Wedding at Sea (Muir Harbor #3) by Melissa Tagg

 

Lilian doesn’t remember anything about her life before the day Maggie Muir found her on her front porch—a toddler, abandoned and alone. And maybe that’s okay. She has a beautiful life at Muir Farm, including an adopted family she adores and a successful career as a lawyer. But she also has a secret . . . one that raises just as many questions about her future as it does her unknown past.

And, of course, it would be private investigator Wilder Monroe, her brother’s best friend and the bane of her existence, who sniffs out her secret before anyone else.

Wilder has spent the past three years trying to close the one case his father couldn’t—the mystery of Maggie Muir’s long-lost granddaughter. But the decades-long search has become more tangled than ever. It’s become more personal, too. Not only are the Muirs the closest thing to family he has left, but if he can solve this mystery, maybe he'll keep himself from drowning in the one he can’t . . . the truth about his father’s death.

In the midst of secrets and swirling questions, Maggie asks a favor of both Lilian and put aside their bickering and work together to plan her summer wedding. It’s a big ask, made all the more difficult when danger comes calling at Muir Farm. But if the two enemies can stand each other long enough to pull off the event of the year, they just might solve a mystery in the process.

And the biggest discovery of all? That sometimes the one your heart longs for is the last person you ever would've expected.

 * Goodreads * Amazon *

I've been waiting for this story since I read the first book.  I just knew it was going to be good because, well, Lilian and Wilder.  Okay, okay.  Wilder.  Please don't tell the others, but he is my favorite.  Don't get me wrong, I've loved all the books and characters in this series so far but there is just something about Wilder.  Sigh.  Wilder.

One of the things I love about this series is the ongoing mystery/investigation going on.  It threads through all three books and it involves everyone.  This author knows how to write characters that draw you in and make you love them.  This Muir family is honestly so easy to love.  And can we just talk about the setting for a moment?  Seaside.  That's all I really need to say.  I love seaside settings.

Best news today?  The author said in her newsletter that she will be writing another book in this series!!  That makes me VERY happy.  If you haven't read this series yet, what are you waiting for?  It's on KU if you have that.  :)

Content:  mild peril, mild violence.  Kissing.  Some Christian elements (praying, believing in God).

- I received a complimentary copy of this book.  All opinions expressed are my own.

A Seaside Wonder (Muir Harbor #2) by Melissa Tagg

 

In one evening, Indi's world falls apart. Enter the shy professor her family mistakes for her fiancé...make that ex-fiancé.

Professor Philip West never wanted to return to Maine . . . or his grandfather’s miserable old house. But after his mother’s death, he’s now the guardian of a teenage half sister he barely knows—one who doesn’t want anything to do with him. He longs to help her heal, but he’s exhausted and numb, desperate for relief of his own. Maybe that’s why he’s so easily distracted when he happens upon the little shop with a name on its storefront window that sounds familiar, a hint of a mystery nudging him inside.

More than a decade has passed since Indi Muir made the heartbreaking decision she’s never recovered from—though she’s certainly tried. She has a full life running her shop and creating the artsy pieces that fill its shelves. If she can just stay busy, she’ll keep her hurt and regret at bay. But when her ex-fiancé returns to Muir Harbor, he brings news that shatters her carefully built walls. Things only get worse when lurking danger comes calling at her childhood home.

The one bright spot amid Indi’s turmoil is the shy stranger who wandered into her shop months ago and his moody but lovable sister. As she confronts her past and the mysterious threat facing her family, she’s intent on helping Philip win over his sister. He just might win over Indi, too, if they can overcome old secrets and wounds, outrun rising peril . . . and take a chance on love.

 * Amazon * Goodreads *

I've been so eager to return to this family in Muir Harbor, Maine.  The setting is idyllic and I so enjoyed the first story that I couldn't wait to have more.

Indy is in the spotlight for this story.  She's a character that you know has a LOT going on in her mind but she just doesn't let it out.  It's like a pressure cooker in there.  I loved the first meeting for Philip and Indy.  It was humiliating for both them for different reasons but was a bit amusing from a reader's standpoint.  I loved how Philip and Indy's relationship progressed and how steady and kind Philip was for Indy.  He said the sweetest things.  Both characters were easy to invest in emotionally.  I felt connected to their struggles and their successes.  

There is a bit of mystery swirling around that started in the first book (which I highly recommend you read first, but I don't think you HAVE to) and progresses in this book.  It was a good added element that really leveled up the plot.  The ending really left me longing for the next book because man, things are really ramping up.  I loved family, this series and this book!

Content:  possible triggers: adoption, abandonment.  Kissing.

- I received a complimentary copy of this book.  All opinions expressed are my own.

Autumn by the Sea (Muir Harbor #1) by Melissa Tagg + Giveaway

 

 

Abandoned as a toddler, Sydney Rose has spent years wondering who she really is, homesick for a life she's never lived. When a private investigator crashes into her world, she finds herself heading to a tiny seaside town in Maine to meet a woman named Maggie, who's searching for the granddaughter she lost decades ago.

If not for Maggie, Neil MacKean might still be back in Scotland, bereft and alone. Instead, he has a full life in Muir Harbor with an adopted family he loves and a blueberry farm to run. But the farm is struggling and strange occurrences have him concerned. Worse, Maggie's once again caught up in the past, convinced she's finally found her long-lost granddaughter.

Worried for Maggie, Neil is suspicious of the city girl who shows up at the farm. But there's something about Sydney that tugs on him, drawing out secrets he never meant to share. While Neil grapples with the future of the farm, Sydney wrestles with a past that's messier than ever. Together, they're pulled into a mystery complete with a centuries-old legend, unexpected danger . . . and a love as deep and wild as the sea.

 * Goodreads * Amazon * 

It's the beginning of a new series by author Melissa Tagg!  She's an author I'm always watching because I love her books.  She really has a knack for developing not only characters, but a sense of community and family as well.  This book really sets the stage for future books.

If ever there was a gentle way to tell a story, this is it.  The story grows slowly and really allows time to get to know the characters.  I feel like this was Sydney and Neil's story but it was also the beginning of everyone's story.  The foundation has been laid, the mystery has begun and even though this story came to an end, it really isn't over.  Some things are resolved, but so much isn't.  It's so good to know there is another book coming!

Some of my favorite things from this book:

1. Neil
2. Blueberry Farm
   
3. Setting by the ocean 
4. The definition of family in this book
5. Tree House! 
6. Tree House kisses!
7. Neil (what?  He deserves to be here twice, at least.)
8. The growing mystery
   
9.  "Lass"
10. Hidden treasure?!  I hope so.

  Content:  kissing, some mild Christian elements

- I received a complimentary copy of this book.  All opinions expressed are my own.

 

Here's what up for grabs:

$50 VISA gift card

Paperback copy of Autumn by the Sea

Fall cutting board, hand-lettered by Nicole Letters

Home fall decor, also lettered by Nicole Letters

Two fall candles

Book magnet, AGAIN hand-lettered by Nicole Letters

Bookmark

And if you're like, "WHO IS THIS Nicole Letters??" she's my sister and the artist who lettered the title on my book cover!

This giveaway is open through October 8 and there's like a bajillion options for entering. Haha! Enter here

http://www.melissatagg.com/giveaway/the-book-of-my-heart