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Shell Cove #2
Starfish Cottage
Maddie Montgomery has finally found her slice of heaven - a charming cottage on the sugar-sand beach of Shell Cove, Maine.
There’s only one problem, the flow of tourists to Shell Cove dried up years ago and now it’s up to her to bring them back.
When a stash of bootlegged whiskey from the 1940s is found in the walls of Maddie’s cottage, the discovery sparks an idea for an event that could bring the town back to life.
Too bad, the town grump, Constance Harbinger, doesn’t like Maddie’s plan. Constance is in charge of seeing that events adhere to the town bylaws, and she’s found a way to throw up obstacles at every turn.
Constance isn’t the only problem. In order to set up the event, Madde has to work with the annoying Dex Wheeler. Luckily, they both want the town to succeed so they’ll have to figure out a way to work together.
Too bad, Dex’s girlfriend, Lorelie, isn’t so keen on Dex working with Maddie.
Dex, on the other hand, is happy to be doing something to save the town. He’s spent his whole life in Shell Cove and never wants to leave. Not that he can admit that to Lorelei, she is under the impression that he’s moving to Portland with her. And he was considering it until he started working with Maddie. Now that he’s getting feelings for her, he’s starting to wonder if moving in with Lorelei is such a great idea.
The entire town is depending on Maddie, their livelihoods and way of life are at stake. From Deena and Chuck who run Saltwater Sweets and have just discovered they can love again after leaving their spouses, to Maddie’s cousin Jules and her new budding romance with Nick, to Gina who has her own hopes and dreams tied up in the town. Even the three quirky senior citizen “Welcome Wagon” ladies who Maddie has come to think of as honorary grandmothers have future dreams for Shell Cove.
But none of those dreams will matter, if Maddie can’t bring the tourists back to Shell Cove.
There’s only one problem, the flow of tourists to Shell Cove dried up years ago and now it’s up to her to bring them back.
When a stash of bootlegged whiskey from the 1940s is found in the walls of Maddie’s cottage, the discovery sparks an idea for an event that could bring the town back to life.
Too bad, the town grump, Constance Harbinger, doesn’t like Maddie’s plan. Constance is in charge of seeing that events adhere to the town bylaws, and she’s found a way to throw up obstacles at every turn.
Constance isn’t the only problem. In order to set up the event, Madde has to work with the annoying Dex Wheeler. Luckily, they both want the town to succeed so they’ll have to figure out a way to work together.
Too bad, Dex’s girlfriend, Lorelie, isn’t so keen on Dex working with Maddie.
Dex, on the other hand, is happy to be doing something to save the town. He’s spent his whole life in Shell Cove and never wants to leave. Not that he can admit that to Lorelei, she is under the impression that he’s moving to Portland with her. And he was considering it until he started working with Maddie. Now that he’s getting feelings for her, he’s starting to wonder if moving in with Lorelei is such a great idea.
The entire town is depending on Maddie, their livelihoods and way of life are at stake. From Deena and Chuck who run Saltwater Sweets and have just discovered they can love again after leaving their spouses, to Maddie’s cousin Jules and her new budding romance with Nick, to Gina who has her own hopes and dreams tied up in the town. Even the three quirky senior citizen “Welcome Wagon” ladies who Maddie has come to think of as honorary grandmothers have future dreams for Shell Cove.
But none of those dreams will matter, if Maddie can’t bring the tourists back to Shell Cove.
- GenresFiction
163 pages, Kindle Edition
Published August 26, 2021
651 people are currently reading
1003 people want to read
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 33 reviews
March 9, 2023
Another amazing story. Falling in love with the small town of Shell Cove and it’s residents.
Loved every minute and hated to see it end.
Loved every minute and hated to see it end.
August 15, 2021
Starfish Cottage is Book 2 in the Shell Cove series. This is such a fantastic Womens Fiction, novel I could not put it down!
Maddie and her cousins are fixing up the Beachcomber Motel which was in such a state of disrepair.
While cleaning out the cottage, they find quite the surprise hidden in the walls and this sparks an idea for a new event in town.
I really loved this novel. I really enjoy the author's writing style, it totally had my attention from the first page until the very last.
The characters are well developed and fleshed out. The plot is perfectly paced .
This novel is a breath of fresh air and I cannot wait for more from this author.
Maddie and her cousins are fixing up the Beachcomber Motel which was in such a state of disrepair.
