Beachside Bliss: A sweet vacation romance

Seaside Bay #2

by Kasey Kennedy

Sorcha has given up on love, but when she joins her best friend, Linda, for a fun girls' weekend in Seaside Bay to celebrate Linda's engagement, will her physical attraction to Quincy, a moody bartender at their favorite hangout, lead to romance?

235 pages, Kindle Edition

Published June 10, 2025

About the author

Kasey Kennedy loves reading books and writing the stories in her head. She has a B.A. in English from Southern Illinois University; is a member of the Chicago Writers Association; Chicago North Romance Writers Association; and a 2021 participant in StoryStudio Chicago’s Novel in a Year program.

Reviews

[Patty Baumeister · Rating 4 out of 5]

ARC BookReview
Beachside Bliss
A Novel Written By Kasey Kennedy
Fiction - Romance
Published June 2025
234 Pages
⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

This is Book 2 in the author’s Seaside Bay Series. This story is set in Seaside Bay, Florida.

This is a sweet vacation closed door romance. It is the story of two people who desperately want to establish a relationship with each other despite the obstacles in their way.

Quincy is a bartender living in Seaside Bay. He is a solitary, complicated, mystery man.

Sorcha is a vibrant third grade teacher who lives in Illinois.

Quincy finds out he has an eighteen month old daughter. The birth mother has died, and Quincy will have custody of the toddler, Eva Lyn.

How can they make a life together work when they don’t live in the same state, they have an age gap, and now Quincy has a child he is responsible for? Is love enough to make it work?

“He felt himself changing for the better because of her.”

[Sortior · Rating 5 out of 5]

Another fun read from Kasey

Kasey's love affair with Illinois and Florida shine through again with an edgier romance story. Kasey always provides a fun read where the charm of the locales match the charm of the characters. Enjoy her latest novel, i did.

[Angie (mushmysteriesandmore) · Rating 4 out of 5]

I have never really been one for bikers. Sons of Anarchy did nothing for me. However, I am seriously contemplating changing my mind after meeting Quincy. That man is seriously hot. Throw a small child at him to look after unexpectedly, and my heart has melted.

Not that the FMC needed much melting, however. Sorcha was intrigued by Quincy, the older, grumpy, biker bartender from the start when she used to go to the bar where he worked with her vacation buddy, Linda. Quincy made himself unobtainable, but Sorcha was determined to land a date with him, if not more. When Linda went home and Sorcha stayed on alone, she sought him out. However, Quincy was dealing with the fact that he was now a single dad, a previous relationship that had ended resulted in a little girl called Evie, her mother was now deceased, and her only hope was Quincy.

I loved how Sorcha changed her holiday plans almost immediately to help out Quincy; she barely knew him, but she wanted to help him with the little girl, and slowly came to love both of them. Quincy was such a grump, but both females thawed his heart and dampened his gruff exterior, turning him into a marshmallow, even if it was only for them.

Both characters grew and developed thanks to Evie and their shared love for her. As mentioned, Quincy became softer and warmer, and Sorcha matured and blossomed. I loved the ending (before the epilogue), it was a great idea and perfect for their family unit.

[Lou Li Reads · Rating 4 out of 5]

Book 2 in the seaside bay series gives us the story of grumpy bartender Quincy and the beautiful sunshine optimist Sorcha. Vacay fling vibes with a dose of the value of friendships. A friends to more age gap romance where everyone has to embrace the huge changed life throws at you. An enjoyable quick and perfect beach read.

I voluntarily reviewed a free advance copy of this book provided by the author. The opinions expressed are my own

[Cristy Robinson · Rating 5 out of 5]

Adorable, heart-warming beach read

Get swept away to sunny skies and gentle waves in the newest book from Kasey Kennedy. As promised, this book was all the swoon but none of the spice. Sweet kisses and a friends to lovers storyline meets grumpy - sunshine and a single dad who’s about to get hit with more positivity than he knows what to do with in Sorcha. I love Evie! What a sweet girl who needs an awesome mama. I’m already looking forward to more!

[Camille Dayton Fostering.literacy · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is a cute romance, perfect for your next beach trip! Sorcha meets Quincy, a broody bartender, and immediately likes him. Quincy isn't willing at first to pursue anything beyond friendship, but it doesn't take long before he realizes how a relationship (especially with Sorcha), can make his life better. I loved seeing Quincy find out that about being a dad, and stepping up to the plate instead of shirking his responisbilities. This is the type of content I crave in my books!

Content considerations: There is a lot of alcohol useage, but the writer seemed to promote mostly drinking responsibly.

Thank you to the author for the advance copy of this book. A review was not required.

[Teresa · Rating 5 out of 5]

This was So good! I love how Sorcha was able to break through Quincy's walls. I love how Quincy reacted to the news of his daughter. Great characters, and clean!
I received an advanced copy of this book and am voluntarily sharing my honest opinion.