She already left one fiancé. She didn’t need another.
When Bree Garrett’s former college roommate invites Bree to move to Starlight Ridge, a small tourist town on the Californian coast, she is all too happy to leave the deserts of New Mexico and the memories of her former life. She only has three conditions:
One- No one can find out about her fear of water—totally embarrassing when you live next to the ocean.
Two- No seafood. She can't stomach it. Yeah, she sees the irony of points number one and two.
Three- No blind dates. The last thing she needs is a relationship. Her ex-fiancé would agree.
Easier said than done when the only job available is at a surf shop and the owner, Caleb, is under the impression that Bree has applied to be a scuba instructor, and not a cashier, as she had intended.
Bree tries to clear up the misunderstanding, but it’s hard when she seems to lose her voice—and her breath—every time Caleb is near. How could she not when he happens to be attractive, single and, as it turns out, also doesn't like seafood?
Bree and Caleb struggle against the pull of the tide that seems determined to bring them together. But, despite their differences, maybe this is one battle that is okay to lose.
If Bree and Caleb had been high school students, this would have felt more believable. Bree is an engineer in her mid-20's and Caleb is a grown man who owns and operates his own business. And yet when they were around each other there was constant blushing and stammering and middle school awkwardness. No way they could have an honest conversation about what was going on between them, so there were constant misunderstandings.
It was a fairly short book, but not a lot happened. In the end I wondered if Bree would really end up happy stuck in a small town where she couldn't use the degree she probably paid thousands of dollars to get.
This is an enjoyable, low-angst, romance novella between two attractive, pleasant, 30-something protagonists. It is set in an oceanfront town, which is so small, there are no businesses other than cute, little souvenir shops on the beach, including the hero's dive shop. The two romantic protagonists hike, dive, and stroll along the beach for their dates.
There is no swearing, no drunkenness, no wild parties and no sex, only a few kisses and hugs.
I want to thank Kat Bellemore, author and Goodreads First Reads Giveaway for the eBook Kindle copy of Diving into Love that I won in the Giveaway.
First Bree has left her home in New Mexico when she caught her best friend with her groom just before the wedding. She is invited by her college roommate to visit her in a coastal town in California. As a prank, she gives Bree the address to Caleb's Dive Shop.
I loved the offbeat characters in the town, some of the funny customs and competitions between townspeople that adds humor. Two awkward lovers add to the humor with Bree and Caleb, until he tries to hire her to work as a summer dive instructor and she thinks he needs a clerk in his shop. Bree is afraid of water so the job doesn't work until it does.
The ending turns happy after lots of misunderstandings and just good manipulation by friends too.
3,5 stars. This was a cosy small town romance. Not a lot going on, slow burn romance, low in angst. I needed to warm up to the heroine. The hero I liked from the beginning, he was a sweet and good guy. There was a lot of time jumping, which I didn’t like. We’ll never know what happened in the meantime and didn’t get to know their relationship build up. In my mind they just started dating and in the next chapter it’s 3 months already. Both MC’s are no champs in expressing their feelings. If they did it would’ve prevented some misunderstandings. Overall I did like this book, it’s an okay read. Would I recommend it? Probably so. Would I read it again? Probably not.
This book is safer than safe. No sex scenes at all, not even fade to black.
Bree just broke up with her fiance and went on a 2 week vacation to visit her college roommate. She meets a welcoming group of permanent residents in a tourist town that is preparing for the summer onslaught. Early into her vacation, she finds out that she's been laid off from her job as an engineer, with no severance package. She finds a job with Caleb, a hunky diving instructor and dive shop owner. Bree hates swimming and letting her head get underwater. Their attraction allows them to get to know and try to please one another.
This book is clean and sweet. It is also humorous. I definitely recommend this book.
I really enjoyed this story. I loved how these two learned to move beyond their fears. I really enjoyed the diving aspect of the story. This is a really sweet, clean romance.
This was a good read. Bree was in town visiting her friend. She was wasn't looking for love. However, that was exactly what she got. Of course her and Caleb had some issues. Thankfully in the end it all works out and they get their happy ending.
A sweet small-town romance! Although at the beginning I didn't really like the main characters, I soon came to empathise and root for them. I really enjoyed the small-town setting and along with it, the slow-paced plot. Really enjoyed the scuba diving elements; thought it was super cool. Overall I would recommend this if you are looking for a sweet clean read.
When Bree Garrett’s former college roommate Adeline Baker invites Bree to move to Starlight Ridge, she accepts the offer.
A month earlier Bree had left her fiancé Mark on their wedding day. While in Starlight Ridge Bree gets a call from her boss informing her that their company was downsizing and she was being laid off as a result. Now she has to look for a job in Starlight Ridge.
