This RITA® Reader Challenge 2016 review was written by ReferenceAmanda. This story was nominated for the RITA® in the Long Contemporary category.
The summary:
New York Times bestselling author RaeAnne Thayne brings you back to Haven Point—a place made for second chances…
McKenzie Shaw would do anything for her hometown of Haven Point. It may be small, but it’s never let her down…unlike gorgeous, infuriating Ben Kilpatrick. He was her childhood hero until he closed his family’s factory, leaving the town’s economy in shambles. Now his tech firm is considering opening a local facility. For Haven Point’s sake, McKenzie has to grit her teeth and play nice.
What could a town filled with painful memories ever offer Ben? Yet seeing the town through the eyes of McKenzie—its fiery young mayor—he suddenly has his answer. If only he can resolve the animosity crackling between them, Ben may have found the place where he can build ties and find healing…a place where love arrives when it’s least expected.
Here is ReferenceAmanda's review:
Redemption Bay begins with a tired but happy and cheerful woman strolling home after work. I was slightly puzzled as to who was narrating the book, though that was mostly resolved with the vague reference to “unavoidable mayoral business” over the course of her busy day at the flower and gift shop she owns. McKenzie Shaw is the Heroine of the story and Mayor of Haven Point, Idaho.
McKenzie’s vitriolic reactions to meeting The Hero, Ben Kilpatrick, makes him seem almost villainous. McKenzie has lived in Haven Point most of her life and holds a grudge against Ben who left Haven Point in the lurch when he closed down a business years before, leaving many people without jobs. When Ben re-emerges as her next-door neighbor (surprise!) McKenzie speaks civilly at first but then her anger overtakes her as she attacks him and reminds him of his sins against the town. When we learn that she had a crush on Ben at the age of 13, it becomes apparent that some of her resentment is leftover from that former frustration. As Ben is reintroduced to the townspeople, they treat him hospitably, even though they purport to be angry with him.
Ben has returned to the hometown he couldn’t wait to leave in order to decide if it is a good location to build a high tech facility that would employ 300 people. When Ben tells McKenzie why he is back, she immediately enlists friends and begins a campaign to show him how Haven Point is a wonderful place for his business. A cautious friendship begins. Don’t hold your breath for sexual hijinks; this is a reserved romance.
The real Villain of the story is a combination of a natural disaster, the possibility that the facility will not be located to the town, and The Past.
As a parent, this was the most emotional part of the story for me; her situation was a nightmare.
In the end, Ben and McKenzie get together and seem set to live Happily Ever After (That is why we read these books, after all).
One thing bothered me about the author’s writing style. There are a couple of instances where the author interrupts a thought with a bit of unimportant, or misplaced dialogue. This is just one example, from page one:
…the sweetness of the view in front of her made her pause.
“Hold on,” she said to Paprika, her cinnamon standard poodle. The dog gave her a long-suffering look but settled next to the bench in front of the store.
McKenzie sat and reached a hand down to pet Rika’s curly hair. A few sailboats cut through the stunning waters of Lake Haven, silvery and bright in the fading light, with the rugged, snowcapped mountains as a backdrop.
This tendency to interrupt the story makes for a sometimes jerky flow, but otherwise a pretty good read. I may try another of this author’s offerings, but I usually enjoy something spicier. I usually stick with historical and paranormal romance. I have, however enjoyed a few other contemporary romance authors, so I feel qualified to say that this is a good example of the genre. I enjoyed the peek into local government and that the author included the dogs, Paprika and Hondo, as plot devices.
Redemption Bay was engaging enough to keep me reading until the end and well suited to readers wanting an easy, clean read with a pleasantly happy ending.
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I’ve read spicy books by this author. I wonder why she changed.
Curious about something. When he closed the facility were there sound business reasons for it, or is it just a plot device? If he closed the business just to escape, then I don’t understand why any initial reaction to him would be cordial. I lived in a city which had a GE facility and it laid off 50,000 people in one day and over several more months, many more. Not only were the former employees distraught, the whole community was.
And if he closed it just so he could escape, my impression was that he must have been a selfish, insensitive jerk.
Thank you for your thoughtful review.