Seaside Romance

Holiday Harbor #3

by Mia Ross

Safe in His Arms 

Running away from her troubled city life, Lauren Foster never thought she'd find herself in small-town Maine. But Holiday Harbor is everything she's looking for. The townspeople are welcoming, her job at her friend's toy store is going well and, most important, she's safe. Meeting contractor Ben Thomas soon changes all that. With his good looks, easygoing nature and kind heart, he's turning her peaceful new life upside down. She's quickly falling for the local hero, but when her past catches up to her present, is she willing to face her fears for the future she's always dreamed of? 

Holiday Harbor: Where love is just around the bend

Genres: Love Inspired, Romance, Adult Fiction

217 pages, Kindle Edition

First published January 1, 2014

About the author

Mia Ross loves great stories. She enjoys reading about fascinating people, long-ago times, and exotic places. But only for a little while, because her reality is pretty sweet. Married to her college sweetheart, she's the proud mom of two amazing kids whose schedules keep her hopping. Busy as she is, she can't imagine trading her life for anyone else's--and she has a pretty good imagination.

Reviews

[Ruth · Rating 5 out of 5]

Awesome book! In my life, this was the most inspiring book I could have ever read! Circumstances in my life had left me heart broken and not knowing how I was to go on, then on page 88, I read, "Life is always in motion and we can not change that, so we just have to ride out the storms the best we can"...how those words hit me. Thank you Mia, for another wonderful book. Asking God to continue His blessings on you and thanks for sharing your God given talent of writing with us!

[Lynn · Rating 5 out of 5]

"Safe in His Arms ... Running away from her troubled city life, Lauren Foster never thought she'd find herself in small-town Maine. But Holiday Harbor is everything she's looking for. The townspeople are welcoming, her job at her friend's toy store is going well and, most important, she's safe. Meeting contractor Ben Thomas soon changes all that. With his good looks, easygoing nature and kind heart, he's turning her peaceful new life upside down. She's quickly falling for the local hero, but when her past catches up to her present, is she willing to face her fears for the future she's always dreamed of? Holiday Harbor: Where love is just around the bend."

This was a really wonderful sort of suspense-mystery romance. - Holiday Harbor appears to be everyone's dream or fairytale of a home - the characters make it that way. The townspeople just accept everyone where they're at, when they're there, as they are. Parts made me chuckle, parts made me laugh and I was in tears in the dangerous parts. Once I got into it, I didn't want to put it down! A most welcome read that any female or male enjoying romances (but not the gushy, mashie, sexy stories) would enjoy.

[Bonnie · Rating 5 out of 5]

Such a sweet love story!! If you like a good love story, you'll love this one!! A clean romance, built on friendship, kindness and respect!

[Dorel · Rating 3 out of 5]

This book's storyline was okay. Some parts of this story was sad 😔. I liked the Christian ✝️ theme in this story. I liked Lauren's character. I liked Ben's character. I liked the ending.

[Brittany · Rating 4 out of 5]

Seaside Romance is another sweet and uplifting story from the Holiday Harbor series. Don’t worry if you have not read the other books, this one can stand alone nicely.

The author has done a great job of creating a town up in Maine that is the idyllic little all-American community. She also does a great job of describing the quaintness of the village and the beauty of the ocean. I really liked the characters, Lauren Foster and Ben Thomas. These two people had issues going on in their lives that they needed to deal with. They also were both pretty convinced that love would never work out for them based on past experiences.

I loved that Ben was a strong Christian and was constantly trying to get those he cared for to visit church with him and trying to help them get to know more about God. God’s love shone through him in the way he cared for his dad and helped anyone in town who needed it. It was very enjoyable to watch Lauren go from an afraid and lonely person, who questioned her self-worth, to a confident daughter of God. What a difference leaning on Him made.

I really enjoyed Seaside Romance and definitely recommend it.

You can read this review on my blog at:
http://brittreadsfiction.wordpress.co...

[Martha · Rating 5 out of 5]

I thought this was a very well written book and I almost read it in one sitting! (Had to take a break to do some "real-life" chores though). It held my interest and the characters were quite believable. I liked the small town setting too -- it sounded like a nice place to visit with all of the friendly people there. The ending although predictable (it is a romance book)still made me very happy with tears in my eyes for the two main characters. I guess this was just the right book for me to read today after having several stressful past days. It made me happy, hopeful and peaceful.