And then there’s Caleb, owner of the Dive shop. The last thing Bree needs now is a relationship after her wedding fiasco. Small town romance
When you leave your fiancée at the altar, you really should take some time off to discover what you really want. That was Bree’s intention when she fled her home in New Mexico to spend a two-week vacation on the coast with her best friend Adeline in Starlight Ridge. Instead of Adeline’s house, her GPS brought her to the local scuba shop where she met Caleb, the owner, and dive instructor. He was good-looking but Bree was not in the mood for a rebound romance.
Caleb could not help smiling at the confused woman looking for Adeline. She was obviously the visitor to the store that Adeline had predicted but giving Bree the store’s address instead of the address to her house was a cheap way to win their bet. When Bree’s vacation from her job turned into unemployment, she applied for a job at the dive shop not realizing that the position included teaching scuba classes. Against his better judgment, Caleb could not resist hiring her. There was something about Bree that made Caleb want to get closer but he was not going to fall into that trap and risk getting hurt again.
This is a good romance about taking chances and overcoming fears. I enjoyed the interactions between Caleb and Bree. I received an advance copy but my review is honest and voluntary. I can see possibilities for other books in the series for Adeline, Isaac, and a few of the other town residents.
This is one of those fun reads that is perfect for summer. The author has the ability to write both subtly humorous and emotional scenes. Our heroine takes her former college roommate up on an offer to stay with her on the beach in California. Life in New Mexico had not been going so well romantically or professionally, so it seemed like a perfect getaway. But of course, it becomes far more than that. I loved that she didn't like seafood and had a strong fear of the water, or more precisely, of drowning. I lived on the coast for 10 years, and I didn't like seafood either! But there's no reason why you can't enjoy the beautiful scenery and refreshing breezes, even if you have some qualms and dislikes. Bree got to enjoy other things as well, like her budding romance with Caleb—and she even had to confront that fear. Both have believable, character-driven reasons for not wanting to pursue romance. But they certainly had chemistry that could not be denied. This story feels like it is about trust on several levels. The author did a good job of creating unique secondary characters as well. I sometimes found Bree’s friend to be a bit much at times, especially with her small “clever” manipulations, but I loved the rivalry between neighboring middle-agers Erwin and Jessie; they added so much humor. All in all, I recommend this book for a pleasant summer romance read.
I received a free copy of this book, but that did not affect my review.
This book was cute and a fun summer read but then the characters would do something so stupid I literally yelled out loud in my car at them.
I don’t know if it was just the narrator, but all the small things and the big things were both spoken in the same super dramatic tone that just gave everything no meaning. Like losing your job and not liking fish are apparently the same level of severity. And apparently not liking fish is some horrific secret that we couldn’t share to the town that is supposedly pushing fish down her throat even though I think someone offered our main character Bree fish twice in the entire book.
The characters went from acting 30 years old to 12 years old in seconds. Bree literally took one bite of fish and then ran away to spit it out from the ocean. And speaking of running away, when Bree said she runs away from hard situations she meant literally. Like up and sprints in the middle of a conversation. I could not picture a 12 year old, let alone 30 year old running away.
The reason this didn’t get 1 star is because when the characters weren’t acting 12, the story was very cute. I think the author had a really nice concept and execution of finding yourself and finding love. Bree overcoming her fear of the ocean were some of my favourite chapters and I wish we got more of them.
After she and her fiancé break up, Bree visits her friend, Adeline, who lives near the beach. Bree loves the beach but has a fear of the water and avoids seafood. When Bree needs a job, she applies to manage the surf shop for Adeline’s friend Caleb. But Caleb, the scuba diver instructor, thinks she wants that job instead.
Caleb is immediately and unexpectedly attracted to Bree. When he works with her on how to dive, he builds her confidence and she learns to trust him. But when her ex-boss calls her and offers her engineering job back to her, what choice will she make? Return to her well-paying job? Or stay here in this lovely beach town where it has started feeling like home? And what about Caleb?
This was a really great story with characters so well-depicted that they felt real and comfortable to be with! The dialog and interactions among them also made it real for the reader, and the emotions and friendship felt right. So when Bree gets the offer to come back to her job, the reader will sit up and also wonder what the right choice will be! Grab your copy and find out what the future holds.
