Mermaid Shores is made for love. - A letter to her childhood crush gains Mabel a new friend for life. Cal is the new kid living in her young beau's home and is already displaying the markings of a true gentleman. He didn't want "Maple Leaf" to think she'd been ghosted. Such a thoughtful young man. Almost two decades later, they have shared the ups and downs of life without ever meeting each other. What a surprise it will be for them both when he inherits an estate in her beloved hometown. But one overheard conversation turns everything on its head. The new guy in town, Matt, is not charmed by Mabel. Dare I say he actively dislikes her.
A sweet story that has a friends-to-enemies feel, even though the main characters didn't know it. They started off on the wrong foot as adults, realizing later that the pen pal they held dear was their current nemesis. I find it amusing that it took Matt / Cal so long to piece it together. If he hadn't been so set against liking her, those nuggets of memory from reading her letters would have activated, especially when Mabel told a random stranger the truth behind that overheard conversation. Boys are so clueless sometimes.
Great characters all, including his twin tween girls who try to fix up Mabel and Matt. They don't want him to be lonely. So thoughtful, just like their dad. They and their dad make great additions to Mermaid Shores, and the town helps bring back Matt's shine. His best friend is there and she just happens to be the love of his life.
I received a free copy of this book via Booksprout and am voluntarily leaving a review.
I love returning to Mermaid Shores! I truly wish this place was real, because I would visit it in a heartbeat! I love returning to this small, coastal town. It’s like visiting an old friend, where no matter how much time passes between visits, it’s like no time has passed whatsoever. Andrea keeps Mermaid Shores interesting with its small town charm, local mystic lady, and a place where people continuously find love.
Mabel and Cal don’t know each other in real life. Due to a letter written for someone else, ending up at Cal’s home, these two create a relationship that exists only on paper. But those papers hold so many memories, good and bad. It holds the story of their lives, proving they know each other well, even if not in person. However, that changes once Cal inherited a home in Mermaid Shores. When they unknowingly meet, Cal is not a fan of Mabel’s. Everyone likes Mabel though and this throws her a bit. She can’t figure out what she did, but knows there is something about Cal.
As they keep running into each other, I mean Mermaid Shores isn’t that big, Cal and Mabel realize they might have judged each other too soon. But what happens when they find out who they really are to each other? Andrea is always able to deliver a book with sweet romance, just enough tension, and the residents of Mermaid Shores always routing for their own.
As always, review any author notes before reading.
Tropes: 📝Secret Identities 🌊Single Dad MMC 📝Waitress FMC 🌊Friends to Enemies to More 📝Matchmaking Twins
He’s a grumpy billionaire single dad, my instant enemy… and the keeper of my deepest secrets.
Everyone knows I’m an incurable flirt. They’d never guess my heart belongs to Cal, a man I’ve never actually met.
We’ve shared our deepest thoughts through letters for the past nineteen years.
No man in the real world has ever measured up to the closeness I feel with him.
Certainly not Matt Morgan, Mermaid Shores’ newest billionaire in residence.
A grumpy single dad, who hates me for no reason.
This contemporary sweet swoon worthy, clean and wholesome enemies-to-lovers romance is page-turning with exceptional world-building and characters that are exuding power/confidence, humorous, enemies, captivating, and realistic. Their journey is enthralling with being stuck with the grumpy single dad, sweet romance, a single dad, laugh-out-loud moments, heartfelt emotions, drama, action, adventure, and more. I recommend reading this book by an extraordinary author who knows how to captivate her readers' hearts and attention with being stuck with the grumpy single dad and a sweet small town romance that is sure to transport readers into a world that is wildly sweet, yet hostile, humorous, and unforgettable.
I received a free copy of this book via Booksprout and am voluntarily leaving a review.
The premise of this book was rather unique. Two strangers become pen pals by accident, only for it to develope into a decade+ correspondence where they are truly themselves with eachother - except no actual names are used. It illustrates how we form attachments and expectations about people internally, and if reality can ever truly measure up to those creations.
The characters in this book have both experienced loss on some level. I felt for all of the main characters as they struggled, at various times, to find their footing after life throwing them for a loop (be it in a good way or bad). Cal and Maple Leaf had a beautiful relstionship and I was rooting for them to resolve the issues impending their "true forms" from finding the same.
