Love Songs and Ferry Tales

Greensea Island Adventure #1

by Julie Farley

Romance is what Ferry Tales are made of...

Jac
It's been a not-so-great year. Divorce. Check. Living on Pennies. Check. All I need is a quiet summer back at my childhood home on Greensea Island--sitting on the deck with a glass of rosé, savoring one of Dad's legendary charcuterie boards, and catching up on all the Sherman Family news. But instead, I find myself in an unexpected conversation with a random British guy in my parents' kitchen who just casually mentioned he's rented their house for the summer. My carefully laid out plan has just hit a turbulent wave.

Johnny
She honestly doesn't know who I am. I can see it in her gigantic green eyes. I didn't get the oh-my-gosh-you're Johnny-Nickel eyes or the swoon here-are-my-underpants look. She's standing at the end of the kitchen counter, brown hair in one of those cattywampus buns, in an oversized white tee hanging off one shoulder and ripped jeans. Looking hella sexy even if she tried to stab me with a house key when I walked in. I just wonder how long I can keep my true identity hidden from her....

And now they're stuck together...for better or worse!

Love Songs and Ferry Tales is a hidden identity, forced proximity, closed door rom-com with a quirky small town and an anonymous gossip reporter. You won't want to miss it!

Genres: Romance, Contemporary, Ebooks, Adult, Forced Proximity

244 pages, Kindle Edition

Published November 14, 2023

About the author

Julie Farley loves writing books filled with big families, lots of heart, and plenty of laughs. She lives in the Pacific Northwest with her husband and four amazing kids. Julie has a bachelor’s degree from the University of Notre Dame and a graduate degree from DePaul University. When she’s not busy with her family or writing books, you’ll find her watching reality TV…of any sort!

Reviews

[Jennifer · Rating 4 out of 5]

I adored this! Cute storyline and lovely characters (except Paul).

[Cherie Goyer · Rating 3 out of 5]

Cute story. Super short compared to what I am used to, so I read it quickly. I loved the cute little things. Overall a great read! Perfect for summer in the PNW.

[inkspillreads · Rating 5 out of 5]

About 30 pages into this book, I hopped on Amazon to order the second book in the series. Not only did I literally LOL and smile so much while reading, I can’t wait to see where the other Sherman siblings lives take them. The perfect summer read and small town island living. I also love following Julie on Instagram, she shares the most wonderful photos to help paint Greensea in your head!
Highly Recommend!

[Rita · Rating 3 out of 5]

Likeable characters and a pretty decent story. I kind of wanted a bit more epilogue to explain what’s going to happen with her job afterwards. I am pretty sure her being quasi famous will have a negative impact on her ability to teach kids in grade 1!

ETA: I didn’t like the bonus scene. Too much zany hijinks and second hand embarrassment for me! I really don’t like that he had a public proposal planned. Ugh! I hate those.

[Dana · Rating 3 out of 5]

Lowkey ate

[Jill Hubbs · Rating 4 out of 5]

Picked it because it was a local author and ended up loving the short cute book. Characters so likable that I am going to get the rest in the series.

[Taylor Suhr (Fontes) · Rating 3 out of 5]

3.5 ⭐️ Cute slow burn on a small island! Nosy neighbours, protective brothers, cute MMC. There were places I wished we knew more about some of the plot, but overall cute read, will be reading the rest of the series!

[Verity W · Rating 2 out of 5]

This is a famous person-normal person type romance set on an island in the Pacific Northwest. Although there were things I liked about it, the pacing didn’t feel quite right to me - the ending wrapped up far too fast and didn’t quite resolve everything that the prior narrative felt it should have done. And your tolerance for deception may impact how much you enjoy the romance as the heroine doesn’t know the hero’s real identity for quite a lot of the book (and your ability to believe she wouldn’t have recognised him). A couple of the characters are meant to be British - but you wouldn’t really know except for odd bits of (not remotely accurate*) British trivia dropped in from time to time- which as a Brit really annoyed me! Also for me her brothers tipped over from fun comic relief into meanness. So not entirely successful for me - in fact I knocked a star off while writing this as I realised how many things annoyed me!