Bree comes to Starlight Ridge to visit Adeline, her good friend and college roommate. Last month, she left her fiance on their wedding day, and now she needs time to regroup. While there, she's treated to the quirky characters and nuances of small-town living. When she's laid off from her job in New Mexico, she decides to stay for the tourist season, an odd choice to be in a coastal town for someone who hates seafood and is afraid of the water. She starts working for Caleb; they also begin dating, and he wants her to learn to dive. This is my first read from this author, and it's a terrific introduction to her writing. Caleb and Bree have great chemistry, and wonderful conversations together. They're taking a chance with this relationship, and they both have to face their fears and trust each before they can truly work as a couple. The rivalry between Jessie and Erwin is hilarious. Bree's friend Adeline - what a little sneak she is (in a good way).
I received a free copy of this book via Booksprout and am voluntarily leaving a review.
This audiobook is the first story in the author’s series titled Starlight RIdge as well as the first book I read/listen to by this author. So I honestly, did not know what to expect. It’s a sweet, clean romance about engineer Bree Garrett and scuba dive shop owner Caleb both in their twenties and still unsure of their futures and their lives. When life throws Bree a few lemons, loss of a job, break up with her fiance etc, she decides it’s time for a change of venue and travels from New Mexico to a small coastal California town to visit her college roommate. Never realizing that she would not only face her fears but that a young man would capture her heart. The author’s description of the small town and it’s inhabitants reminded me of Key West, a place I have enjoyed visiting multiple times. The story wasn’t without conflicts and complications and as you read it , you hope that not only Bree and Caleb find their HEA, but also that you’ll get a chance to revisit Starlight Ridge. Lastly, the narration by Claire Duncan brought the story to life.
This wasn’t a bad story, but it was just a little too vanilla. Nothing really happened until conflict at the end. It was just an easy and smooth romance, showing Bree and Caleb falling in love. It was sweet and tender with some lovely moments of Caleb helping Bree through her fear of water. It just wasn’t a memorable. It was just a boring for me. There was no angst. There was no tension. There wasn’t a lot build up. They just fell into a romance. It was too easy. My interest was more with the character of Isaac than the romance between Bree and Caleb. I just had no connection with them or their romance. It was just bland until the last few chapters. That was the most exciting part of it because finally there was an obstacle in their way, which made it more interesting. The setting was beautiful and a great place to fall in love, but it just didn’t hit my sweet spot romantic wise. I think that I’m quickly forget because there was nothing stand out or special about it.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
Bree was just supposed to be in Starlight Ridge for two weeks, but when she loses her job she decides to stay longer. She was brave to take a chance on a temporary job and a romance with Caleb and to learn to scuba dive when she’s afraid of drowning. She could have taken the safe route and started looking for a another engineering job even though she wasn’t happy doing that work. Caleb was brave too taking on a career where the income is mostly season and heavily dependent on tourists and risking his heart for a woman who might not stay longer than the summer. I loved read about Starlight Cove, how welcoming the residents are, and all the beautiful ocean views. It made me want to visit this fictional town. This was a clean romance with plenty of quirky characters, funny, and sweet moments.
This is my first time reading something by Ms. Bellemore and I really enjoyed it. This is a clean, sweet, and fun read - perfect for summer reading. I always like a good smalltown romance, and this one certainly fits the bill. The characters were very well-portrayed and had realistic and relatable qualities and were very easy to fall in love with. Caleb is happy in his small town of Starlight Ridge. Bree comes here to forget her past and start over. Both have a lot of baggage to deal with and past issues to overcome. The journey to a HEA for them is a slow and cautious one, but well worth it. This was a very charming and delightful story and I really enjoyed Ms. Bellemore's writing style. I am looking forward to reading more books by her!
I received a free copy of this book via Booksprout and am voluntarily leaving a review.
This book was, in a word, anxious. Not angsty in a good way, but anxiety-ridden to the point of being exhausting and annoying. The writing style is timid, the main characters are constantly scared of saying and doing the wrong thing, and the plot was entirely predictable. There was hardly a difference in the personalities of the two main characters, and the other characters were underdeveloped. The author uses the word “seemed” and “seems” too many times to count, and had her characters constantly apologizing to each other for the most inconsequential things. If you took out all of the unnecessary words and sentences, the book would be less than half the length. Good authors know how to show their readers what is happening, instead of just telling the story with a lot of boring statements. Sorry, but I did not find any part of this book very likable.
Diving into Love is the first book of the Starlight Ridge series and can be read as a standalone. This was a pleasant read with likable characters. It is a slow-moving story, but the characters were interesting enough to make it enjoyable.
I feel like the author could have developed the story more. Bree moves to Starlight Ridge for the summer after leaving her fiancé. She needs to reset and her friend offers her a place to stay. The story just touches on why she left and her life back in New Mexico.
