Small Town Secrets

Welcome to Sea Port #3

by Katrina Jackson

Nothing happens in Sea Port! Everything is closed by 10pm, there hasn't been a bar in the town since before Prohibition and the wi-fi is so slow it seems like it's buffering into this century. Small town living is not exciting. Except when the baker, the fire chief and the new chief of police are living on the edge of town together (!) and the librarian and her contractor love have been almost spotted all over town with a lot of smeared lipstick. The Sea Port gossip mill has been very busy. So busy that no one has noticed that Lisa Sullivan, the coffee shop proprietor, is in love with the baker's apprentice, Bria Stone, and the mayor has been acting just a bit strange lately. This next installment of the Sea Port soap opera has bagels, a speakeasy, and a decades old secret that is finally coming to light while Bria and Sully take their first tentative steps toward love.

Welcome to Sea Port is a series of novellas about a small town no one can find on a map, unexpected love, sizzling sex and the occasional baked good (or two or three).

Genres: Romance, Lesbian, Queer, LGBT, Contemporary, Novella, Contemporary Romance

220 pages, Kindle Edition

First published October 29, 2018

About the author

Katrina is a seasoned spinster with an active imagination, a love of romcoms and a keenly critical nature. She's a college professor by day who writes romances by...weekend. Right now she also happens to be on summer vacation. She enjoys yogurt, sparkling water and her three cats, who don't appreciate her love.

Reviews

[mina reads™️ · Rating 3 out of 5]

Okay so this story follows Sully, a cafe owner, and her crush, Bria. Bria is the town baker’s apprentice and she often delivers new specialty treats for Sully’s business. The two mutually pine and flirt with one another for ages until Sully finally works up the courage to ask Bria out.

This story is set in the minuscule southern town of, Sea Port. So it’s cute right?? Small town f/f romance sounds amazing, I was intrigued to try this after reading the author’s first installment in this series “From Scratch” which followed a polyamorous relationship.

The good:
- black women in love/like
- charming small town feels
- interesting family dynamics
-the sex scenes were nice
- the wholesome sweetness of their mutual crushes were adorable

The bad:
- the book flits around between multiple povs and not just Bria and Sully’s. Often we get a peak at other couples from the series. This wasn’t horrible but I think it took much needed attention away from Bria and Sully’s developing relationship
-the big family secret drama in my opinion was very predictable and is a very played out plotline so I was not invested at all (wasn’t bad per se but I didn’t have fun)

[Amivi · Rating 4 out of 5]

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

[lauraღ · Rating 3 out of 5]

“No one should have to be perfect to be loved.”

    
2.5 stars. Cute, but ultimately disappointing. I wasn't super interested in the second book in this series, but when I realised the third book was about an f/f couple, I skipped right to it. Bria is the baker's assistant in this small town, Sully owns the coffee-shop, and they've been mutually, obliviously pining over one another for a year. Adorable setup. But only about half of this novella actually deals with their romance; the other half is small town drama, snippets from other characters, and a major third POV who happened to be involved with the conflict of the book. It was an interesting way to write it, but it took away focus from the romance, so I didn't enjoy it much. Especially since we could have easily had that same conflict, but just written in a way that put more focus on Bria and Sully, rather than that third person. There were a lot of missed opportunities for conversations between the two characters. It was also used as an opportunity to set up future books in the series, which I usually like, just not when they pull focus from the main romance. There are two epilogues in this book, and neither of them actually... involve the purported main characters. ._.

But this isn't an issue with the book, just with me and what I wanted. Because it's a good book, a story about family and trust. And the blurb does prepare you for the fact that we take a look at different people in this small town. And I don't mind that, except, again. The romance got shafted, which is a shame. Especially since it was so sexy and sweet, and I wanted more for this couple!

[M · Rating 5 out of 5]

Exactly as lovely and sweet and amazing as I've come to expect from Katrina Jackson. Queer and deeply layered, about found and biological family and the complexities that come with both. Full of feelings and queer love and kickass woman finding their HEA. Adored it to bits and pieces.

[Dannica · Rating 3 out of 5]

I suspect I'm too tired to fully appreciate this book right now. But I did like it. Following in the footsteps of From Scratch, it is very fluffy, but also has a good amount of drama this time. I think its strength is largely the small-town shenanigans going on, the large amount of gossiping, the secret ladies' speakeasy that has been around since prohibition times, etc. And I liked seeing what Mary, Santos and Knox are up to. I also did ship the main ship here--Sully and Bria--but I didn't care as much about them as I did about Mary, Santos and Knox, which is why I'm giving it three stars instead of four; my expectations for Jackson are currently pretty high.

I'm definitely gonna be trying to read more Jackson books--I may or may not read Inheritance, which is between this book and From Scratch, using KU, and I already own The Pink Slip so of course I'll be getting around to that eventually. Good times.

[N.G. Peltier · Rating 5 out of 5]

Listen, if you're not reading Katrina Jackson why???? You're missing out on all the fun to be had in the small town that is Sea Port. Secrets! Gossip! A speakeasy! Yes this one has it all.