[Janice Sisemore · Rating 5 out of 5]

It was nice to visit Holiday Harbor again. Lauren is there to watch over the toy store while Julia goes on her honeymoon. Ben is a contractor there, they get to know each other and course goes on from there. Very good story.

[Karen · Rating 3 out of 5]

Lauren Foster runs to her friend Julia's Holiday Harbor Toy shop after breaking it off with Jeremy in NYC. Ben Thomas, of Thomas & Sons, is just holding things together for his dad after his parents divorce. Can the hometown boy that wants to leave fall for the big city girl that wants to say?

[April · Rating 3 out of 5]

Inspirational romance where Faith is woven into the story as a natural and central part of life. Where you can see the characters facing challenges and growing into their Faith. Easter is the main theme. Lighter hopeful with touch

Quotes:p25
Rapunzel. Ever since my niece saw the movie she is crazy about that story. She always says if that was her, she never let them put her up there in the first place. We all make mistakes. It’s what we do afterwards that really counts.
P. 56 Pray to God but Row to shore.
P.64 about Faith: I do the best I can and I leave the hard stuff up to God.
65 contentment
76 some problems couldn’t be solved-they had to be endured. Eventually you got past them and the faded into the background of your life. They became a part of who you are were but didn’t define you anymore.
82-3 as if he picked up on her train of thought, pastor McHenry reminded them all that everyone here was different but with something very important in common. They were all God’s Children , doing their best to follow His son’s example and live a good lt. On this day [Easter], when we celebrate the resurrection, I pray we all find no matter how many times we’ve fallen, we can always allow God to guide our steps. With His help, we may falter, but we’ll find the courage to regain our footing and move ahead.

[Jennifer Robb · Rating 3 out of 5]

The characters are likable but the plot is formulaic. Lauren Foster finally wakes up to what's happening with her New York City relationship and flees to Holiday Harbor, Maine where an old friend gives her a job and a place to stay. Serendipitously, this same friend is also marrying her "prince charming" (and the house of their dreams comes on the market shortly before their wedding, leaving Lauren a convenient place to stay now that she's decided to stay in town after all).

Lauren seems to want to stay for the "wrong" reasons (because Ben lives there) rather than because she realizes she really likes the town (though she does in other sections of the book). And again, the two main characters dance around whether they're in love and whether they should admit it to the other if they are--a common (and in my opinion overused) issue in this genre.

[Mary · Rating 4 out of 5]

A bad relationship sends Lauren Foster to seek refuge with her friend Julia Stanton who owns Toyland
In Holiday Harbor, Maine away from New York and a controlling boyfriend.
She loves her new town and the people are friendly and welcoming. A carpenter named Ben is aware of her fear and tries hard to make her feel safe and offers her friendship and time. They work well together in planning an egg hunt and organizing a new feature in the toy store while Julia is away after her wedding.
Ben is putting extra hours working to cover for his father who has been drinking since his recent divorce. His brother comes to help and Ben can fulfill his dream of working on restoring old homes. Unfortunately this job will take him away from town in Boston. Lauren also has to decide if the small town life is for her. Big decisions for the future.

[Nightwitch · Rating 3 out of 5]

Low key romance; while it’s an inspirational the religious aspect doesn’t feel too heavy handed. All in all I'd describe this as, in essence, a novelization of a Hallmark movie: a quirky small town with lots of side characters, a heroine who's a fish-out-of-water-from-the-big-city fleeing a nebulously abusive relationship, and a few references to God/the pastor/church. That said, there are no non-white characters, everyone's Protestantism is taken for granted, and there is a lot of gender essentialism in play here. I'll also add that there's the very-common-in-category-romance total disregard for actual finances/real life employment (the heroine's in a made-up job as assistant manager of a small-town northern coastal Maine toy shop, which, uh, yeah, IRL is not self-sustaining) although that's pretty much a given in this type of book and not exclusive to inspirationals.

[Sandy Richardson · Rating 5 out of 5]

I won this great book through Goodreads. I enjoy reading Love Inspired books, they always have a good story line and a good Christian message. I truly enjoy reading the scripture reference at the beginning of the book then watching this reference being woven throughout the book.

This book starts out with a 28 year old lady hiding out in a small town in Maine. It is clear she has never felt comfortable or settled in her life as an adult. She has suffered through a dangerous, scary relationship and has chosen to hide in this small town with a friend to regroup and discover her next move.

So negative was her past relationship that she was left with a fear of all men. One man sees this fear and makes it his goal to calm her and instill a sense of confidence in herself and in men. Through his Christian walk he gently leads her back to God.