Caleb has lived in Starlight Ridge his whole life, but like Bree, we only get little snippets of his history in the story. He owns a dive shop and is looking for help for the summer.
Overall this was enjoyable and I liked their relationship. I just wanted a little more depth to the story. ⭐⭐⭐
I am not a person that is into contemporary romance, as I love historical but being given a chance to read this for free on audio. When I first started listening I was pleasantly surprised to hear the narrator had a great voice because a narrator can make a break a book and I found this narrator enhanced an already great storyline. I was very into the book but then when Bree met Caleb and he missed took off for the new scuba diver instructor not only was it funny but after that I could not put it down. I love this book and can’t wait to read the next in the store light Ridge Siri‘s I loved the very likable characters and the Very Natural Way, Caleb and Bree fell for each other. It was so sweet and I highly recommend it to anyone who loves contemporary romance.
I downloaded this one during the Kindle romance sale, the Stuff Your Kindle free books. I'm glad it was free. I picked this one having actually read the description on a blog. This one's cute in that the protagonist moves to a seaside town, but she doesn't like seafood or the ocean. I thought the premise sounded so funny especially since she meets a scuba diver, and my own boyfriend loves to scuba dive, but I can't be convinced. I wish the author had leaned into the humor more. The story was longer than expected, and the romance was very soft. I read this one on my phone between calls at work, so it held my attention pretty well. I know that there is a whole series set in this same town, and if it were free I would read it all. I may see if I can find this at the library.
Bree is visiting her friend to get away from the stress of her recent breakup. When she loses her engineering job she decides to stay for the summer as it is a much more relaxed lifestyle in the beach side small town, especially out of tourist season. Unfortunately for her the only job available is in the dive shop and it was highly amusing when she applied for what she thought was a cashier’s job. Bree is determined not to get into a relationship and so is Caleb since Bree is only there for the summer. Believable and likeable characters who struggle to work out what is really important to them, with a HEA.
I would have liked the book more, but I struggled with the scuba diving descriptions. It's an air tank, not an oxygen tank. And someone who panics in the water needs to get over that before even considering diving! She has to tread water for ten minutes, but in a wetsuit... which means she floats. No treading water necessary. Then he goes diving alone big no-no. The author should have at least done more research. And finally, I'm skeptical about sea turtles hanging out in southern California... or in families.
On the other hand, I loved the characters. Maybe I need to work harder on suspending my disbelief.
Bree just broke up with her fiance and went on a 2 week vacation to visit her college roommate. She meets a welcoming group of permanent residents in a tourist town that is preparing for the summer onslaught. Early into her vacation, she finds out that she's been laid off from her job as an engineer, with no severance package. She finds a job with Caleb, a hunky diving instructor and dive shop owner. Bree hates swimming and letting her head get underwater. Their attraction allows them to get to know and try to please one another.
This book is clean and sweet. It is also humorous. I definitely recommend this book.
Pretty vanilla. Love that his strength was her weakness. Hated the communication issues. Especially at the end. She came back to find you. “But why?” Uh, moving back is a pretty big indicator. She says she loves him, and he finally BEGINS to hope? I did like that he acknowledged his hypocrisy that he was upset hehe didn’t tell him she loved him.
The lost job was just a device that was not well-thought out. If they wanted her back so much and engineers are so difficult to hire, they would’ve waited until the end of summer. She had all the power in that situation.
Okay, now I’m talking myself into it being a two star. I’ll shut up now.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
Running away from Amor, NM, to the California coast village of Starlight Ridge is reasonable if you aren’t afraid of the water and don’t hate seafood. Bree does not fit that description. Caleb is the owner of the local dive shop and a life long resident of Starlight Ridge so it makes perfect sense that Adeline, best friend to both Bree and Caleb, should try her hand at matchmaking. Kat Bellemore brings us an enjoyable story of two people facing their fears and finding a life together. I enjoyed this book.
I felt like I was on a beach vacation! The characters were refreshing and easy for me to relate and empathize with as Bree and Caleb cautiously take another step further into their relationship, with plenty of room for misunderstandings. Bree courageously faces her long-time fear of water, and the reader also vicariously feels more courage in facing their own fears that can seem so overwhelming. This story pulls you right in until the very end!
I received a free copy of this book via Booksprout and am voluntarily leaving a review.
Diving Into Love is a sweet and clean romance appropriate for tweens and up. It has a delightful storyline and great dialogue that is easy and flows. I love how the author uses humor and the emotions of the characters are natural and realistic. I adore the characters. The H/H have a nice chemistry and their problems are something most people can relate to. I can’t wait to read more of this series. The narrator gives a wonderful performance without being overly dramatic or distracting from the story.