Bria and Sully were so cute with their crush that basically everybody knew about except the two of them seriously, ladies my god lol.

I love love alll these characters Katrina's crafted. i love that we always get to catch up with the previous throuple and couple of the first two books. i still adore ary/Knox/ Santos and Lorraine and Jonah.

This book was fun and sexy and secretttts! And there are more secrets to come, this time for the town's mayor. i need to know who that sweater belongs to. can't wait for Willie's book. and omg Cat-leen! You gotta read the book to make sense of all this lol.

Great character voices as always. and quirky town fun. highly rec this book and series.

[Daphne · Rating 4 out of 5]

These books keep getting better as they go and it's lovely to see characters we've already met making appearances. The writing was much better, the plot was really interesting and soap-opera-like but not in a bad way, and the romance was SO SWEET.

[m · Rating 3 out of 5]

rep: black sapphic mcs, f/f romance, side black characters

[Sofia Soter · Rating 5 out of 5]

Katrina Jackson does it again: another fun, sexy story set in delightful Sea Port, with the perfect amount of small-town family drama thrown in.

[Kazen · Rating 3 out of 5]

Another story where secrets and family issues overshadow the HEA. Love Jackson, but after a fun first book this series hasn't been for me.

[Tabs · Rating 3 out of 5]

An adorable f/f romance with a more than generous helping of small town drama on the side. Bria and Sully have been crushing hard on each other for over a year without either realizing the feeling was mutual. Showing your affection through homemade bagels, nosey townspeople, and a women's only speakeasy ensue. I would have liked more Bria/Sully and and less town drama but it's hard to really quibble when things are this charming.

[Leigh Kramer · Rating 4 out of 5]

3.5 stars. This was really cute! Even though its in the middle of a romance series, this did not center on Sully and Bria’s burgeoning relationship enough to feel like a romance to me. It’s much more focused on Sully’s best friend’s big secret. Additionally, it features a few other POVs besides the couple and they’re not focused on Sully and Bria either. It had much more of a contemporary fiction feel and that’s how I’ve categorized it, although a couple of friends still categorize it as a romance. While it was enjoyable enough, I had a hard time adjusting my expectations once I realized I wasn’t getting as much page time with Sully and Bria. They deserved to be the stars of the plot, especially given how long they’ve been pining for each other and how the whole town has been aware of their respective crushes except for them. All that build up! That said, I loved what we did get of them together. (Bria made Sully bagels!!!) I just wish that had been more of the focus.

On the other hand, the big secret was compelling and Bria was directly impacted. It turns out Willie’s dad had an affair with Bria’s mom. Or maybe it wasn’t an affair because Willie’s mom later says they were in an open marriage. But regardless, he never claimed Bria as his daughter and she always thought her dad was a trucker. I really liked how the story explored the nature of this secret and the way both Willie and Bria found out about it. There was such realistic conflict in how their respective mothers handled things and I found the scene where Bria’s mom cooks for her to be super moving. If I’d known this was more contemporary fiction going in, it might have worked better but on the whole, the story wasn’t balanced enough in either direction to fully come together for me. But I definitely feel more invested in reading Willie’s story now.

Character notes: Sully is a (possibly 30 year old) Black coffee shop owner. Bria is a 26 year old Black baker’s apprentice. They both refer to themselves as gay. This is set in Sea Port.

Content notes: past parental infidelity (Willie’s dad had an affair with Bria’s mom and did not tell her he was her father, past death of secondary character’s father, cop secondary character, on-page sex, alcohol, inebriation, hangover, marijuana (past), past homophobia, cat goes missing in the second epilogue (assuming she will be found in the next book), ableist language

[Claire · Rating 4 out of 5]

So I read this in one sitting on the day it came out and somehow missed putting it up on goodreads!

That Katrina Jackson knows how to create a perfect small-town romance, I tell you what. I ADORE SEA PORT. The speakeasy!! Every single supporting character! The plots! I. Love. It. Random Sea Port moments pop into my head all the time, months after reading the books. Yes, they could use some tighter editing... but the bones of these stories are just so good, I love the hell out of them.

The Sea Port books are begging to be filmed, and you know Netflix would not do it justice (and it's way too steamy anyway). I have a not-very-secret dream that Shine Louise Houston will be like, hey, I need inspiration for a new series, and somebody will hand her this book and she will say YES THIS IS IT. And then she and Katrina Jackson and all the actors involved will make hecka money. If you follow me here and have the ability to put this series in Shine Louise Houston's hands, I will love you forever.