*the hero grew up in Watford which is described as “Our town is far enough outside of London to not be a commuter town. Most people work in the factories and businesses nearby” and at one point says “ Sam and I took the Tube in a couple of times in high school, but we never had enough money to do anything once we got there.” The idea that Watford is not a commuter town is absolutely laughable and that someone living there would only have been into London from there a couple of times as a teen is frankly insane. I commute through Watford every week day and it is a) only 15 miles from central London and b) inside the tfl network so is actually massive commuter area as is evidenced by the fact that my train fills to full and standing only every time it stops there. Its like saying that no one from New Jersey commutes in to New York to work. Thus I suspect that the author has never been to Britain.

[Samantha (WLABB) · Rating 4 out of 5]

Both Jac and Johnny sought refuge on Greensea Island. Jac was still reeling from her divorce and she needed somewhere to regroup and refill her bank account. What better place than home! Johnny needed a timeout from her rockstar life, a place to recharge. Johnny was so excited to meet Jac - a person who did not recognize him. It was liberating to just be "John", but secrets always come out.

This was a fun one. Jac and Johnny were very sweet together, and it was satisfying to see Jac meet a man who appreciated her after what her ex did. I have to admit, I adored the setting which sounded amazing, and I thought Jac's brothers were a great addition to the story. I loved meeting them and hope to get to know each of them better. The family dynamic was a good one, and the small town shenanigans were fun too.

Overall, I had a wonderful time visiting Greensea Island and watching Jac and Johnny fall in love.

BLOG | INSTAGRAM |TWITTER | BLOGLOVIN | FRIEND ME ON GOODREADS

[Heather Sinclair · Rating 4 out of 5]

What a cute story about a cute island! I've only visited the PNW, not lived there, but I can *definitely* see how this book would really speak to someone who grew up on a type of Greensea island. It was quirky (in a good way) and the characters around town were people I could picture meeting on an island.

The story was sweet, no ridiculous steamy scenes, this was a pretty PG romance (no complaints). I liked the FMC and her overprotective brothers, who made for some funny goings on. Not to mention the Greensea Gazette, a gossip column outing the personal lives of pretty much everyone on the island (ha!) which was pretty hilarious.

A nice light read, recommended for fans of the PNW, tight families, mistaken identity, a romantic comedies.

[Linda Dominick · Rating 5 out of 5]

I loved everything about this book, the small island living where everyone knows your business and even if they don’t the Gazette will happily report everything to everyone. I also really like that Jac is working to turn her situation around and that just like in real life, all plans do not go as intended. I believe Jac and John were meant to meet. She showed him it was okay to be himself around her. He showed her she is enough just as she is schoolteacher and sticky glue fingers. Of course, love is not all smooth ferry rides, but that’s okay if you have each other.
Takeaway: Life has a funny way of bringing you to your destiny. Enjoy your life!!

[Patricia A · Rating 5 out of 5]

A charming romance between a world class rock star and a simple girl trying for a second start .

A famous rock star seeking stress relief on an isolated island off the U.S coast meets an All American girl next door looking for a second start in life. Ms Farley relates her tale of a society which regards its eccentrics with a light, amusing voice and fond tolerance. On the way to their HEA she pokes fun at reality TV, homegrown holiday celebrations, and vacilating public opinion. A delightfu,l and quick, read.

[Darcy · Rating 2 out of 5]

I think I'm just getting to old to appreciate drama from 25 year olds who don't have a fully frontal lobe developed.
It was a cute and rather sweet book, closed door/fade to black for those sorts of 'activities' - which is fine - I just like giving people a heads up. The ending seemed rushed and overall..the story not much meat to it's development. The town of Greensea *was* charming, that I will concede and I wouldn't mind visiting such a place, if it were to exist in real life.

[Teddy G · Rating 3 out of 5]

I love the characters and especially the island.
Jac and Johnny seemed great together and I wish there had been more moments between them.
Pacing was off.
The beginning was really good and I felt like things were developing but the end was very rushed.
It literally felt like the author was running through the end…we’re going here, now we’re going here but even with the bonus scene it didn’t feel like an ending.

