Rock the shores – A cinnamon Bay Romance by Whitley Cox

Published May 10^th, 2022

292 pages

Back cover

He’s living the dream. But what if it’s the wrong one?

A successful musician in an indie rock band, Evan Spencer takes the summer off and returns home to Cinnamon Bay, hoping the R&R will inspire him to write some new songs. He never expected to run into Juliet Clarkson on his first day back in The Bay. The Juliet he remembers was a paint-and-clay-covered kid with braces and frizzy hair. Now she’s a successful potter, and the most compelling woman he’s ever seen.

Juliet Clarkson has been in love with Evan … well, forever. She pined for years over the soulful-voiced best friend of her older brother. Swooned when she heard his guitar. Dreamed of him noticing her one day. And when that day happens, Juliet doesn’t know if she’s still dreaming, or if all her dreams are finally coming true.

But when tragedy strikes close to both their families, Evan is forced to give up his carefree summer in Cinnamon Bay and be the stand-up guy that an orphaned baby needs. Good thing Juliet is there to help. Sparks fly instantly, and soon their romance is real, all-consuming—and people are talking wedding bells.

But when the opportunity of a lifetime comes knocking, offering him and his band the fame they’d always dreamed of, he has to make a decision. Which is the dream come true—the life onstage he and his band know best? Or the unexpected new life he’s building in Cinnamon Bay with Juliet?

My review

This is the first book from this author and from this series I read. I knew about it because of Shannyn Leah, but I did not have a chance to get her books from Cinnamon Bay yet. Since I like romance and music, I thought it would be a perfect start and I was not wrong.  I recommend it, if you like romance, but you might find lots of point in common with other books in that genre.

If I have to give a start to only one character, I would choose Evan. Just like many girls I had a few crushes on musician when I was younger and it was nice to read a story about that. I admit he annoyed me a little when he could not see what was happening in front of him unless someone opens his eyes, but I liked to see his evolution since he was back in his hometown. He is not perfect, but it’s what I enjoy in romance and see characters to do their best to improve themselves.

Juliet came in second in my list of my favorite characters. As an artist, I was able to relate to her and it was funny to see her acting with Evan at the beginning. I thought she was a shy woman, but there is more in her and I also like her evolution. She was stronger than I thought. Some readers could find her boring in the first chapters, but it was not my case. I had a feeling she was deeper and I was intrigue to see where her love for pottering came from. It’s the first time I see a character like her in novel.

I did not find any death moment in the book. There is a few traveling in the past of the protagonist, but not enough to annoy the reader and just enough to get to know the characters. Hopefully, I did not get lost during my reading and I connect with Juliet even more after I learned about her past. The only problem I found is the number of characters that are living in Cinnamon Bay. It’s easy to lost track if you are reading it when you are tired. It’s better that take your time and enjoy the ride. Since I am a huge fan of Gilmore Girls, it was nice to see the same ambiance, but with different characters. Just like in that series, there is a lot of festivals and the community is there to help each other. Something that is missing when you are living in a big city. If you are looking for a good novel to read this summer on the beach, I highly recommend it.

Excerpts

My point is, well, your point is, because I’m you, is that Justin Timberlake isn’t your brother’s best friend and he wasn’t over at your house every day for five years. And also, you loved Justin Timberlake, but you where IN LOVE with Devan Spencer. Big difference. (p.3)

"You’re a beautiful, educated and successful butterfly? " Trixie Raines, one of the old birds, piped up. " Because you are darling. You always were. You just needed time for the real world to help you see your beauty. " (p.27)

He’d always wanted to be a famous musician, and here he was doing what he loved. Sure, he was no Mick Jagger or Paul McCartney. Hell, he wasn’t even Justin Bieber. But he made good money, got to travel, and most of all, he was doing what he loved, which was writing and playing music.  (p.37)

He was supposed to be the cool uncle who flew in with presents and wild stories. Who took her backstage to her first concert and introduced her to her favorite musician, then put her in a limo before he went back to the after-party. Because no way in HELL would he let Hope go to a concert after-party. (p.100)