[Laura · Rating 5 out of 5]

*happy sighs*

Content Notes:

🧁 mention of vomiting
🧁 mention of alcohol consumption
🧁 small town gossip
🧁 allusion to public sex
🧁 casual ableism
🧁 masturbation
🧁 explicit on page sex
🧁 parental infidelity in the past
🧁 alcohol consumption, inebriation

I love this series and can’t wait for the next books, especially cuz next one is going to follow Mary, Knox, and Santos again. Hope Cat-leen is okay!! Also super curious about Willie’s history and the man she can’t quite let go of. Loved Bria and Sully, and the familial aspects with Bria. Really hoping Sal and Evie find their way to each other~

[Emily · Rating 3 out of 5]

Eu demorei dez mil anos pra terminar de ler esse livro e acho que isso tirou um pouco da graça mas, no geral, foi uma história gostosinha de ler. Curti que ele não focava só no romance da Bria e da Sully e que a Willie tinha importância pra história como melhor amiga e como meia-irmã da Bria. Na real acho que podia até ter desenvolvido um pouco mais do romance porque elas ficam UM ANO INTEIRO babando uma pela outra, transam uma vez e daí VÁRIAS TRETAS e o foco acaba virando outro até elas finalmente ficarem juntas de novo? mas tudo bem. Deu pra me divertir.

[Jamie (TheRebelliousReader) · Rating 3 out of 5]

3 stars. As cute and steamy as the romance was between Bria and Sully there wasn’t nearly enough focus on it for me. There was way too much outside stuff going on to the point that it felt disjointed. The plot needed to be tightened up a lot and there needed to be more emphasis on the romance instead of it being placed on the back burner. Too many side characters and I’m honestly not interested in reading any of the other books in this series to get to know any of them. The writing was good though and again what little of the romance that was there was wonderful so I would pick up something else from this author outside of this series.

[LaTosha Webber · Rating 5 out of 5]

Ugh we need a come to Jesus meeting

Ok. Someone needs to shake the ish out Willie cause girl you to grown to still have this my parents can do no wrong mentally. Bria baby boo, I get it, sorta, but come in sis. Ms. Evia might deserve Sal, I’m just saying. And Sal needs to shook or smacked. I mean I want to cursh out everybody. Don’t get me wrong Bria and Sully was hot and adorable but I still want to shake the ish outta everyone. Also I really appreciate how we always get a dose of Mary, Knox, and Santos in every story cause I love them!

[Weekend Reader_ · Rating 4 out of 5]

Introvert coffee shop owner

This novella was super sweet...

My favorite line No one should have to be perfect to be loved. Okay can we take a moment to digest this sentence 😭

Anyway Sully and Bria are so cute pining over each other and communicating through baked goods. Hello my love language 🤣 But we get to return to Seaports charm and busy bodiness. The mayor has a secret, there's a bit of exhibitionism going on, and Catleen maybe missing. Yall I know I said this was sweet but there's definitely stuff going on in the background.

CN: cheating, secret baby, death, grief

[Mary Saha · Rating 5 out of 5]

Love this series

These are the perfect thing to relax with. Small town romance that's so sweet and has great sex scenes. My only problem is that they always make me crave baked goods. Mary's creations sound so yummy.
I hope she gets around to Sal and Evelyn soon. I want them to have a happily ever after. With lots of crepes and cannoli. Stubborn sweet tooth.

[Kathy · Rating 5 out of 5]

Loved it!

Every visit to Sea Port is better than the last. This one was all the fun that I expect, plus a storyline that was surprisingly poignant. I can’t wait to read the next one!

[Malaraa · Rating 3 out of 5]

This whole series is super light fluffy escapism where you just have to let expectations go and assume that of course everything will work out precisely perfect for everyone, with great ease and very little stress along the way. And don't we all need just a touch of that once in awhile?

[Joanna · Rating 4 out of 5]

Cute and steamy ff romance novella. I can’t wait to see what happens with Willie in book 4!

[Betsy · Rating 4 out of 5]

Sweet, small town contemporary.

[Simon · Rating 4 out of 5]

Smoking hot f/f romance, with lots of small town gossip/rumor/intrigue. Old characters revisited. Mysteries solved, and new ones hinted at! Plot elements laid for future stories. Hugely satisfying.

[Alison · Rating 3 out of 5]

Good book - my only real con was switching between so many characters' POV, something about the main thread of the story gets lost when there is an aside from a tertiary character's perspective.

[amma.keep.reading · Rating 3 out of 5]

Not my favorite in the series, but I'll keep going. I need to know Willie's story! And I'm curious to know what happens on the 'road trip'...

[Jess · Rating 4 out of 5]

3.75 out of 5

This was adorable and funny!

[Littlebookterror · Rating 3 out of 5]

Again, just all the soft, happy vibes. Jackson just has this way of getting me invested in every single relationship and Bria was just a really well written character.
It was also nice to learn more about the Porties and the history of the town. Like that speakeasy :D

[Mariam · Rating 5 out of 5]

So much pure sapphic energy.

[Kristīne Vītola · Rating 2 out of 5]

"Her core", "her sex", "her slit", "her essence" ffs
The biggest part of the slow burn had already occured before the start of the book thus the book had to especially convince the reader of MCs' attraction to each other. It failed to do that for me, so it became bunch of characters and their personal drama i didn't care about. (Adding to that one MC always putting a woman she's together with for 5min before her best friend and the cringy descriptions above... On the other hand, strap-on).