While cleaning out the cottage, they find quite the surprise hidden in the walls and this sparks an idea for a new event in town.
I really loved this novel. I really enjoy the author's writing style, it totally had my attention from the first page until the very last.
The characters are well developed and fleshed out. The plot is perfectly paced .
This novel is a breath of fresh air and I cannot wait for more from this author.
April 14, 2025
Super cuteeeee. Makes me excited for summer and the beach!!
August 12, 2021
This is the second in the series.
Maddie Montgomery and her two cousins, Jules and Gina inherited the semi-dilapidated Beachcomber Motel less than a year previously and after a lot of hard work they are trying to drum up more business. The two cousins are on-site and Maddie has a cottage that needs a lot of love.
Maddie is in charge of pitching ideas to the town council to increase tourist traffic and bringing sales to the town. Maddie is very good at planning and event organization.
While renovating her cottage, Dex and Maddie discover a stash of whiskey hidden in an interior wall.
A little research leads to the possibility of a famous bootlegger having lived in her cottage and thus hiding the whiskey. This leads to formulation of the town festival and if all goes well, possibly it will become an annual event.
A subplot are a few romantic relationships being formed and/or dissolving.
I enjoyed the characters, even the not so nice ones. The discussion of true love and how do you tell if it is was endearing. I like seeing how people grow and change.
I’m looking forward to finding out if Gina will ever find her husband, get some of the money or her freedom and does she open a bake shop. There is a lot to look forward to for all of the main characters.
I definitely would recommend this book to anyone looking for a light, uplifting quick read.
I was given an advanced reader’s copy and am not required to leave a positive review.
Maddie Montgomery and her two cousins, Jules and Gina inherited the semi-dilapidated Beachcomber Motel less than a year previously and after a lot of hard work they are trying to drum up more business. The two cousins are on-site and Maddie has a cottage that needs a lot of love.
Maddie is in charge of pitching ideas to the town council to increase tourist traffic and bringing sales to the town. Maddie is very good at planning and event organization.
While renovating her cottage, Dex and Maddie discover a stash of whiskey hidden in an interior wall.
A little research leads to the possibility of a famous bootlegger having lived in her cottage and thus hiding the whiskey. This leads to formulation of the town festival and if all goes well, possibly it will become an annual event.
A subplot are a few romantic relationships being formed and/or dissolving.
I enjoyed the characters, even the not so nice ones. The discussion of true love and how do you tell if it is was endearing. I like seeing how people grow and change.
I’m looking forward to finding out if Gina will ever find her husband, get some of the money or her freedom and does she open a bake shop. There is a lot to look forward to for all of the main characters.
I definitely would recommend this book to anyone looking for a light, uplifting quick read.
I was given an advanced reader’s copy and am not required to leave a positive review.
August 7, 2021
Maddie Montgomery and her two cousins inherited the semi-dilapidated Beachcomber Motel less than a year previously, and after a lot of hard work and a little luck. The town had successfully hosted a nationally televised baking contest, and now Maddie was in charge of trying to bring more tourist to the area to help the town come back to life.
While renovating the cottage she bought, they discovered a stash of whiskey hidden in the walls of the building that may have been put there by a famous moonshiner during the prohibition era which gives Maddie an idea for the next festival for the town. With the addition of seeing some pictures from that era, she comes up with the idea of a Gatsby style festival and hopes she can get approval from the keeper of the town records who is known to be a grouch and unhelpful for to anyone.
This was a fun and clean read from Meredith Summers, which is a pseudonym for a popular mystery and cozy mystery author.
It is the second book in the Shell Cove series.
Don't you dare tell anyone that I got so caught up in a "Women's Fiction" book that I missed going to bed so I would have a good sleep before going to work because I really wanted to know what happened in a particular part of the book.
While renovating the cottage she bought, they discovered a stash of whiskey hidden in the walls of the building that may have been put there by a famous moonshiner during the prohibition era which gives Maddie an idea for the next festival for the town. With the addition of seeing some pictures from that era, she comes up with the idea of a Gatsby style festival and hopes she can get approval from the keeper of the town records who is known to be a grouch and unhelpful for to anyone.
This was a fun and clean read from Meredith Summers, which is a pseudonym for a popular mystery and cozy mystery author.
It is the second book in the Shell Cove series.