[Joanne Roberts · Rating 4 out of 5]

I enjoyed this cozy romance for its family aspect and the small town quirkiness. I didn't mark it clean, because there was some sex and swearing, but the sparks were not highly detailed. I thought some of the setup was a stretch and some of the dialogue kind of stilted, but it was refreshingly sweet and decently written, with pretty likable if not completely genuine characters. I would read more from this author, and more from this series in particular. Fun and satisfying.

[Tina Sanson · Rating 4 out of 5]

Cute

This story has alot of laughs out loud moments. We have a rock star and a normal but recently divorced girl with some emotional feelings going on who comes home to her childhood home to get herself together. Mom and Dad have rented out the house to a rock star and their gone on vacation for the summer. Even after signing a NDA she still doesn't know who they are and they love it.

[Kelli Reinhardt · Rating 3 out of 5]

This is a great little closed door, forced proximity, summer romance set on a fictional island in the PNW. As a local, I loved how Seattle/ferry/island culture shone through, and the inside jokes made me smile. There were a few loose ends I wish had been tied up by the end, but I suppose that left me looking forward to the rest of the series!

[Rachel Williams · Rating 4 out of 5]

Gilmore girls meets Hannah Montana-ish in this closed door, secret pop star romance. In the tiny town of Greensea, Johnny Nickel is taking a break from touring and finds unexpected love on the island! I loved the concept of this story, the character development of Jac and Johnny, and the overall theme of love defying the odds in a cozy small town.

[Amber Peters · Rating 2 out of 5]

I wanted to like this book so badly!

The idea brought me back to living on my own favorite island, but this book has so many little cringy moments between the love interests; twice in the book the couples brushed toes and that is two times to many for me.

[Samantha Glass · Rating 4 out of 5]

New to me author, and a great start to a super cute new series. Love the PNW setting and all the island touches that come with it. Extra supportive family (both blood and town). Can’t wait to read the next one.

[Diana · Rating 4 out of 5]

Such a cute escapist read! I think Abby Jimenez fans would like the story. Writing lacks the depth of Jimenez, but enjoyable and perfect for those of us living in the same region as the setting of the book.

[Lauren Valcourt · Rating 4 out of 5]

I enjoyed this cute and easy read with an almost believable plot. I think it helped that I was imagining Johnny Nickel as Harry Styles (a weird crush of mine). The ending reminded me of Adam Sandler in the Wedding Singer but I’m super happy I read this book!

[Julie Slaikjer · Rating 5 out of 5]

I loved this cozy story. As a frequent visitor to Bainbridge Island and Poulsbo, Washington, so many little details were familiar. I loved Jac and her story with Johnny. I can totally see why he wanted to get to know her without her knowing he was famous.
Such a nice read for a summer vacation.

[Caitlyn · Rating 4 out of 5]

What a cute and fun read! I loved the niche perspective of living on an island in the PNW. As someone who has lived on a small island, I totally related to so many of the small details that I feel like you only catch if you have lived on an island before. Charming, silly, and cute.

[S · Rating 5 out of 5]

really beautiful

Yes it had all the woes and honesty of heartbreak and chaos, but there were nuggets of inspiration that only two people can create in happiness without money or fame. I’ll be pressed to read the rest now, I’m sure they are just as enjoyable.

[Kristina Wendling · Rating 3 out of 5]

Honestly this was written exactly like a Harry styles fan fiction down to the British singer with tattoos being the love interest. I ate this shit UP I loved it but fundamentally, it’s a fanfic so 3 stars! I think it’s a super fun read

[Lindsey Bromberg · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was a short and sweet book! Nothing too spicy but hit all the right notes. I appreciated the pace of the story and the scenery. Glad I picked it up at a cute little bookshop on Bainbridge island. I loved supporting a local author and can’t wait to read the rest in the series!

[Wendy Droke · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is a cute play on hidden identity and small town life. I loved the dual points of view interspersed with snippets from the town gossip column. Well done.

[Rose · Rating 3 out of 5]

Cute.

[Candice · Rating 4 out of 5]

It was cute. I love books that take place up here in Washington so although I'm not much for romance books I gave this one a try. I'm glad that I did!