While at times I struggled with the slower pacing of this book, overall I found it to be highly enjoyable and recommend it to others. I did receive a gift copy and voluntarily provide this review. Happy Reading Y'all 📚
Another great heartwarming Mermaid Shores story. When Mable Lee (Maple Leaf) decides to write her crush a letter telling him that she loves him she could not of guessed it would lead to a 20 year old pen friendship. When Matt (Cal) discovers he is the last living heir to a mansion and fortune in Mermaid Shores he decides to move his twin daughters there and perhaps finally meet the woman he has be writing to for years. Matt takes an instant dislike to the flirty waitress Mable. Mable can’t understand why. When they discover the truth about each other will it be enough to bring them together? This is a light easy read and I loved it.
I received a free copy of this book via Booksprout and am voluntarily leaving a review.
Cal and Maple Leaf have been pen pals for twenty years. It started when he opened letter that wasn’t addressed to him. They shared the secrets, thoughts and believed that they could pickup each other in the crowd of strangers without hesitation. But didn’t know real names and how they look like. Reality in Mermaid Shores turned out differently, Matt and Mable started as enemies. Everything went wrong at the moment they met. Amazing, well written story. Loved characters and their love story.
I received a free copy of this book via Booksprout and am voluntarily leaving a review.
If you’re looking for a book that gives you the feels, then I would recommend this as your next read! I got very emotional reading the scene at the end when Mabel goes to see Matt after her trip to Maine.
I think this story did a very nice job of balancing the past with the present and how it all intersected. The characters were well balanced and I really liked the twins and how similar and different they were from each other.
If you want a story with a HEA and a lot of feel good, then read this!!
I love all things Andrea Ocean and this does not disappoint. Matt Morgan is a widower with twin daughters, just trying to make ends meet. He inherits an estate and billions of dollars from a relative he did not know he had; on Mermaid Shores. He is a quiet man and tries to keep his privacy. Matt (Cal) and Maple Leaf have been pen pals for twenty years and never met. Is now the time to meet? Love the plot, great setting, and strong intense interesting characters. I look forward to reading more from Ms. Andrea Ocean!!!
Maple Leaf and Cal have been pen pals for twenty years. They have never met and don’t know each other’s real names. Matt Morgan is a single dad raising his twin daughters not having a lot of money. One day he gets a call that a he has inherited a fortune from a distant relative including a manor house. Loved this storyline and all the letters that Maple Leaf (Mabel) and Cal wrote each other. Really enjoyed and laughed at Mia and Ava’s attempt at making pasta. A heartwarming story that I would highly recommend.
Mabel and Matt have had a pen friendship for twenty years. When he learns that he has inherited a mansion in Mermaid Shores, it will bring him close to his pen pal Mable. When he takes an instant dislike to the waitress at the restaurant, he has no idea that it is his pen pal Mabel. Will they be able to get on a better footing and will it lead them along the path to happiness.
I received a free copy of this book via Booksprout and am voluntarily leaving a review.
I was so excited for Mabel to get her story, and Matt is the perfect MMC for Mabel.
Andrea Ocean does an amazing job with this super sweet, heart-warming and uplifting story for Matt and Mabel, and Mia and Ava bring an extra sweet punch to the story.
Miss Maisie didn't appear as much in this story as in the others, but she still had her magic in there.
Overall, I adored this story...
I received a free copy of this book via Booksprout and am voluntarily leaving a review.
This is another wonderfully sweet story set in Mermaid Shores. I enjoyed getting to know Mabel more and learning more of her story. Her connection to Matt and his girls is heartwarming. This is a truly enjoyable read.
I received a free copy of this book via Booksprout and am voluntarily leaving a review.
He's surprised when he gets a call from a lawyer about a relative he never knew. Will this be a way for him and his daughters to start fresh? When he finds out his longtime penpal lives in the same town is it fate? She doesn't know why the new guy doesn't like her? What happens when they learn who the other is?.
I received a copy of this book via and am voluntarily leaving a review.
“We’ve been writing to each other for twenty years.”
“My Maple Leaf is the incessant, nosy, flirtatious Mabel Lee, and she clearly has no idea that I’m her Cal.”
TROPES: • small town romance • single dad • pen pals to lovers • slow burn • grumpy x sunshine
Andrea Ocean’s books are becoming my favorites when I need a break from reading spicier books!! I loved the suspense leading up to them finding out who each other were behind the penpal names. I don’t usually love miscommunication trope all the time but I sorta loved how they got off on the wrong foot and bickered. I loved reading their letters throughout the years. I lol’ed while they went on a ‘chase’ to find each other but went in complete different directions. I wished there was more romance/alone time about them when they made up after figuring out who each other were but overall, I quite enjoyed this addition to Mermaid Shores!