The setting of this book in a small town in Maine is very well described! I have never been to Maine, though I am intriqued and would love to check out this beautiful state after reading this book. Holiday Harbor is the kind of town everyone would love to live in, it is full of characters to keep it interesting and friendly neighbors to make you feel at home. The beautiful light house harks back to another era but with a modern day home. The Atlantic Ocean plays a big roll in this book it is beautiful with a dark mysterious side that requires being saved, much as we live in this beautiful world but require being saved by God to survive in this world.

Reading a wholesome love story that I can reccomend to both my college age daughter and her grandmother is a blessing! I look forward to reading more books about Holiday Harbor. I will continue to look for and read the Love Inspired series and Mia Ross' books.

[Judy · Rating 4 out of 5]

Safe Haven in Holiday Harbor?

Where do you go if you want to hide out from a controlling man? Lauren Foster chose a small town in Maine where a friend welcomes her with open arms and gives Lauren a job in her toy store. Much to Lauren’s surprise the town welcomes her and soon she starts to feel at home.

When Lauren first meets Ben Thomas she finds him to be easy on the eyes and quite friendly. She does not trust him or any man for that matter so she keeps him at arms length. Trust once it is broken is hard to get back.

Soon Lauren is feeling safe in Holiday Harbor and is able to let her guard down little by little. Will she be completely free from her past and be able to live a life without fear of Jeremy tracking her down?

This was a cute delightful read. I loved how Lauren slowly starts to have faith in God again and how God directs her path.

Fear is not of God and yet how many of us do have fears? All we need to do is let go and let God.

This is the first book that I have read by author Mia Ross. I am looking forward to reading more of her books.

I wish to thank Goodreads and Mia Ross for allowing me to read and review this delightful book. The opinions expressed are mine alone.

[Iggylizard · Rating 2 out of 5]

This book was a typical love story. Girl has bad relationship, girl moves to small town, girl finds boy of her dreams. Add quite a few references to faith and God and that's the story. I kept waiting for the other shoe to drop. I expected something to happen to cause a fall for the hero, perhaps something to cause the type of adversity that they need to overcome to be together, but I was disappointed. I enjoy a good love story, something that seems a little more real, because love isn't perfect. If you are looking for an easy read, then this book is definitely for you. I was able to read it in under a week, dedicating only about 20 minutes a day to it. So I'm going to break it down a little bit for you.

Pros:
- Easy read
- Love story (girl gets the boy)
- Inspirational (in the way that faith is very involved)
- It's a happily-ever-after story

Cons:
- Predictable
- Unmemorable

I received this book as a Goodreads First Read and while I was not completely thrilled with the plot, I didn't entirely hate it either. I felt very ambivalent towards the whole thing at the end. Probably a great read if you aren't looking for anything complex or if you just want to occupy some time.

[Jasmyn · Rating 3 out of 5]

They say that once you visit Holiday Harbor you never want to leave. Well, I can say that I might leave, but I will definitely want to come back. This series has been the perfect vacation book for me (not in the sense that I'm on vacation). When I need a break from the booding males, the flirty females, and all the super hot sex scenes - this series is becoming my break. (Book two is a christmas one so I'll probably read that closer to the holiday).

This book in the series was ever so slightly more preachy than the first, but it's still very subtle and not hitting you over the head with a bible. Lauren is a little fragile when she shows up in the small village looking for a place to find herself and figure out a new path in life. Ben is the perfect "good boy" to make make her feel comfortable and relax again for the first time in a long time.

Their relationship unfolds over a length of time very naturally - I think that is one of the things I like best about this series so far. It's real life. They have a handful of communication break downs. They both have some baggage to deal with, but when you get down to it, it's two nice people falling in love. It's just the type of story you need sometimes.

*This book was received in exchange for an honest review*

[Serafina · Rating 3 out of 5]

I was slightly disappointed by this book. The book has the word romance in the title and I was expecting more. The first kiss didn't happen until the last 7 pages. It was 200 pages of build up for a huge let down. Also, I felt like Lauren's problems with Jeremy weren't serious enough to justify her behavior. Yea, he wasn't a good guy, but she made him out to be a monster. I actually felt bad for him because of the bad rap she gave him. Another thing that was questionable was finances. For such a small town, how could a toy shop and daycare possibly stay in business?? Food for thought.