Don't you dare tell anyone that I got so caught up in a "Women's Fiction" book that I missed going to bed so I would have a good sleep before going to work because I really wanted to know what happened in a particular part of the book.
September 15, 2021
good read win. thank you. Nice fast read, wish I had read book one, however, reader can pick up. I will most surely read book three, however, I checked, not been written yet, but I hope it will. Three cousins inherit a hotel in a charming beach town, that needs help. It appears that the cousins have got the hotel in shape but need some help in getting clients. One cousin is amazing at organization and comes up with a Gatesby Party after discovering bootleg whisky in a beach cottage she is renovating…also, the carpenter who is helping her, may be a new love interest, or…maybe not! Bringing the town together and alive, new romances blossom, and the towns economy is improving. looking forward to book three.
February 26, 2022
The second book in the Shell Cove series is just as good as the first one. Ms Summers does a good job of catching the reader up on previous story by little statements along the way. This story focuses on Maddie, the organizer and planner. Shell Cove needs another event to bring in tourist to help the town thrive and they are depending on Maddie to make it happen. As we watch Maddie, she is so detailed with the event plan, everything down to the smallest item. I have been guilty of this, too. Then something happens that affects the plan, but you are so committed to "the plan" you become very anxious. How do you overcome this? Check out this book to see if Maddie can make it happen.
June 7, 2025
I loved it!
The continuation of the three cousins story. Jules has fallen for Nick, Gina is trying to find her cheating ex-husband and Maddie has taken on remodeling her new home as well as being the town event coordinator. Rose’s grandson Dex is helping with the remodeling, just as he helped fix up the Beachcomber Motel. Dex is developing feelings for Maddie even though he has a girlfriend, but his girlfriend doesn’t care about his feelings of wanting to stay in Shell Cove. Maddie has worked so closely with Dex at her home and the town projects that she has developed feelings for him. Can they have their own love story? I think you’ll find out when you read the book.
The continuation of the three cousins story. Jules has fallen for Nick, Gina is trying to find her cheating ex-husband and Maddie has taken on remodeling her new home as well as being the town event coordinator. Rose’s grandson Dex is helping with the remodeling, just as he helped fix up the Beachcomber Motel. Dex is developing feelings for Maddie even though he has a girlfriend, but his girlfriend doesn’t care about his feelings of wanting to stay in Shell Cove. Maddie has worked so closely with Dex at her home and the town projects that she has developed feelings for him. Can they have their own love story? I think you’ll find out when you read the book.
August 18, 2021
Heartwarming!
Multiple POVs make sure you get all sides of the story. It may sound like that might lead to a fragmented story, but actually, it worked really well. Where book 1 focused on Jules and Nick (although that had multiple POVs too), here the focus is on Maddie and Dex. I loved the story! Maddie is a little uptight, and Dex a bit unorganized. Maybe they can learn from each other?
I also loved the history attached to the cottage. And the welcome wagon ladies are such fun! Hard to put down! Now I can’t wait for Gina’s story!
Multiple POVs make sure you get all sides of the story. It may sound like that might lead to a fragmented story, but actually, it worked really well. Where book 1 focused on Jules and Nick (although that had multiple POVs too), here the focus is on Maddie and Dex. I loved the story! Maddie is a little uptight, and Dex a bit unorganized. Maybe they can learn from each other?
I also loved the history attached to the cottage. And the welcome wagon ladies are such fun! Hard to put down! Now I can’t wait for Gina’s story!
August 12, 2021
Best one yet! I love this series! The three cousins are so different, yet still family. Each book centers around one of the cousins. They are trying to renovate and start up the hotel that their grandmother left to them, while building new lives in their new little seaside Maine home. This book (and series) is full of love and caring for family and friends. The setting is lovely and the characters are interesting. If you like a nice, clean romance, then you will love this series.
August 20, 2021
Maddie and her two cousins are trying to bring the Beachcomber Motel back to life, but tourism in Shell Cove Maine had dried up. following a successful baking contest, Maddie is put in charge of coming up with a plan to bring the tourests back... Add a stash of proabition era whiskey stashed by a bootlegger and a bit of romance, and you get a terrific and hard to put down story.
August 30, 2021
Now I have t wait again!
I absolutely adore Meredith summers’ books! The only problem, is finishing one in a series and having to wait for the next to come out! What a fabulous author! Nothing better than small-town cozy stories and Meredith Summers is the Queen of them!
