedom in its many forms, with all the colors that life can throw at it, creating a beautiful masterpiece because really, that's what this book is.

Book one found us falling in love with...no, not some hot guy, though Boone was definitely a sight for sore eyes, but with Sand Castle Bay and more distinctly, the Castle family.  We followed Emily and Boone on their journey from once-upon-a-time romance to something to see in the here and now with enough presence and life to fill a lifetime.  Good thing too considering their nuptials are coming soon....dum DUM dum dum.  ^_^  This time around, we get to know the middle sister, Gabriella aka Gabi.  Where Emily was the one to fly the coop and run far and wide with dreams of a grander life sparkling in her eyes, Gabi was content to follow in her Dad's footsteps (to some degree) though you'd have never known that he even noticed.  Let's just say he wasn't the doting father the girls needed, thank goodness their mother was in the picture (rest her soul) and they had the influence of one Cora Jane.  Grandmother extraordinaire doesn't even begin to describe her.  She's a force to be reckoned with in the best way possible and I've said it before but everyone needs someone like her in their lives.  Read the book, you'll see what I mean.  Moving on...

We open with Gabi's life being completely turned upside down...don't believe me? Try finding out your pregnant, your employer taking less than a shine to your condition and the father-to-be pulling the old "I'm-an-arse-that-can't-handle-this-situation".  Like I said, COMPLETELY upside down, especially for someone that loves life nice an orderly.  She's got a few lessons to learn, that's for sure and where better to learn them than among family and friends...and perhaps someone that may be something more.  No guys.  It's not that kind of book.  She doesn't jump ship from one place to land in the bed of someone else with bigger issues to deal with (on both sides of the fence...*ahem*).  This is another FANTASTIC story about life in all it's messiness, family that's there for you always, love that comes not always when anticipated or in the form expected, and things turning out alright on the other side.  A few of those lessons hit home for me as I'm sure they will for many of you as Ms. Woods' characters are so infused with life it's impossible not to feel as if you're a part of the family.

So make some time in your holiday schedule to head on down to Sand Castle Bay.  Whether you've read the first book and are anxious to read more or you're a newbie to the Ocean Breeze series entirely, this is one read once begun you won't want to put down and not for the reasons you might initially expect.  You'll feel for the characters as they make their way through situations both heart breaking and heart stopping.  You'll wonder at the endless possibilities of just where Gabi's journey will take her next. You'll gasp as some situations turn ugly and others turn into rainbows of beauty as if the sun itself were taking time out of its endless climb to shine a little light on two souls with so much potential.  It's a beauty in cover but a wonderful in content and I'd highly recommend it to teen readers and beyond.

Special thanks to Amy at McAllister PR for introducing me to this author’s work as well as the ARC Wind Chime Point for review.  (THANKS!)  For more information on this title as well as the projects on the horizon for this group, stop by their official
 site, or check out Amy’s Twitter feed and Facebook page!  To discover more about the Ocean Breeze series as well as uncover the complete works of the author, be sure to stop by her official site or like her on Facebook.  This title was released April 30th via Harlequin MIRA and book three, Sea Glass Inn is also in stores now.  Be on the look out for the ENTIRE trilogy on a bookstore shelf near you!


Until next time...HAPPY FOURTH...and happy reading!