[Michelle · Rating 5 out of 5]

Received a copy through the goodreads giveaway. Really enjoyed this book. I enjoyed the how well the author managed to draw a believable picture of the peculiarities that can arise in small towns and become important traditions to those with roots there. My only complaint was that such a big deal was made of Jeremy through out the story that to me it seemed that when he finally made an appearance the standoff was a little anticlimactic, and that Jeremy gave up much too easily for his character.

[Tasha · Rating 5 out of 5]

Back in 2013 I fell madly in love with a book by Mia Ross (A Place For Family) it was a very emotionally charged story that I could not put down (I tried, like to eat supper... that didn't go so well). Stories by Mia aren't just stories they are like watching something really happening in front of you. You are not reading it you are seeing it as it happens. I am so happy to be able to read another story by Mia today.

[Angelica Dimeo · Rating 4 out of 5]

I got this book from goodreads first reads contest
it starts out with Lauren who had a very bad past relationship
so she moves to a small town to help her old college friend Julia
at her toy shop and she meets ben a ruggedly handsome man who parents just got divorced
the story is pretty good and even if you are religious this book has no explicitness as far as sexual
content thanks for the chance to read this book

[Marianne · Rating 2 out of 5]

Very shallow book. No depth to the characters or circumstances. Protagonist had an issue with a man in New York to the point she ran away. Never found out about the factors, yet her character went from frightened to self assured in the matter of a month. The author was shallowly descriptive and wrote very predictably. Could be a good beach read for some. I won this book through the Goodreads First Reads contest and received it for free.

[Cindelu · Rating 4 out of 5]

I won this book on Goodreads.It is a lovely romance set in a beautiful seaside town (where I would love to live) and with a soft but deeply felt Christian theme. The characters were strong but kind and well written enough to visualize them easily. A bit of humor and some children nicely dotted the storyline. I would recommend this as a quick, light romance to read at the beach or when closed inside on a snowy day.

[Amy Ayers · Rating 2 out of 5]

Clean, inspirational romance can be a good read, but this is not. Very little depth to characters, her abusive ex seems very tame. There are no high highs or low lows in this book. Just sort of a gently wavy line from beginning to end. I don't need a lot of physical love scenes to enjoy a romance, but you HAVE to show intimacy between characters somehow and this author just didn't do it for me.

[Alaina Maxam · Rating 5 out of 5]

EVEN THOUGH THIS IS A ROMANTIC STORY IT IS DEFINITELY A GOOD READ. IT IS NICE TO SEE THAT AFTER BEING BEAT DOWN BY A MAN SHE COULD STILL FIND HER INNER STRENGTH. THE MAIN CHARACTERS IN THIS BOOK HAVE MISTRUST OF THE OPPOSITE SEX BUT THEY ARE ABLE TO FIND LOVE AND TRUST IN EACH OTHER. I WOULD DEFINITELY RECOMMEND THIS BOOK TO MY FRIENDS.

[Bonnie · Rating 5 out of 5]

I enjoyed reading Seaside Romance. Ben Thomas does construction with his dad. Ben likes restoring historical building. Ben's mom divorced his dad. His dad is having a hard time. Eventually he comes around. Lauren Foster moves to Ben's home town. Lauren is running away from an ex boyfriend who wants to control her life. Ben and Lauren eventually get together. A good read.

[Eva · Rating 4 out of 5]

Lauren and Ben's story is as sweet and satisfying as ice cream on a summer day. While not always a fan of "spiritual" romances, I enjoyed this one very much and look forward to reading more from this author. A lovely story with a perfect seaside setting. Just right for poolside or beach reading on a summer afternoon!

[Colleen Mertens · Rating 2 out of 5]

This was a book I won in a contest on Goodreads. It was a simple straight forward romance. There was much in the way of unexpected plot twists. It had cute characters and was a good light easy read. Very clean in terms of romance stories.

[Harlequin Books]

"Lauren's strength and Ben's humility make this yarn a pleasing addition to the Holiday Harbor series. Lauren and Ben embody 'doing what you can and trusting God to do the rest.'" (RT Book Reviews, rated 4 stars)

Miniseries: Holiday Harbor

[Sandy Klocinski · Rating 4 out of 5]

I received this book free through the Goodreads First Reads program. This was a delightful pleasant read. I'll put Holiday Harbor into my holiday plans if I can locate it on a map!

[Lori · Rating 5 out of 5]

A nice clean romance that is suited for all. Christian message is not clear, but it is nice to read a clean book. Enjoyed it very much.