I absolutely adore Meredith summers’ books! The only problem, is finishing one in a series and having to wait for the next to come out! What a fabulous author! Nothing better than small-town cozy stories and Meredith Summers is the Queen of them!
September 3, 2021
Great read
Great read I'm really enjoying these books and highly recommend them to anyone who enjoys a great read you feelnlikevyour part of the town and family. Can't wait tobsee what happens with the girls.
Great read I'm really enjoying these books and highly recommend them to anyone who enjoys a great read you feelnlikevyour part of the town and family. Can't wait tobsee what happens with the girls.
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September 21, 2021What fun!!!
😀 Thanks for a good summer read. I am a SC beach loving water baby so you can imagine my pleasure remembering all the sand dollars we found on the beach. Occasionally we would break them open to find the dove sales inside. Those were truly the good ole days!😀lol
😀 Thanks for a good summer read. I am a SC beach loving water baby so you can imagine my pleasure remembering all the sand dollars we found on the beach. Occasionally we would break them open to find the dove sales inside. Those were truly the good ole days!😀lol
November 26, 2022
The Meredith Summers books are simply clean good fun books to read about tiny Main towns that make themselves better. I am so glad Maddie purchased Starfish Cottage - Go Dex! Can't wait to finish reading the last one written so gar - Saltwater Sweets
November 18, 2023
I like the story, and I want to keep reading to know what happens with each of these likable people and their charming little town...
Sometimes I want the writing to have more depth and insight, but that is not this author's style. The writing is very straight-forward and moves along quickly.
Sometimes I want the writing to have more depth and insight, but that is not this author's style. The writing is very straight-forward and moves along quickly.
August 31, 2024
Starfish cottage
A perfect read anytime. I love how the community works though stuff issues and the outcome is inspiring. The characters are friendly and loyal. I can't wait to see what the next book has in-store. Enjoy.
A perfect read anytime. I love how the community works though stuff issues and the outcome is inspiring. The characters are friendly and loyal. I can't wait to see what the next book has in-store. Enjoy.
October 11, 2021
Maddie's Story
Who would think inheriting an rundown hotel would lead to love. Maddie is the cousin with serious organization skills. They will lead her to love.
Who would think inheriting an rundown hotel would lead to love. Maddie is the cousin with serious organization skills. They will lead her to love.
October 19, 2021
Too short
This was a good read, but the book was too short and should have gone into more detail in the end with the characters.
This was a good read, but the book was too short and should have gone into more detail in the end with the characters.
February 18, 2022
great story
I love the characters how they interact and work together. It’s nice reading a positive story with a happy ending
I love the characters how they interact and work together. It’s nice reading a positive story with a happy ending
April 20, 2022
2 of 3 story keeps getting better
August 14, 2022
Meredith Summers books are great
I have been thoroughly enjoying Meredith Summers books. This one was really good. I am glad Dex and Maggie worked out.
I have been thoroughly enjoying Meredith Summers books. This one was really good. I am glad Dex and Maggie worked out.
October 2, 2022
Great Series
This is such a great series. Very down to earth and relatable. I love all character and can't wait to read on.
This is such a great series. Very down to earth and relatable. I love all character and can't wait to read on.
January 2, 2023
Enjoying the series can't wait to see what happens in the next book #3 of the series
February 4, 2023
Another in the series. Quick read. Fun Characters.
May 2, 2023
Enjoyed this very much!
May 26, 2023
Amazingly good read
Just a great summer read and the characters are so enjoyable. On to the next book in the series! Love this series.
Just a great summer read and the characters are so enjoyable. On to the next book in the series! Love this series.
July 30, 2023
I love these books
Light, happy reading! It makes me smile and warms my heart! I also love the beach and the waves and Meredith always makes me feel I’m there!
Thank you!
Light, happy reading! It makes me smile and warms my heart! I also love the beach and the waves and Meredith always makes me feel I’m there!
Thank you!
July 5, 2024
Another fantastic read
August 1, 2024
Another GREAT book
Meredith Summers is my favorite author. Her books are such a pleasure to read. Once I start reading the book I can’t put it down. Keep them coming!
Meredith Summers is my favorite author. Her books are such a pleasure to read. Once I start reading the book I can’t put it down. Keep them coming!
Displaying 1 - 30 of 33 reviews